YCBK - case studies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just remember, YCBK is a college counseling service, it has a very powerful incentive to dismiss the idea that a kid can apply to college without using a counselor. YCBK is all about selling their college counseling service and naturally promotes the idea that you are doomed unless you hire a college counselor.

You either don't listen to the podcast or you are purposefully misrepresenting the content. In the introduction, the host mentions he is a counselor and of course there are anecdotal references to his experience counseling, but it's hardly a hard sell. The whole point of the podcast is to educate parents and students. There are tons of interviews with AOs, higher ed industry folks, college deans, etc. There are highlights of various colleges, guidance on appying internationally, discussions on news. The latest interview from a professor/researcher about making the most of a college experience has been great. It's all free. Noone has to hire any of them.

One may not like the content which is fine. To each their own. But it's a disservice to misrepresent what could be a useful resource to other parents that may not have come across the podcast. I personally find it helpful, interesting, and have learned quite a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just remember, YCBK is a college counseling service, it has a very powerful incentive to dismiss the idea that a kid can apply to college without using a counselor. YCBK is all about selling their college counseling service and naturally promotes the idea that you are doomed unless you hire a college counselor.

100% this. I think the podcast is long-winded, self-important and tries to drive a climate of fear. The tips are basic at best. I wish i hadn't wasted so many hours listening. In contrast, I have attended an actual case-studies college fair last year in-person and found it more helpful and insightful than this one on the YCBK podcast.

What I've realized is that it is only helpful to listen to AOs review fictitious case files and comment IF they are the actual AOs from schools your student is interested in applying to. So if Colorado College is high on your kid's list, listen to YCBK, but for schools like UPenn or WashU it's not that helpful.

The case studies college fair I attended in person last year (not virtual or on a pod) had the AO of UChicago and AO, AO of U Michigan and AO of Amherst and that was more helpful.

The YCBK is an overhyped podcast stoking too much fear that college admissions is some kind of expertise that requires to listen to their long-winded multi-hour podcasts or hire very average college counselors like the host Mark.

Sounds personal...

[Anonymous]

Just listened. Not that helpful as the only AOs who walked through their decision process were based in mountain states - Colorado College (small CO LAC), CU Boulder (big state safety school), and Grinnell (small Iowa LAC).

Wish there were some coastal representation: NE, SE, NW/SW.

Also seems like a lot of biases from AO readers based on how they grew up. The AOs were all female and seemed to come from less privileged families and more down to earth, and had a bias towards economically disadvantaged applicants who suffered. While they are underdogs, these aren't always the candidates who will thrive most in college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just listened. Not that helpful as the only AOs who walked through their decision process were based in mountain states - Colorado College (small CO LAC), CU Boulder (big state safety school), and Grinnell (small Iowa LAC).

Wish there were some coastal representation: NE, SE, NW/SW.

Also seems like a lot of biases from AO readers based on how they grew up. The AOs were all female and seemed to come from less privileged families and more down to earth, and had a bias towards economically disadvantaged applicants who suffered. While they are underdogs, these aren't always the candidates who will thrive most in college!

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just listened. Not that helpful as the only AOs who walked through their decision process were based in mountain states - Colorado College (small CO LAC), CU Boulder (big state safety school), and Grinnell (small Iowa LAC).

Wish there were some coastal representation: NE, SE, NW/SW.

Also seems like a lot of biases from AO readers based on how they grew up. The AOs were all female and seemed to come from less privileged families and more down to earth, and had a bias towards economically disadvantaged applicants who suffered. While they are underdogs, these aren't always the candidates who will thrive most in college!

Serious question. What would have been more helpful, from your perspective? I saw the exercise as mocking up how different people bring different perspectives to a review in light of what a college's mission is in selecting a student. So I viewed it as generic overview of holistic admissions. What would coastal representation bring that you feel was missing?

