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The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College AdmissionsAuthor: Ethan Sawyer
Practical, up-to-date interviews with experts in college admissions, financial aid, personal statements, test prep and more. Ethan Sawyer (aka College Essay Guy), interviews deans of admission, financial aid experts, and veterans of the admissions field to extract, then distill their advice into practical steps for students and those guiding them through the process. From creating an awesome college list to appealing a financial aid letter, Ethan skips the general advice and gets right to the action items, all in an effort to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college admissions process. Language: en Genres: Education, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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717: A USC Admission Officer on Early Decision, Rural Student Access, and What She Wishes Students Would Ask with Marie Bury Loew
Episode 17
Tuesday, 1 September, 2026
Hi there and welcome back to the podcast! I'm Tillie Gottlieb, a senior college counselor and content specialist here at CEG. I am delighted to be a guest host today as part of our series interviewing admission officers. We're getting to know more about this hardworking, thoughtful group of professionals whose job it is to build college communities and shape the culture of our higher education institutions - talk about high pressure! Hearing about their own journeys through the education system, their reasons for working with students all over the world, and the commitments they're making to bringing ease and clarity to this complex system can serve as a great reminder that admission officers are true advocates and real humans (and I also happen to know this because I was an admission officer!) Our hope is that by getting to know these folks on a personal level, we can pull back the curtain on the mystery of 'what college admission officers are looking for.' In this episode I sit down with Marie Bury Loew, a very dear friend and an Associate Director of Admission at the University of Southern California (go Trojans!), as well as a Doctoral Candidate for Educational Leadership at USC. In this episode, we dig into: Marie's journey as rural, underserved student and tips for how to support those kinds of students today Insider insights into the current realities of the admission landscape The questions institutions like USC wishes more students would ask Marie Bury Loew is a proud graduate of Mount Ida College, where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees. With nearly 15+ years of experience in college admission, Marie has worked at a variety of institutions from small liberal arts colleges, to mid-sized and large research Universities. She has served in a number of leadership roles on the WACAC (Western Association for College Admission Counseling) board, and is known for her exceptional professionalism and mentorship in our field. Play-by-Play: 3:19 – What was Marie's own college exploration and application process like, growing up in rural western Massachusetts? 7:52 – What advice does Marie give students navigating a system that isn't giving them the support they need? 11:45 – What does Marie wish counselors and admission officers understood about supporting rural students? 15:35 – What is the STARS College Network, and how is USC involved? 25:31 – What shifts or trends is Marie seeing in applicants and high schoolers over the last couple of admission cycles? 28:37 – What commitments or shifts is USC making, including its new early decision option? 31:48 – What does Marie wish students, parents, and counselors were asking to better understand what USC is looking for? 36:30 – What does Marie nerd out about as an admission officer? 40:05 – What might Marie explore for her doctoral dissertation? 42:05 – Closing thoughts Resources: CEG First Generation/Low Income Resource Center STARS College Network CEG Guide to STARS College Network How to Use the Common App Additional Information section and Challenges and Circumstances section: Guide + Examples College Essay Guy's College Application Hub
