YCBK 140: Should College Applicants Focus Their Essays on the Pandemic?

In this episode you will hear: (13:34) In this week’s news segment, an article from the Washington Post, “College applicants will make the pandemic a focus of their admissions essays. Should they?” by Valerie Strauss.  Students may be compelled to use the pandemic as the central theme of their essays however, two college admissions experts provide a clear reminder on how the essay is used by admissions staff. Mark and Dave discuss the key takeaways from the articles.   (27:50) We’re in chapter 140 of 171 Answers and we’re talking through federal work-study jobs for students who complete the FAFSA. What is Federal Work-Study, who qualifies, how much do they get and how can they maximize this opportunity.   (45:44) In our bonus content for this week, Mark got to ask questions to the Yale admissions office and he’s sharing his top 5 that he thought would be of most interest to YCBK listeners. The key to these answers is that they apply to so many other schools.   (01:08:19) Mark continues his interview with Sam Prouty, Director of Admissions at Middlebury College in Part I of II on a spotlight on Middlebury college.   (01:14:50) Recommended resource: The new podcast: Inside the Yale Admissions office   College spotlight: none   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"