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More Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 20: How to Build a College List, Part 1A good college search begins with the student! Self-assessment and reflection about your academic, social and financial needs is our recommended first step. Then, go out and test the waters with a few very different college visits to determine how your needs will be met by the variety of options available to you.In our tips section we provide tips for resources and approaches to help you figure out your “why?” Step one of our roadmap is to consider a personality assessment or a college values assessment like the one you can find on schoolbuff.com . Try to f...
2026-02-1235 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 19: What To Do While You Wait For Your Admission AnswersDuring the winter months high school seniors move from the stress of college application deadlines to the stress of waiting for answers from the colleges that they have applied to. In this episode we want to encourage those of you who are waiting for a regular decision or early action admission decisions to use some of this wait time to further inform the decisions that you will soon be making.We also want seniors to make the most of their final semester in high school. There is actually more to consider than you might...
2026-01-2240 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 18: Alternative Admission OffersReceiving a college acceptance is always an exciting moment, but we encourage you to read beyond the first “Congratulations!” to fully understand your offer. You may be surprised to learn that you have been offered an alternative admission start and you will want to understand the details of these types of offers.We begin with a little history of these types of alternative admission offers and the benefits to enrollment management at the colleges and universities that use them. But what are the benefits to the student? An offer for spring semester, or a “January admit”...
2026-01-0731 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 17: Structured Academic Summer Programs for High School StudentsSummer academic programs are great experiences for exploring major and career interests, college residential life and what it’s like to be away from home, as well as the rigor of college courses.Whitney and Katelyn discuss the three primary buckets of summer academic options on college campuses for high school students. For one of the most affordable options, students can directly enroll in a college level course, for college credit, at many schools, including local community colleges and colleges and universities close to home. Students can also attend programs sponsored at colleges specifically for high school st...
2025-12-1030 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 16: Preparing for Your Early Admission DecisionsAdmit, deny, deferral, waitlist. These are all possible outcomes from your early admission applications. November through mid-December is the typical window for students to hear back from colleges if they have applied through Early Action or Early Decision application plans, though some EA decisions may not be released until January.Be prepared for the fact that you may not have a full financial picture with your early application admission offers, as colleges rarely set new pricing until the early spring. Additionally, you are likely not to get a need-based aid offer before December. Whitney and K...
2025-11-2638 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 15: Paying for College Series, Part 3: Merit Aid and Building Affordable College ListsThis week, we are talking about merit aid and how to build a college list with affordability in mind. If you missed it, we encourage you to listen to episode 11 first, where we talk about the cost of college and provide a foundation for this discussion of merit aid. And if you want to learn more about need-based financial aid, take a listen to episode 13. Whitney and Katelyn talk about the reasons behind the increasing use of merit awards, or scholarships, to recruit students and address 4 big myths around merit aid.Myth number 1: You are g...
2025-11-0637 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 14: Yes! You Can Start Your College Search If You Haven’t Picked a MajorHow do I start the college search process if I don’t know what I want to study? Don’t let this question stall out your college search. An increasing number of colleges are capping enrollment in popular majors which feels to many families that choice of major is more important than it used to be and perhaps vital to securing a job. With increasing costs, universities are focused on improving retention rates and focusing students on direct paths as soon as possible. We know that the majority of students, however, still change their major at lea...
2025-10-2236 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 13: Paying For College Series, Part 2: Understanding Need-Based Financial AidThis is the second in our three-part series on paying for college. In this episode we give you an introduction to need-based financial aid: what is need-based aid, how do you apply for it, and what can you expect from a college that you are admitted to?How does a family determine if they have “need” for college aid? It’s not a question of what you want to pay, but based on a needs analysis that considers your income, your savings and your ability to borrow. This analysis determines what is called the Student Aid Index (SAI), w...
2025-10-0832 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpsiode 12: The ABCs of Early Application PlansFall has become the default college admissions season for many high school seniors, which is a significant shift from when their parents went to college. We dive into the difference between early action, early decision and rolling admission (which also carries the benefit of an earlier timeline if applicants want). The big hot-button early decision issue? As they try to manage their yield numbers, many more selective schools now fill as much as half of their class with early decision, which makes the urgency to choose this option even greater. Long the sole option of pr...
2025-09-1735 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 11: Paying For College Series, Part 1: Understanding the Cost of CollegeWelcome to our 3-part series on paying for college. In this episode we are talking about the cost of college. In future segments we will review the financial aid (need-based) process and then we will look at what affordability planning means and how to find scholarships and merit aid as you build your college list. Do you know what college costs include and what the industry-wide assumptions are around how families approach paying for college? We start with some goal setting scenarios. Are you considering not just your saving plan, but what you will pull fr...
2025-09-0335 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 10: College Applications Big 5 Series:Part 5, The EssayThe college essay! The last in our series on the “big five” elements in college applications is a discussion of how to approach what is often the most stressful piece of college applications.This series of five episodes is focused on the primary elements of a college application and geared towards students who are applying to college in the fall.While not every college will use all five elements, it’s important to understand how to make the most of this opportunity to share who you are and what is important to you as part of you...
