CVU School Counselors Podcast: Recent Episodes
CVU School Counselors
The school counselors hope that you find this podcast helpful as you and your student move through the secondary school process. We hope to bring you timely information about a great number of topics in easily accessible bites. Our “Evenings With…” offer a lot of information all at once and for some that format can seem … overwhelming. We do not like “overwhelming” folks and hopefully, these episodes are the smaller bite some of us need.
This week on the podcast we discuss the college recruiting process with Comer CVU student Tess Everett and her father Andrew. I know I learned a lot in speaking with them and hope that you all do as well. They have produced a Slide Deck about the process with some helpful guidance and I have linked it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hFSDuRtY4UOZ8pAzMU_KygCHRmqSNlyl/view?usp=sharing
Heather Woodcock Ayres, current college consultant and former Director of Admissions at Brown joins us for a conversation about college visits. College visits are an integral component of the college search process. Revisiting this conversation now seems appropriate with many families starting the search and visit process.Heather shared a couple of documents that include questions to ask as well as some tips around structuring the tours to meet your individual needs.Asking the Right Questions PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k5Ik2B7RUgT0MRqSfi1xZSNCQCIOVhyt/view?usp=sharingTips for making your visit count: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CT8TkO09ZcIsBq798u2PbT6gcNOuljvz/view?usp=sharing
College admissions representatives from a variety of colleges including UVM, Middlebury, St. Lawrence, Champlain, Vermont State University and Saint Michaels will provide a panel discussion. This podcast was originally a virtual panel conversation with several local Colleges and Universities. The video version of this can be found on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/live/eQot_pVMtDM?si=Ve1-Ukik_9S0DBKFWe also referenced our conversations with current seniors, Seniors Speak - Three current CVU Seniors join us for a conversation about advice, college planning and communication with families. A former student joins us for a conversation around their GAP year, who they worked with, planned and came to decide this was the best option for them.Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/49hq...iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Luke, Lauren, Trevor and Lily CVU Juniors stop by to talk to us and all incoming 8th grade families about the transition from 8th grade into CVU. What advice would they offer their 8th grade selves, What is it really like to be in High School with students from multiple towns that you have never met? Is it easy to make new friends? How do you and when do you talk to teachers?This was a super fun group and though the conversation is relatively quick, they were a super fun group and if you have follow up questions I am certain we can get them all back together to answer more of your questions.
On Nov 15th, 2023 CVU School Counselors Gavin and Susie hosted an evening presentation dedicated to careers and post high school planning. This evening presentation was originally broadcast on Youtube at the link below. Guests include Tom Chinii, Ruth Derky, Lily Lucas and Michael Kio.Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/T6xGya895UI?si=8edXlo4crOvu9e9D
Today on the Podcast we talk with Meg Obrien from St. Lawrence University. Meg has a long history with both CVU and St. Lawrence. Though never a CVU student, Meg has always been a great resource for our department and it is a pleasure to interview her for todays show.St. Lawrence is a small school in the Adirondack's. Uniquely situated in and around Malone New York, near several other similarly sized schools all with a great sense of community on their respective campuses. Many students visit St. Lawrence and feel like they are "home." Many thanks to Meg for her time and grace around the technical issues.
Three current CVU Seniors join us for a conversation about advice, college planning and communication with families. A former student joins us for a conversation around their GAP year, who they worked with, planned and came to decide this was the best option for them.Link to Julia Rogers for GAP Year - https://enroutegapyear.com/about/meet-julia/
This week on the podcast we are once again joined by Matt Meunier who talks to us about his role as CVU's SAP Counselor, addiction, Recovery, Relationships and more.If you have questions for Matt, feel free to email us and we will sit down to answer them for you all.
Colby Sawyer is a small (less than 1000 students) College located in New London, NH. With amazing internship and travel opportunities available to students (as well as a beautiful library) Colby Sawyer is a great option for CVU students who value personalization and a close knit community.
Heather Ayres, Ed.D is a former director of admissions at Wellsley College and joins us on the podcast to talk about standardized testing, what it truly means for a school to be test optional and owls. We discuss a number of different topics during our time together and we hope that our conversation sheds some light on what have historically been difficult conversations for families and counselors to have.
Today, on Episode 8 of Season 2 we talk to Andrew Carter from Holy Cross. Holt Cross is a mid-sized private Jesuit university located in Worcester, Massachusetts. With nearly 70 majors on campus Andrew speaks to some of the more unique aspects of Holy Cross. Andrew also talks about Holy Cross and its history of being test optional as well as his concerns about testing in the future. We also discuss his perspective and thoughts around letters of recommendation and the college essay in our conversation. If you have comments, would like to hear us interview a particular school, or just want to send along your positive feedback, feel free to reach out to us at CVUSchoolcounselor@cvsdvt.org.
