Shows
MindShift Power PodcastCollege Panic Is a Business (Episode 132)A single college decision can feel like a verdict, and that pressure is warping how teens see themselves. We sit down with Linda Decker and Lisa Ruff, co-founders of the College Admissions Collective and authors of The Calm College Method, to name what’s really happening in modern college admissions: a high-anxiety system fueled by rankings, scarcity marketing, and social media noise that convinces kids they must “perform” a persona to be worthy.We talk about the psychological cost of curating your life for an application, including identity foreclosure, burnout, and the way constant comparison feeds teen anxiet...
2026-05-0536 min
The Scholarship GPS Podcast: Your Directions to a Debt-Free College DegreeCalm, Stress-Free College Admissions + 5 Featured ScholarshipsLisa Rouff, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and independent educational consultant with more than thirty years of experience helping teens and families navigate major life transitions with clarity and confidence. She co-founded The College Admissions Collective, where she guides students—especially those with ADHD, anxiety, learning differences, and perfectionism—through a calmer, more structured approach to college planning.
Lynda Doepker is an independent educational consultant who helps students chart confident, authentic paths to college, whether they’re applying to selective universities, regional options, or navigating the process as first-generation applicants. A first-gen college graduate herself, she brings a comm...
2026-03-0236 min
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsIs It Ever A Bad Idea To Submit A Test Score That Is Too HighIn this episode you will hear: (01:56) Question from a listener: A mom asks a very important question, How can I know if a college is genuinely caring about all kids but especially about an unorganized student? Lisa Rouff and Lynda Doepker answer this question. (42:48) Interview: Frequently Asked Questions about 529 Plans, Julie Shields-Rutyna and Jonathan Hughes from MEFA, Part 2 of 4 Preview of Part 2 · Jonathan talks about how you can use gift cards, a gifting page an email link to set up payments · Julie talks about the tax benefits to a 529 plan · Julie talks about the state tax deductions and tax credits · Jona...
2025-02-271h 22
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsHow To Know If a College Cares About Supporting an Unorganized KidIn this episode you will hear: (03:21) In The News Hilliary shares some observations from things that stood out while reading applications this year (20:02) Question from a listener: A mom asks a very important question, How can I know if a college is genuinely caring about all kids but especially about an unorganized student? Lisa Rouff and Lynda Doepker answer this question. (37:11) Interview: Frequently Asked Questions about 529 Plans, Julie Shields-Rutyna and Jonathan Hughes from MEFA, Part 1 of 4 Preview of Part 1 · Friends, even if you have had a 529 plan for a decade, I am convinced you are going to learn some things t...
2025-02-201h 08
The College Spy Podcast#18: Lowering Parent Stress in the College Admissions Process: An Interview with Lisa Rouff, Ph.D.The college admissions process is synonymous with stress & anxiety these days. How can parents go against the grain to actually enjoy this process with their students?
Join us for a conversation with Lisa Rouff, Ph.D, from School Match 4 U and co-host of Your College Bound Kid about her experiences as a clinical psychologist and independent educational consultant. Lisa works with all types of students and parents and shares her real world tips to reduce stress around college admissions with a deep understanding of the pressure parents feel to keep up socially and make smart financial decisions...
2024-06-2636 min
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsWhy are there so many more kids from the local area at very selective collegesIn this episode you will hear: o Mark and Lisa answer a question from Mary from South Dakota: Why are there so many kids from the local area at highly selective colleges o Mark interviews John Hoffman: Reflections on 45 years doing college placement and school placement-Part 1 of 3 o Preview of Part 1 o John shares his background o John shares why a Jewish man from NY wants to work with black and brown and Asian kids o John talks about how the college process is radically different now than it was 50 years ago o John tells a story about a course...
