Not Your Mom's Admissions

Scholar Co.

Not Your Mom’s Admissions simplifies and contextualizes the modern college admissions process. Hosts Bridget and Kyla share real insights and clear guidance, as they engage in candid, accessible conversations about effectively navigating college admissions today. Whether you’re a student, parent, or just admissions-curious, this show helps you understand what really matters in the current landscape.

  1. Jun 1

    Hot Takes from this Admissions Cycles: Scores, Essays & AI

    The biggest shifts in admissions aren't always the ones making headlines. In the Season One finale of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla unload a round of unfiltered hot takes on where the admissions landscape is heading. ✅ Why the liberal arts may be queued for a comeback and how programs are split between pre-professional tracks and big-picture thinking, with less in the middle ✅ What's behind the fading Early Decision and legacy debates, and how the readiness gap is pulling scores back into focus ✅ How colleges are adapting faster than high schools to an AI-shaped job market and why a gap year might be one of the most underrated moves a student can make ✅ The reason the college essay isn't going anywhere, even as AI changes how students draft A candid look at the trends, tensions, and shifts shaping the next admissions cycle from two advisors watching it unfold in real time. 💡 Want more? Head to scholarco.com for free guides and planning resources.

  2. May 25

    SAT and ACT Prep: When to Start, What to Expect, How to Choose

    Start too early and it fizzles. Start too late and it's a scramble. Test prep timing matters more than most families realize. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with James Eno, founder of James Eno Tutorials and a 20-year veteran of SAT and ACT prep, to discuss what test prep looks like at each stage. ✅ How to approach prep at each grade level and which resources to utilize ✅ What makes a tutor worth the investment, and what to ask before signing on ✅ The score improvement range that's realistic, and recommended number of tests taken ✅ Why some students are quietly switching from the SAT to the ACT (and how to know which test fits) Test prep doesn't have to be a year of stress. With the right plan and the right timing, the work feels manageable and the results follow. 💡 Want more? Head to scholarco.com for free guides and rising senior planning resources.

  3. May 18

    Should You Apply Undecided? A Strategic Guide to College Major Selection

    For most applicants, picking a major isn't really picking a major. It's choosing a neighborhood. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla break down how to think about major selection without overcommitting a 17-year-old to a career: ✅ What an academic narrative actually is, and how it differs from a declared major ✅ When going undecided is safe, and when starting in the right "neighborhood" matters more ✅ How direct-entry programs (architecture, engineering, business, nursing) change the calculus ✅ The school-versus-major question, and how to weigh both when building a college list Major selection is a series of strategic choices, not a single forever decision. The goal: applications that read as focused and genuine, built around real intellectual curiosity rather than guessed-at career commitments. 💡 Want more? Head to scholarco.com for free guides and narrative development resources.

  4. May 11

    Navigating Learning Differences and Accommodations — with Elena McGahey

    Successfully navigating learning differences doesn’t end at the diagnosis. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with Elena McGahey, a special education teacher and founder of Stronger Foundations Coaching, to break down how students with learning differences (and their families) can advocate effectively. ✅ How to coach a student to write emails to teachers ✅ The accommodations available, the different processes at public and private schools, and the path to getting them for standardized tests ✅ Why neuropsychological evaluations need to be updated every three years ✅ Summer strategies that target specific skill gaps, from reading aloud to executive functioning projects Whether the diagnosis is in hand or still being explored, the path through accommodations is mostly about pacing and partnership, and starting earlier than expected. 💡 Want more? Head to scholarco.com for free guides and learning support resources.

  5. May 4

    The College Readiness Skills No One's Talking About — with Mark Talaga

    Getting in is one milestone. Being ready is another. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with Mark Talaga, owner of the Center for Identity Potential and host of the Hopelessly Gifted podcast, to unpack what college readiness looks like. ✅ How to spot readiness gaps before move-in day, including academic, emotional, and life skills ✅ The "predict and prescribe" framework for matching trouble areas with campus support before challenges arise ✅ Communication exercises families can run this summer, including drafting emails for hard moments before they happen ✅ When a gap year makes sense, and what intentional use of that time looks like Readiness isn't a fixed line. It's a set of skills that can be named, practiced, and grown and why starting these conversations early matters. 💡 Want more? Head to scholarco.com for free guides and rising senior resources.

  6. Apr 27

    Early Decision, Public Flagships, and Testing: What Changed This Cycle?

    Decisions are in. The patterns are becoming apparent, with a few worth noting. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla break down the trends they’re seeing across this admissions cycle and how they might inform planning for the next one. ✅ Why early decision continued to be a strong strategy, and what happens when applicants overreach or opt out ✅ How highly selective majors like life sciences and engineering raise the stakes on early-round strategy ✅ Why dropped supplements and Common App adoption increase application volume, while reinstated testing requirements decrease it ✅ Which categories of schools ran hot this cycle (public flagships especially in the South, big football programs) and where applicant interest cooled Trends like these don't dictate strategy, but they can sharpen the questions families ask going into a new cycle. 💡 Want more? Head to scholarco.com for free guides and rising senior planning resources.

  7. Apr 20

    Foreign Language & Junior Year Stress: A Parent-Educator's View

    Two conversations many families of juniors are having right now: how to stick with foreign language and how to stay sane through the college process. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with educator Lucy Van Horne to talk about why so many students resist foreign language, how to make it stick, and what junior-year parents gain by stepping back. ✅ Learning-style-specific strategies that make foreign language feel less overwhelming ✅ Why contextualizing a language outside the classroom—through media, sports, and conversation—can have an outsized impact ✅ Alternative paths for continuing language study when the traditional setting isn't working ✅ A parent's honest take on staying calm, stepping back, and letting a junior lead The most effective support, whether for language learning or the college journey, often looks like meeting a learner where they are instead of pushing toward where a parent thinks they should be. 💡 Want more? Head to ⁠scholarco.com⁠ for free guides and college planning resources.

  8. Apr 13

    Listener Q&A: Spring Admit, Safety vs. Likely, SAT Scores, and the 5-4-3 Framework

    Five listener questions. Five real decisions families are facing right now. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla tackle the tradeoffs that don't come with easy answers. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla field five real questions from listeners navigating decisions right now. ✅ Why spring admit programs hinge on two factors most families overlook ✅ What happens to the odds when high reaches replace targets on a list ✅ The “why” behind the “safety” to "likely" terminology shift ✅ How a GPA-score mismatch and a high school's reporting choices shape the admissions officer’s perspective ✅ Why residency status impacts where a public university falls on the competitiveness ladder The right call depends on the student, the list, and the specifics, but knowing what factors to weigh makes the decision clearer. 💡 Want more? Head to scholarco.com for free guides and college list resources.

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5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Not Your Mom’s Admissions simplifies and contextualizes the modern college admissions process. Hosts Bridget and Kyla share real insights and clear guidance, as they engage in candid, accessible conversations about effectively navigating college admissions today. Whether you’re a student, parent, or just admissions-curious, this show helps you understand what really matters in the current landscape.

Information

  • Creator
    Scholar Co.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Scholar Co.
  • Show Website
    Not Your Mom's Admissions

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