In this episode you will hear: 02:39 In this week’s news Mark adds a few more comments about the Harvard affirmative action case we discussed the last two weeks. Next we conclude our review of “How Gender Influences College Admissions” by Ilana-Kowarski. Not only do colleges often want a gender-balanced freshman class, but also strive to achieve gender parity within various academic departments. If there are more students from one gender applying, the acceptance rate for that gender might be lower. 17:15 We are in Chapter 45of 171 Answers and we’re talking about how many times our kids should take an official ACT or SAT test. 26:15 This week’s question is from a student who wants to know if they should apply to a university through the Common Application or if they should apply through the priority application, sent by the school. 35:36 Mark wraps up his interview with Brendan Williams, Director of Knowledge for uAspire, a nonprofit organization that help students find an affordable path to college, on everything that you need to know about the FAFSA verification. 53:24 Mark’s recommended resource of the week:  Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.