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Brennan and Rick are joined by the Cerenzia's, Chrissy (Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at The Episcopal Academy) and Justin (Buckley Executive Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning at The Episcopal Academy), to discuss what high school students can be thinking about when it comes to AI use, how it impacts the college search process, and what kinds of questions students are asking colleges during the search. LINKS Truth About College Admission Newsletter How To Choose a College in the Age of AI - Forbes Prosocial Possibilities - Christensen Institute Caltech Supplemental Materials, Research Papers and Publications Guidance for Ethical AI Use in College Applications - Edhub Two Reports Explore Gen Z, Purpose, And College Admission - Forbes Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guests: Chriss Cerenzia, Justin Cerenzia Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are back from full summers and ready to kick off Season 5 (!) of The Truth About College Admission Podcast. The pair dig into what they've been doing lately and what they're looking forward to this upcoming season, and dispel a couple admissions myths. The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick wrap up season three of The Truth About College Admission Podcast with their favorite moments from the season, what they are looking forward to this summer, what they want to see change in the next year in the college admission landscape, and their words of the year. LINKS: The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Private College 529 Plan The Truth About College Admission w/Juan Espinoza The Truth About College Admission w/Emily Pacheco Mattering - Wallace The Value of College - CGN Roundtable "Gen Z Wants To Do Good" - Harvard/Making Caring Common Arizona State London "Faster, Thinner" - The Hechinger Report Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Production: Jack Purdy

Rick is joined by Moira McKinnon (Director of College Counseling and Postecondary Planning at Burwick Academy), Pamela Tan (Director of Admissions at Cornell University), and Gary Clark (Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at UCLA) to talk about the unique benefits that summer college visits can provide and how as parents being in the college admissions world has affected their outlook on the process. LINKS: Truth About College Admission Newsletter Private College 529 Plan Hosts: Rick Clark, Brennan Barnard Guests: Gary Clark, Moira McKinnon, Pamela Tan Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Emily Pacheco, a Community Organizer for Imperial College London, to talk about AI through the whole application and admission process from how students can use it, how parents should approach guiding their students through using, how admissions offices have found useful ways in the admission process, and how college level leadership has reacted to AI's adaption. LINKS: The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Private College 529 Plan Visit Brennan & Rick in Boston EdHub CalTech Ethical Use of AI Policy Georgia Tech First Year Application Review Policy The Truth About AI and Essay Reading - TACA with Juan Espinoza "Why Transparency is the White Whale of College Admissions" - Chronicle Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guest: Emily Pacheco Production: Jack Purdy

Rick is joined by Dr. Steven Antonoff and Jay McCann, the authors of the The College Finder, 5th Edition, to talk about the purpose of their book, how prestige impacts the college search process, recogizing what fit can mean for students, and why counselors are so valuable to the college search process. LINKS The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Private College 529 Plan College Finder The Application Trail College Admission Speaker Series - Khan Lab School Host: Rick Clark Guests: Dr. Steven R. Antonoff & Jay McCann Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Anna Follenbee, the Associate Director (and soon to be Director) of College Counseling at Gilman, to talk about the current period in admissions of students choosing a college, advice for what to do now in that selection process, what parents can do to be supportive, the dynamics of the waitlist, and the importance of college responsiveness in this period. LINKS Truth About College Admission Podcast Private College 529 Plan "Choosing a College: Is It Right?" - The Application Trail "Choosing a College: Advice From Admission Experts" - The Application Trail "Ask This Before You Choose a College" - The Application Trail Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guest: Anna Follensbee Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Kelley Lips, Associate Vice Provost of Enrollment at Emory University, to talk about how Emory's pathways provide more opportunities for students to start and finish college compared to the normal four-year track, why colleges offer different tracks, and advice for high school juniors and seniors considering different start term options. LINKS Truth About College Admission Newsletter Emory University and Oxford College Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guest: Kelley Lips Production: Jack Purdy

In a cross-post special, Rick heads to the College Admissions Process Podcast hosted by John Durante to talk about building a class, AI, how to best use the Common Application, and other tools families can use in the admissions process. LINKS CAP Episode Link Truth About College Admissions Newsletter Host: John Durante Guest: Rick Clark TACA Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Gerry McCrory and Ashley Smith from Scoir to talk about the platform, their recent data reports, advice for juniors beginning the admission process, and tools on Scoir that everyone from families to counselors can use. LINKS: Truth About College Admission Newsletter "Getting into college is getting easier" - The Hechinger Report Scoir Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guests: Gerry Mcrory, Ashley Smith Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and the new Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Georgia Tech, Rick Clark, are joined by friend of the podcast Jeff Selingo to talk about his new book, Dream School. Their conversation details why Jeff was inspired to write the book, how to get a sense of the resources on campus when visiting schools, misconceptions about college value, and how life has been going through the college admissions process with his daughter. LINKS: The Truth About College Admission Newsletter "Clark Named Vice Provost of Enrollment Management" - Georgia Tech Jeff Selingo's website Buy Dream School  List of Harvard 1L Institutions Future U Podcast Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guest: Jeff Selingo Production: Jack Purdy

Returning from their winter breaks, Brennan and Rick go through their items to watch for in 2026, books they're reading, tips for the current application cycle, their words for the year, and preview a couple guests who will be on the show this semester. LINKS: Brennan Barnard on Forbes The Application Trail 12-Hour Walk "AI is scoring college essays" – LA Times Truth About College Admission Newsletter Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Denise Pope, Ph.D., the co-founder and Strategic Advisor at Challenge Success (and Senior Lecturer at Stanford University) to talk about her work in researching student mental health, what families may be getting wrong about what they think colleges want to see in the admissions process, and advice for students to improve well-being in high school and beyond. LINKS: Challenge Success "A 'Fit' Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity" - Challenge Success Time Management Worksheet - Challenge Success "Go Wilde For College Admission In The New Year" - The Application Trail The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guest: Denise Pope, Ph.D. Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Lisa Keegan, Vice Provost for Enrollment Strategy at William & Mary, to talk about her role at William & Mary and how they approach admissions in their context, understanding the culture of a school, and what juniors can think about this upcoming spring. LINKS: Making a (College) List - The Application Trail Building a College List Part II: Outside the Echo Chamber - The Application Trail Truth About College Admission Newsletter Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guest: Lisa Keegan Production: Jack Purdy

Today we highlight Brennan Barnard's visit to the Office Hours podcast where him and host Will Geiger talk about the myth of the "dream school" and how to frame the college search process before diving into the AI transformation happening in the college admissions world. LINKS: Truth About College Admissions Newsletter Office Hours Podcast Office Hours Host: Will Geiger Office Hours Guest: Brennan Barnard TACA Host: Rick Clark TACA Production: Jack Purdy