Curious if there is additional perspective/insight that was missing that is helpful to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just listened. Not that helpful as the only AOs who walked through their decision process were based in mountain states - Colorado College (small CO LAC), CU Boulder (big state safety school), and Grinnell (small Iowa LAC).

Wish there were some coastal representation: NE, SE, NW/SW.

Also seems like a lot of biases from AO readers based on how they grew up. The AOs were all female and seemed to come from less privileged families and more down to earth, and had a bias towards economically disadvantaged applicants who suffered. While they are underdogs, these aren't always the candidates who will thrive most in college!

Most AO are female.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just listened. Not that helpful as the only AOs who walked through their decision process were based in mountain states - Colorado College (small CO LAC), CU Boulder (big state safety school), and Grinnell (small Iowa LAC).

Wish there were some coastal representation: NE, SE, NW/SW.

Also seems like a lot of biases from AO readers based on how they grew up. The AOs were all female and seemed to come from less privileged families and more down to earth, and had a bias towards economically disadvantaged applicants who suffered. While they are underdogs, these aren't always the candidates who will thrive most in college!

Yes, this is how college apps are actually read.

There are a lot of resources out there...read up? This was found from a "quick" Google search. I'm sure there are better sources.
https://www.ivywise.com/blog/college-admission-secrets-how-colleges-read-applications/
https://www.onmywayconsulting.com/blog/whos-reading-your-essay-neagz
https://www.ivywise.com/ivywise-knowledgebase/3-things-admissions-officers-look-for-in-students/
https://prepmaven.com/blog/applying/how-colleges-read-your-application-a-4-step-process/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just remember, YCBK is a college counseling service, it has a very powerful incentive to dismiss the idea that a kid can apply to college without using a counselor. YCBK is all about selling their college counseling service and naturally promotes the idea that you are doomed unless you hire a college counselor.

You either don't listen to the podcast or you are purposefully misrepresenting the content. In the introduction, the host mentions he is a counselor and of course there are anecdotal references to his experience counseling, but it's hardly a hard sell. The whole point of the podcast is to educate parents and students. There are tons of interviews with AOs, higher ed industry folks, college deans, etc. There are highlights of various colleges, guidance on appying internationally, discussions on news. The latest interview from a professor/researcher about making the most of a college experience has been great. It's all free. Noone has to hire any of them.

One may not like the content which is fine. To each their own. But it's a disservice to misrepresent what could be a useful resource to other parents that may not have come across the podcast. I personally find it helpful, interesting, and have learned quite a bit.

+1

And Mark (the host) barely mentions his college counseling firm and I've never heard him try to sell his services.

Try listening to The Game or Inside the Admissions Office Podcasts. Those hosts are always "selling" their services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's a YCBK?

Nobody knows.

I heard that in Nate Bargatze's voice.

Lol. Thanks for this.

[Anonymous]

YCBK "drives a climate of fear"? What? The podcast that preaches fit and match over prestige at every turn? The one that always signs off with "college is a match to be made, not a prize to be won"? And regularly highlights schools across the selectivity spectrum?

At least one of the posters on this thread is just way off base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just listened. Not that helpful as the only AOs who walked through their decision process were based in mountain states - Colorado College (small CO LAC), CU Boulder (big state safety school), and Grinnell (small Iowa LAC).

Wish there were some coastal representation: NE, SE, NW/SW.

Also seems like a lot of biases from AO readers based on how they grew up. The AOs were all female and seemed to come from less privileged families and more down to earth, and had a bias towards economically disadvantaged applicants who suffered. While they are underdogs, these aren't always the candidates who will thrive most in college!

Serious question. What would have been more helpful, from your perspective? I saw the exercise as mocking up how different people bring different perspectives to a review in light of what a college's mission is in selecting a student. So I viewed it as generic overview of holistic admissions. What would coastal representation bring that you feel was missing?

Curious if there is additional perspective/insight that was missing that is helpful to know.

