The Truth about College Admission
Episodes
The Truth About College Pathways - Kelley Lips
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Kelley Lips, Associate Vice Provost of Enrollment at Emory University, to talk about how Emory's pathways provide ...
Special Edition: Rick Clark on the College Admissions Process Podcast
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 u...
The Truth About Scoir - Gerry McCrory & Ashley Smith
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 beg...
The Truth About Dream Schools - Jeff Selingo
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
2026 Preview Show
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 app...
The Truth About Success - Denise Pope
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Denise Pope, Ph.D., the co-founder and Strategic Advisor at Challenge Success (and Senior Lecturer at Stanford Universi...
The Truth About Exploring Schools - Lisa Keegan
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Lisa Keegan, Vice Provost for Enrollment Strategy at William & Mary, to talk about her role at William & Mary a...
Special Edition: Brennan Barnard on Scholarship360's Office Hours
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 scho...
Special Edition: Rick Clark on Palisades Hudson’s Something Personal Podcast
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we divert off the beaten path for The Truth About Admission Podcast as we highlight Rick Clark's appearance on the Something Personal podc...
The Truth About ROI - Emily Roper Doten
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Emily Roper Doten, Dean of Admissions at Brandeis University, to talk about her experiences in helping develop liberal ...
The Truth About Standardized Testing in 2025
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Jed Applerouth, founder of Applerouth Education, to talk about the origins of Applerouth, the differences and simlariti...
The Truth About Admission Strategies - Ken Anselment
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Ken Anselment, Vice President for Enrollment Management at RHB, to talk about his journey in higher ed, learnings at RH...
The Truth About AI and Essay Reading - Juan Espinoza
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To kick off the season, Brennan and Rick are joined by returning champion, Juan Espinoza (Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Virginia Tech), to...
Season 4 Trailer
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are back from summer vacation and ready for the FOURTH(!) season of The Truth About College Admission Podcast. Today, the pair recap ...
Season 3 Summer Bonus with College Parent Central
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our Season 3 bonus episode, Rick and Brennan visit the College Parent Central podcast with Elizabeth Hamblet and Vicki Nelson to talk about communi...
The Truth About Season 3 - Finale
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the Season 3 finale of The Truth About College Admission, Rick and Brennan go over their favorite episodes from the season, what news items in high...
The Truth About Summer - Diane Campbell & Allison Slater Tate
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by returning guests Diane Campbell and Allison Slater Tate to run through their impressions of the last academic year and ...
The Truth About International Admission - Karen Bartlett and Sara Riggs
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by a fantastic duo, Karen Bartlett (Associate Director of International Admissions at Middlebury College) and Sara Riggs (...
The Truth About The Waitlist - Eva Blanco Masias
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Eva Blanco Masias, the VP for Enrollment Management at Santa Clara University, for a deep dive into why schools use wai...
The Truth About The College Search - Sam Bernstein and Eric Menna
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Sam Bernstein and Eric Menna, the cofounders of Loper, to talk through how their college admission journeys influenced ...
The Truth About the National Landscape - Angel Perez
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Angel Perez, the CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), to talk about the current la...
The Truth About Scholarships, Loans, and Financial Aid Packages - Mark Salisbury
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Mark Salisbury, founder and CEO of TuitionFit, to detail for families why college sticker prices are so high, what to l...
The Truth About Math, Equity, & Admission - Melodie Baker & Akil Bello
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick have an epic pod this week joined by Melodie Baker (Founder & Executive Director of ImpactSTATS Inc.) and Akil Bello (Senior Dire...
The Truth About Deferrals - Heath Einstein
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Heath Einstein, the Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Texas Christian University, to go over what a deferral mea...
The Truth About the College Search - Sacha Thieme
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Sacha Thieme, Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of Admissions at Indiana University, to talk about best pra...
The Truth about Navigating the Application Process - Dr. Ramon Blakley
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick is joined by the interim Director of Admissions at UT Austin, Dr. Ramon Blakley, to talk about UT Austin's Percentage Plan and how that impa...