2025-08-2033 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 9: College Applications Big 5 Series: Part 4, Your Extracurricular ActivitiesEpisode SummaryWhat do your activities say about your interests, priorities and contributions to your community? Number four in our series on the “big five” elements in college applications is a discussion of high school activities. This series of five episodes is focused on the primary elements of a college application and geared towards students who are applying to college in the fall.While not every college will use all five elements, it’s important to understand how to make the most of describing your extracurricular experiences if you are asked t...
2025-08-0630 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 8: College Applications Big 5 Series: Part 3, Letters of RecommendationNext up in our series on the “big five” elements in college applications is a discussion of recommendations. This series of five episodes is focused on the primary elements of a college application and geared towards students who are applying to college in the fall.While not every college will use all five elements, it’s important to understand your options for recommendations if you are asked to include them in your applications.We begin with an overview of discussions in college admissions around how recommendations can contribute to a student’s application, the issues related...
2025-07-1635 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 7: College Applications Big 5 Series: Part 2, Standardized TestsStandardized testing is the second stop on our college application safari. This series of five episodes is focused on the primary elements of a college application and geared towards students who are applying to college in the fall.These “Big 5” application components are what colleges use to assess a student's application as they make admissions decisions. Not every college will use all 5 elements, and in an age of testing ambiguities it’s important to understand your options for standardized testing and for sharing your scores with colleges. We begin with a look at the history of coll...
2025-07-0235 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 6: College Applications Big 5 Series, Part 1 Your TranscriptJoin us for the first in our series on the “big five” elements in college applications - a college application safari of sorts.These are the application components that colleges use to assess a student's application as they make admissions decisions. Not every college will use all 5 elements, and, ironically, while we firmly believe that every student is more than a transcript, the transcript remains the most important component of a student's college application at all colleges. Holistic review of applications refers not only to all elements of your application, but to the multiple factors inherent in inte...
2025-06-1835 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 5: Making the Most of College VisitsJune marks the beginning of summer vacation, which is often the only time during the year that students and families can visit college campuses. Generally, colleges begin their summer tour schedules early in the month, so it's a good time to talk about making the most of college visits. It may be important to planning your schedule to note that most colleges do not offer Saturday tours in the summer, but will pick those up again during the academic year.In this episode, for both parents and students, we talk about the differences between initial criteria-building visits...
2025-06-0425 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 4: Summer Dreaming: Planning A Productive High School SummerIn our episode on Summer Dreaming we share thoughts and tips on how high school students can get the most out of summer. In this student-focused episode we discuss options for summer jobs, volunteering and academic focus.Most importantly, we want students listening to think about making these choices for their life, versus making choices for a college application. Exploring genuine interests is always a better route than trying to determine what any particular college “wants”. The strongest college applications come from students who are able to reflect on what they've done and why they've chosen to do i...
2025-05-2724 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 3: Our Crystal Ball: Shifts In Higher EducationIn this episode we are looking at the latest trends in higher education and the evolution of what going to college in the U.S. means to families. We discuss a range of topics including shifts in learning environments, the costs of college and what parents and students expect in terms of college outcomes. In the second half of our episode we discuss the impacts of federal funding cuts and the downsizing of the Department of Education. What are the questions to ask when you visit campuses and how will this shifting landscape possibly impact your college ch...
2025-05-2031 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 2: Parenting and Your College-Bound TeenagerWe are talking to parents in this episode about your interactions with your teenager around the sometimes exciting, sometimes treacherous topic of applying to college. We start out with a discussion about where kids and parents are, metaphorically, during these pre-college years. What's going on in your heads? What are some of the issues and challenges for both teenagers and their parents?In the second part of the episode, we offer concrete tips for parents as they help guide the logistics, reflection, and emotion of this process with the teenagers in their lives.More Than A...
2025-05-2037 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesEpisode 1: How to Begin Your College SearchWe begin this podcast journey telling you a bit about ourselves and the experiences we have had as college admissions advisors, coming from both the college side and our work with families. In the first half of each episode we will provide an overview of a topic related to high school, the college search, admissions or higher education. As lifelong learners, we'll also start each episode off with a brief segment on topics we are exploring and learning about. We will have some fun with a trivia quiz for each other each episode, and then finish with tips and s...
2025-05-2024 minMore Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and StrategiesTrailerJoin us for college admissions and higher education insights as well as tips and strategies for your college search and application process. With episodes published twice a month, we will explore everything between the beginning of high school through college graduation on the road to a transformative college experience!More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow. Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for r...
2025-05-1701 min
Smart Growth RocketWhat This Admissions Expert Wants Students To Know About Evaluating and Applying to U.S. Colleges with Katelyn Gleason Klapper, CEPWhat does it take to get into your best-fit school?
In this episode, Francesca Cadhit interviews U.S. college (university, for us Canadians) expert Katelyn Gleason Klapper, CEP and explore the world of college applications.
Katelyn Klapper is a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) with 35 years of experience working in higher education and college consulting. She is the founder of College Options, LLC, a small team-based practice serving clients primarily in New England and in the Mountain West.
Katelyn has worked on the campuses of...
2022-12-2230 min
Mindful AdmissionsA Pretty Penny: Building Affordability into your College ListIn this episode, William interviews College Options LLC Founder Katelyn Klapper about building affordability into your college list with FAFSA and financial aid. Part 1 of the Cutting College Costs series.
2021-09-171h 00