Every Parent Needs To Know This About College Applications

Summary

Podcast Summary: Stronger with Don Saladino

Episode: Every Parent Needs To Know This About College Applications
Host: Don Saladino
Guest: Janine Henby, Co-Founder of College RX
Date: September 2, 2025

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Overview

In this highly informative episode, Don Saladino sits down with Janine Henby, co-founder of College RX, for a comprehensive conversation about the college application process—a must-listen for any parent with a college-bound student. Their discussion touches not just on tactics and strategy, but also on the deeper values of resilience, self-reflection, and genuine personal growth in young people. With candid stories, practical advice, and real-world examples, Don and Janine answer common questions about timelines, essays, school choice, parental involvement, and student well-being.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mission of College RX (Starts at 01:30)

• College RX offers a collaborative, two-on-one approach: blending professional college advising and strong writing guidance for essays. Their services now also include test prep and sports recruitment.
  • “It’s the writer and the professional college advisor guiding the student through the process from start to finish... until you get your acceptance in hand.” — Janine (01:31)
• The emphasis is on empowering students to present their authentic selves, not simply doing the work for them.

2. When Should the College Application Process Begin? (04:03)

• Ideally, the process starts in 9th grade—planning activities and interests for long-term engagement.
  • “It’s not about doing 20 different activities. Colleges want to see longevity... What have you done over the four years?” — Janine (04:06)
• It’s more important to show commitment and depth than simply a wide array of activities.

3. Building the “Student Brand” (05:18 & 33:33)

• Students should focus on the clubs, sports, and volunteer work they care about. Sustained involvement matters more than jumping between activities.
  • “Build your brand and market yourself. Not what a college wants, but what you want.” — Janine (33:35)
• On the Common Application, having a mix of 10 activities is an advantage.

4. Demonstrated Interest & Application Tactics (07:11)

• Sign up for college mailing lists, engage with their emails, and follow on social media—"demonstrated interest" often matters.
  • “[For some schools], if you didn’t take a tour, didn’t sign up for their email, they probably won’t take you.” — Janine (07:37)
• Anecdote: Janine’s daughter missed out on a "safety" school due to not demonstrating interest. (08:21–08:55)

5. “Safety” Schools and Falling in Love with Options (09:34)

• Apply to 12–15 schools: a few reaches, realistic options, and safeties.
  • “We always tell everyone, fall in love with one safety school just so you have one that you’re so excited if that’s all you get into.”— Janine (09:36)

6. College as a Human Experience, Not a Number (13:54)

• College decisions are subjective—sometimes even overqualified applicants are rejected from safeties.
• Essays matter: Authenticity is key, as readers want to see a multidimensional human being, not a perfect “robot.”
  • “They don’t want robots. They don’t want perfection. They want human people. That’s why the essay is more important than ever.” — Janine (04:58)

7. College Essays—The Do’s and Don’ts (16:36; 17:20)

• Schools are aware of AI-assisted writing and can detect generic or “soulless” essays.
• Focus essays on personal stories and traits, not controversial or divisive topics.
  • “Write your essay imagining everyone has a chip on their shoulder. You don’t want to offend anybody with anything.” — Janine (14:30)
  • “A good essay is about a small moment... not this big ‘I cured cancer’ thing.” — Janine (17:21)

8. The Role of Parents (28:21; 31:35)

• Parents often have unrealistic expectations and may try to influence essays/applications.
  • “A lot of parents have unrealistic expectations... we say, throw your hat in the ring, apply to Harvard, but you also have to be realistic.” — Janine (28:21)
• Janine advises parents to reiterate there is a school for everyone and to take the pressure off:
  • “Where you go to college does not define your success.” — Janine (31:35)

9. Practical Application Timeline (31:10)

Janine’s "Cliff Notes" for Parents:

• 9th Grade: Start planning activities, think about honors/AP courses relevant to student interests.
• 10th Grade: Continue involvement—no need to overload; sustained passion matters most.
• Junior Year: Begin college tours, sign up for mailing lists, prep for standardized tests.
• Essay/Applications: Start early in junior year (January), aim to finish the main essay by end of school year to reduce summer stress.

10. Early Action vs. Early Decision (35:20)

• Early Decision: Increases admission chances, is binding, often means full price with less merit money.
• Early Action: Non-binding, receive decisions earlier, can apply to multiple schools.

11. Major Selection, Changing Course, and Parental Pressure (12:08)

• Changing majors/interests is common, and parents should be flexible.
• Focus should be on student passion, not future dollar signs.
  • “Find something you’re passionate about. Go after something you love or are really interested in. You might surprise yourself.” — Don (40:46)

12. Dealing with Stress and Pressure (24:00)

• Today’s college process is far more pressurized and public than previous generations.
• Students benchmark themselves on social media and often feel overwhelmed.
  • “Everyone comes to us very overwhelmed… It’s our heads that make it feel like it’s worse.” — Janine (24:15)
• College rejections can be positive redirections.

13. Social Media & Digital Presence (27:33)

• Universities may review applicants’ social media for professionalism and appropriateness.
• College RX recommends a “social media sweep” to present a mature, suitable presence. (27:45)

14. Costs, Networks, and Success (36:31)

• College is expensive; state schools offer good value.
• Alumni networks can have significant impact on opportunities post-graduation—for students, proactive outreach (LinkedIn, etc.) is highly recommended.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Where you go to college does not define your success.” — Janine, on the true meaning behind a degree (31:35)
• “You have to reach out and learn how to write, for God’s sake.” — Janine, on professional communication (16:17)
• “For every time I’ve been rejected, I really got redirected to something else.” — Don, on reframing setbacks (24:52)
• "They don’t want robots. They don’t want perfection. They want human people." — Janine (04:58)
• "We always tell everyone, fall in love with one safety school just so you have one that you’re so excited if that’s all you get into.” — Janine (09:36)
• “Build your brand and market yourself. Not what a college wants, but what you want.” — Janine (33:35)
• "If you’re going to have a meltdown, have a meltdown with me... We don’t want them—this is not a stressful process." — Janine (29:24)
• “Mental health is such a big deal now, and nobody takes that into consideration during this process.” — Janine (39:29)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------|---------------| | College RX Mission | 01:30 | | When to Start/Timeline | 04:03, 31:10 | | Building Authentic Student Brand | 05:18, 33:33 | | Demonstrated Interest (emails, tours) | 07:11, 07:37 | | Number of Schools to Apply | 09:34 | | The Importance of the Essay | 04:58, 17:20 | | Parent Role and Expectations | 28:21, 31:35 | | Early Decision vs. Early Action | 35:20 | | Social Media & Applications | 27:33 | | Dealing with Stress | 24:00 | | Costs/Networks/Success | 36:31 | | Passion Over Perfection | 40:46 |