2024-05-271h 05
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsJeff Selingo Interview: Miscellaneous TopicsIn this episode you will hear: o Mark shares some updates about upcoming webinars and YCBK meet and greets o Suan and Julia answer a question from a mom with three high school students that are 18 months apart in age; she wants to know of a good organizational tool to help with the college process o Mark interviews Jeff Selingo on a range of topics including: undergraduate and graduate certificates, his book, "Who Gets In and Why", his 2025 book he is working on, dual enrollment and more o Mark plays a Speakpipe question he has played before but this time...
2024-05-2054 min
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsJeff Selingo Interview: How to know if a college is struggling financiallyIn this episode you will hear: o Mark shares a text he received that had an idea he thought could help the podcast o Mark shares a text message and a Speakpipe comment he thought was profound, and worth sharing o Suan and Mark answer a question about whether a student graduates from a selective liberal arts school in economics will hurt them compared to if they got a business degree from a national university o Mark interviews Jeff Selingo on the topic of, How to know if a college is struggling financially-Part 1 of 2 Preview of Part 1 o Jeff Selingo...
2024-05-131h 13
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsUnderstanding the Nine Universities that make up the UC'sIn this episode you will hear: (02:00) Mark and Vince discuss the nine colleges that make up the University of California-Part 2 of 2 (37:20) Question from a listener Jessica, an International listener has a question about the change from test-optional to test mandatory that is happening at a number of colleges. (50:30) Interview Jeremy Lowe, the Assistant Vice Provost of Undergraduate Admissions at American University discusses American University with Lisa Rouff-2 of 2 (01:12:30) Interview 2 Chris Cage, the VP of enrollment at Belmont University discusses Belmont University with Mark Stucker-Part 2 of 3 (59:10) Recommended Resource: Teen Life Summer Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to...
2024-04-251h 33
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsHow are extracurricular activities evaluated by highly rejective collegesIn this episode you will hear: (02:02) Mark and Vince discuss the nine colleges that make up the University of California-Part 1 of 2 (36:50) Question from a listener An anonymous mom from New York wants to know how highly rejective colleges evaluate extracurricular activities (54:16) Interview Jeremy Lowe, the Assistant Vice Provost of Undergraduate Admissions at American University discusses American University with Lisa Rouff-1 of 2 (01:13:33) Interview 2 Chris Cage, the VP of enrollment at Belmont University discusses Belmont University with Mark Stucker-Part 1 of 3 (01:02:58) Recommended Resource: Schoolhouse.world, a great resource for free online tutoring that uses student teachers who have shown mastery of the content...
2024-04-181h 33
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsStudents Brand Themselves In Order to Try to Get In Elite CollegesIn this episode you will hear: (03:30) Mark and Vince discuss an article on how students are being coached to brand themselves in their applications. This is an article that appeared in the NY Times by a Guest Essayist, entitled, "Elite college admissions have turned students into brands" Opinion | Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands - The New York Times (nytimes.com) (33:30) Question from a listener Lee from Northern California has three questions about how colleges admit students when there is so much grade inflation. (49:22) Interview Jeremy Lowe, the Assistant Vice Provost of Undergraduate Admissions at American University discusses...
2024-04-111h 43
The Creative College Journey with Scott BarnhardtSHARING THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW - "Your College Bound Kid Podcast" Dr. Lisa Rouff Interviews Scott BarnhardtSend us a textUNIQUE PODCAST EPISODE... the tables are turned and I'm being interviewed! This is a re-airing of the podcast I was interviewed on this month, Your College Bound Kid (YCBK) Podcast by Dr. Lisa Rouff. YCBK and School Match 4U have graciously agreed to allow us to share their interview on our platform!Ever wondered how a Broadway hopeful turns into a guiding light for college-bound creatives? My transformation from stage-struck actor to seasoned educator and college consultant sets the stage for an insightful chat with the School Match 4U team on...