Show Notes: This week, Russ, Susie and Ry sit down and discuss the PSAT test result profiles that have recently been released to students and families. In the near furture we will be talking with Heather Woodcock-Ayres who is currently an educational consultant for families but has served as Director of Admissions for Wellesley and been on the board of admissions for Brown University. Heather brings her well informed and thoughtful perspective to our ongoing conversation about testing and its relevance for students in the application process. Stay tuned for this show in the coming weeks.Lots of Show Links this week:CVU School Counselors Podcast - To test or not to test : https://open.spotify.com/episode/0NogmGqnu1m2kDc3R27o7d?si=NIaAlRpWTs6dxGbvfVgv5Qhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-11-to-test-or-not-to-test/id1649520831?i=1000590882854Understanding your score reporthttps://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/scores/understanding-scores/your-score-report-explained# Kahn Academy PSAT test prep https://www.khanacademy.org/satSAT Prep https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practiceFairtest websitehttps://fairtest.org/school/College Panel Nighthttps://youtu.be/cI2tyzRrN-4
This week on the podcast we speak with Maeve Caldwell from Endicott. She talks to us about their unique internship programming, The new Science and nursing building, campus housing and the millage traveled during recruiting season. If you are interested in learning more about Endicott, feel free to contact Maeve here: mcaldwel@endicott.edu
During this presentation, Carrie Harlow from VSAC will provide an overview of how families pay for college costs and the different types of financial aid, as well as the application process and timelines specifically for the 2024-2025 financial aid award year. We will share some resources that can help you research the true cost of colleges and get ready to file financial aid forms. If you would like to view the presentation in its original video format, you can find the You Tube link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSODVKeGaYI
This week on the podcast we talk with Matt Cohen from Skidmore about all things Skidmore. WE learn about their new Science building, the comradery between students on campus, the importance of Q1 grades as well as Skidmore's take on Standardized testing. We also have some fun talking hockey and about Matt's own application process to NYU.
This week on the Podcast we had the good fortune to speak with Joshua Tyler, Dean of transfer admissions to Bard College in NY. Bard is a Liberal Arts College with a smaller student body and a large footprint in personalizing education at the post secondary level. Hopefully, his personal story and the detailed information about Bard lead students to explore this school in more depth.
This week we talk with Allison Dubek about CVU's peer mentoring program, Flight Crew and its purpose around connecting all new incoming studetns to our community.
This week on the podcast we release the audio from our College Kick Off meeting for parents and their seniors. It is a lengthy podcast with a YouTube link available here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz9S6_r1pIE
This week on the CVU School Counselor POdcast we talk with Ed Seero from UMass Lowell. We talk about all the exciting things at UMAss Lowell, his history at the University, his favorite Essays of all time and the schools philosophy on standardized testing.
We spend some time talking about the summer before senior year and some work student can work on prior to the start of the year. Working on some or all of these tasks will help make the start of senior year and the application process less stressful. College Essay Writing- https://open.spotify.com/episode/6FnRg0IrhZxpv1joUBkITE?si=b4KdTqmRRsCcFIDP-FDiQg College Athlete Recruiting - https://open.spotify.com/episode/026BFfACKE0kuos1nIDyZ4?si=iZR4AwmXSCG_R-XiLAR5qw College Tours - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4UYv6RWY3STM9FkNCEEXPR?si=UPBnz8wURnGml-dy0tf0ug Common Application Link - https://www.commonapp.org/
Ry Hoffman joins us for "part 2" of the 2023 - 2024 scheduling conversation. We go a bit behind the scenes as well as look ahead to the 2024 - 2025 scheduling process and how can we build an even more student centered master schedule. Link to the Schedule Change Request form. https://forms.gle/auq9orxi9ZTkvftG8
What is your upside potential? This week on the Pod we talk with Ricky McCollum, CVU's Athletic Director. Ricky was recruited as a high school athlete and recently was a college athletic director and basketball coach, learning about recruiting from the other side of the table. The show notes for today include a couple PDF links for the NCAA as well as some thoughts on questions to ask and things to and not to do as a prospective student athlete. Show Links:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NNjJc1jNZ9_dnUv_hO9cWVx27M55QBrD/view?usp=share_linkhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y3575BnNp5X8QqgRgWczqHjRy7_Tgtr9/view?usp=share_linkhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fp948o0TGVRIya6m_sVf2BxE9bB_JhDGqkMPnXRSlMw/edit?usp=sharing
This week on the pod, we talk with Amy Dodge from the Vermont Dual Enrollment program. She takes the time to talk to us about what Dual Enrollment is, and who is able to enroll in a course. Most importantly, she speaks to the fact that course work is indeed free, but is not consequence free. This weeks Pod is an important one for students and families to listen to. Check in with your school counselor if you have any questions about Dual Enrollment.Vermont Dual Enrollment Student Guide: https://education.vermont.gov/documents/vermont-dual-enrollment-student-guide-2019-2020Vermont Dual Enrollment FAQ: https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/Dual%20Enrollment%20FAQs%20for%20Students.pdf
Today's episode started out as an opportunity to provide some guidance and support to our LGBTQ+ identifying community as they embark on their college search process. We wanted to give clarity to the LGBTQ college-bound community in regards to how to choose a college campus that feels safe, meets their needs, and is representative of their identity. However, we quickly learned that the lessons learned in this podcast are common amongst all students, and when visiting college campuses, visitors should feel welcomed to ask questions that are important or affirming to them and to chase their values.
