Best college admission podcasts?

[Anonymous]

YMMV, but I like Lee Coffin. He's good marketing for Dartmouth.

I also like The College Admissions Podcast with John Durante. Each week, he interviews an AO from a different college, using the same format and same questions. It's probably not as good as YCBK's college spotlights, but it's pretty solid and occasionally there's real insight. Anyhow, you might use it for specific colleges that interest your DC.

[Anonymous]

YCBK is definitely the one I listen to most regularly.

Like College Essay Guy

Just started listening to Harlan Cohen (he wrote the Naked Roommate book) and that is more directed at parent audience to understand and support your kids while in college. He has a great YouTube channel that is more student-targeted and I share some of those with my kids.

For a total beginner to the process, there's a good limited series "College Uncovered" from an NPR station (which was recommended on YCBK).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YMMV, but I like Lee Coffin. He's good marketing for Dartmouth.

I also like The College Admissions Podcast with John Durante. Each week, he interviews an AO from a different college, using the same format and same questions. It's probably not as good as YCBK's college spotlights, but it's pretty solid and occasionally there's real insight. Anyhow, you might use it for specific colleges that interest your DC.

+1 I do like how focused this is on college spotlights. While I love YCBK I do miss that they've gotten away from doing a lot of shorter college spotlights. I'd rather have a new, shorter spotlight every week vs. the 3-part interviews they seem to be doing more often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the Dartmouth one with Lee Coffin. Some think he’s obnoxious but I like his nasally voice.

I dislike this guy so much, it made me dislike Dartmouth. I was relieved my kid didn't like the tour. All because of this podcast - lol!

Ha! I’ve heard that before. I really enjoy him. He’s the only person I’ve ever liked with a vocal fry. Lots of insights and info on his podcast.

I don’t like the Yale one. They always seem to be reading from prepared notes. I like off the cuff discussions.

[Anonymous]

So do podcasts add anything useful outside of what you can find online? Not being snarky, curious since we are yet to start process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So do podcasts add anything useful outside of what you can find online? Not being snarky, curious since we are yet to start process.

Yes, because the podcasters are industry people and have access to AOs/other insiders with real info. People that listen to the podcasts mentioned above already knew that Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown were moving back to requiring test, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the Dartmouth one with Lee Coffin. Some think he’s obnoxious but I like his nasally voice.

I dislike this guy so much, it made me dislike Dartmouth. I was relieved my kid didn't like the tour. All because of this podcast - lol!

saaaaame! and I've come to believe he's a textbook example of AO and problems with admissions. they are so rooted in their own life story, they miss the bigger picture. how many times have I heard AO talk about their college admissions journey? if a parent did that we'd be laughed out of the room. NOT RELEVANT! also I think a lot of these people have specific - but inspiring! - stories about being first in their families. Which is why so many college tours show the same stats: half the kids are full pay, half get aid and the average aid package is 60k. IOW, not a lot of middle ground. and they think that middle ground are just people who don't want to pay. A nurse and a firefighter living in Brooklyn make 250k and while they're more alike Lee Coffins parents than not, they're not getting the aid he got.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So do podcasts add anything useful outside of what you can find online? Not being snarky, curious since we are yet to start process.

Much better tbh

[Anonymous]

The problem with all these podcasts is they have a lot of information, but it takes days and days and days to really dig deep. And there is a bit of information overload. I just finished helping my senior and now have a junior and found some of these podcasts, a bit too late in the process.

It’s been very helpful for me to see for example some of the classic mistakes that kids make in trying to portray themselves as a “finished product”… I want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon we’re working in finance… Versus really just showing the AO how you have intellectual curiosity every day and how you want to express that curiosity in perhaps not so concrete and robotic ways one you are in college.

I think sometimes kids try to draw a line and show that they have figured out what they want to do and that does them and disservice. This isn’t to say your kids shouldn’t have a spike. But they don’t need to know exactly/ precisely what their future career will be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with all these podcasts is they have a lot of information, but it takes days and days and days to really dig deep. And there is a bit of information overload. I just finished helping my senior and now have a junior and found some of these podcasts, a bit too late in the process.

It’s been very helpful for me to see for example some of the classic mistakes that kids make in trying to portray themselves as a “finished product”… I want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon we’re working in finance… Versus really just showing the AO how you have intellectual curiosity every day and how you want to express that curiosity in perhaps not so concrete and robotic ways one you are in college.

I think sometimes kids try to draw a line and show that they have figured out what they want to do and that does them and disservice. This isn’t to say your kids shouldn’t have a spike. But they don’t need to know exactly/ precisely what their future career will be.

Yes, it can be a lot to get through. I think College Essay Guy was good on having a few titled episodes that are very clear with guidance on, for example, building a list. And, of course, essay guidance.