2025 Preview Show
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are back from holidays and are here with their hopes for 2025 in college admissions, what they're looking out for in the industr...
The Truth About 2024: TACA's Year in Review
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan close out the 2024 calendar year to discuss their favorite guests and what they drew from those conversations. Then, a review of the ...
The Truth About Leading a College - Dan Lugo
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In one of our favorite episodes yet, Dan Lugo, current President of Queens University of Charlotte and future President at Trinity College in Hartford...
The Truth About Admission at the Holidays - Dianne Campbell
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Dianne Campbell, the Director of College Counseling at Liberty Common High School, where they talk about how to manage ...
The Truth About Early Decision - Adam Miller
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick is joined by Adam Miller from the beautiful Whitman College to give a rundown of the kinds of responses students may get for their early action/d...
The Truth About Application Review - Liz Cheron
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by Liz Chreron, CEO of the Coalition for College Access and proud Boston College graduate, to go over what application rev...
The Truth About Value - Dan Porterfield
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Porterfield, author and President + CEO of the Aspen Institute, joins Rick and Brennan to dive into the value of college from different perspectiv...
The Truth About Financial Aid - Jackie Copeland
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brennan and Rick are joined by the Associate Provost and Director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid at UNC, Jackie Copeland, to talk throu...
The Truth about Mission and AI - Juan Espinoza
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the first interview of season 3, Rick and Brennan are joined by Juan Espinoza, the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Virginia Tech to disc...
The Truth about Season 3
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're back! Season three of The Truth about College Admission is here as we recap our summers and look ahead to what this season of the podcast w...
The Truth About College Admissions - Season 2 Finale
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To close season 2, we have a role reversal with producer Jack Purdy interviewing Rick and Brennan to talk about learnings from this season's gues...
The Truth About the College Transition - Harlan Cohen
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For our final guest of season 2, Rick and Brennan are joined by Harlan Cohen, author of multiple books including WIN or LEARN: The Naked Truth About ...
The Truth About the College Admission Landscape - Michael Horn
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Michael Horn (author of multiple books, Forbes contributor, host of multiple podcasts, and writer of the Substack newsl...
The Truth About College Admission and Wellness - Dr. Beth Cabrera
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With finals season approaching at colleges across the country, Rick and Brennan are joined by Dr. Beth Cabrera, an organizational psychologist and aut...
The Truth About College Admission and Athletics - Tony Altimore
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by experienced strategy consultant and master of college sports data graphics on Twitter, Tony Altimore, to discuss the la...
The Truth About the Admissions Landscape - David Hawkins
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With Brennan on vacation, Rick gets his first one on one interview of season 2, talking with David Hawkins from NACAC about his admission experience, ...
The Truth About Family and College Admission - Dr. Lisa Damour
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With Rick out chauferring a youth soccer team, Brennan gets a one on one with Dr. Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist, 3x New York Times best seller, h...
The Truth About The College Search - Candice Mackey
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan this week are joined by Candice Mackey, College Counselor atLos Angeles Center for Enriched Studies and Co-Chair of the National Asso...
The Truth About Institutional Priorities - TJ Snowden
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Snowden, the Chief of Staff for the President of Morehouse College in Atlanta, joins Rick and Brennan to go through his admissions experience when ...
The Truth About College Interviews - Gloria Crawford
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by one of Intialview's co-founders, Gloria Crawford, to discuss how the platform has been instrumental in the admissi...
The Truth About Covering College Admission - Eric Hoover
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Hoover, senior writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, joins Brennan and Rick to talk about his first impressions of college counseling dur...
The Truth About Admission and Parenting - Lisa Heffernan
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To open the spring 2024 episode slate, we welcome Lisa Heffernan, New York Times best selling author of Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, St...
The Truth About Admission and Mattering - Jennifer Wallace
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To wrap up the 2023 slate, Jennifer Wallace, award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement...
The Truth about Course Choice, Access, Math, and More - Ashley Pallie
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ashley Pallie, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Chief Admissions Officer at Caltech, joins Rick and Brennan this week to talk about ...
