Admissions Uncovered

The first step in the college admissions process is picking which colleges to apply to! In this episode, we talk about what a good, diversified list looks like. We define key terms: safety schools, target schools, and reach schools. We discuss how many schools to apply to and how to know if a school is right fit for you. There is a lot to think about. Do you want to go to a faith-based school? Do you want to go to a big school or a small school? There are so many factors to consider.

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College Admissions Boot Camp

Gao Admissions – Test Prep Tutoring and College Counseling from Your Host Michael Gao

Show Notes:

Join the Reddit discussion

Read Michael’s Top 3 College List Mistakes. I’ll give you a teaser: (just picking Ivies, just picking “good” schools, and just picking for your parents)

College Board BigFuture search

Should you use an online ranking list to find colleges?

Should you just apply to Ivy League schools? (Tldr: NO!)

• What a reach school is (2:53)
• What a target school is (3:26)
• What a safety school is (3:49)
• Michael’s high school achievements (6:24)
• Having diversity of potential schools (9:37)
• Bringing the phrase “hippy dippy” back (11:07)
• Be willing to attend schools on your list (11:50)
• How Gonzalez divides the top 10 schools into reach, target, & safety (13:38)
• Offending the 2 viewers in North Dakota (14:32)
• Why Michael applied to so many schools (16:11)
• Fee waivers (18:14)
• Why Gonzalez thinks the list should be around 10 (20:03)
• Gonzalez having a brain fart (22:52)
• Factors to consider when considering schools (26:14)
• Michael’s three school criteria categories (28:26)
• Now we just steal pdfs from the internet (30:06)
• There’s no right or wrong reason to attend a school (34:27)
• Michael’s “describe your dream school” activity (36:18)
• Using your college visits (37:30)
• Blooper (43:39)

Thanks to Redaf for the Guitar Sound Effect licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Thanks to Vibe Mountain for the Intro and Outro Music licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Gonzalez has a busy day job as an administrator and Michael never has to apply to college again. Why are they still so interested in the process? So much so that they do this podcast and are holding a college application boot camp. In this episode, Michael and Gonzalez the important stories in their lives that keep them so invested in the admissions process. For Gonzalez, his story begins with his own admissions process, where lack of information about financial aid kept him from going to Harvard University. For Michael, college admissions is an important time to break out of a cycle of “gold star chasing” he sees in so many of his classmates at Columbia.

Please submit your comments and questions on our Contact Us form.

Sponsors:

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College Admissions Boot Camp

Mock Trial Camp

Gao Admissions – Test Prep Tutoring and College Counseling from Your Host Michael Gao

Show Notes:

• Gonzalez’s story of not having a very good college counselor (2:56)
• What hurt Gonzalez the most while figuring college out was not knowing what questions to ask (3:16)
• Typewriters were actually used during Gonzalez’s time (3:41)
• Gonzalez changing the culture of his debate team as a new teacher (9:41)
• How Michael’s process of working with students starts (13:41)
• What does Michael Gao want to do? With backstory (16:11)
• There aren’t enough people to be honest with kids (18:41)
• Gonzalez’s one ray of hope: Questbridge (21:37)
• Parent’s not knowing how middle school courses can impact high school courses (22:33)
• Why Gonzalez wanted to be a lawyer (25:29)
• Michael went to after-school/sunday school (27:09)
• Gonzalez’s granddaughter is probably better at speaking Chinese than Michael (32:57)

Thanks to Redaf for the Guitar Sound Effect licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Thanks to Vibe Mountain for the Intro and Outro Music licensed under CC BY 3.0.

This is a little different than our usual episodes. Today, I want to share three clips that really helped me think about what happened to George Floyd and what we should do now. The first clip is from Roxie Washington, the mother of George Floyd’s child. Hearing the anger and the sadness in her voice… it’s hard not to feel it as well. The second clip is from Trevor Noah, who gave a really clear analysis of what happened to George Floyd and the protests that followed. He has a very compelling response to people who divert the conversation to “looting” and I think his entire monologue is worth a listen. Finally, I was really affected by a clip from Baratunde Thurston – a Black comedian and writer – who had some great advice for what we, especially we non-Black folks, can do.  

If you have any questions or want to talk about what is happening, please let us know. Here is our contact us form and please DM us on social media.

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George Floyd Memorial Fund
Local Bail Funds

Act:

Michael and Gonzalez talk about the pros and cons of gap years. Michael thinks it’s always been an underrated option, but because of coronavirus, more and more people are thinking about taking one! We talk about what someone might learn on a gap year, why someone might take it, and how the calculus could be different if you come from a low income background.

Please submit your comments and questions on our Contact Us form.

Sponsors:

Listeners like YOU on Patreon!

Gao Admissions – Test Prep Tutoring and College Counseling from Your Host Michael Gao

Show Notes:

• The fall semester may still be in some online format (4:25)
• Orientation is undervalued (6:00)
• Do a T-chart analysis on taking a gap year (8:10)
• Some kids have to park themselves at a restaurant to get wifi (9:28)
• Why take a gap year if you can easily persevere? (10:26)
• Right now is the opportunity to work on those side projects (13:00)
• Gap years can be a growth period for undisciplined students, and a rest period for stressed students (18:28)
• Gonzalez’s oldest son needed a gap year to mature (19:38)
• Parental concerns: if the kid takes a year off, will they go back to school? (21:38)
• Most schools will let you request a gap year, while others play by ear (22:30)
• Education is the key to opportunities (26:34)
• A $40,000 job with a high school diploma, or delayed gratification with a college degree? (27:06)
• Gonzalez made some side cash in college by starching guys’ shirts (29:40)
• The untitled book (32:29)

Thanks to Redaf for the Guitar Sound Effect licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Thanks to Vibe Mountain for the Intro and Outro Music licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Today’s episode is a special Q and A with students from the Law Magnet – Michael’s old high school and where Gonzalez works as an administrator. We take questions from the high school seniors ranging from extracurriculars, to coronavirus, to essays, to how to pay for college. Tune in for some great questions that if you’re a high school student, you probably are thinking about as well!

Please submit your comments and questions on our Contact Us form.

Sponsors:

Listeners like YOU on Patreon!

Gao Admissions – Test Prep Tutoring and College Counseling from Your Host Michael Gao

Show Notes:

Thanks to Redaf for the Guitar Sound Effect licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Thanks to Vibe Mountain for the Intro and Outro Music licensed under CC BY 3.0.