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Tone & Style

The conversation is supportive, empathetic, and seasoned with humor and real talk. Both Don and Janine share personal stories and practical tips, making the episode relatable and actionable for parents and students alike.

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How to Contact College RX

• Email: [e-mail]
• Instagram: @thecollegerx (Janine posts tips and advice)

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Final Takeaway

This episode underscores that while the college application process can be daunting, authenticity, communication, and resilience are more vital for long-term success than any school’s name on a diploma. Both parents and students are encouraged to let go of rigid expectations, focus on genuine growth, and remember there truly is a great college fit for every student.

Transcript

[A]

Mama.

[B]

Papa.

[A]

Mi cuerpo crece a un ridmo alarmante Il arro PA que me comprenora Me quedora muy pe quena muy pronto Amazon.

[B]

Bundle and safe With Expedia, you were made to follow your favorite band. And from the front row we were made to quietly save you. More Expedia made to travel savings vary and subject to availability. Flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.

[A]

Blind Nil audio. I think a parent needs to reiterate to the kids. There is a school for everyone. At the end of the day, where you go to college does not define your success. And I think parents really should drive that point home.

[B]

So backing off a little bit and.

[A]

Saying, listen, let's focus on you having a great four years of high school, right? Build your brand and market yourself. Not what a college wants, but what you want.

[B]

Welcome to Stronger. This week my guest is Janine Henby, co founder of College rx. If you have a student in your life getting ready to apply for college, this episode is a must. Listen and trust me, they can't start too early. I'm Don Saladino. Let's get Stronger with Janine Hendy. So I'm super excited to have you on today. The College rx.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You co founded it. Janine Hendley and Whitney Vitale.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Can you explain to me what is the College RX exactly?

[A]

It started out with just, we were doing the college process. We always say we're a two on one approach. It's the writer and the professional college advisor guiding the student through the process from start to finish application essay, basically until you get your acceptance in hand. But then we've recently expanded to include test prep and we have a sports recruiter that just joined us.

[B]

There's a lot that goes into that.

[A]

A lot.

[B]

We just had our daughter Amelia, you know, got accepted to a school and from the beginning, what schools are you applying to? What are the costs of these schools? What needs to be in this essay? I'm hearing all these things come out of her mouth and I'm like more of a believer of Emilia. You got to figure it out. But having a sounding board. So you're basically a sounding board. You're not doing the work for them, but you're going to give them best practices.

[A]

We basically make sure they put their best foot forward. So when they apply, they know they look the best they possibly can.

[B]

I think this is an episode that if any parent that doesn't have a kid in college yet or an aspiring parent, I think they should listen To. Because this isn't about selling a service. This is about educating people who are listening on things to think about. When do you start the college admission process? When do you start saving? Like, there's so many questions that we all have, and I think the goal of today and the theme of my podcast, Stronger, it's about resilience. It's about mindset. It's about physical and mental strength, but it's also about giving people information so they can navigate life a little bit easier. So thank you for coming on.

[A]

Thank you. I love giving free tips because I learned so much. And if I didn't start this business with Whitney, I would never have known anything. So I'd like to share what I learned.

[B]

I love it. So when did you guys start the business?

[A]

We started about six years ago. The woman who's running our test prep division came to me and said, I have a student, and she's working her college essay. You've written books. Can you help her? And I was like, sure. 650 words should be a piece of cake. It really wasn't, right. It's not your typical writing assignment. It's not something you're used to writing in class. I called Whitney. I had known her through the sidelines on lacrosse. I knew she was an advisor, and she sat down, she trained me on the process, and I said to her, you should really be doing this on your own. Privately, she said, I would, but I'm not a writer. I can edit the hell out of anything. I'm just not a writer.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And I said, well, I can't do this on my own. I'm not a college advisor. So we just. I don't know, it was very natural. We joined forces. Covid came, we started working over Zoom, and it just kind of took off from there.

[B]

Talk to me about when should this process start? So my son Donnie, Great example. Is going into his junior year. When do you start this process?

[A]

Typically, it's really ninth grade. In ninth grade, you really have to sit down. No, no, it's okay. It's okay. You're not too late. That's the time to really sit down and kind of focus on what activities you want your kid to do, because it's not about doing 20 different activities. Colleges want to see longevity. They want to see commitment. What have you done over the four years? Maybe you were on student council, but did you elevate to a position of leadership at that point? So it's sticking with something really showing commitment and dedication.

[B]

I mean, things like GPA and extracurricular are important, but are universities now looking at the type of person? Someone is absolutely over the GPA, because GPAs for me, a little skewed. Which high school are you going to? Who was your professor? What distractions are going on? What's home life like? I mean, kids have to navigate a lot of stuff. And I. And I've always felt like looking at a GPA doesn't really tell the full story. I want to meet people that are hungry.

[A]

I agree, I agree. They don't want robots. They don't want perfection. They want human people. And that's why the essay is more important than ever, because that's your chance to shine off the paper. It's kind of a chance to show your best traits and attributes through a story.

[B]

So ninth grade, you know, how old are you in ninth grade now?

[A]

Ninth grade, you're about. Yes. 14.

[B]

14, yep.

