Host Julie Lythcott-Haims asks expert Amy Young about what high school juniors should be thinking about at the beginning of 2016. Amy is the director of college counseling at Avenues, an independent school in New York City. She says if a high school junior is feeling overwhelmed or uninterested, a good first step is to visit a college campus-- it really helps a student get excited about the process.Julie and Amy answer listener questions from a parent about the value pre-college summer...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Amy Young look back on how the seniors at Avenues fared during the early decision round. Amy is the director of college counseling at Avenues, an independent school in New York City. She highlights the acceptances to excellent under-the-radar schools like Wheaton College and Elon.Julie and Amy answer listener questions from parents about how to approach the college admission process when their children have ADHD and other learning differences. And with the...

For high school seniors who completed early decision and early action applications this fall, this past week was prime-time for getting notified about those applications. Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Parke Muth get updates from three of Getting In's seniors.Muth worked for nearly thirty years at the University of Virginia as an admissions officer and dean, he's now an independent college admissions counselor.Getting In seniors Jordana Meyer, August Graves, and Ellis Wells all received...

Getting In senior Jonathan Diaz is a first-generation college applicant and he's grappling with some big questions. Should he leave his family? And wherever he gets in...will it be affordable? The support Jonathan is getting from his high school college office is critical and host Julie Lythcott-Haims gives us a closer look at Jonathan's progress this fall.We meet Jonathan's mother, Candida, a home health attendant and we listen in on a pivotal meeting Jonathan has with his college counselor...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Steve LeMenager, president of Edvice, and independent college counseling firm and a former director of admission at Princeton, answer listener questions.A mom whose daughter has applied early decision to an Ivy, wonders-- if her daughter gets deferred-- what kinds of actions can be taken to stand out in the regular pool. A high school junior asks if skipping 12th grade to attend an early college program is a good idea. And a dad wonders how to find top...

Guest host Amy Young, director of college counseling at Avenues New York, and expert Parke Muth answer listener questions. For nearly 30 years Muth worked in the admissions office and as a dean at UVA. He's now a private consultant on the college admission process.A mother in Portland wonders why some students get interviews and others don't. A sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, his back-up college, wonders if it's worthwhile to transfer to a more selective school. And a father in...

Guest host Amy Young, director of college counseling at Avenues New York, helps Getting In senior August Graves refine her list of schools and makes some practical suggestions about what needs to be listed in the Common Application. And expert Parke Muth joins Amy to answer a listener question from a homeschooled teenager in Texas. The teen wonders how to describe his unique high school coursework -- designed and taught by his father--on a college application. Plus an update from Getting In...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and Amy Young, director of college counseling at Avenues answer listener questions. A father wonders if colleges are truly need blind. An expat in Italy suggests that American families seriously consider the much more affordable option of college abroad. And a mom raising her daughters overseas asks how colleges view kids coming out of international schools and International Baccalaureate programs.Plus some of our Getting In seniors update us on all the tests they've...

Julie Lythcott-Haims, and college counselors Parke Muth, and Steve LeMenager answer listener questions. A parent asks what "demonstrating interest" really means beyond visiting campuses and opening emails from colleges of interest. And a mom wonders if a high school's low average SAT score could affect her child's admission chances.Plus one of our Getting In seniors tells us what it's like to totally complete an application and "click submit."Send us an email or voice memo--to...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and Parke Muth, formerly a dean and an admission officer at the University of Virginia, answer two listener questions. A mother of a high achieving student wonders which colleges offer full-ride merit scholarships. And a teacher asks if students at elite high schools really do end up competing more with each other versus the total applicant pool, when applying to select colleges.Plus we get updates from some of our seniors about their Halloween plans and what they're...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims checks in with our seniors who have decided to submit early applications. Josh Steckel, college counselor at the Brooklyn School for Collaborative and the author of Hold Fast to Dreams, breaks down all the terminology surrounding early applications. August Graves makes a last minute decision to apply early to her first choice college. And Josh shares strategies with August to make sure she puts together the best application she can.Plus we hear about the early...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and Steve LeManager answer listener questions. Steve is a former director of admission at Princeton and the president of the private college counseling firm, Edvice.We hear from a tenth grader in Texas who wonders if it's better to focus on a few activities or a lot of activities when it comes to building an extra-curricular profile. And we answer an email from a parent wondering how to assess a financial aid package when her child applies early decision. We also...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims checks in with our group of seniors about how their college essays are coming along. The personal statement might be only 650 words, but these paragraphs have the power to make a student stand out to the admissions office, or get lost in the pack.New Jersey twelfth-grader Alessandra LePera gets essay feedback from our expert Steve LeManager, a former director of admission at Princeton and the president of the private college counseling firm, Edvice. And we hear more...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Josh Steckel-- a college counselor at the Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies and the author of Hold Fast to Dreams-- answer listener questions.The first question is from a parent who's child is applying early to a college that's "testing optional." She wonders if excluding test scores from the application could hurt her daughter's chances of acceptance. The second question is from a teacher who asks if recommendation letters are a waste of time.Next...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Amy Young, the director of college counseling at Avenues New York, answer listener questions.The first question, from a 10th grader enrolled in an intense STEM program, wonders how she can appear appealing to a college with an arts and communications focus. The second question is from a parent who wonders whether colleges are more impressed by straight As in "regular" or honors courses or Bs in AP and more advanced classes. Plus, a sneak preview of our...

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Parke Muth answer listener questions. Plus, we hear how some of the parents of our twelfth graders are feeling as the school year begins.Send us an email--or better yet, a voice memo--to [email protected]. Or, you can call our hotline and leave a message at 929-999-4353.Getting In is sponsored by Audible.com. Get a free audiobook of your choice at www.audible.com/COLLEGE and use the promo code COLLEGE. 

In this first episode, meet the panel of experts – former college admissions officers at elite colleges and universities and guidance counselors – who will help our group of New York-area seniors make their way through the college admissions process. You’ll hear from the students, too – about their hopes for college, and their anxieties about admissions just as they begin senior year. Getting In is sponsored by Audible.com. Get a free audiobook of your choice at www.audible.com/COLLEGE

A new podcast coming soon from the Panoply network.