Academics
Blue Print is a podcast hosted by Associate Director of College Counseling Meghan Toomey and is meant to help guide students and families throughout their college process. To do this, you will hear from people in our office, our School, and outside guests who are experts in college admissions and their respective fields.
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Season Two
Episode Four: Lisa Heffernan, the co-founder of Grown and Flown, the #1 site for parents of teens, college students and young adults
Meghan Toomey talks with Lisa Heffernan, the co-founder of Grown and Flown, the #1 site for parents of teens, college students and young adults, reaching millions of parents every month. This is an incredibly informative episode at a time where many parents are highly stressed and in a waiting period, trying to anticipate every possible outcome and how to support their child through each potential situation of the college process. Ms. Heffernan has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vox, Forbes among others. She has appeared on The TODAY Show and, together with Mary Dell Harrington, was named by People magazine as 25 Women Changing the World. Ms. Heffernan and Ms. Harrington started the Grown and Flown Parents Facebook Group and are also the co-authors of Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults. We hope you enjoy listening, you don't want to miss this one!
Episode Three: Tips and Strategies for Completing the University of California system application
In this episode, Meghan Toomey speaks with Jua Howard, assistant director of the office of undergraduate admissions at the University of California Berkeley. With the University of California system application due on November 30, Jua provides tips and strategies for completing the application to the best of a student's ability. He has worked at UC Berkeley for more than 13 years and shares insights into filling out the academic sections, tips on the personal insight questions, and general information about the benefits of a UC community. Jua has worked in admissions and higher education for 19 years, and previously held roles at Howard University and with the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. Jua earned his B.A. in English from Emory University. We are so thrilled to have him speak with our community.
Episode Two: Timothy Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown dicuss their book The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation About Education, Parenting, and Race
In this episode, Meghan Toomey speaks with Co-Authors Timothy L. Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown about their book The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation About Education, Parenting, and Race. Please join us for an informative conversation as Tim and Shereem share which questions you should be asking, discuss the HBCU experience vs. the PWI experience, examine the intersection of race and the value of HBCUs and listen as they answer many other direct questions. This “fire and ice” duo are engaging, funny, and experts guiding families through the college admissions process.
Listen to Season Two, Episode Two of "Blue Print"
Episode One: The SCOTUS Decision on Race-Conscious College Admissions
On Thursday, June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its decision in two cases related to the consideration of race and ethnicity in college admission: Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. In a 6-3 vote, the Court struck down the practice of race-conscious admission at both public and private universities, with the exception of service academies. While the decision affects all colleges and universities that receive federal funding (both public and private), in our conversations with admission colleagues this summer it’s becoming clear there is no “one size fits all” approach; each institution will decide its own course of action within the confines of the law as it now stands. I have invited Michael Keaton, vice president for enrollment at Ursinus College, to join me in discussing what the SCOTUS decision means, the potential impact and changes to how students are reviewed, but also the history of race conscious admissions being challenged in the courts.
Season One
- Episode Eight: Year-End Wrap Up and Look Ahead
- Episode Seven: Name Image and Likeness (NIL)
- Episode Six: The College Search and Finding a Good Fit
- Episode Five: Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- Episode Four: Athletics Beyond The Hill
- Episode Three: C0-Directors of College Counseling Lauren Hoyt and Jodi Robinson
- Episode Two: Director of Counseling Lisa Roethling
- Episode One: "New York Time" Best-Selling Author Jeffrey Selingo