Aidan and Ash discuss “everything admissions” with Jonathan Burdick, a 35-year veteran in the field, and one of the most innovative and knowledgeable enrollment leaders in the country. Mr. Burdick leads Cornell’s 15 colleges and school offices of admissions, financial aid, and registrar. 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.
Cornell University: Interview with Jonathan Burdick, Vice Provost for Enrollment
Aidan and Ash discuss “everything admissions” with Jonathan Burdick, a 35-year veteran in the field, and one of the most innovative and knowledgeable enrollment leaders in the country. Mr. Burdick leads Cornell’s 15 colleges and school offices of admissions, financial aid, and registrar. Under his watch, Cornell has expanded opportunities for all students including international enrollment, and he’s brought “innovation” to the admissions process. An erudite in every sense, Mr. Burdick doesn’t shy away from the tough issues in this riveting and thought-provoking interview from start to finish. This episode covers everything from Cornell admissions to innovation in admissions. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What are Cornell admissions rates like?
- How do they decide who gets accepted?
- Are they doing enough to help the right people apply?
- What are their values?
- How much weight should we put on getting into a highly-regarded school?
- Does legacy matter?
- How does Jonathan view straight A’s?
- What advice would he give to parents & kids about college admissions?
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 Jonathan Burdick
- [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
- [0:48] This episode of Hold Me Back is brought to you by Motto. Get started with Motto at Aspen Dental or MottoAligners.com
- [1:31] Welcome to Hold Me Back
- [1:35] Meet Aidan (Gen Z) & Ash (Gen X)
- [1:38] What is The College Admission Series (CAS)?
- [1:41] Who is Jonathan Burdick?
- [1:16] Cornell University
- Interview with Jonathan Burdick
- [3:47] What are Cornell admissions rates like?
- [4:45] Have their candidates changed over time?
- [6:57] What does Jonathan think about test-optional?
- [8:51] How does he view test scores?
[10:26] How does Cornell decide who gets accepted? - [11:07] Direct Admission
- [12:04] Is there a rubric Cornell uses to review applicants?
- [13:41] What happens if you get a reader who has a bias?
- [14:27] Does Cornell hire readers to help with applications?
- [16:02] What qualities help students get accepted there?
- [17:40] Are they doing enough to help the right people apply?
- [19:32] How does Jonathan feel about The Pile Theory?
- [20:02] Income
- [21:53] University of Illinois
- [22:50] Groupthink
- [23:31] What are Cornell’s values?
- [25:14] 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
- [26:49] What does Jonathan think about the mental health impact of college admissions?
- [29:29] Joy Of Missing Out (JOMO)
- [30:01] Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)
- [31:02] Is raising your kids the healthiest way actually the best for getting them into college?
- [34:02] How much weight should we put on getting into a highly-regarded school?
- [36:21] Harvard University
- [36:52] Does Cornell look at the standout factor?
- [38:34] Does legacy matter?
- [41:28] Does demonstrated interest matter?
[43:04] How does Jonathan view straight A’s? - [43:51] AP Course
- [47:45] Does Cornell use predictive analytics?
- [48:43] Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- [49:20] How does Cornell approach financial aid?
- [51:32] How much does early admission actually help?
- [54:01] What is early action?
- [55:03] Do early admission windows benefit the school more than the student?
- [57:40] Facebook, Google
- [58:37] COVID-19
- [1:02:06] Consumer
- [1:04:31] Social Welfare
- [1:05:24] What does “fair” mean?
- [1:08:32] What would Jonathan like to see change with the college admissions process?
- [1:10:54] What is his opinion on independent college consultants?
- [1:12:03] Ivy League
- [1:13:34] What advice would Jonathan give to parents & kids about college admissions?
- Outro
- [1:15:16] Thank you for listening! Follow Hold Me Back on HoldMeBack.com and on Instagram & Facebook
- [1:15:20] Leave us a 5-star written review on Apple Podcasts
- [1:15:36] Who was more convincing: Aidan or Ash? Vote below
Thank you for listening to Hold Me Back. To hear more episodes, follow Hold Me Back at HoldMeBack.com.
WHAT IS HOLD ME BACK?
Gen X and Gen Z live together, but we occupy different worlds. As the generational gap widens and conventional wisdom on parenting and education fails, is it even possible to understand one another? In this unique son-and-father podcast, Aidan & Ash ElDifrawi hash out a new contract between generations, forcing them to violate comfort zones on today’s most charged topics: social media and screen time, bullying and loneliness, inequality and privilege, sex and drugs, education and etiquette, even politics, religion, and sports. All to uncover a path toward greater harmony and a hopeful future for the next generation.