[A]

And that's all you have to do is say, what kind of activities do I want to do in college? So you should sit down and say, you know what? I like to run. I'm going to be on track. I'll do student council. Maybe start thinking about your volunteer, because on the common Application, there's a spot for 10 activities. And they should be a nice mix of clubs, out of school, volunteer work, possible internship. So those are the things that you should focus on. And you should start in ninth grade, because in 11th grade, it might be a little too late to say, oh, shoot, I should have done this. Actually, I don't make you nervous. 11th grade is fine, but I'm just saying.

[B]

Well, I'm happy for what you're saying, because Donnie did start.

[A]

I already know that he's involved, so I'm not involved.

[B]

But also, kids at that age, in the ninth grade, they're still starting to figure out what they like. But some kids you'll see jump a lot of different sports or jump a lot of different activities. Is that something a university or college will look at and say, wow, this person's bouncing around a lot? That's the.

[A]

You know, they don't really love that because if, you know, if you're in student council in 9th and then you go to model UN in 10th and drop one after the other, it just doesn't look good. You look kind of like you don't see things through.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So I think it's really important to decide what you're planning on delving into.

[B]

Okay, so junior year rolls around. This is when the year you really. Right. This is when you really have to start thinking about what colleges do I want to even explore. And then is that even good enough? Like, because my. My son, I mean, I remember he started thinking about college in seventh, eighth grade.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

He was. We were out in California. He sees Pepper down. He's like, oh, I'd like to go.

[A]

Here, I'd like to go there. Yeah.

[B]

Where'd you like to go? University of Hawaii. But I remember him started making his life list to think about how that list has changed, how it's evolved. You know, he would have been in Pepperdine in seventh grade. Now he's looking. Leaning more towards the Carolinas, maybe even up here. It is going to change a lot. But at what point this year does he have to start locking that down?

[A]

Okay. Right now, what he should be doing, if he has just say 20 that he's kind of like, oh, maybe this, maybe that. Even if he's not positive, just go to their website, sign up for their mailing list.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Get the emails. And don't just get them, open them, click around. Because a lot of schools, they, like, demonstrated interest. He should be following them on Instagram also.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because that's another, you know, believe it.

[B]

Or not, they do actually look at that problem.

[A]

Some of them do.

[B]

Wow. I didn't even think about that yet.

[A]

Yeah, I know. For. I'm just gonna use Fairfield as an example.

[B]

Yeah, they.

[A]

They definitely 100%, like, demonstrated interest. So if you didn't take a tour, didn't sign up for their email, they. They probably won't take you.

[B]

Which makes perfect sense to me because, you know, it's funny, I'm gonna actually say something I haven't really mentioned anyone. I'll have people reach out to me about brands, or they'll reach out to me about coming on podcasts.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they'll turn to me and say, huge fan. Which is always a nice thing to hear. But then when I'll go to kind of research themselves, them on the page, I'll see they're not following me. So then right there, you immediately say to yourself, wait a second, they're not telling me the truth. If they. If they were interested in what I was doing, they would be following. And it's not. That's not a. I don't think that's an egotistical response there, but I think that's being genuine. And it makes perfect sense that the university is going to turn around and.

[A]

Say, listen, I learned this firsthand with one of my daughters. I suggested she do a safety school because I I knew that she would really love it. I said, let's just throw this one on just to have. We did not tour. I didn't follow any of the advice that Whitney tells everyone to do. I was like, her grades were definitely better. She's definitely gonna get in. The day the decision came out, I actually called my husband. I said, if this school lets Sadie in, we're probably gonna get a lot of money because she's really qualified. She didn't get in. I called the school because I just wanted to know for my job, not so much for my daughter.

[B]

What did they say?

[A]

You didn't sign up for the email. You didn't take a tour. You didn't even take a virtual tour.

[B]

That's all. That's. I don't want to say it's awesome. This is awesome information right here. So anyone? Everyone should, of course, show interest.

[A]

Show interest.

[B]

A university is going to want you to really bleed their colors. It makes perfect sense. No university ever wants to turn around and say, oh, we'll just get them in because it's their safety school. Like, they don't want to hear that, right?

[A]

Yep. And also, it doesn't really make them look good either when they're letting in people who don't really want to go there. And they don't end up taking that acceptance when there's really people who are beating down their door that would kill to be there. So it's not really fair.

[B]

Makes perfect sense. So what do you think? Is. Is there a sweet spot when it comes to a number of applications?

[A]

Yeah, we do about 12 to 15.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

We do a few reaches, realistics, and safeties. And we always tell everyone, fall in love with one safety school just so you have one that you're so excited if that's all you get into. Which that's not all they get into, but you just have to, because so many kids apply to so many schools, they won't get into their dream school and go, yeah, but I got into these 10. But I would never go there. Okay, but then why? Why? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

And obviously touring the university, that helps the college. University. Touring it, I think is incredibly important because you are going to gain this connection out of.

[A]

You want to see the kind of kids on campus like, can I see myself there? You know, it's important. A lot of people go over summer break when nobody's there. It's better to go when the students are there so you can kind of, you know, get a sense. When I sit in with these people.

[B]

To feel it out a little bit.

[A]

Y.

[B]

This episode of Stronger is brought to you by Mito Pure. With Mito Pure, you're getting more than just a supplement. You're getting a product that's been proven by over 15 years to target the effects of aging. For from inside out. I use Mitopure because this helps my mitochondria, which is my power plant. So I have noticed since using Mitopure for over. It's probably over two years now, and that was referred to me by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. I've noticed that my skin has improved. I've noticed that my energy is even better. And these are things that I wish I was paying attention to decades ago. You know, once you see results like that, you're never going to shy away from using this supplement. Timeline is offering 20% off your first order of Mitopure. Go to timeline.com/stronger. That's T I M E L I N E.com/stronger. Amelia applied to, I think, 10 schools. She ended up going to Sacred Heart. She's going to Sacred University, which was my school. I think in the beginning, she knew I was going there, so she was kind of steering away from it, and I wasn't. I'll be honest. It's my alma mater. But did I want her to go there? I'm not going to lie by saying that there wasn't a part of me that was thinking, this is going to be a great home for her. But what was interesting was she first started applying to these schools with a completely different major. She made the mistake by talking to a really close friend of mine who's in finance and who had a child who went into theater arts. And he's like, don't do it. Don't do theater arts. And he says this to my daughter, and I laugh with her, but so she steered away from it. And she's looking at. And this isn't to knock these majors, but she's looking at communications psychology.