This week Jess Hoskins guess co-hosts with Russ and we talk about Landmark College. Landmark is a small private college in Putney, Vermont specializing in working with Neuro-diverse students. We also learn that they have some really amazing asynchronous programming for all students through their Dual Enrollment program. This programming would be amazing summer learning for all students.
This week in episode 20 we interview Claire Howell. Claire is a former CVU student who brings a grounded perspective to her advice to current students. Hard to believe we are at episode 20! Please reach out to us if you have former students you would like us to interview. Their perspectives are refreshing, thoughtful and useful as we all navigate our four years together.
On January 11th we spoke with several local college directors of admission about their schools, their application review process, what "rigorous" means, Is test optional really test optional? We spent an hour with them and learned a lot about the current state of what colleges are seeing both in their applicant pools and success on campus after having been forced to go test optional by the pandemic. The evening was broadcast on Youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI2tyzRrN-4) feel free to go there if you prefer a video version.A couple take fun points to take away ... Don't write about Pickles the horse, Don't sweat testing, testing never carries the day, in the absence of testing the other elements of your application carry more weight and most of all HAVE FUN!
This week on the School Counselor Podcast we have several guests … and we test Russ’ editing skills a bit. We have a lengthy conversation with Troy Paradee about Nexus (2min). There are many layers to this option for students and we attempt to bring some clarity … and fewer tears to this option for students. We also speak to Stan Williams (29Min) about the new and evolving agreement with St. Mikes as a means to provide college coursework here at CVU and to provide options beyond AP. We talked to Tamie Jo Dickinson (42:30) about two of her courses, Nexus Internship and Financial Accounting. We also flip the script and interview Susie Moakley(55Min) around her CCV course here at CVU in the fall. This is a longer show but full of great information.
Russ and Ry sit down and talk about the course request process for the 23-24 school year. We talk about the timeline for releasing schedules and what we are hoping to see in a finished master schedule. There are several important links for todays show. These documents will be distributed to students and the PDFs here are important in helping families work together to create an informed set of course requests.Scheduling Tips - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AmEWvDXl4-2LJwFU-vR9PT_OM5G3eYES/view?usp=share_linkCredit Course Worksheet - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XUxhabynyNx4iatDSGWcNf0HUnETtD9f/view?usp=share_link10th Grade Course Request Worksheet - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lXaWti57uoFhm1x40R5VAMJgVXkKj_nK/view?usp=share_link11th and 12th Grade Course Request Worksheet - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YM5o-SPiHzEOrA0f4XWbNKAp8SE3FNju/view?usp=share_link
Today, in Episode 16, we speak with folks from both The Center for Technology, Essex and the Burlington Technical Centers. We discuss several topics including their application and, information sessions upcoming at CVU. Both technical centers are hosting open houses and we touch on the importance of attending either an open house or a school day visit to express interest as it is an important part of their application process. We also talked a great deal about what a typical day and/or course load might look like at each of the programs and who might be excellent applicants. Technical center programs can often be thought of as “easy” or “easier” than course work at CVU. The reality is that this is not the case. These programs are academically rigorous and often include college level coursework. The difference lies in the way information is presented/delivered to students. Often that work is perceived as easier simply because students are immersing themselves in work they are passionate about. The work is essentially the same, it is just that the information is presented in a modality that resonates. For questions and information on the tech centers and their application process, please reach out to Susie Moakley or your house counselor.Show Links:Tech Center information and application Timeline: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10O1k3o5WL_QQNNlEhmyhaffg67yDsg-M/view?usp=share_link
CVU Senior Lily joins us to talk about her path through the college search and college application process.Show Links: College Panel Night Youtube Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI2tyzRrN-4
This episode is more of a nuts and bolts brief conversation around the Semester 2 Add/Drop process for students. Russ and Ry briefly discuss the process, the timeline and a couple new offerings for students.