The Truth About Learning Disabilities and Applying to College - Elizabeth Hamblet
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Elizabeth Hamblet learning disabilities Consultant and author of “Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Stude...
The Truth About Artificial Intelligence and Applying to College - Jeff Neill
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Jeff Neill, Director of College Counseling at Graded, the American School of São Paolo, to discuss how he has begun to...
The Truth About The Price You Pay For College - Ron Lieber
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan this week welcome Ron Lieber, the bestselling author of “The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Roadmap for the Biggest F...
The Truth about Early Action and Rankings - Eric Maguire
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rick and Brennan are joined by Eric Maguire, the Vice President for Enrollment at Wake Forest University to discuss the initiatives Eric has undertake...
The Truth about the Common App and Applying - Jenny Rickard
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, President and CEO of the Common Application, Jenny Rickard, joins Rick and Brennan to talk about how her career path lead her into admissio...
The Truth about AI and Admission-- Sal Khan, Khan Academy
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To open season 2 of The Truth about College Admission, Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark are joined by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, to discuss ...
The Truth about College Admission Season 2 Trailer
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Season 2 of The Truth about College Admission podcast is here! This season, our hosts Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark bring on another great roster of ...
The Truth About Using AI in Academics and Admission - David Joyner
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join hosts Rick and Brennan in an engaging episode of "The Truth About College Admission" as they're joined by David Joyner to delve in...
The Truth About Return on Investment in College and Major Choice - Jeff Selingo
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Jeff Selingo joins Brennan and Rick to discuss return on investment and value across types of colleges, degrees, and skill-building opportu...
The Truth About Understanding and Discussing Financial Aid Packages - John Leach
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Leach, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment and University Financial Aid at Emory University, joins Rick today to break down college financial a...
The Truth About Focusing on What You Can Control in College Admission - Jon Boeckenstedt
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rick and Brennan are joined by Jon Boeckenstedt, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Oregon State University. Jon shares thoughts and...
The Truth About Burnout and Finding Joy Again - Angel Pérez
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), joins Rick and Brennan for a conversation about his ...
The Truth About Mindful Communication Between Families and Their Students - Allison Slater Tate
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Allison Slater Tate joins Rick and Brennan to gives tips on supportive messaging and expectation setting between families and their student...
The Truth About Character Development for College Applicants - Angela Duckworth
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Rick and Brennan are joined by Angela Duckworth, co-founder, chief scientist, and a board member of Character Lab and Rosa Lee and Eg...
The College Admission Year Ahead In Songs and Stereograms
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rick and Brennan discuss their goals and priorities for the year, as well recent pieces on priorities juniors might have as they prepare fo...
The Truth As We Each See It, AKA Admissions Festivus '22
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Festivus 2022! In our final episode of 2022, we walk through a few of the issue as we see them in college admission, including:College SearchGra...
The Truth about a Family College Admission Experience- Tim Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Co-authors Tim Fields (Senior Associate Dean, Emory University) and Shereem Herndon-Brown (CEO and Founder, Strategic Admissions Advice)join the podca...
The Truth about Expressing Character in Application Essays - Whitney Soule
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week University of Pennsylvania's Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions, Whitney Soule shares insights on the intentions behind schools' ...
The Truth about Admission by Major - Andy Borst
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Director of Admissions, Andy Borst shares insights on how academic major plays into the revi...
The Truth about Belonging in College - Miya Walker
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Agnes Scott College's Director of Admissions, Miya Walker shares insights on how students can think about not only where they will suc...
The Truth about "Safety Schools" - Rachelle Hernandez
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachelle Hernandez, vice provost for student affairs at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, joins the podcast to discuss helping students think abo...
The Truth about College Rankings
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In our kickoff episode, Brennan and Rick discuss the annual college rankings. What factors go into creating them? What do they and do they not indicat...
Introducing The Truth about College Admission Podcast
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are excited to launch our new podcast, which will air every other week.In each episode, along with national experts in the field of college admissi...