Resource informed by this episode
SHOW NOTES
This is part 2 of 2 of podcast episodes recorded last month in Eastern China. I met with Mark Moody, a friend of mine and a fantastic counselor with a ton of experience and some cool opinions you may not have heard before. During our chat we cover:
His “Quick and Dirty List Builder,” a document he put together to help students and counselors find their best-fit schools in much less time
We talk about Early Decision (also known as ED) and yield and why many schools like it when students apply early… but we also discuss why you might not want to apply early
Why it’s important for students and parents to have a good understanding of what an admissions rate really means
We also talk about this notion of “fit” -- something you’ll hear counselors talk about a lot -- but Mark has a different perspective on it and he believes “fit” may in fact be a myth
We’ll talk about what fit really means (according to Mark’s perspective), how you can use that knowledge when you’re searching for college--and even a gem that can help you settle in once you’re already on campus.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Who is Mark Moody? [2:22]
A regular day sitting by a lake in Eastern China talking about college admissions [3:46]
Mark Moody’s Quick and Dirty List Builder [5:35]
What the list builder includes [6:10]
How epic is the college list? [7:00]
How Mark decided which schools went on the list [7:15]
What is this list for and what is it not for? [8:44]
How should a student use this list? [9:43]
How many schools you should apply to [13:19]
Why schools are shifting in selectivity [13:09]
What is Early Decision? [15:25]
Why schools want students to apply Early Decision [15:43]
Why yield is important to a school [16:10]
Why schools might be playing with statistics like yield and selectivity [16:45]
Why it’s important for students and parents to have a good understanding of what an admissions rate really means [16:52]
Why you may not necessarily want to have an early decision school [18:23 ]
What is the idea of fit? [20:12]
What does fit actually mean? [21:42]
Mark’s favorite idea about fit [24:56]
What to say to students who are in college and not sure if they’ve chosen the right school [25:39]
Mark’s Show and Tell: a cup of Chinese tea [27:20]
Ethan’s Show and Tell: The Rap Year Book [27:53]
And: Don Quixote, College Choice, and the Myth of Fit [28:16]