[A]

Better not be. Those were my majors.

[B]

Well, no, of course not. But, like. No, but. But that took her away from her passion.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that I was kind of upset about because the industry I got involved in, I didn't get involved in it for the money. I got involved in it because I was passionate about doing that and helping people. And I. I said, amelia, what do you. What are you doing? She goes, well, so and so said not to do that. And then I put her on a call with an actor friend of mine, Matt Bomer. And she got off a call with him 30 minutes later. And she goes, I'm going into. I'm going to. I'm gonna go into theater arts. And I was like, oh, my God, that's amazing. And then her majors changed. And I feel like at that point, we were scrambling a little bit, because now the school's changed. Suddenly it was Lafayette and it was Lehigh, and she couldn't really go down that route because I don't think they had Lafayette, didn't have that program or some of them. So now I think we kind of felt like we were playing catch up a little bit. But she found a great home. Is that common? Do people do young kids.

[A]

Very common, yeah.

[B]

Do they kind of jump ship on their major?

[A]

Like they jump ship on their major? They jump on. I only want to go to school in California. I want to get the hell out of here. And they're like, I only want to go driving distance. I live in New York. Oh, my God. Can we please change the whole strategy? They are. It's very confusing time. You know, I took my daughters. They have twins. I took them to look at many schools. They ended up at schools that we didn't even look at.

[B]

That's crazy.

[A]

I was leaving Villanova on a tour. We passed the Lehigh exit. I said, oh, my God, girls, there's Lehigh. Do you want to stop and look? Yeah, it's a great school. But Chloe, who goes there, said, lehigh, Ew. Why would I want to go there? It's too small. Closed her eyes, went back to sleep. And I'm thinking, I don't really care. I want to go home. I want to watch Bridgerton. I want to relax. And she went to visit the week after with a friend to visit her sister. Called me and said, mom, oh, my God, I'm sorry I said that. I fell in love with it. I have to early decision here. My other one, I threw in a reach school for her, University of Florida. I genuinely didn't think she would get in. We didn't look at it, and she got in there.

[B]

Fantastic.

[A]

But she didn't get into her safety school.

[B]

How bizarre. That's so bizarre.

[A]

Some of the safety schools, if they feel that you use them as a safety school because you might be overqualified, they're not going to take you.

[B]

They're not going to take you.

[A]

Which is kind of sad, because some people really do want to go to that safety school. It's very stressful. It's very subjective.

[B]

A lot. And you said subjective. So much of this has to come down to who's reviewing the application 100%. Are you going for a tour? Are you meeting with someone from admissions?

[A]

Or what are you writing about in your essay? If you're writing about something that someone does not agree with or maybe it strikes a chord on, brings up a childhood wound that they have, they don't want to continue.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You have to write your essay thinking that. I always say, like, write your essay imagining that everyone has a chip on their shoulder. You don't want to offend anybody with anything. You know, there's certain topics to avoid. Do not ever talk about politics or just anything that makes you look judgment. Judgmental, even.

[B]

Like, some things that I wouldn't. I personally don't like to talk about politics, religion. Like, there's just certain things that are. I feel private to me, and I'm gonna offend someone. So I try and stay very Switzerland neutral. Very, very, very neutral when you're showing up for these tours. Like, I remember going to Lafayette with Amelia, and we walked the camp. Beautiful campus, by the way. I thought it was fantastic. But I remember walking, and she met with someone from admissions. Like, do they really. I mean, there's so many tours. There's so many students. Do they remember? No, they don't. Right.

[A]

Those people don't remember. But each. Each university is assigned to an area. So, like the Long island representative who's maybe come to Cold Spring Harbor High School and met Amelia from, you know, Sacred Heart. From that conversation, she could then follow up with an email and say, I loved when you came to our school. Thank you so much. I would never have known that I could be a double major or, you know, kind of say something that you might be interested in and they'll remember you. We actually have. Our students usually reach out to admissions once or twice with a question, just so when that rep gets their application package, they say, oh, my gosh, Millie Saladino, she's written me choice already. She really wants to come here. So there's some little tricks that, you.

[B]

Know, in a time where social media and we're behind a screen. Yeah, this is. It's so important that our children understand the importance of communication and kind of, in a way, I think playing the game a little bit and learning to play the game.

[A]

And I hate saying that. Like, write admissions with a fake question. I don't mean that.

[B]

No, don't be fake.

[A]

No, write something that you really are interested in, but you have to reach out and learn how to write, for God's sake. Some people will write their message like they're writing to a friend. Like, you have to professionally write. Kids aren't really reading a lot these days, so they're not writing very well.

[B]

And what's going on with ChatGPT are students now. Admissions have to be looking at. There's so many signs.

[A]

There's a lot of trackers. So you will get busted. I actually, I've gotten a few essays from students that I could bet on my children's lives. ChatGPT wrote these. They're soulless. I could just tell.

[B]

Do you mind if the student writes it and then puts it in for an edit? Like, do you. Do you mind that? Or you just stay away from it?

[A]

I don't know if they've done that, to be honest. So what we do is to make the essay process easier for people. We will brainstorm a topic, but we don't say, okay, go ahead, go write that essay. Send it back to us next week. We. We break it up into a writing assignment. So if you're not sure if you want to write about your grandma as your mentor or your love of fitness or maybe something else, we'll say, you know what? Write us a loose paragraph about each one of those things. I'd like to learn a little more about you.

[B]

Gotcha.

[A]

Right? And chances are there's a little thread in all those three paragraphs. And sometimes we'll extract something that might even not be what they set out to write about. You know, a good essay is about a small moment. It's not this big. Cured cancer. One of my favorite essays was how someone learned life lessons playing wordle with her grandmother.

