YCBK 137: A Guide to Virtual College Admissions Tools

In this episode you will hear: (09:13) In this week’s news segment, an article from US News and World Report, “A Guide to Virtual College Admissions Tools”, by Josh Moody.  Virtual tours, chatbots and Zoom calls with admissions officers all offer ways for applicants to engage. The coronavirus caused colleges and universities to quickly ramp up their efforts to engage with prospective students.   (28:02) We are in Chapter 137 of 171 Answers and Mark talks us through what we need to know about state-based aid. Mark and Anika discuss why does state-base aid fly under the radar so much. Mark shares an incredible resource for understanding state-based aid that he is very excited about and he challenges every listener to look up the state-based aid options for each listener’s respective state.   (47:45) This week’s question is from a Greg in GA and he wants to know if colleges are truly test optional, as they say they are. Mark really goes into the nuances of how test-optional can mean different things at different schools in very subtle ways.   (01:08:36) We have two interviews for you again this week. We won’t be doing this again anytime soon but enjoy both interviews for the last time in 2020:   Mark interviews Lisa Przekop in part 2 of 2 on the topic of “Understanding the University of California at Santa Barbara”. Lisa defines what an impacted major is at UCSB and she talks about which programs are impacted Lisa also talks about which programs have the most interest. Lisa talks about their pre-major plan Mark asks Lisa what they need to do to become an even better school and Lisa was just so refreshingly honest with me in her answer Mark puts Lisa on the hotseat and I ask her seven questions as we get to know Lisa outside of her world as an admission professional Second Interview (01:22:41) Mark continues his interview with Lauren Williams, college daughter of YCBK co-host Dave Williams, in ‘How to be creative with your activities in the age of COVID-19’. The final part of my interview focuses on “Theyoungvote.org”, the website Lauren has started to reach out to voters in their teens and twenty’s.   (01:13:43) Recommended resource: The Coalition for College Virtual Fair on 9/16. Come meet colleges from the 130 Coalition for Colleges. Here is the link:   College spotlight: No spotlight because Lisa Przekop is talking about UCSB, but College Spotlights return next week as Mark breaks down Arizona State University.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! To access and best utilize the transcripts of each podcast, please do the following: Go to  Click the Transcripts tab, from the top menu by the Episodes tab Click on the transcript for the specific episode you are interested in, just click on the image or by the word “Transcript” You will see a Share icon, a download option, a link to Apple podcast and you will see a magnifying glass Use the magnifying glass to search for any word. If that word was used in the episode, it will show up, highlighted in yellow. You will also see a timestamp so you can see the exact minute and second this word was spoken. If you click the word highlighted in yellow, the podcast player will start playing right at that word. You can stop it from playing by clicking the pause button.  Note: The transcription accuracy is about 90%, so you will see some spelling errors and errors in translation going from voice to print. We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. 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 go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"