The College Checklist Podcast is back with a very special update. Since the Higher Scores Test Prep family is growing with a baby on the way, this year has been devoted to revamping the Higher Scores Test Prep courses. With fresh courses recorded and my due date just days away, I am here to share what’s coming next for The College Checklist and give you a way to stay up-to-date with some of the changes that are coming over the next few months. Listen Now: A Special Update for College...

In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, Kelly Queijo, founder of Smart College Visit and Smart College Consulting, provides excellent advice on how to plan campus visits, how to save money on your college visits,  and how to get the most benefit from the experience. Remember: campus visits are a fact-finding mission about your home for the next 4 years. It’s also a great way to demonstrate your genuine interest in your favorite colleges. Take Kelly’s campus visit tips to heart to...

We are in for a special treat on this episode of The College Checklist Podcast with our first three-peat guest, Jodi Okun! Jodi has a wealth of knowledge on all things paying for college – including student loans. In the past, Jodi has helped us understand the bird’s eye view of the financial aid process, the changes that came to the FAFSA in 2016, and now she’s back to help us understand how families can wisely leverage student loans to help pay for college. For some families, taking out...

In my final feature of a Higher Scores Test Prep student from the high school class of 2016, I am thrilled to include one of my very first online students, Madeleine. At the time of recording, Madeleine had just graduated from high school and was planning to attend Mt. Holyoke College. In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, Madeleine takes us through the plan she developed and the steps she took to get in to the college of her dreams. I was struck by Madeleine’s poise and...

In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, I interview Off-Trail On Purpose founder Leslie Frey about the benefits of defying the status quo in college admissions and why taking the long view of what you want from life can help you find the perfect-fit college. Leslie’s background as a teacher and Outward Bound leader gives her a unique perspective on the college admissions process. She provides insights as to why finding a career choice before a college choice is so important. She...

In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, I interview Road 2 College founder Debbie Schwartz about the best ways to leverage some of the wonderful, free college research tools available these days. When her own child was getting ready to plan for college, Debbie came to realize how little college financial planning assistance there was for families.  Debbie is dedicated to helping families understand the complexities of college financial planning by starting at the source of many...

In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, Brenden, a former ACT prep student of mine, and his mom, Jeanne share their best tips as practical a guide to college admissions. The hallmark off their experience was staring early and doing plenty of research and planning. Brenden also explains how he balanced work, outside activities, and school. This journey had a very happy destination as Brenden was accepted to his first choice college: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Listen Now:...

If you’ve ever wondered what makes a great college application or what college admissions officers want to see from applicants, this episode of The College Checklist Podcast is for you! In this show, I’m joined by my friend Luke Lawson who’s served as an undergraduate admissions officer and in many other posts in higher education for the past 4 years. Luke candidly shares what he wanted to see from applicants when he was a college admissions officer and helps us understand the differences...

In today’s episode of The College Checklist Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ben Green, author of The Global Superstar. Ben provides valuable insights on what high school and college students can think about and do to prepare for a career in a field they are passionate about. This episode is important because it reminds us of the “why” beyond getting into college. Being competitive in the global economy doesn’t happen by accident. While there are many to-do’s on the road to...

Getting into college is hard. Winning college scholarships is even harder. I am so proud to have my student Darius and his mother Shawnae on to talk about their family’s college admissions journey that included a strategic approach to financial aid. Their family’s open, honest conversation about the cost of college gave Darius the full view of what it was going to take to get into and pay for his education. That translated into motivation and allowed Darius to achieve tremendous success on...

In today’s episode of The College Checklist Podcast, we’re going to talk about the Common Application (aka Common App) with Dr. Shirag Shemmassian. Shirag will help us wrap our minds around what’s expected of us on the Common App and help us with some tips about best practices for filling it out as well.  We’ll cover essay differences, submission deadlines, early decision vs early action, and pointers on how to best be organized. We also make a big announcement about our brand new course...

In Episode 82 of The College Checklist Podcast, I interviewed Kelly Peeler of NextGenVest and something she said got me thinking about alternatives to college.  While she was very clear that the data from the last 20 years shows that college graduates make more over their lifetime than their uneducated peers, she also implied that the payoff may decrease in the future but that the industries around college admissions and higher education make it very challenging to buck the trend of going to...

