760. WHAT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CULTURE IS DOING TO OUR KIDS

Obviously, accomplishing big things requires energy and intention. But should admission to a specific school really be the ultimate focus of a child's K-12 journey?  Amy and Mike invited college advisor Beth Gelles to analyze what college admissions culture is doing to our kids. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How early does college admissions pressure start in the worst cases? When should parents actually start talking to their kids about college? When does wanting your child to succeed start doing more harm than good? How do we stop turning everything kids do into something for college admissions and give them the space to figure out who they are and what they actually care about? How can parents help kids build resilience before they leave for college? MEET OUR GUEST Beth Heller Gelles co-founded Acceptance Ahead, a college admissions counseling firm, in 2012, and she is the author of Crazy for College: The Stories, The Secrets, & The Shot of Sanity You Need to Make It Through Admissions. After working with hundreds of students and families and visiting more than 160 college campuses, Beth wrote Crazy for College to help families navigate the process with less stress and keep the parent-child relationship intact. A graduate of Harvard College and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, Beth spent over a decade in advertising and marketing before entering the college admissions world. Beth can be reached at http://crazyforcollege.com. LINKS Are we sacrificing our youth for college admissions? Crazy for College: The Stories, The Secrets, & The Shot of Sanity You Need to Make It Through Admissions RELATED EPISODES HOW PARENTS CAN SUPPORT (NOT DERAIL) THE COLLEGE PROCESS THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.