The first podcast I listened to on college was "Getting In" a limited series by the woman who wrote "Raising An Adult." My oldest was only in 8th grade at the time and I would have been unlikely to listen to a college podcast except I liked her book. While some college landscape stuff is outdated (that 9th grader is now a college junior) I think it is still a good broad overview of the process. She basically follows several students through their process of applying to college and deciding where to go, interviewing experts in different topics along the way. https://open.spotify.com/show/1bfbbtHdZPwqf8Rf1Ae9Qq

That podcast really piqued my interest in the topic and I went down the rabbit hole of listening to a ton of podcasts (and reading books) so I did feel like I had a really strong base on knowledge once my kids actually needed it. Now both kids are in college but I still listen to YCPK because I volunteer as a college application mentor for 1st gen/low income students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with all these podcasts is they have a lot of information, but it takes days and days and days to really dig deep. And there is a bit of information overload. I just finished helping my senior and now have a junior and found some of these podcasts, a bit too late in the process.

It’s been very helpful for me to see for example some of the classic mistakes that kids make in trying to portray themselves as a “finished product”… I want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon we’re working in finance… Versus really just showing the AO how you have intellectual curiosity every day and how you want to express that curiosity in perhaps not so concrete and robotic ways one you are in college.

I think sometimes kids try to draw a line and show that they have figured out what they want to do and that does them and disservice. This isn’t to say your kids shouldn’t have a spike. But they don’t need to know exactly/ precisely what their future career will be.

Yes, it can be a lot to get through. I think College Essay Guy was good on having a few titled episodes that are very clear with guidance on, for example, building a list. And, of course, essay guidance.

The first podcast I listened to on college was "Getting In" a limited series by the woman who wrote "Raising An Adult." My oldest was only in 8th grade at the time and I would have been unlikely to listen to a college podcast except I liked her book. While some college landscape stuff is outdated (that 9th grader is now a college junior) I think it is still a good broad overview of the process. She basically follows several students through their process of applying to college and deciding where to go, interviewing experts in different topics along the way. https://open.spotify.com/show/1bfbbtHdZPwqf8Rf1Ae9Qq

That podcast really piqued my interest in the topic and I went down the rabbit hole of listening to a ton of podcasts (and reading books) so I did feel like I had a really strong base on knowledge once my kids actually needed it. Now both kids are in college but I still listen to YCPK because I volunteer as a college application mentor for 1st gen/low income students.

This is how I went down this path too! I loved her book How To Raise an Adult. I think I was looking for more info on it when I came across her "Getting In" podcast. I've been a regular listener of YCBK podcast for 3 or 4 years now. Are you a volunteer with Scholar Match?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with all these podcasts is they have a lot of information, but it takes days and days and days to really dig deep. And there is a bit of information overload. I just finished helping my senior and now have a junior and found some of these podcasts, a bit too late in the process.

It’s been very helpful for me to see for example some of the classic mistakes that kids make in trying to portray themselves as a “finished product”… I want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon we’re working in finance… Versus really just showing the AO how you have intellectual curiosity every day and how you want to express that curiosity in perhaps not so concrete and robotic ways one you are in college.

I think sometimes kids try to draw a line and show that they have figured out what they want to do and that does them and disservice. This isn’t to say your kids shouldn’t have a spike. But they don’t need to know exactly/ precisely what their future career will be.

Yes, it can be a lot to get through. I think College Essay Guy was good on having a few titled episodes that are very clear with guidance on, for example, building a list. And, of course, essay guidance.

The first podcast I listened to on college was "Getting In" a limited series by the woman who wrote "Raising An Adult." My oldest was only in 8th grade at the time and I would have been unlikely to listen to a college podcast except I liked her book. While some college landscape stuff is outdated (that 9th grader is now a college junior) I think it is still a good broad overview of the process. She basically follows several students through their process of applying to college and deciding where to go, interviewing experts in different topics along the way. https://open.spotify.com/show/1bfbbtHdZPwqf8Rf1Ae9Qq

That podcast really piqued my interest in the topic and I went down the rabbit hole of listening to a ton of podcasts (and reading books) so I did feel like I had a really strong base on knowledge once my kids actually needed it. Now both kids are in college but I still listen to YCPK because I volunteer as a college application mentor for 1st gen/low income students.

This is how I went down this path too! I loved her book How To Raise an Adult. I think I was looking for more info on it when I came across her "Getting In" podcast. I've been a regular listener of YCBK podcast for 3 or 4 years now. Are you a volunteer with Scholar Match?

No, I volunteer with a local organization. https://www.ahcinc.org/volunteer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do podcasts add anything useful outside of what you can find online? Not being snarky, curious since we are yet to start process.

Yes, because the podcasters are industry people and have access to AOs/other insiders with real info. People that listen to the podcasts mentioned above already knew that Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown were moving back to requiring test, for example.

So who else is likely to move back to testing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do podcasts add anything useful outside of what you can find online? Not being snarky, curious since we are yet to start process.

Yes, because the podcasters are industry people and have access to AOs/other insiders with real info. People that listen to the podcasts mentioned above already knew that Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown were moving back to requiring test, for example.

So who else is likely to move back to testing?

No one else this year for class incoming fall 2025.

Expect other schools to make summer announcements that go into effect for admissions for the incoming fall class of 2026 (current sophomores)….

[Anonymous]

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-game-a-guide-to-elite-college-admissions/id1745045021