2024-02-2850 min
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsDo applicants lie about their raceIn this episode you will hear: (07:36) In this week's "In the news segment, an October 25th, 2021 article by Scott Jaschik of "Inside Higher Ed", "Do applicants lie about their race?" The website intelligent asked 1250 white adults whether they lied about their race when they applied to college. Mark and Dave discuss the results of the survey. Dave and Mark also give their opinion on the content and substance of the article. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2021/10/25/survey-asks-if-applicants-are-truthful-about-race (29:46) Dr. Lisa Rouff takes the lead in her discussion with Mark about the pitfalls of perfectionism and how it impacts students. Part 2...
2021-12-021h 12
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsGetting rid of legacy admissionsIn this episode you will hear: (12:32) In this week's "In the news segment, an October 4th, 2021 article by Scott Jaschik of "Inside Higher Ed", "Can young alumni get colleges to drop legacy admissions" Dave and Mark and a very special first time guest join them for this discussion. To celebrate episode 200 this special guest also joins Mark and Dave for a second article by Melissa Korn of the Wall Street Journal entitled: "Amherst Drops admissions advantage for children of alumni" https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2021/10/04/can-young-alumni-get-colleges-drop-legacy-admissions https://www.wsj.com/articles/amherst-college-drops-admissions-advantage-for-children-of-alumni-11634731200 We previously discussed legacy admissions on episodes 121...
2021-11-251h 18
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsThe Olympics explains Admissions-Part 1In this episode you will hear: (16:25) In this week's "In the news segment, an August 11th article by Rick Clark, (Director of Undergraduate admissions at Georgia Tech) from the Georgia Tech admissions blog entitled, "How the Olympics explains college admissions". This is Part 1 of 2 on this topic. https://sites.gatech.edu/admission-blog/2021/08/11/how-the-olympics-explain-college-admission-part-i/ (32:53) A listener named Kendra from Maryland asked our hosts to please address teenage suicide given the rash of suicides on college campuses. We wanted to take advantage of Dr. Lisa Rouff's expertise, so she takes the lead and looks at the causes of teenage suicide, gender differences...
2021-10-212h 02
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsAdvice from College Admission DeansIn this episode you will hear: (10:35) In this week's "In the news segment, a September 26, 2019 Washington Post article by Valerie Strauss article entitled, "The truth about college admissions — from college admissions deans. In this article, Strauss assembles a group of quotes that Brennan Barnard (another Washington Post contributor) assembled from Admission Deans. These quotes represent the dean's best doses of wisdom for students. Mark and Dave discuss one quote from Brennan and three quotes from the Dean in this episode. Mark and Dave plan on returning to this article to discuss more of their quotes in future episodes. https://www.wa...
2021-10-142h 12
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsCollege Rankings have led colleges astrayIn this episode you will hear: (11:25) In this week's "In the news segment, an August 6, 2021 Washington Post article by Susan Paterno entitled, "College rankings have fueled an arms race that has pushed higher education astray". The article looks at the history of the US News and World rankings. It looks at how the rankings have become so powerful that they now control the decisions that educators are making about how to run their colleges and universities. The article shares examples of a few universities that invested hundreds of millions of dollars into studying the rankings and making changes to climb...
2021-10-071h 36
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews2U buys Edx to expand online coursesIn this episode you will hear: (13:45) In this week's "In the news segment, a June 29th, 2021 Harvard Crimson article by Nate Herpich looks at why 2U bought Edx for 800 million dollars, what changes does 2U plan on making, and how will the money from the sale be used. Mark and Dave explain who Edx and 2U are. They discuss many of the frequently asked questions that this article tackles. Online courses are growing and this purchase of Edx by 2U will not only help bridge the gap between well-resourced and under-resourced students but it will allow Edx to stay cutting...
2021-09-091h 54
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsWhy apps are way up at HBCUsIn this episode you will hear: (09:58) In this week's "In the news segment, a Feb 2nd, 2021 Inside Higher Ed article by Greta Anderson looks at a research study that explains why so many students are applying to HBCU's these days. Mark discusses this article with someone very special to the YCBK podcast family. Dave is off this week as he takes his daughter back to Yale. Dave had gone 82 weeks in a row without missing an episode. Mark and our surprise co-host discuss whether they agree with the findings in this article. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/02/03/more-hate-crimes-led-increased-black-student-enrollment-hbcus (33:42) Mark and...
