In this week’s episode you will hear

In the News (3:30): In this week’s news, an Inside Higher Ed article, “Liberal Arts College Mega Mergers”, by John Kroger.

We often hear of liberal arts colleges closing their doors or cutting faculty and programs. Kroger walks through the options that these schools should consider and points out the three main reasons they are finding themselves in danger: they lack a great location, have small endowments, and/or don’t have a national reputation. (Length 15:38)

Chapter 59 of 171 Answers (19:08): We are in discussion of chapter 59 of the book, “171 Answers” and we’re talking through what your child needs to consider about their social media presence while going through the admissions process.

We discuss the four different ways social media is used in the admission process. We also discuss what you can do to make social media work for you and not against you. (Length 13:58)

This week’s question (33:06) is from a mom who wants to know how her daughter can stand out in the admissions process, after taking a gap year.

The particular focus is on how or if applying for a gap year through the Americorps program will allow a student to have increased college options if they apply while in the middle of their gap year experience. (Length 11:28)

This week’s big interview Mark interviews Ms. Susan Tree this week.

She is a former Admissions Counselor at Bates College and former Director of College Counseling at Westtown. Susan has 40 years of experience in college admissions and college counseling. This is a must listen to four part interview series. The topic of the series is, Writing the Personal Essay: Don’t miss your opportunity to fill in the gaps and bring yourself to life (Part 1 is 30 minutes).

Mark’s recommended resource of the week (54:32) is Rachel Tour’s book, “Write your way in”, and the subtitle is, “Crafting an Unforgettable College Admission Essay”. Tour is a former admissions officer at Duke university but she has spent the last dozen years helping students excel with their writing.

Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com

Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.