Yes, it was pretty generic overview of holistic and I guess it wasn't that helpful to me. Our DC is trying to understand the admissions profile for more selective, urban schools. The only state U was a large non-selective school in a mountain state (CU Boulder CO). Everyone gets in at our HS so her insights weren't super helpful to get insights from a safety school AO that has an 80+% acceptance rate. Also, the other AOs and institutions chosen were similar: small, predominantly white institutions in Colorado again or Iowa. Plus they compared cases or files from very different schools that would never be reviewed against each other irl. They should have compared 3 files from the same school to show how the elements are different within the context of one school (competitive public, rigorous private or magnet school). They shouldn't do one of each - like comparing apples to oranges. Most files are read within context of one school (if they send many applicants) or in region or type (homeschools, by what % they send to college, how much tey offer, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just listened. Not that helpful as the only AOs who walked through their decision process were based in mountain states - Colorado College (small CO LAC), CU Boulder (big state safety school), and Grinnell (small Iowa LAC).

Wish there were some coastal representation: NE, SE, NW/SW.

Also seems like a lot of biases from AO readers based on how they grew up. The AOs were all female and seemed to come from less privileged families and more down to earth, and had a bias towards economically disadvantaged applicants who suffered. While they are underdogs, these aren't always the candidates who will thrive most in college!

Serious question. What would have been more helpful, from your perspective? I saw the exercise as mocking up how different people bring different perspectives to a review in light of what a college's mission is in selecting a student. So I viewed it as generic overview of holistic admissions. What would coastal representation bring that you feel was missing?

Curious if there is additional perspective/insight that was missing that is helpful to know.

Yes, it was pretty generic overview of holistic and I guess it wasn't that helpful to me. Our DC is trying to understand the admissions profile for more selective, urban schools. The only state U was a large non-selective school in a mountain state (CU Boulder CO). Everyone gets in at our HS so her insights weren't super helpful to get insights from a safety school AO that has an 80+% acceptance rate. Also, the other AOs and institutions chosen were similar: small, predominantly white institutions in Colorado again or Iowa. Plus they compared cases or files from very different schools that would never be reviewed against each other irl. They should have compared 3 files from the same school to show how the elements are different within the context of one school (competitive public, rigorous private or magnet school). They shouldn't do one of each - like comparing apples to oranges. Most files are read within context of one school (if they send many applicants) or in region or type (homeschools, by what % they send to college, how much tey offer, etc.).

Thanks for sharing. Yeah, I can see how the comparison across schools can change the conversation vs if it was candidates from the same school in a very selective context might be pretty different i.e. What is it like when you are comparing students all with 1500+/34+, 8-12 APs, and deep, but very different ECs - all from the same school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just remember, YCBK is a college counseling service, it has a very powerful incentive to dismiss the idea that a kid can apply to college without using a counselor. YCBK is all about selling their college counseling service and naturally promotes the idea that you are doomed unless you hire a college counselor.

Oh, I also think private counselors are pretty useless. You high school counselor and naviance (or similar) are your two best friends

Unfortunately, our school doesn't use Naviance or anything similar for college applications. And the couselors have hundreds of assigned students including kids with very serious issues. There is little help from the HS with the college process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just remember, YCBK is a college counseling service, it has a very powerful incentive to dismiss the idea that a kid can apply to college without using a counselor. YCBK is all about selling their college counseling service and naturally promotes the idea that you are doomed unless you hire a college counselor.

This is complete nonsense. As they say, their mission is to make college knowledge available to everyone. I get why the podcast isn't for everyone, but they are not all about "selling their college counseling service."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just remember, YCBK is a college counseling service, it has a very powerful incentive to dismiss the idea that a kid can apply to college without using a counselor. YCBK is all about selling their college counseling service and naturally promotes the idea that you are doomed unless you hire a college counselor.

Oh, I also think private counselors are pretty useless. You high school counselor and naviance (or similar) are your two best friends

indeed.