[B]

That's cute.

[A]

Or a cook, a chef. A girl who loves to cook. She doesn't cook food. She cooks memories. And her cookbook's like a scrapbook of all the good times in her life.

[B]

Really shows some soul.

[A]

That's the point. At the end of each essay that I read, I make a list of the attributes that I've learned about this kid, and I'll be like, okay, she's a family girl. She, you know, loves. Loves to be with her friends. She's honest. If we're not seeing enough attributes, we go right back to the drawing board and kind of expand on it.

[B]

I feel like sometimes these students, it becomes a bit transactional, right? Like they're learning the numbers, they're taking the test. They're quantifying success by a score. But to go in and to really operate in the real world, one of the best scenes of a movie. I don't know if you've seen the movie. Do you ever see the movie Back to School?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay. With Rodney Dangerfield, one of my favorite comedians of all time. But there was a scene where he was off at Grand Lakes University, right. With his son, Jason Mellon. This is Thornton Mellon, and he's probably 30, 40 years older than any other freshman. And he's sitting there and the professor's turning around, giving a business ethics course. And he lists off all of the points of business ethics. And Thornton Mellon turns around chicks. His head goes, oh, you left out a bunch of stuff. And the guy turns around, the professor got offended. He goes, well, what, for instance? And he lists off all of these, like, really more street smart things. More of like being a human being and having to deal with politicians and dealing with noise compliance people and going upon. And I remember how to do these things. A BSA board to get a board of Standards and appeals permit and all these things that they wouldn't teach you in Harvard.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you have to go in and present to a community board that I'm opening a gym. And it's not going to be noisy for the person living across the street, granted, you know, it was on Houston street. And you have people sitting there yelling, don't do this. This guy's 25. You know, all these things. And that's the part of school that I think frustrates me a bit. I. I believe that, like, we should all work in the service business at some point. Like we need to be.

[A]

I worked at McDonald's when I was 16.

[B]

Beautiful. And I love it. So I do feel like, and I want to get your opinion, that it becomes a bit. I think the word transactional is wrong, but it almost feels it. Study for your test, here's your grade, and you suddenly evolve.

[A]

Formulaic. It's very formulaic.

[B]

What is that? Formulaic?

[A]

Formulaic. That's how I describe it. Go ahead. I just feel like everybody feels it's a certain thing. Step, step, step. Like they're not putting their. You can't see what a kid's passion is with just this little perfect formula, it becomes robotic.

[B]

Right. What do you think? Would you change? This is kind of going off. I'm curious on your opinion. Would you change the process in high school a bit? Would you put in more?

[A]

Would I. Yeah, a billion percent.

[B]

What were certain things would you do now beyond. Is it. Is it fitness? Is it. Is it going off and doing more mentorship programs, internship programs, service? Like, what would you do?

[A]

All of the above. I feel like nobody really guided me. I mean, it's A little bit different back then. I feel like college wasn't as difficult to get into. My parents didn't go to college. My dad immigrated from Italy, and I had no guidance whatsoever, and my parents didn't have a lot of money, so it was state school or nothing. Basically.

[B]

What was your thought process on college? Because now we're getting into this whole. I can relate with my grandparents, and we're very. They're way. They were way older than your parents. But what was. What was their thought process on you going to school?

[A]

It was just kind of like, go to the cheapest school we could afford.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And just pick the one you want, write the essay, and, you know, see what happens.

[B]

Get in.

[A]

And, you know, I remember, like, handwriting the essay. That's how old I am to handwrite the essay. And I. I wanted to go to the best SUNY school, and I couldn't get into that one. My guidance counselor, looking back, he was so not supportive. He laughed in my face, and he was literally like, there's no way you're gonna get in here. You might not even get into any college.

[B]

Kind of ironic where you are now.

[A]

I know, right? But that's.

[B]

So Talk about that a little, if you don't mind. I mean, so. Because I think it's important that people hear that you.

[A]

Yeah. So I didn't get into the college of my dreams, which, you know, wasn't really one of my dreams. It was one of my dreams that my parents could afford. I went to community college so I could get in, went to that college, and then went on to graduate school. And I feel like I had a harder road because I didn't apply. I did not apply myself enough in college. You know, it was just kind of like the night before the test, you open the book and study. I just. I just wish I could have done it all different. I always say to my sister, we could have been so much more. But I'm happy where I am now.

[B]

College is. I feel like that a little bit. I went off to play baseball.

[A]

You played baseball in college?

[B]

I did.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

I did. I played at Sacred Heart University, and it was more about baseball. And I took. I took business and I got decent grades. But from an application standpoint, from really applying myself, looking back on it now, there were a few professors that I think really stood out, but they stood out in a way, and they influenced me in a way that was. One was. Wasn't even business. It was more business statistics. One professor that I had, she was phenomenal, and I Had it going, and I was really not doing well in the class. And she taught me a lot when it came down to kind of gritting through that process to try and make decent grades. And she was, like, working with me on the. And then I had another business professor who just made it fun for us, and we learned. And I actually looked forward to going to that class and looking back on it now.

[A]

That's how it should be.

[B]

That's how it should be. And I wonder if they ever polled students. You graduate college, you're too young, you're 21, 22, you go off at 18. For me, college was an experience. Doing my own laundry, surviving, meeting people, having the grind, playing sports, all these other really positive things that I still think it's important. But looking back on it now, God, I wish I could kind of go back and take some of those courses.

[A]

And also, are you doing anything that you thought you'd be doing? I'm sure your. Your life has veered off.

[B]

It's veered off a lot. The one thing that I did do, though, was business, because I did not know I wanted to get into fitness. I knew I loved fitness. I wanted to be a professional baseball player.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But I think business for me was like, this is not safe. But I'm like, no matter what I do, business is like the backbone. Like, I need to know this your umbrella. I grew up in a catering family, and we were very like, blue collar mentality and work, work, work, work, work. And so for me, I was like, oh, when I went off business, no problem. And I stuck with it and, and I enjoyed it to an extent. But I. I didn't. I didn't put in that time. So in a way, I feel like school happens a little bit too early.

