Parents: Is Your Teen College Ready?

What actually helps a student stand out in competitive college admissions? In this episode, Shellee Howard talks with College Ready student Seth Skaff about the strategy behind his successful college application journey. Seth shares how leadership, meaningful extracurriculars, early essay preparation, thoughtful major selection, and a cohesive application story helped him earn acceptances to multiple University of California campuses—including UCLA—as well as Regents Scholarships and honors opportunities. Seth also shares what he wishes he had started earlier, how College Ready helped him prepare for the admissions process, and how students can use AI responsibly as a tool for brainstorming and feedback without losing their authentic voice. For parents wondering how to help their teen prepare for college admissions without turning high school into a frantic checklist, this conversation offers a student's perspective on what made the biggest difference.

Sending a student to college is a major investment, but what happens financially when something unexpected interrupts their semester? In this episode, Shellee Howard talks with John Fees, co-founder of GradGuard, about the financial risks many families don’t consider before college begins. From medical and mental health withdrawals to tuition refund policies, stolen property, dorm damage, and insurance gaps, John shares practical ways parents can better protect both their student and their college investment. You’ll walk away with important questions to ask before move-in day and a clearer understanding of how to prepare for the things no family expects.

How will AI change your teen's future—and should it change the way you think about college? If you're wondering whether your student's dream career will still exist in five or ten years, you're not alone. In this episode, College Ready founder Shellee Howard sits down with Kevin Zhu, AI researcher and founder of Algoverse AI Research, where he helps high school and college students conduct authentic AI research and publish papers at leading AI conferences. They discuss one of the biggest questions parents are asking today: How do we prepare students for careers that don't even exist yet? Together they explore: • How AI is changing the future job market • Whether students should rethink choosing certain college majors • Why coding and AI literacy are becoming valuable skills • The careers experts believe may be most affected • What parents should focus on instead of trying to predict the future • How students can develop skills that remain valuable—even as technology changes If you're worried about investing thousands of dollars in a degree that may look very different by the time your student graduates, this conversation will help you think differently about college planning, career readiness, and preparing your teen for an AI-powered future.