Confused about the road to college? Don't know where to begin your college search? The College Checklist Podcast is your source for guidance about the college admissions process, financial aid, scholarships, and more! Each week, Lauren Gaggioli brings you a new episode featuring interviews with college counselors, higher education professionals, and entrepreneurs who can help you master the process of getting into, paying for, and being successful in college. Find show notes and more at www.collegechecklistpodcast.com.
Focus & Determination, Adam’s Story (Part 2)
If you listened to the last episode featuring just-graduated-high-school-Adam, be prepared to teleport 3 years into the future and meet almost-graduated-college-Adam!He's the same focused, dedicated student he always has been and he's back to share a great deal of insight for other students who are getting ready to head off to college for the first […]
2/1/2021 • 48 minutes, 3 seconds
Focus & Determination, Adam’s Story (Part 1)
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Adam when he was a junior in high school. Not only was he thoroughly committed to improving his ACT scores, he then leveraged those scores for some really impressive merit aid awards. He's a very focused young man who worked hard and reaped the […]
2/1/2021 • 41 minutes, 43 seconds
Big Why Life
In my 13 years helping college-bound high school students, I've seen many students lose their way.Sometimes they lose connection with what they want and why they started on the path to college. They had direction once, but - over time - it slipped away.Or they realize that what they want from life is shifting, but the […]
1/31/2021 • 7 minutes, 35 seconds
Transforming The College Conversation
If you're not hopeful about the future...If your next steps feel forced...If you feel your purpose lies on a different path than the one you're currently walking......then this episode is for you. And, if I'm honest, this episode is for me too. It's for high school me who was so lost and felt compelled to plod […]
10/22/2020 • 28 minutes, 35 seconds
Is A Transfer Track the Right Choice For You?
While this episode was recorded before the pandemic, the information is particularly relevant today as many students and their families scramble to make alternate college plans. Over the years, no more so than now, I've heard many parents say, "We're just going to have her go to community college because she doesn't know what she […]
10/15/2020 • 48 minutes, 29 seconds
Increasing Our Capacity To Focus
Recorded long before the pandemic hit, this episode seems rather fortuitous given the biggest challenge I'm currently facing in lockdown: focus.My dear friend and fellow bookworm Jen Hoffman joins us to share her incredible tips for cultivating the practice of focus.Yes! Focus is a muscle that must be cultivated but that muscle can atrophy in […]
9/30/2020 • 32 minutes, 31 seconds
How to Thrive in Uncertainty
Living in times of great uncertainty is no easy feat. The good news is that there are skills and practices that you can cultivate that can help you not only cope but thrive.While 2020 is giving the word "uncertain" a run for its money, the truth is that life is always uncertain to some degree. […]
9/22/2020 • 33 minutes, 13 seconds
Networking From A Distance
Networking. It's such a daunting topic for so many people, but - as hard as it is to network in person - it's made even more challenging at a distance.That said, there are lots of things we can do to make networking more enjoyable whether we're doing so face-to-face or remotely.This skill is an important […]
9/15/2020 • 1 hour, 11 seconds
Locking Down Your Productivity
Last spring was incredibly challenging. The upheaval of our normal day-to-day lives unsurprisingly took a toll on the work we did.While that's completely understandable given the circumstances, as we head into the new school year, it's important that we focus on ways we can continue to thrive even in the face of tremendous uncertainty. One thing […]
9/8/2020 • 46 minutes
How to Conduct Virtual College Visits
After the initial shock of quarantine life wore off last spring, I realized that one of the biggest ways that the Class of 2021 was going to be impacted by Coronavirus was the inability to visit college campuses. Instead, the state of the world was going to necessitate a shift to virtual college visits.Spring break, […]
9/1/2020 • 28 minutes, 52 seconds
Navigating College Essay Writing in 2020
Writing your college essay can be an incredibly daunting task. It can be hard to know how to talk about yourself in a way that shares what you've accomplished without seeming like you're bragging. Or you may struggle to find anything to talk about. After all, what makes you special? Whether you see yourself as […]
8/25/2020 • 21 minutes, 33 seconds
Finding College Scholarships During A Pandemic
Throughout the years, I've noticed that many of the families I've worked with have focused exclusively on getting into college throughout high school. There's a sense that you ought to know where you're going and what it will cost before figuring out the financial side of the equation.Unfortunately, though, delaying thinking about paying for college […]
8/18/2020 • 39 minutes, 2 seconds
To Test or Not To Test
Today we're going to dive into a question I've received so very many times over the last few months: Lauren, should we take the ACT or SAT this year?Gosh, I wish I could give a quick DO IT! or DON'T DO IT! answer, but - as with most things this year - the reality is […]
8/11/2020 • 39 minutes, 55 seconds
How Financial Aid Is Being Impacted By Coronavirus
When thinking about next steps for college admissions in the time of Coronavirus, something that is top of mind for so many families is the cost.Frankly, it should be top of mind any time we're talking about college.There is a lot of need-based aid and merit-based aid that's available, even in these challenging times. But, […]
8/4/2020 • 41 minutes, 18 seconds
The Impact of Coronavirus on College Admissions
Today's episode is the first in our special series about how Coronavirus is impacting college admissions for the Class of 2021. In this episode, we'll be exploring college admissions from the 50,000 foot view and talking through how you may be impacted if you're applying to college in the fall of 2020. Listen Now Subscribe on […]
7/28/2020 • 45 minutes, 55 seconds
Welcome to the Special Coronavirus Edition of The College Checklist Podcast
After a 2 year hiatus, the College Checklist Podcast is back to help families navigate the college admissions process in the time of Coronavirus. If you're curious about how the college admissions process is going to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, join myself and my wonderful guests as we explore how we're helping our clients […]