The Essay This week we talk to Kathleen Gibbs, CVU English teacher. Our topic this week is essay writing. Every junior at CVU takes a Writing Composition or Practical Writing course where one of the main topics is the college essay. Students brainstorm ideas and draft several essays in a supportive environment.https://youtu.be/EEvAEaL7hBs - The Bates College Counselors talk about the admissions process.Writing Composition PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1alA4mPpyCBR2T4LMBH53LCm3GghqK1Mm/view?usp=share_link
This week we talk with Peter Booth the coordinator of RISE. What is it, What is its history, How does RISE work and how do I select experiences that work for me?
We speak with UVM (Moses Murphy), Middlebury (Sam Prouty) and Dartmouth (Anna Dechert)about how Standardized Testing is utilized during their application review process. We also talked about what it means for a school to be test optional and what exactly is a holistic application review.Show Links:Fair Test websitehttps://fairtest.org/school/College Panel Nighthttps://youtu.be/cI2tyzRrN-4
Show Notes: This week, Russ, Susie and Ry sit down and discuss the PSAT and PreACT test result profiles that have recently been released to students and families. Next week we talk to several regional representatives about how they holistically review student applications both with and without testing as part of the student submission.Lots of Show Links this week:Understanding your score reporthttps://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/scores/understanding-scores/your-score-report-explained# Kahn Academy PSAT test prep https://www.khanacademy.org/satSAT Prep https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practiceFairtest websitehttps://fairtest.org/school/College Panel Nighthttps://youtu.be/cI2tyzRrN-4ACThttps://www.act.org/Pre ACT Reference Sitehttps://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/preact.html
This week, Susie and Russ talk to Fern Aguda Brown and Jess Hoskins about CVU’s MTSS (Multi Tiered Support Systems) and how these are utilized to support student learning. We also dip our toes into the conversation around do colleges support student learning plans and what might that look like, as well as who starts the process. We also talk about plan initiation here at CVU. What is the process, who makes referrals and more. I love it when I am able to come to work and leave at the end of the day having learned something new and this conversation was full of new learning. We are grateful to Jess and Fern for their time and look forward to future conversations. As always, we appreciate you listening and if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out.Show Links:What are the differences …. This is a wonderful document from Champlain College regarding the differences between a High School learning plan and one for College. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GaasyjG60Top4GG2zAdtphNEhJ-niQi7/view?usp=share_link)
We rejoin our interview with Brandon for part 2 of our conversation about the Vermont State Colleges and their impending restructuring. Our first guest on this podcast is Brandon Kennedy. Brandon is here to discuss their new system and how it will benefit Vermonters now and into the future. On a personal level, an amazing education awaits you wherever you decide to attend and for me that was within the VT State College system. My professors at Castleton were amazing. They knew who I was, believed in me, never let me “hide” and were right there the whole time encouraging me to pursue my passions.
Show Notes: In episode 7, Russ had the opportunity to speak with Jess McCloud on the topic of Anxiety. Jess is a local clinician with ties to the Direction Center and to CVU. Though all of our local clinicians are swamped with referrals and waitlists are long, relief does not have to wait. Jess talks about some easy to implement techniques that reframe our thinking in those stressful/anxious moments and most importantly offer opportunities for us to connect with our students. As always, feel free to comment on how we are doing and/or leave suggestions on future show ideas. We hope you enjoy this episode.
Show Links: This publisher makes great workbooks and here is one: The Anxiety Workbook For Teens - (Amazon purchase required) Apps: MindshiftCBT- Anxiety Canada App (modules about anxiety and how to cope). An evidence-based anxiety relief app available on Apple App Store and Google Play). Worry breath (interactive app to help you regulate your breath). Box Breathing is a technique used to manage stress and calm the mind. Insight Timer- has guided meditations and modules about mental health. Woebot and Wysa are bot powered apps focused on anxiety management. Anxiety PDF Handout
Susie and Russ jumped right into the deep end in our conversation with Matt about the nature of his job as the SAP (Substance Abuse Prevention) Counselor at CVU. We are myopic if we think that there are no substances in the building, but Matt details resources and supports that are in place to help our young people. If you have questions you would like us to ask Matt, please feel free to send an email and we will bring him back online for a community Q&A.