[A]

100%. You're too immature to really appreciate. Although the kids today seem a lot more mature. I don't know what it is, or they have a lot more pressure.

[B]

I feel like talk about that now. You literally read my mind. You pulled it right out. What is this process like for most kids that you're around? Are they voicing things to you? And I would imagine they are. That they're not going and they're talking to their parents about.

[A]

I just feel like they put so much pressure on themselves because this college climate is very different than when we had applied. It's very hard to get in. The schools that were safeties for us are no longer safeties, and everybody knows everything. People put their whole life out on social media, so they're comparing Themselves amongst their peers, never feeling they're measuring up. Who's bragging? I did my essay last year. I just feel like everyone comes to us very overwhelmed. And I like when they come to us because I want to make them realize it's not that hard. It's really not that big of a process. It's our heads that make it feel like it's worse.

[B]

One of my favorite lines in life is, for every time I've been rejected, I really got redirected to something else.

[A]

Yes, college.

[B]

I think for most kids, Granted, some kids are getting rejected for making sport teams or theater. They're not getting the part. And I think I find it very valuable. Anytime my kids got, you know, rejected from something or didn't make.

[A]

It hurts, though. As a parent, it hurts to say.

[B]

It hurts, but you also, as a parent have to look at it as a valuable lesson rather than trying to go in and we save them, you know, well, Donnie, work harder. Like, you know, well, Amelia, sometimes you're not going to get it, like it.

[A]

But it's hard. When they do work hard, it is, because a lot of life is subjective. I've gotten rejected a lot because of my writing. And I used to. I used to fall apart when I wrote my first book and nobody wanted it. Felt like I was the biggest failure.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But it just made me work harder.

[B]

How many books?

[A]

I have two that are published. I have a third that I'm shopping around right now. And the first one that rejected is like, you know, under my mattress. That's my. That's my life lesson. That's what made me work a little bit harder and become a better writer. So I know rejection. But you know what? One kid, one of our first students, his dream was to go to Cornell, and he was kind of on the cusp with his grades. He didn't get in. He got deferred and then rejected. I took it really personally because, you know, we take. These are our kids. When they come to us, they're like, they're our kids. And I was devastated for him. About a year later, I ran into him and he gave me a big hug and said, I am so glad that I didn't end up at Cornell. I'm at University of Wisconsin. I met the best friend. I am so happy. And everything worked out the way it should.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I tell people that. But seeing it firsthand, it really.

[B]

At the end of the day, we really don't know, do we? Right. You don't know what your roommate's going to be who's going to influence you? You don't know what professors you're going to have. You don't know. You know, is that professor going to be a good influence on you or are they going to scare you away? I was talking to a buddy the other day, we were talking about his younger brother who was a great athlete. And I said, man, he was a good baseball player growing up. And he goes, yeah, he goes, but this coach messed him up. And I go, what do you mean? And he goes, well, you know, he just couldn't stand him. And because of that, he went away from baseball. And you just. The power of one human. Of one human. You go to one university, suddenly you're that kid who wants to go to Harvard or Cornell or whatever it is, and you get in. Might be a great experience, might be a terrible experience. You don't know. We really don't know. But I do find this process valuable because I think it does help the kid, the child develop some grit. Now, social media, we were talking about the universities looking at the engagement between the young adult. Are the universities going back into Instagram or going back to the ones Facebook page and looking at these sort of things?

[A]

There are some, yes. And we actually do that with our students because, you know, the girls that have, you know, the bikini pictures, they don't really look like the serious student that somebody wants at their university. So, you know, we do a little.

[B]

Social media sweep a little bit of a clean.

[A]

You know, you want to present yourself to the world the way you should.

[B]

It really is. And it is, it's becoming your business card a bit. Right. I've had brands call me up and I how'd you find out about me? Like, you know, we went to your IG, we love it. And we saw your last 20 posts and we, you know, you're kind of exemplifying X, Y and Z. And I'm like, oh, wow, this really, you know, I was. Early on I realized what a huge difference. How are the parents handling this process? Because we're talking about. Because sometimes does this become more about the parent? What do they want for their kid? I want my child to go to an Ivy League or I want X, Y and Z.

[A]

A lot of them, it is about what they want. A lot of parents have unrealistic expectations. You know, they feel their kids should be at Harvard and maybe they're not Harvard level. And we say, throw your hat in the ring, apply to Harvard. We always want you to aim high because you never know. But you also have to be a little realistic. If your kid didn't do that well in the SATs, like that might be a hindrance. And that's okay because you don't want them at a school where they're just going to be, you know, locked in their room studying 24 7, not socializing, not growing mentally maturing. So it does work out, but the parents get a little involved sometimes. A lot of times I could tell when a parent's intervened with the essay and I'll, and I'll joke with them and say, it's hard for me to, you know, edit a 45 year old's work.

[B]

Yeah. They're kind of like they're looking at me.

[A]

One of my friends, I know for a fact she did. I called her up, I was like, I know you tinkered with the essay. Stay out of that Google Doc. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

What's the right temperature? Because you're coming into a situation where you are assisting kids, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What's the right temperature? Because I know you're not like, here, I'm taking care of everything. You want to see them do the.

[A]

Work you're giving them?

[B]

Can you talk about that a little bit?

[A]

Yeah. We intervene heavily in the sense where if you're going to have a meltdown, have a meltdown with me. Sit. Sit with me in this brainstorming session. Sit with Whitney, like, we're here for you. We don't want them. This is not a stressful process, but because everybody thinks it is, it becomes this overwhelming, daunting thing. People procrastinate. Start early. Like with juniors, we recommend start in January, start your essay in January, finish by the end of the school year. That way you can have a really fun summer and let this go. Let this go until the supplemental Questions are released.

[B]

August 1, when are they looking at grades? Until. Because if you think about it, a lot of these kids are getting accepted around the new year of their senior year. Does that mean they can just punt.

