Some colleges do their curriculum in very different ways. Megan and Erin talk about some of these programs, their features, and what students might enjoy these colleges. Some of these you may never have heard of but could be your perfect fit! Plus, a secret FAFSA and SAT update!

What do we mean when we ask students to research colleges? What information is helpful? What are some good tools to get started? More importantly, WHY is this information relevant?

You might be getting invited to fancy conferences or thinking about travel or camps–are these opportunities worth it? What can students do to make an impact over the summer? Megan and Erin share their suggestions for what students can do in the summer (HINT: Don’t wait for summer to find these)!

You heard from a school but were either waitlisted or deferred–now what? Megan walks through the questions you should ask youself and shares her top tips on what to do (and what NOT to do). Plus, Erin brings in a bonus question about getting into your specific major.

Issues, issues, issues with the SAT! The SAT is changing again–and schools are trending back toward requiring the test. Have you noticed this trend? Megan and Erin debate the value of the SAT and help to make sense of this debate! This is a breaking news episode all about the SAT! From The Daily: The Messy Fight Over the SAT

A parent writes in asking about the difference between Early Action and Early Decision. Megan gives us a brief primer on what our Juniors need to be doing right now in the college search process. Then, she helps us make sense of EA, ED1, and ED2 (hint: you need your college list, first). This episode is designed to help you choose what schools are EA, ED, and RD (Regular Decision).

A listener writes in with a question about merit scholarships–can they count on them for all four years or can colleges change their mind? Megan shares what she generally sees with merit scholarships, what to look for, and general guidelines about scholarships.

Erin has asked for topic ideas and questions and has brought them all today. Social media and mental health? College rejections? Preparing for finals? Taylor Swift? All this covered in one episode! EPISODE #505 – Normalizing Rejection

Sonia works with students (and parents!) around career and technical education. * What careers are available? * How does a student get college and career ready? * How do students find their “why” and gain transferrable skills to try a variety of careers? Sonia is a student advocate and career coach expert that empowers parents and students in the college and career ready journey. Her goal is to help students with self-awareness, motivation and career...

Students and parents often wonder what it takes to be indpendent. What skills will they need in college besides academics? How can they start honing those skills now? Erin and Megan go through their top lists of skills and provide tasks that can help to develop them. Resource: How to Raise an Adult

Erin goes on a deep dive about Dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, and the Executive Function while Megan shares questions that parents and students have asked. This episode is a basic primer on Learning Differences and a couple study hacks to help with distraction. Resource: Understood.org

A parent writes in and feels overwhelmed with the amount of information coming in about colleges during the application process. How do Megan and Erin keep it all organized? Is there a “best way” to make sure deadlines are compiled and met?

Erin shares that she is beyond burnt-out and has been doing research on what that’s like and what to do about it. Whether you are a student, an educator, or a parent, we all suffer from burn-out. Erin gives some tips on how to get to the other side of it. Harvard Business Review – https://hbr.org/2021/03/how-to-measure-burnout-accurately-and-ethically

A parent has a number of questions about financial aid–and Erin and Megan have answers! Everything from the timeline, to how to choose which school based on their offer, this episode is a great overview of the financial aid process.

Megan shares advice from a colleague who tells students, “If you get into all the schools on your college list, you may have avoided challenge.” Rejection is normal and natural but students have a hard time with it. How do we normalize rejection and minimize pain? Erin shares some tips for getting used to rejection and what to do once it inevitably happens. One of Erin’s students even shared with her about rejection simulators so you can prepare yourself to see the worst:...

“I’m so behind!” Megan and Erin have been hearing this from parents quite a bit. * Are you behind? * Where should you be in the college process? * What are steps can you take right now to get back on track?

Sometimes, parents aren’t sure their child is ready to go off, live independently, and become a full-time four-year college or university student. If they aren’t quite ready to make that jump, what other options are there? Megan and Erin discuss some college alternatives–some still involving college and others on what to do instead.

Erin uses games and gamification in her work all the time and she is going to share why games are so great for the brain. We’ll break down different types of games and how games can help with Executive Functioning. Get your holiday shopping list ready as we explore the wonderful world of games!

How can you add value to your college application? It feels like everyone is starting a non-profit–it’s the new “it” item for college admissions–but is it? Megan shares her experience with creating an application that is more informative, useful, and strategic than simply writing that you have created every club at the school.

Gretchen Wegner comes back for EPISODE 500!! She challenges Megan and Erin to think about the people they need on their team and how we can help students understand that “asking for support” is an important part of their success. Gretchen also shares an update as to what she has been up to and what she is looking forward to in the future! gretchenwegner.com

A parent wants to know what to do when college representatives aren’t visiting their local schools. Should they go visit them? Should they call the Admissions office? How will schools know what the individual high schools are like? Megan answers these questions and more!

Megan works with students who are determined to go on a Pre-Med or a Pre-Vet path and she has some ideas and advice! What things should you consider before starting on that path? What should you be looking for? Megan gives her best tips for students interested in these fields.

AI is here! In fact, AI wrote this title! How do students use tech to cheat? What is the deal with AI–how does it work and how can we use it responsibily? What are students saying about tech? Erin shares some stories about the relationship between modern tech and learning.

Changes are coming to the FAFSA! What is the FAFSA? We’ll tell you and we’ll go over all the new changes from requirements to deadlines. This is a quick overview of what to expect with the 2023 FAFSA.

A parent asks – which should my student take? AP Calculus or AP Statistics? What do colleges like to see? Will my math choice be the deciding factor even if I am not a math major? How are the math courses “ranked”? Megan and Erin go to the mat on math! The answer to this parent’s question touches on a much bigger issue in college admission. RESOURCE:...