Episodes

#047 – Today, on this midweek episode, we present very interesting information about one of the most fascinating careers today, mechanical engineering. Although we start by going over some quick facts about this field of engineering, we quickly dive into some of the most interesting mechanical engineering projects going on today, including, the construction of a mechanical arm to operate on the moon, where temperatures easily drops to 292º Fahrenheit, the work that Purdue University is conduc...

#046 - Today, we highlight a very important step to take during the summer before college begins, securing your dorm and choosing your roommate. Getting your student housing set up and being matched with a great roommate will make a difference in your college experience. It may also influence your academic performance. We will tell you how the typical process of securing your dorm is carried out, and two steps that are usually taken to be properly matched with a roommate. The first step...

#044 - Today, we continue our senior year checklist discussing the first two of five important steps to take during the summer before college begins. Jankel and I will talk about the first two, starting with the importance of securing a job that allows you to save as much money as you can for several expenses you will need to make during your first term. During our discussion, we debunk a myth that many students believe about the problems that may arise if they earn too much money during t...

#043 – What do you do after you apply to all the colleges that made it to your final list and some of them respond granting you admission, actually saying yes, we want you to be one of our students? How do you choose the one whose admission you will accept? In today’s episode, we give you the steps to follow as you read the acceptance letters you receive from each of the college and universities to which you applied, and how to decipher the contents of the Financial Aid Award letters in th...

#042 – On this special episode, I pinpoint important elements of the $1.8 trillion plan that president Biden presented today to help American families. There are many elements of this plan that will positively affect high school students who will begin their college careers in the near future. The plan proposes free tuition for the first two years of college, increases to the amount of funds that students will receive through the Pell Grant, and a number of new important services to be off...

#041 – Today, we present the steps to take after the college applications have been sent in. Jankel and I talk about what you should do around your winter break to ensure that your application packet is complete for each of the universities and colleges to which you applied. Although turning in your college applications is a huge and monumental milestone, it is not the last step in your college admission process. There are also very easy and important steps you are expected to take for ...

#040 – On this midweek episode, we feature Andrea Ward, Program Manager for AdventHealth Global Missions Department, which exists to bring health and healing to people around the world. An example of the projects which this department carries out is Operation Sunshine, through which healthcare leaders and medical professionals help almost 600 children who lost their parents during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Through Operation Sunshine provides it, the department provides medical care to ...

#039 – We continue covering two elements of the senior year checklist that have everything to do with financial aid. It is in the senior year when students apply for financial aid. Different colleges and universities have different financial aid eligibility requirements, and they must be taken into consideration when applying for financial aid. These include, but are not limited to Grade Point Average and number units taken during a quarter or semester. Jankel provides an explanation of...

#038 – Coach John Mosley is our guest on this special episode. We discuss several topics related to his successful approach to coaching, which has led several accomplishments inside and outside the basketball court. Coach Mosley was very generous with us as he gave us a behind-the-scenes look at several of the steps he takes each year to make sure his players achieve personal and collective goals, that result in success. Although our conversation took place within the context of basketball...

#037 – Long term success requires the ability to practice resilience, the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Students can count on experiencing difficulties as they go through high school, carry out the college admission process, and as they become college students. Difficulties are part of life. On this episode, Jankel and I talk about the importance of developing resilience early in high school to go through the many obstacles that will surely present themselves. We also h...

#036 - This is first of our Midweek Episodes, which feature professional profiles of people in what are considered to be the hottest careers in the next 10 years. These are not episodes that will take the place of our regular college admission episodes. They will simply add to the content we present to you. These career-focused episodes will appear in the middle of the week. While our regular episodes will continue to be posted on Fridays Today, we highlight the legal profession. Californi...

#035 – We have reached one of the most important parts of the college admission process, on our senior year checklist, filling out the college application. Today, we explore every area of the application and provide you with advice that will you avoid some of the pitfalls that, in the past, have affected others at this stage in the process. We will discuss the information you will need to fill out the application, including personal information and information about your parents. We wil...

#034 – Today, we begin a series of episodes that focus on the senior year checklist. We will cover all that seniors should do during that very important last year of high school. On this episode, we will go over the things that students must do before they turn in their college applications. These are things high school seniors should do before the month of November, the month in which many college applications are due. Jankel and I talk about the number of schools that should be part of t...

#033 – On this final episode of the junior year checklist, we focus on a very important step all high school students must do in the junior year. That is, narrowing down their big list of colleges, so at the end, they arrive to their final list, with only the colleges to which they will apply. We present visiting colleges and universities, as a way to gauge whether a school is a good fit and should make the cut to become part of the final list. We talk about the schools that should be v...

#032 - Today, we talk about the 13 things high school students should to transition smoothly from high school to college. This is advice I am offering after 17 years of teaching freshman and sophomore level students, who just a few months before taking my classes were finishing high school. These pieces of advice have to do with having the right mindset, how to manage college classes, the differences in classroom management between high school teachers and professors, and the different exp...

#031 – The letters of recommendation are an important part of the college application for any student seeking admission into most institutions, especially those that are selective. On this episode, we talk about the differences in requirements regarding letters of recommendation that most colleges and universities have, and specific teachers and other individuals who a student should ask to write those important letters for them. We dive into the importance of asking them to write these le...

#030 - On this episode, we go over a very important step you will take as a high school student who is planning to go to college, narrowing down the list of colleges to which you want to apply, by selecting only colleges that are a good fit for you. This is something you should do during the junior year. We will talk about how to make sure the list is well balanced, meaning, it has three types of schools. These are schools to which getting admitted is a stretch, schools to which you will p...

#029 - Today we talk about something very important in the college admissions process, creating a system that allows you to maintain the many documents and information that will be part of your college application. This is especially true for juniors, who suddenly find themselves having to gather a great many important documents that will be part of their college applications, all with their own and different deadlines. We share with you why this is so important. Maintaining a system for o...

#028 - Today on the show, we are joined by a very special guest, Kristina Campos. She is the experienced parenting coach, teen expert, and founder of The Impactful Parent. Kristina shared with us 10 very important tips that parents need to share with their kids as they get ready to go to college. These are very important pieces of practical advice that kids will be able to easily put into practice to avoid many of the negative situations that kids may encounter in college and beyond. This ...

#027 - On this special episode, we are stepping away from our normal episode line-up to make you aware of important information that will affect you if you are a high school student planning to go to college, or if you are the parent of one. I walk our listeners through Biden’s Plan for Education Beyond High School, the document in which the new president spelled out what he intends to do help students get a higher education. Some of the ideas contained in the document date back to 2015. A...

#026 - This episode is very important because in it we present a way for high school students to create a well thought out plan of action to prepare for the SAT. The SAT is extremely important, especially to gain admission into the more selective schools. We introduce Khan Academy as that great tool to help students prepare for the test. In addition to being absolutely free, it is the official SAT prep partner for The College Board, the organization that puts together the SAT. Jankel and I...

#025 - This is a special and timely episode that will give you important information to help you manage your college admission path within the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. You will understand how most college admissions departments are gearing up for the next academic year, the pressures that are guiding what they do, and the ways that can be used to give you an advantage. We also discuss whether you should take the SAT, which has been made optional for admission into most col...

#024 - On this episode, we continue uncovering the steps every high school junior should take to succeed in the college admission process. We go over one of the most important components of the college application, scores from the standardized test. This is one of the 3 kings of the college admission process, the other two being the courses students take in high school and the grades they receive in those courses. We highlight the different elements that make up the SAT and the ACT, the two s...