Hold Me Back Podcast: Georgia Tech: Interview with Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admission

Join Aidan and Ash in a lively and information-packed interview with Rick Clark, Georgia Tech’s Director of Admission. Under his leadership, the Institute has exceeded every goal including advancing the academic class profile while driving geographic, gender, and ethnic diversity. All in this week’s episode of Hold Me Back. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Hold Me Back Summary

Georgia Tech: Interview with Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admission

Join Aidan and Ash in a lively and information-packed interview with Rick Clark, Georgia Tech’s Director of Admission. Under his leadership, the Institute has exceeded every goal including advancing the academic class profile while driving geographic, gender, and ethnic diversity. Mr. Clark is also the co-author of the book, The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together. Mr. Clark brings a balanced perspective to the CAS series by sharing the admission process at public universities, while dispelling several myths that have been propagated by “clickbait” headlines. This episode covers everything from the landscape at Georgia Tech to the importance of what classes you take in high school. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What’s the biggest misconception kids & parents have about college admissions?
• Does marketing work for colleges?
• How does admissions work from a state school perspective?
• Are schools doing a good job of being transparent with priorities to applicants?
• How do analytics play into college admissions?
• Should students take harder courses or courses they know they can get an A in?
• What do schools look for in recommendations?
• Is the college admissions process fair?

Who was more convincing: Aidan or Ash? Vote at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy the show! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro to Rick Clark
• [0:00] This episode of Hold Me Back is brought to you by Shutterfly. Go to Shutterfly.com and use the promo code: holdmeback for 40% off your order
• [0:56] Welcome to Hold Me Back
• [0:59] Meet Aidan (Gen Z) & Ash (Gen X)
• [1:00] What is The College Admission Series (CAS)?
• [1:08] Who is Rick Clark?
• [1:16] Georgia Tech
• [2:20] The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together
• Interview with Rick Clark
• [3:34] What inspired Rick to write his book?
• [4:04] Dartmouth College, Duke University
• [5:24] What’s the biggest misconception kids & parents have about college admissions?
• [6:24] Emails
• [7:24] What has changed the most in the college admissions process?
• [7:56] Stanford University
• [9:31] COVID-19
• [10:32] What impact does the college application process have on mental health?
• [12:21] Does marketing work for colleges?
• [13:24] Pandemic
• [13:49] Higher Education (Higher Ed)
• [14:38] How does admissions work from a state school perspective?
• [15:00] University of North Carolina (UNC)
• [16:48] GPA (Grade Point Average), SAT, ACT
• [17:49] AP Classes
• [18:29] Are schools doing a good job of being transparent with priorities to applicants?
• [20:48] How are admissions decisions made at Georgia Tech?
• [25:06] Nursing, Chemistry
• [25:54] How do students shortcut the process?
• [27:38] College Board
• [28:20] Emory University
• [28:33] How do analytics play into college admissions?
• [30:13] CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
• [31:37] How are schools using predictive analytics?
• [33:42] Is there any truth to the Pile Theory?
• [35:05] Early Action
• [36:48] This episode of Hold Me Back is brought to you by Shutterfly. Go to Shutterfly.com and use the promo code: holdmeback for 40% off your order
• [38:40] Can 10 points on an SAT score make a difference?
• [39:50] Data
• [41:11] Test-Optional
• [41:35] Should students take harder courses or courses they know they can get an A in?
• [45:57] What do schools look for in recommendations?
• [49:38] Hold Me Back Podcast Episode #12: Grades
• [49:54] Are colleges aware of the mental health impact of college admissions?
• [52:33] Resume
• [52:48] How do you best prepare your child for college?
• [55:10] Is the college admissions process fair?
• [55:32] Supply & Demand
• [56:04] Valedictorian
• [59:17] If you could change something about the college admissions process, what would it be?
• [59:56] Debt
• [1:01:26] Voice Record
• [1:01:53] Podcast
• [1:02:14] Content Creation
• Outro
• [1:03:26] Thank you for listening! Follow Hold Me Back on HoldMeBack.com and on Instagram & Facebook
• [1:03:33] Leave us a 5-star written review on Apple Podcasts
• [1:03:42] Who was more convincing: Aidan or Ash? Vote below