In this episode you will hear:   (06:42) In this week’s news segment, an article from Forbes “Wanted: Students for Admission to College” by Brennan Bernard. There is a subset of colleges and universities who have seen record increases in applications this year (thanks in part to pandemic-induced test-optional policies), but the reality is that this is predominantly among  and others are seeing declining numbers. The more concerning trends are that fewer first-generation and low-income students submitted applications and that  have fallen (by more than 9% as of late February). Students are more valuable than ever and the pandemic has changed how colleges recruit these students. Mark and Dave discuss how student recruitment has been forced to change because of covid-19.     (30:54) We’re in chapter 166 of 171 Answers – the power and value of affinity groups. Mark and Anika discuss why affinity groups are so powerful and who are some of these affinity groups designed to serve. Mark discusses the controversy over these affinity groups.   (43:52) This week’s question is from Courtney, a college counselor in New England, and she is asking how to navigate family conversations when trying to relay the message of being a small fish in a big ocean, when they have been a big fish in a small pond, for the most part of their lives.   (01:11:58) Mark kicks off his interview with Julia Hutchinson a high school senior from Wisconsin - A creative approach to learning what the students are like at the colleges on your child’s college list (Part 1 of 3)   (01:18:58) Recommended resource:   This website has very helpful videos from admission leaders at six highly selective small colleges that many people are not familiar with. The videos discuss applying to college, but they also describe some of the resources available at these campuses.   (01:30:38) College spotlight: San Diego State University (CA)   ()   If you are interested in listening to past episodes where Mark did a deep dive into how Student Search works, listen to the book chapter discussion in Episode 25 and the Bonus content discussion in episode 95. This episodes go into depth about how colleges target students via mail and email.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . Music is by SENA HERO/Victor-Alan Weeks. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! To access and best utilize the transcripts of each podcast, please do the following: Go to  Click the Transcripts tab, from the top menu by the Episodes tab Click on the transcript for the specific episode you are interested in, just click on the image or by the word “Transcript” You will see a Share icon, a download option, a link to Apple podcast and you will see a magnifying glass Use the magnifying glass to search for any word. If that word was used in the episode, it will show up, highlighted in yellow. You will also see a timestamp so you can see the exact minute and second this word was spoken. If you click the word highlighted in yellow, the podcast player will start playing right at that word. You can stop it from playing by clicking the pause button.  Note: The transcription accuracy is about 90%, so you will see some spelling errors and errors in translation going from voice to print. We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. 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 go to Amazon and click:    If you want to place a bulk order, you will save