In today’s episode of The College Checklist Podcast, Kelly Peeler of NextGenVest shares a lot of information about the ever-shifting landscape of college financial aid. Be sure to take advantage of NextGenVest’s free texting service that can help you have your financial aid and scholarship questions answered. NextGenVest can even help you appeal your financial aid award! Learn more about this free service at NextGenVest.com. Listen Now: Getting Financially Organized for College...

In today’s episode of The College Checklist Podcast, Sharise Kent joins us to share her expertise on college internships. Sharise is an expert on how students can find internships and determine their career objectives while they are still in school. Sharise provides many practical tips on how to prepare for college and how to find internships that will ensure career success beyond the college experience. Listen Now: The Power of College Internships Subscribe to the College Checklist...

If you’ve ever wondered how students get admitted to top schools like Columbia, you’re in for a special treat! My former test prep student and Columbia University Class of 2020 admittee Tevis joins me on today’s episode of The College Checklist Podcast to share his college admissions story. Here’s the thing: getting into an Ivy League college is hard work and it’s not the right school environment for everyone. That said, there are lessons that every student applying college can glean from...

Looking for great scholarship tips from someone who’s used free money to fund her college education? You’re in the right place! Fellow podcaster Kristy Sturgill joins us on The College Checklist podcast to share how she graduated debt free from college by obtaining scholarships both before she set off to college and throughout her 4 years at university.  Today she provides provides practical tips on how to win scholarships not just at the beginning of college but also during your college...

Today, I had the pleasure of chatting with Kelly Johnson. Kelly is an in-school counselor and also serves as Communications Chairman of the Indiana School Counselors Association. In this episode, Kelly helps us understand the changing role of the in-school counselor. She also gives parents and students alike insight on how to best leverage the excellent resources available in their high school’s college counseling office.   Listen Now: Getting To Know Your In-School Counselor Subscribe...

Today, I’m pleased to welcome Thomas Frank as a guest on The College Checklist Podcast. Thomas is the geek behind the popular blog, podcast, and YouTube channel College Info Geek. He provides advice for college students on how to study, how to get the jobs they want, and how to build a solid financial base. In this episode, Thomas shares with us his tips on how college students should prepare to land their dream job. Listen Now: How To Land Your Dream Job Subscribe to the College...

Today we have a very special guest! My mom, Francine Verbarg, makes her College Checklist Podcast debut! Our family has always been very focused on community service and Mom is the reason for that. She’s volunteered for various organizations from a very young age and shares her tips for getting involved in charity work. In this episode, we share tips to help you begin service in your community that will help others while also building your authentic story for the college admissions...

We are very lucky to have Ramsey Personality Rachel Cruze on the show today to share tips on how we can raise kids that are financially prepared to tackle college without going into debt. Rachel is Dave Ramsey’s daughter and, growing up a Ramsey, there were lots of money lessons that she learned along the way. Rachel shares some of her personal experiences from college to help us understand the mindset students must have and the skills they will need to live life debt free. Rachel is also...

In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Jay Benanav back on the show. This time we discuss the financial aid appeal process. Appealing financial aid something that not many families know they can do. However, it can be as simple as writing a financial aid appeal letter and asking for what you need to make that school financial feasible for your family. Of course, there are best practices for financial aid appeal. Jay walks us through what we need to...

In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shirag Shemmassian regarding under what circumstances a college rejection letter can be successfully appealed and how to do it. Shirag also provides information on some of the reasons students are not accepted as well as the reasons why a student should not appeal a rejection letter. Having successfully appealed his own rejection letter from UCLA, Shirag is able to share with us from his own experience how...

In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with my friend, math tutor Adrianne Meldrum from The Tutor Coach. The internet is being leveraged more and more in classrooms across the world. Adrianne shares with us some of the benefits of online courses and online tutoring from her unique perspective as a teacher, math tutor, and mother of 3. Listen Now: Unlock the Power of Online Courses & Tutoring Subscribe to the College Checklist...

2016 is a year of change in the college admissions world. The new SAT has debuted and the FAFSA is changing in the fall! If you’re unfamiliar with the FAFSA, it is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – a very important part of the financial aid process for all students. In this episode of The College Checklist Podcast, financial aid expert Jodi Okun joins us for a second time to give us an overview of the changes coming to the FAFSA process in 2016.  She also explains the importance...