This episode of the Scholarship GPS Podcast is sponsored by prepmedians.com, where SAT and ACT prep is actually fun. Lessons are built on sketch comedy and music, so your teen remembers them on test day, just like the lyrics to their favorite songs. All courses include an AI tutor that explains any question, thousands of practice questions with step-by-step explanations, and 99th-percentile tutors. With fall test dates coming up, get 10% off with code SCHOLARSHIPGPS, one word, at prepmedians.com. ---------- Carrie Jorgenson has worked across multiple parts of the college admissions ecosystem, including K-12 schools, university admissions offices, and the private counseling sector. While working in K-12 schools, she supported more than 1,000 families navigating the college planning process. She later served in the admissions offices at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, where she evaluated more than 2,000 applications and gained an inside perspective on how admissions decisions are made. Her perspective deepened again while working in the private sector, advising families who could afford elite counseling services. There she noticed something surprising: even highly successful families often felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the college process. Carrie founded early bird™ to help close that gap. She believes every student deserves the clarity and support needed to find their best-fit future—not just those who can afford private counseling. In our conversation, Carrie and I discuss: The mistakes that students and families make when it comes to building a college list or choosing a college. What “best fit” actually means, and why it matters for scholarships and financial aid. When families should start college planning. What early bird™ is, and how it helps students who don’t have access to a private counselor. Click here to learn more about early bird™ ---------- Get personalized support for your scholarship journey! The Scholarship Navigator Program includes: Review, feedback, and editing of your scholarship essays and applications Access to the Scholarship GPS video course, where I share best practices for the scholarship process and sample winning scholarship essays A custom list of scholarships for your student to apply for, based on their unique profile. Online support for your scholarship questions. Much more Click the link based on your student’s grade level to learn more: Current college students High school seniors (Class of 2027) High school juniors (Class of 2028) High school sophomores (Class of 2029) High school freshmen (Class of 2030) Middle school students If you would like to learn more about the Scholarship Navigator programs, I am offering a limited number of free 15-minute Zoom meetings to answer your questions. To book your free consultation, click here. ---------- Featured Scholarships: Whetstone Perkins & Fulda $1000 Starfish Scholarship Boyk Law $2000 Veteran Scholarship $20,000 Equitable Excellence Scholarship® Program Full-Ride Coolidge Scholarship Carson Scholars Fund $5000 Christian College Scholarship $2,000 Protestant Faith-Based College Scholarship $2,000 Catholic College Scholarship Drawing *This post contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.