Getting In: Your College Admissions Companion

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and Parke Muth, formerly a dean and an admission officer at the University of Virginia, answer listener questions. How important are SAT II scores to admissions officers? Which is more valuable a good grade in an AP class or the score on the exam? What's your advice to students applying from abroad? Does

volunteering matter?

Send us an email or voice memo--to [email protected] Call our hotline and leave a message at (929) 999-4353. Find us on Twitter: @GettingInPod 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.

Host Julie Lythcott-Haims and expert Amy Young talk about how the high stakes intensity of college admissions has trickled down to middle and high school admissions. Amy is the director of college counseling at Avenues, an independent school in New York City.

Julie mentions a new effort aimed to reduce the academic pressure and stress found in her own community of Palo Alto, CA. The city is distraught by its teen suicide rate-- four to five times the national average. The website, pathsfrompaloalto.com, was created by recent college grads who grew up there. "They're showing through blog essays, that people have happy successful lives going in all directions out of Palo Alto," says Julie.

Listener questions this week include a letter from a junior in southern California who suffered a head injury at a sporting event and it affected his GPA. He wonders how to present his case on college applications. And an eleventh grader, who moved to Arizona her junior year, asks if it's ok to get teacher recommendations solely from her previous school.

Send questions, comments, and follow us on Twitter @GettingInPod

Send us an email or voice memo to [email protected]

Or, 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

With a new year come new challenges for high school seniors. While most college applications are complete and submitted, financial aid forms need attention right now. Getting In expert Josh Steckel explains the differences between the FAFSA and CSS forms. And he and host Julie Lythcott-Haims walk through some first steps students and families might take if they plan to apply for government and institutional aid. Josh mentions a few resources that could be helpful for anyone navigating the maze of financial aid:http://www.understandingfafsa.org/http://www.collegegoalsundayusa.org/http://www.finaid.org/about/ Josh is the college counselor at the Brooklyn School for Collaborative studies. He's also the author of Hold Fast to Dreams: A College Guidance Counselor, His Students, and the Vision of a Life Beyond Poverty, just out in paperback. We also hear updates from some of our Getting In seniors about what they did over winter break-- from bouldering and rounds of golf to reveling in finishing applications and receiving acceptance letters from a couple more schools. Julie and Josh answer three listener questions. A mom asks: What resources are out there to help families fill out financial aid forms? Another parent asks: What steps should you take when your child applied early decision but has gotten zero communication from the college? And an eleventh grader asks: Should I enroll in community college and transfer to a four year college for the final two years of college? There are lots of ways to send us questions and comments: Follow us on Twitter: @GettingInPod

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 colleges not in the popular top-20 that would be a good fit for his high achieving daughter.

Plus updates from Getting In seniors Jonathan Diaz, Ellis Wells, and Jordana Meyer. Jonathan gets a welcome bump in his SATs. And early December can be an anxious time for students awaiting early decision notifications, but Jordana and Ellis are finding ways to escape the stress.

Send us an email or voice memo--to [email protected], 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.