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More 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