The Admissions Club

In this episode, Elizabeth and Taylor break down essential college planning and prep tips for each year of high school. We cover everything from freshman to seniors, academics to extracurriculars, and college visits to college applications. Tune in for actionable advice and reliable resources to guide students through each stage of their high school journey toward college readiness!

Resources mentioned:

• Passion Planner - for keep...

In this episode of The Admissions Club Podcast, Elizabeth and Taylor welcome licensed marriage and family therapist, Dina Gambella, to the conversation around mental health and the college search/transition process.  

Dina Gambella is the owner of Fellow Traveler Counseling. Her practice offers a multitude of services from family counseling, trauma, eating disorders and much more. She is passionate about her work and it shows throug...

In this episode the EWC team welcomes international neurodivergent expert, Jennifer Cook into the conversation about helping autistic and all types of neurodivergent students acclimate to college. 1 of every 5 people are neurodivergent today. We take this conversation into topics for students adjusting to college, resources to identify, and asking the right questions before choosing a college campus. 

Jennifer Cook is an author, Net...

This episode is a reintroduction to The Admissions Club podcast. The EWC team is growing, so we thought we would use this episode to not only introduce new team members, but remind listeners about why we started this podcast and what to expect from future episodes and guests. Co-hosts Elizabeth West and Taylor Florio of EWC College Consulting share about what they wish they knew when going through the college search process and the...

In this episode, Elizabeth interviews Julie Kim, College Consultant and founder of Passion Prep. A variety of topics are explored as part of this discussion, including alternative pathways for students who face challenges and what it truly means to evaluate the "why" surrounding the pursuit of specific colleges. While it's never a college consultant's intent to stifle a student's desire to "dream big,&...

In this episode, Elizabeth offers her perspective surrounding accelerated admissions guidance. EWC frequently encounters students who may be jumping into the college admissions process a bit later than usual, and there are often questions about the availability of services that can help a student "catch up" or navigate many elements of a college application that would otherwise take weeks or months to work through. Please...

A recent Inside Higher Ed article titled "'Procrastination-Friendly' Academe Needs More Deadlines" explores how some professors have removed deadlines from the college courses and what the consequences of that approach can look like. In this episode, Elizabeth and Chris offer their thoughts on the topic and provide some insight about what incoming college freshmen might experience when it comes to assignment dea...

This week Elizabeth and Chris examine the rise of A.I. in the world of education and discuss what this means for students. The conversation looks at the issues this potentially creates, as well as opportunities touse A.I. as a teaching tool.

An interview with Scott Galloway, a Professor at NYU, is referenced as part of our discussion, and this can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un5-jtvol90&li...

In this episode, Chris and Elizabeth discuss what students in 8th, 9th, and 10th grade should consider as they begin thinking ahead to the college admissions process. We cover a wide variety of topics in this episode, including:

• The development of soft skills and how these serve students during their high school journey.
• The benefits of going on an early college tour.
• How researching the college admissions process early can help r...

Kimberly Saunders is an Assistant Professor of English at Central Piedmont Community College and an award-winning writer. In this episode, Kim discusses her time as a student at SUNY Oswego. Among other things, we explore how clubs, organizations, campus culture, and a variety of other items might differ depending on the size of instiution a student decides to attend.

A few key takeaways:

• A smaller insitution might offe...

In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure of interviewing Dr. John Milne, Associate Professor of Engineering and Management at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. Dr. Milne highlights a variety of important considerations for students preparing for entry into technical majors as part of their college studies. Specifically, Dr. Milne discusses:

• What to consider when entering the field of Engineering and Management.
• The benefit...

In this episode, Elizabeth and Chris discuss common (and uncommon!) admissions questions that we receive. Among other things, we explore the following:

• Balancing extracurriculars and academics while in high school
• Exploring larger vs. smaller universities
• Volunteering
• The myth of needing all AP courses
• Considering your interests in clubs and organizations to help inform potential major and career options
• ...and many other topics!

Disability in college settings is often an unexplored street. How does a student with ADHD or autism or vision impairment navigate the college admissions process? If you are a student with a learning difference, there are some key things you need to consider when choosing a college. This includes not only examining the learning resources at the college, but also preparing yourself to become your own advocate as you move into adulth...

Looking ahead to the new year, we created a wish list of college prep activities for high school students to consider. Often, we only focus on seniors in high school and the prep work they need to do to apply for college. Truth be told, college prep and planning can (and should) occur as early as the freshman year in high school. Tune in as Elizabeth and Chris get together and share out key action items freshmen, sophomores and jun...

It's really hard not to take a denial personally, but it is not personal. Denials happen for many reasons including budgeting issues, space issues….it's a numbers game. In life, there are times where you will not get what you want and there are times where you are shown a different direction. That being said, denials aren’t easy, and it's important to protect your mental health. Tune in to this episode as Elizabeth a...

You’re waiting for that coveted college acceptance letter and you get a deferral letter instead. Don’t be deflated if you get a deferral, this is not necessarily the end of your college dreams. What is a deferral anyway? A deferral means the admissions office is waiting to make a decision perhaps past the regular decision deadline or if you have updated information to give them. A deferral is not optimal, but it is not a definite n...

You’re accepted into a college, several colleges actually….So now what do you do? Considering that this is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your life, it can be daunting to not only move forward but make that final choice. Luckily, you have stumbled onto this podcast and this episode. This is the 1st of a 3-part series on decisions surrounding college acceptance that explores acceptance, deferral and denials. This first ...

As more and more colleges switch to test optional admission policies, parents begin to wonder whether or not students should still take the SAT or ACT? To put it simply, the answer is yes. If you want to maximize your chances of getting into your dream college, these tests could be the advantage you need. Elizabeth talks with Dr. Al Benthall today about the history behind these tests, the current political views surrounding the tes...

I hope that during this Thanksgiving Holiday you have a chance to sit back and reflect on all that you are grateful for. When I started this podcast and my company, Elizabeth West Consulting (EWC), I set out to make the college admissions process less stressful and daunting for students and their families. In today’s episode, I express my gratitude for allowing me to help you along this most important journey and share what I have ...