2021-09-022h 01
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews1st state to ban alumni admissionsIn this episode you will hear: (12:58) In this week's "In the news segment", a June 1st, 2021 article from Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed. The article is entitled, "Legacy Admissions Banned in Colorado" " The article looks at the research that led to the decision by the governor of Colorado to become the first state to ban legacy admissions. Dave and Mark present the argument for and against legacy admissions. Mark and Dave share their view on this topic and it is a view that may surprise our listeners. Mark draws heavily off a 2019 article in the New York Times entitled, "...
2021-07-081h 36
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsEx-Dean may go to jail for changing rankingsIn this episode you will hear: (12:10) In this week's news segment, an article from Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed. The article looks at the ways in which former Temple business school dean, Moshe Porat, manipulated the data in order to help Temple climb up in the rankings. Mark and Dave have a conversation about what students and parents can learn from this debacle. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2021/04/19/ex-dean-temple-indicted-charges-manipulating-rankings#:~:text=What%20began%20in%20January%202018,the%20school%20offered%20top%2Dranked (29:20) This week's question is from a dad in Georgia and he wants to know how easy will it be...
2021-05-131h 28
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsThe mess that is elite college admissions, explained by a former dean Part 2 of 4In this episode you will hear: (05:15) In this week's news segment, an article from Vox "The Mess That is Elite College Admissions, Explained by a Former Dean" by Jason England. The dean of an elite liberal arts university shares 8 things that he wishes people understood about his old job in admissions and its wide-ranging controversies. In this segment Mark and Dave take 40 minutes to talk about the third and fourth point that England wishes the public knew about how admissions really works as selective schools that do holistic admissions. https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/1/18311548/college-admissions-secrets-myths (40:46) We're in chapter 160 of 171 Answers...
2021-02-192h 07
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsColleges Woo Students with Bargain Tuition RatesIn this episode you will hear: (08:58) In this week's news segment, an article from Forbes "Colleges Woo Students with Bargain Tuition Rates", by Emma Whitford. Out of fear of drastic enrollment drops because of the pandemic, colleges are taking measures to entice students to apply and enroll. From freezing tuition hikes to tuition waivers for qualifying students, schools are doing what they can to address the revenue losses they hope to taper over the next few years. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/06/01/colleges-counter-looming-enrollment-declines-tuition-bargains (23:09) We're in chapter 149 of 171 Answers and we're talking through what the net price of a college is...
2020-12-031h 31
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsThe Big College Expense: Mandatory Health InsuranceIn this episode you will hear: (13:12) In this week's news segment, an article from Forbes "The big college expense you probably didn't know about and save for: mandatory health insurance", by Bruce Brumberg. Colleges mandate students to not only have health insurance, but also that their plan has to meet the school's coverage requirements. Colleges offer plans that can cost thousands for just one academic year and unfortunately are not doing well at informing families in advance of this additional, large cost. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucebrumberg/2019/07/23/the-big-college-expense-you-probably-didnt-know-about-and-save-for-mandatory-health-insurance/?sh=54441d874fc3 (29:17) We're in chapter 148 of 171 Answers and we're talking...
2020-11-261h 39
Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission InterviewsStudy: Women who Study with Women PersistIn this episode you will hear: (06:12) In this week's news segment, an article from the Hechinger Report "When women studied with women, they persisted, study finds", by Jill Barshay. A Swiss experiment involving more than 600 college students and 150 study groups found that the gender composition of the group impacted how well women performed. https://hechingerreport.org/when-women-studied-with-women-they-persisted-study-finds/ (22:45) We're in chapter 147 of 171 Answers and we're discussing college payment plans. What are they? How do they work and how do they help? (33:52) This week's bonus content is part 2 of 2 on how colleges use waitlists. Mark builds off his insights last week where...
2020-11-191h 37