Show Links: First Call - Chittenden Counties 24/7/365 support hotline 802-488-7777 DayOne - UVM’s Substance Abuse treatment program 802-847-3333 Howard Center - We help people and communities thrive by providing supports and services to address mental health, substance use, and developmental needs. 802-488-6000
Susie and Gavin host a panel geared towards learning about a variety of educational pathways and short term training programs in Vermont that can lead to a broad array of well paying careers in Vermont. Guests are Brandon Kennedy, Michael Keogh and Tom Cheney.
Michael Keogh is the Director of business engagement with CCV. Tom Cheney is the executive director of Advance Vermont and creator of My VT Vermont. Brandon Kennedy is an admissions counselor with Vermont State University. The state of Vermont has set a goal that 70% of Vermonters by 2025 will have some sort of post secondary education and/or training. How do you invest in yourself while at CVU and beyond in ways that are not just college.
My Future VT: https://www.myfuturevt.org/ Community College of VT: https://ccv.edu/
Today in part two of our conversation on Financial Aid, Russ and Susie talk with Carrie Harlow. As we mentioned last week, Carrie is first and foremost a Redhawk and a financial aid … guru working with VSAC. She talks to us today about all things financial aid. I think Carrie said it best when she told us to have fun. College Applications and applying for Financial Aid is by its very nature, stressful. If we are only stressed then we cannot have fun. Hopefully, these conversations with Carrie will ease that stress for some of you.
Some important notes from Carrie, VSAC is open Monday - Thursday from 9AM - 6:30PM to help students and parents with form completion. 2PM is the final appointment available. VSAC is also currently hosting FAFSA Fridays, an online/remote option for families to receive support with their FAFSA applications and forms with appointments running from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm (the latest FAFSA Friday appointment can be scheduled for 6:30 pm).
VSAC - https://www.vsac.org/ College Scorecard - https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) - https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa Federal Student Aid Estimator (can give an estimate of EFC and Federal Aid) - https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/ CSS Profile Schools list - https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx Am I considered a dependent or independent student on the FAFSA? - https://studentaid.gov/resources/dependency-status-text Who is my parent when I fill out the FAFSA? - https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/who-is-my-parent.png?_ga=2.251302726.1973955250.1666630710-2074025994.1663616050 VSAC Financial Aid videos - https://www.vsac.org/financial-aid-videos
Today in part one of our conversation on Financial Aid, Russ and Susie talk with Carrie Harlow. Carrie is first and foremost a Redhawk and a financial aid … expert working with VSAC. She talks to us today about all things financial aid. I think Carrie said it best when she told us to have fun. College Applications and applying for Financial Aid is by its very nature, stressful. If we are only stressed then we cannot have fun. Hopefully, these conversations with Carrie will ease that stress for some of you.
Some important notes, VSAC is open Monday - Thursday from 9AM - 6:30PM to help students and parents with form completion. 2PM is the final appointment available. VSAC is also currently hosting FAFSA Fridays, an online/remote option for families to receive support with their FAFSA applications and forms with appointments running from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm (the latest FAFSA Friday appointment can be scheduled for 6:30 pm).
VSAC - https://www.vsac.org/ College Scorecard - https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) - https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa Federal Student Aid Estimator (can give an estimate of EFC and Federal Aid) - https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/ CSS Profile Schools list - https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx Am I considered a dependent or independent student on the FAFSA? - https://studentaid.gov/resources/dependency-status-text Who is my parent when I fill out the FAFSA? - https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/who-is-my-parent.png?_ga=2.251302726.1973955250.1666630710-2074025994.1663616050 VSAC Financial Aid videos - https://www.vsac.org/financial-aid-videos
Today on the podcast, Russ and Susie talk to Brandon Kennedy. Brandon works for the new Vermont State University and is here to talk to us about the blending of all the Vermont State Colleges into one holistic university serving all Vermonters. Brandon talks to us about the realignment and why it happened, Program availability across multiple campuses, and why it might very well be the best option for Vermont students.
Show Links: VT State College Link: https://www.vsc.edu/ The Common Application: https://apply.commonapp.org/login My Future VT: https://www.myfuturevt.org/
Russ and Susie talk about the college application process and what students can expect to see on the Common Application as well as how to Navigate the process of asking for letters of recommendation.
Show Links: The Common Application: https://apply.commonapp.org/login Senior Kick Off Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N1iXc-XJVa3eDdaIb_Sgm8PndHXUoSgv/view Common App Solutions Center: https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/writing-requirements The Essay: https://youtu.be/EEvAEaL7hBs Common App Essay Prompts: https://www.commonapp.org/apply/essay-prompts