410: Regional Spotlights: Attending College in The South w/ Renee Ferrerio

11/21/23 • 77 min

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

On today’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) hosts the first installment of a new series called Regional Spotlights, which will bring on college counseling experts who have deep history or knowledge of the exciting college options from (and cultural nuances of) a particular geographic region.

We’re kicking off this series with Colleges in The South. Our Southern specialist and special guest today is CEG’s very own Renee Ferrerio.

Renee began her career more than 30 years ago, first as a public-school counselor and more recently as the Director of College Counseling at The O’Neal School. She is Co-Chair for North Carolina’s State and Area Initiatives Committee and might be considered by some as a counselor-fly in connoisseur, having participated in dozens of visit programs at various colleges and universities across the country.

On the episode you’ll hear Tom and Renee discuss:

The myths and realities of going to college in The South
Admissions trends at Southern flagship public universities
How to make studying in The South more affordable, including special scholarship opportunities
Hidden gems and unique, specialized programs that you may not have heard of before

Our hope is that, for students and families, spotlighting some of these “little things” about studying in the South will help you see that there may even be bigger things in store for you there than you originally anticipated... beyond BBQ.

Play-by-Play

0:24 - Welcome & Introductions
2:57 - Why are we doing regional spotlights?
3:56 - Why should geography be a factor in a student’s list-making process?
7:26 - What are some cultural realities students should keep in mind as they're putting together a college list with Southern schools?
15:57 - What are some misconceptions about Greek Life?
24:03 - What should students applying to public flagships know?
31:06 - College affordability in the South
39:50 - Studying STEM in the South
47:51 - Rapid-fire Southern Spotlights
- 48:34 - Schools in Florida
- 55:02 - Schools in Georgia
- 59:16 - Schools in South Carolina
- 1:02:45 - Schools in North Carolina
- 1:08:31 - Schools in Tennessee
- 1:10:39 - Schools in Texas
- 1:12:01 - Schools in Virginia
1:16:26 - Wrap Up & Closing Thoughts

Resources

Scholarships in the South:

We’re kicking off this series with Colleges in The South. Our Southern specialist and special guest today is CEG’s very own Renee Ferrerio.

On the episode you’ll hear Tom and Renee discuss:

The myths and realities of going to college in The South
Admissions trends at Southern flagship public universities
How to make studying in The South more affordable, including special scholarship opportunities
Hidden gems and unique, specialized programs that you may not have heard of before

Play-by-Play

0:24 - Welcome & Introductions
2:57 - Why are we doing regional spotlights?
3:56 - Why should geography be a factor in a student’s list-making process?
7:26 - What are some cultural realities students should keep in mind as they're putting together a college list with Southern schools?
15:57 - What are some misconceptions about Greek Life?
24:03 - What should students applying to public flagships know?
31:06 - College affordability in the South
39:50 - Studying STEM in the South
47:51 - Rapid-fire Southern Spotlights
- 48:34 - Schools in Florida
- 55:02 - Schools in Georgia
- 59:16 - Schools in South Carolina
- 1:02:45 - Schools in North Carolina
- 1:08:31 - Schools in Tennessee
- 1:10:39 - Schools in Texas
- 1:12:01 - Schools in Virginia
1:16:26 - Wrap Up & Closing Thoughts

Resources

Scholarships in the South:

Previous Episode

409: A Crash Course in College Athletic Recruiting w/ Katie Andersen

My guest is Katie Andersen, a former NCAA Division 1 Women’s Soccer player at Duke University, who now advises student-athletes through her organization, College Fit OC. She’s also the co-founder of The Student-Athlete Advisors, which focuses on educating and mentoring educational consultants who advise college-bound student-athletes.

Our conversation turned into a veritable crash course in college athletic recruiting. We get into, among other things:

How a student can know if they can realistically play their sport at the college level
When students should start their athletic recruiting process
Can a college coach actually help a student get accepted to a university?
How college-list building is different for student athletes
Recent rule changes families should be aware of
Tips for social media
Tips for recruiting videos
And lots more!

Play-by-play

0:00 - Intro / Who is Katie Anderson?
1:37 - Katie shares a little bit about her journey as a student athlete
4:29 - How can a student know if they can realistically play their sport at the college level?
9:00 - When should students start their athletic recruiting process?
12:45 - Should student athletes visit campus?
15:36 - How do students know if a coach is serious about recruiting them?
18:11 - How can students be proactive in their recruiting process?
21:30 - What influence do coaches have on the admissions process?
25:05 - What are coaches looking for in student athletes?
29:51 - How is building a college list different for student athletes?
35:50 - How do early decision applications impact the students' athletic recruiting journey?
39:03 - Are there any recent shifts in athletic recruitment that students should know?
42:18 - How can social media be used to help a student in the recruiting process?
47:04 - What are some tips for creating recruiting videos?
50:32 - What are some of the misconceptions that students and families have about this process?
52:46 - Advice to families who are considering hiring somebody to help them with this process?
54:46 - What resources are available for families throughout this process?
54:43 - Wrap-Up

Resources

Blog for Student Athlete Advisors (Katie’s organization)
College Athletic Recruiting Playbook
NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete
How to Choose a College: A Step-By-Step Guide
Podcast 121: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (US Version) - Jeff Levy, financial aid expert
Podcast 122: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (International Version) - Jennie Kent, international financial aid expert
Podcast 123: Should You Apply Early Decision or Regular Decision? (And the Chart That Can Help You Decide) - Jennie Kent and Jeff Levy

Next Episode

411: Finding Your Why, What a Liberal Arts Education Really Is, and How to Figure out What You Actually Want

On Season 1 of the podcast, Ethan had a great conversation with Maria Furtado, then Executive Director of the Colleges That Change Lives organization (also known as “CTCL”). It’s a lovely chat and to date one of our most downloaded episodes.

On today’s episode Ethan had the pleasure of sitting down with her successor, Ann Marano, and they get into:

Where to start when it comes to the college search
How to myth bust yourself (a practical exercise)
What questions to ask when you’re searching for a college
Some things Ann and Ann and Ethan wished they had done differently when they went through the process themselves
Busting some affordability myths
What it means to keep a student at the center of the college search

If you’ve never met Ann, you should know that she is a proud first-generation college graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University (CA) who earned her M.A. in Education-Psychology from Pepperdine. She’s served on several counselor advisory boards, including the Common Application Board of Directors and the Johns Hopkins University Access Advisory Board. After 20 years in college admissions counseling at several different universities and high schools and 12 years as the college bound advisor at the first all girls’ public school in the state of Texas, Ann Marano moved into the role of Executive Director for the Colleges That Change Lives.

We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Play-by-Play

1:57 - What is CTCL and what is Ann’s role as Executive Director?
3:58 - What’s it like to be a student at a liberal arts college?
8:09 - What kind of student is right for a liberal arts college?
10:01 - What’s a good place to start in the college search process?
14:49 - How to combat myths about colleges
19:04 - What are some questions that are important for students and families to be asking themselves as they go through this process?
- 25:52 - An exercise for picturing yourself on a college campus
29:45 - What would Ann and Ethan have done differently in college?
32:04 - How does a student get a sense of a school if they're not able to visit the campus?
34:15 - College affordability at private schools
39:17 - What are some tips for parents about keeping students at the center of the search?
43:56 - Another example of what it’s like to be a student at a liberal arts college
48:27 - An exercise students can do to begin this process of finding a great college
52:55 - Final thoughts / wrap-up