[A]

That last one of my daughters did afterwards. Now you have to submit your grades. You still have to submit. I mean, you're. When you're in, you're in.

[B]

Right.

[A]

If you're an A minus student, you get a B plus. Yeah, it's fine. But you can't all of a sudden start, you know, C's and D's. Yeah.

[B]

So the schools do look at that and they say, all right. They also have to get it a little bit right. Like it's. You've been in. You've been in school your entire life. You've got two months left. Do they look at that. And they cut a little bit of slide?

[A]

Yeah, they definitely do. I mean, it's like our Cold Spring harbor parking lot, right? By the end of senior year, the parking lot is dead. No kids are showing up. They're like, I'm in school already. I have the sticker on my car.

[B]

That's so funny. What I want to do right. Right now, and we kind of dove in on it a little bit, was I want to jump back into the process with the parents. So we're, you know, we're talking a lot about kids, but I would imagine that more of the parents are going to be listening to this. So what do you, like, take me through the timeline. Okay, let's start with the parent in ninth grade and let's just give the like the Cliff Notes of ninth grade to acceptance.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

What is the timeline? What do you recommend the parents start to finish? How do they handle, how should they handle themselves? What's, how are we going to set them up for success? And I want, I'm not telling you to tell them how to parent. I want your advice on what you've seen. This is your opinion, of course, but what do you see really pays dividends for the parents? What are approaches that pays those good? It gives them that good return. And how should they approach this?

[A]

I think a parent needs to reiterate to the kids, there is a school for everyone. And I mean, think of the most successful people that we know. I don't even know where they went to college 100%. Right. So at the end of the day, where you go to college does not define your success. And I think parents really should drive that point home because, you know, kids are under a lot of pressure with their peers. All they do is talk about their grades, their grades. Would you get on this? What's your AP score?

[B]

Right.

[A]

So they don't need that pressure at home.

[B]

So backing off a little bit and saying, listen, we're going to turn around, we're going to, we're going to apply to 12 to 15 schools. There's going to be an array of schools in different locations. I can assure you wherever you go, you're going to be happy. Almost kind of reiterating that, say, listen.

[A]

I want you to have fun, I want you to thrive, you know, because I'm sure most parents want their kids to have a well rounded experience and.

[B]

Not just I do, but I mean, I think if you were to tell me right now, Amelia can get straight A's and have no life. Or my wife, maybe get B pluses or A minuses, a blend and be well rounded. I'm gonna go with the latter. That's just my opinion.

[A]

As I said, I have twins, and one of them was a little more reserved. And she really came out of her shell this year at University of Florida.

[B]

What year?

[A]

She's a freshman. They just finished their freshman year. And if she didn't go to that, I'm sure she would have been fine in any school. But she really, really thrived at this university. And she's a totally different person for the better. It was everything I ever wanted for her. So.

[B]

So setting that expectation. So the parent out of the gate, setting that expectation of, like, listen, you're going to, like, this is what's gonna happen. Like, you're going to end up somewhere good.

[A]

Let's not focus on the school name, okay? Let's focus on you having a great four years of high school, right? Joining clubs that you would like. Not because you have to. What do you like? Like, discover what your passions are. Like, if you're an art kid, maybe join the art. Art club. Do art on your own at home, as a hobby. That counts as an activity. If you want to do an internship or volunteer. Maybe we could do, like, art with senior citizens. Try to build your. I hate saying your brand, but it kind of is a brand.

[B]

No, it kind of is.

[A]

Build your brand and market yourself. Not what a college wants, but. But what you want.

[B]

And don't jump ship so much, right?

[A]

Do not jump. Don't be so flighty.

[B]

It's one thing to pivot and to say, all right, I'm going in this direction. But if freshman year, you're playing this sport. Sophomore, you're playing this. Junior, you're playing this. Senior, playing this, you're hopping all over the place. And you're doing the same in theater or music or whatever it is. These universities might look at that and say they can't commit to something.

[A]

They can't. And honestly. But it's no judgment on the parent, because everything I'm talking about, I made those same mistakes, right? One of my daughters was like, I don't know if I really love Model UN she did it 9th and 10th. I go, all right, well, unfortunately, now. Now you're stuck. Now you're doing it for four years.

[B]

But did she regret it after the four years?

[A]

No. She said her trips to Philadelphia for the Model UN Conference were the best times of her life.

[B]

And she hated it.

[A]

I would have had her Bow.

[B]

Right. And that's another thing, too. I think there's maybe a lack of interest or maybe you're getting distracted by something else. But I've never really regretted. I've never regretted seeing something through.

[A]

No.

[B]

You know, I never. Never in my life or. Oh, God, I. I shouldn't have completely gone through this program.

[A]

Right. Why did I get that degree?

[B]

Yeah. It's like. It's all an experience.

[A]

So back to the timeline. So ninth grade, you're sitting down and you're also going to say, is my kid a math kid, an English kid? If you're a math kid, maybe we'll choose those classes to do the accelerated ones. Maybe we'll do the AP track for math. So it's kind of like navigating your. Charting your course.

[B]

So 10th grade, not a lot going on. Just, you got to get. You know, just keep track. Junior year, it's when you're gonna start applying to these schools.

[A]

Junior year, you're going to start taking your tours, your virtual tours, studying for those tests.

[B]

Early action and early decision, two different things here.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay. Now, how important is this?

[A]

Early decision increases your chances of getting into a school you might not have gotten accepted to because it shows the school I'm really committed, because I'm signing this contract, and I'm going to pay full price if I get in, so.

[B]

And you can't back out of that.

[A]

You can't. I mean, everyone's always like, well, what happens? I'm like, I don't know. You can't. I don't know if you're going to be.

[B]

But you are a binder. Yeah. And I would imagine the university has to set that standard, because if they don't, then everyone's going to be early decisioning and then pulling out. So they probably do take legal action, I would assume.

