The Podcast That Turned a Worried Dad Into a College Counselor
It Started With a Worried Dad and a Pair of Earbuds
About five years ago, I was not a college counselor. I was a dad with a daughter starting her college applications and a growing suspicion that everything I thought I knew about admissions had expired sometime around the invention of the fax machine.
So I did what any reasonable parent does when they feel out of their depth. I went looking for someone smarter than me who would explain it for free. That's how I found Your College-Bound Kid, the podcast hosted by Mark Stucker.
I expected a few useful tips. What I got was an education. Mark had been running the show since 2018, and it was already packed with admissions deans, financial aid officers, and veteran counselors talking plainly about how decisions actually get made. I started with one episode. Then I went back for the archive, the way some people binge a crime drama. Except my cliffhangers were about early decision and net price calculators.
From Listener to Full-Time Counselor
Here's the thing nobody warns you about. If you listen to enough smart people talk about something you care about, you start to care about it professionally.
The podcast helped my daughter's process, no question. But it also did something I didn't plan on. It showed me how much good a knowledgeable, calm guide can do for a family, and how many families never get one. My son's experience at a big public high school, where each counselor had hundreds of students, had already planted that seed. Mark kept watering it twice a week.
What I appreciated most was the honesty. Mark and his co-hosts don't sell certainty. They tell you what they know, what they've seen, and where the evidence runs out. That turned out to be the kind of counselor I wanted to be. Eventually, "I really enjoy this" became "I should do this for a living," and Grateful College Counseling became my full-time work.
So, in a roundabout way, Mark is partly responsible for this whole operation. I've decided to thank him rather than invoice him.
Now I Get to Ask the Questions in Person
These days I'm a member of Counselor Connect, a group of college counselors who meet with Mark once a month. We go over the latest admissions news, new research, policy changes, and training that matters for the families we serve.
Admissions changes fast. Testing policies flip, financial aid formulas shift, and colleges rewrite their essay prompts (or drop them entirely). Having a monthly room full of experienced counselors to compare notes with keeps me sharp, and it keeps my advice current rather than vintage.
I'll admit there's a small thrill in it. Five years ago, Mark was a voice in my car. Now he's a colleague I can ask a follow-up question. It's a bit like going from listening to a band on the radio to getting invited to rehearsal. Except the band mostly talks about yield rates.
The New YouTube Channel: Bite-Sized and Searchable
This summer Mark launched a Your College-Bound Kid YouTube channel, and it has quickly become one of my favorite tools to share with families. New videos land almost every day. Most run 10 to 25 minutes, and each one tackles a single question. Instead of asking a stressed-out parent to find the right 12 minutes inside a 60-minute episode, I can send one link that answers the exact thing keeping them up at night.
A few recent favorites:
For parents in the thick of it
Is It Better to Get an A in a Regular Class or a B in an AP Class? The question I hear more than any other. Now I have backup.
One Simple Tip To Make Your College Activity List Better Nine minutes, and your student's activity list will thank you.
How To Get The Most Out of Your College Visit Required viewing before you spend a weekend driving between campuses.
For understanding how colleges really work
Admission Dean Reveals the Admissions Funnel: The Moves That Matter A look behind the curtain from someone who stands behind it.
Are Colleges Really Honest About Demonstrated Interest? My readers know I have opinions about connecting with colleges. So do they.
How to Use the College Finder to Find Colleges To Add to Your College List Mark talks with Dr. Steven Antonoff and Jay McCann about building a list that looks past rankings.
For the money questions
Can You Really Trust a College's Net Price Calculator? Short answer: sort of. Watch for the long answer.
Does Applying Early Decision Mean You'll Get Less Financial Aid? Ten minutes that could matter a lot in November.
For after the acceptance letter
Missing Your College Kid? Advice for Parents Because the process doesn't end at move-in day. Sometimes that's when it hits hardest.
My Recommendation (Free, Like the Podcast)
If you're a parent, a student, or a counselor trying to make sense of college admissions, here's my two-part prescription:
Listen to the podcast. New episodes of Your College-Bound Kid come out twice a week, every Monday and Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts. The Monday and Thursday rhythm is perfect for a commute, a dog walk, or a long carpool line.
Subscribe to the YouTube channel. When you have one specific question and fifteen minutes, the YouTube channel is the fastest way to a straight answer. Mark posts new content almost daily.
I started listening to help one kid through one application season. Five years later it's shaped a career, a practice, and a monthly meeting I genuinely look forward to. Not bad for a pair of earbuds.
Thank you, Mark, for making college knowledge available to all. This dad, and now this counselor, is grateful.
I'm Jake Pasternak, and I run Grateful College Counseling, an independent college counseling practice in Richmond, Virginia. We help families navigate admissions calmly, confidently, and kindly.