How to Find College Planning Podcasts

Planning for college can be time consuming! Career and college planning podcasts give you, as college-bound students and parents, a way to listen to relevant content on your time schedule. While listening to music may be way more appealing than listening to podcasts, they can be easily downloaded and played while driving or walking. But you need expert advice to complement what you’re learning from your guidance counselor or college consultant. Listening to podcasts can also make good use of your time between eating food, submitting applications, hanging out with friends at school events, and procrastinating your dissection homework for biology.

Finding quality, relevant podcasts is important. First of all, if the recording sounds like they are walking along the beach, camped out in a cave, or trying to be the college-whisperer, don’t waste your time hoping it will get better. It probably won’t. But you already know that!

Next, look at the dates for the podcasts. Some information shared in 2012 might be relevant; some might be time-sensitive. One example would be taking the ACT. While the strategies and tips would still be relevant, the testing deadlines and possible test prep sites might not.

One benefit of podcasting is saving time. Unfortunately, some average 40 minutes in length – without commercial breaks! TED talks are limited to 18 minutes. Half-hour shows (like sitcoms) are typically 18-21 minutes long. So as a student, your attention span is generally equivalent to your age – which means you are anxious to find out why your phone just beeped. So if a podcast is longer than 20 minutes, just download it or bookmark it for listening later.

You’ll also want to consider the content. There are podcasts sharing test prep tips, admissions do’s and don’ts, and ways to make the most of a campus visit. You should also listen to a few podcasts to determine if they are they informing you about a topic or interpreting how to master the topic. Also, many colleges have student-led blogs sharing about life on campus.

Finally, you’ll want to know who is delivering the content. Always check the About Me tab on the website to learn more about who is sharing. Find out how long have they been working in college planning. Ask yourself if their education and credentials would benefit you as the listener? Are they interviewing experts or just sharing what they know?

It’s a lot to consider, so to save you time, I’ve listed some preferred podcasts on my website under Resources. Contact me if you need help finding career and college planning podcasts. Here are some to get you started:

• In The College Checklist Podcast, Lauren Gaggioli interviews various college planners about personal branding, testing, financial aid, social media, and more. This informative, well-produced podcast would be great for parents.
• In How to Pay for College GQ, Celest Horton, chemical engineer and mother of teenagers, shares tips with students and parents about paying for college without incurring lots of debt.
• The College Bound Chronicles is a great resource for students and parents. Because they are not recording currently, know that some material may be dated.

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