[A]

Yeah, I would assume, too. And I also feel if you're kind of cost conscious and you kind of want to see where you'll get in, because maybe you don't have unlimited funds like most of us do not have. Ed, you're kind of stuck financially, and they're probably not going to give you much merit money because they don't have to.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You've agreed to pay the price.

[B]

Yeah, true. Now, early action.

[A]

Early action just means early action. You could apply to as many schools as you want. You'll just get an earlier decision.

[B]

Still increases the chances of you getting in a little bit.

[A]

I mean, maybe a little. I'm not sure maybe a little Ed.

[B]

Is really the one Colleges have gotten expensive.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, it's. I was blown away. I know when I went to college, it was expensive. And since then, I feel like it's doubled, you know, maybe close to tripled.

[A]

Mine was $6,000 for a New York State school. Can you imagine?

[B]

Six grand.

[A]

Those are. But even the New York State schools, which are known as the cheaper ones.

[B]

They'Re up to 25, 30, but they're still good schools.

[A]

They're great schools.

[B]

Great, great, great, great schools.

[A]

But they're, you know, they're. They're a good bang for your buck.

[B]

Now that's my next question. It's, you know, some people get very caught up in the university or Ivy League in reference to the job or their direction with their major. Like, I'm not going to send my daughter to $100,000 school for a theater degree. But if you're studying business or you want to get involved in Wall street, that is gonna. That is gonna help you get a job. Correct. I mean, that's gonna.

[A]

If you're going on to medical school, law school.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It does help. And, you know, also, you have to look. When you're looking at schools, you should also look at the alumni network. Like, how is that. If it's a strong alumni. Like, I know. I just. I'm just using Lehigh as an example just because I have a child there. I know they have a very strong alumni foundation. So, like, that's good for networking down the road 100%. Like, that's something I never normally would have thought of.

[B]

But I'm wondering. I'm wondering from. From a networking standpoint, if you're graduating with a degree in business from, say, a state school, and they're able to go and find a list of alumni that actually, you know, obviously they went to the school, are they able to reach out to these alumni and say, hey, I'm Don Saladino, I just graduated from your school.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And I would like. I wonder if they give access, because I would be. I would be impressed if someone in my. If someone who wants to get in my industry reached out to me a month or two out of college and was like, Mr. Saladino, I just graduated from school.

[A]

You'd be so excited to help them.

[B]

I'd be like, oh, wow, like, amazing. Let's jump on a zoom call. And, you know, I don't have time to stay, but let's. But let's do that. And still finding the time, because you can't imagine that's gonna happen much.

[A]

No, but you know what LinkedIn is an excellent tool for that. And I think every kid applying to college should actually put their resume, even if it's a puny little resume at that point, put it up on LinkedIn. I have people that contact me that went to my college, and I'm always so excited to see one of my alumni in the wild.

[B]

You know, it really is a great avenue to connect.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

How many schools should you be applying to? There's a cost here, though. So it's $50, $80. What is it exactly?

[A]

50, 80. Sometimes the state universities of New York, the SUNY schools, are free. It depends. They might run a little promotion.

[B]

But if it's $80 and you're applying to 10, 15, 20 school.

[A]

That's why when kids are like. Because when we're meeting with the kids, kids, I'll be like, you know what? Can you please add? They'll give me, like, 10 more schools to the list. And I'm like, well, that's another 5 million bucks, because this is not cheap.

[B]

Yeah. I think in this whole process, what is the main goal? Right. The main goal is that you want them to graduate, you know, in a suitable amount of time where they have a love or a passion or a direction where they can now go off in life with these skills and just.

[A]

Be happy and confident.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

You know, like, mental health is such a big deal now, as, you know, and nobody takes that into consideration during this process. It's not worth having a mental breakdown and spiraling into a depression and ruining your entire junior year over this process.

[B]

Yeah. And I really want to close on this. I think choosing a career can be, I think, for a lot of students, one of the most stressful things in their life. You know, and there's this comparison going on with other kids that might be getting jobs quickly or recruited to work here, or maybe they have another older brother who's five years ahead and is killing it, and they're like, well, how am I gonna do that? And my advice is, and this is my opinion, find something you're passionate about. Go after something that you love or that you're really interested in. And you might surprise yourself in the sense of going in a different direction. When I started my career, the be all, end all was to own gyms. Now there is so much more that you can do. People in my business can be as successful as a person working at Golden Sail.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

They can go off and can do pretty incredible things, and they can feel fulfilled doing it. So that's my advice to anyone through the process. But I really want to thank you because you took a process that I thought was going to be easy. And then when I saw the most special person in my life, meaning my. My children, Amelia being the first, who's amazing. Thank you. And she was. She was nervous and she was stressed, and the last semester of her high school wasn't the easiest for her where I thought it would be. She was really falling into that. I'm ready to go on. I'm ready to move on, but I haven't been accepted yet. And she got accepted to what I believe is the right direction for her. She's going to go for theater arts. She is so talented.

[A]

It's ridiculous.

[B]

She's so excited. And, you know, I'm getting a little anxiety knowing she's going to be leaving soon.

[A]

I know. At least she's kind of close.

[B]

She's very close. But still, still, you know, the thought that she's not going to be in the bedroom across the hall from us is always a tough thing, but I just. She's ready and I. And I just wanted her to go after it. And you're a big reason for that. So thank you.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you for trusting us with the process.

[B]

Of course. And do me a favor. Can you let everyone know if you are. If they have questions, if they need to reach out? What's the best way to reach out to you?

[A]

They could email [e-mail] or follow us on Instagram. The College Rx. And I do a lot of videos to give tips.

[B]

Perfect. I also want to thank Christian Ponder at the Post. He's hosted us here for, you know, I think close to 20 episodes already. They've been unbelievable. The facility's fantastic. This is like a. We work for professional athletes, so it's a lot of fun. It's really special to be here and thanking the whole Blind Hill team, Chris, Sierra and everyone, and really appreciate you guys and looking forward to everyone seeing the episode. Thanks.

[A]

Thank you. The views, information or opinions expressed in the series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Chip and Joanna Gaines by Nail Audio nor Magnolia.