Admissions Beat
Lee Coffin • Vice President and Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at Dartmouth College
▶ Webplayer
Lee Coffin • Vice President and Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at Dartmouth College
▶ WebplayerOn the Admissions Beat, veteran dean of admissions Lee Coffin from Dartmouth College and a range of guests provide high school students and parents, as well as their counselors and other mentors, with "news you can use" at each step on the pathway to college. With a welcoming, reassuring perspective and an approach intended to build confidence in prospective applicants, Dean Coffin offers credible information, insights, and guidance—from the earliest days of the college search, to applications, decision-making, and arrival on campus. He does so by drawing on 30 years of experience as an admissions leader at some of the na...
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Sep 29, 2026 · 48:49
"Information" floods a college search from many spigots, not all of which are reliable or helpful. Each September, social media feeds erupt with advice and comment from various…
Sep 22, 2026 · 52:36
In the Season 10 premiere, Common App CEO Jenny Rickard returns to AB for a back-to-school primer on the application used by over 1,100 colleges around the world. Fifty years…
Jun 2, 2026 · 38:54
In a "listener mailbag" bonus episode, Jen Simons from Bright Horizons College Coach joins AB host Lee Coffin to answer an array of listener questions. The mailbag queries spark…
May 12, 2026 · 50:06
In the season finale, sociologist Janice McCabe offers insights on friendship from her new book Making, Keeping, and Losing Friends , as this fall's entering class makes the…
May 5, 2026 · 41:17
Hooray, the college search is over! Now what?! As high school seniors become "pre-matrics" on the campus of their choice, a surprising swirl of checklists and emotions arise for…
Apr 28, 2026 · 59:45
A live audience of high school seniors and parents at Dartmouth's accepted student open house ponder the lessons of the search they are about to complete. "What are the things…
Apr 21, 2026 · 57:41
Guidebooks have been a staple of the college search process since 1982, when The Fiske Guide introduced a new resource to prospective applicants and parents. Today, over 300…
Apr 14, 2026 · 46:09
In an uncommon career pivot, former high school principal and English teacher Robin Appleby segued from her school-based tenures in the U.S. and internationally to a late-career…
Apr 7, 2026 · 50:59
The quality of an applicant's senior year program—and the grades achieved in that course of study—are foundational to the academic assessment of any application to a selective…
Mar 31, 2026 · 34:34
For one month each year, two admission cycles overlap as high school seniors and juniors share center stage. As seniors wrap up their searches over the next four weeks and…
Mar 24, 2026 · 48:14
A "state option" is often recommended as families wrestle with the affordability of college. But focusing on "affordability" of public institutions alone undersells the…
Mar 17, 2026 · 40:43
"How do you decide?" is one of the most probing questions associated with selective admissions. With so many qualified candidates competing for limited spots, decisions are often…
Mar 10, 2026 · 47:36
In the first of a two-part episode, AB peeks behind the opaque curtain of a selective admissions office in March. Four Dartmouth admission officers join their dean for an…
Mar 3, 2026 · 46:27
Do Instagram or Reddit rival a guidance counselor as a source of admissions information and advice? Can YouTube match or beat an on-campus tour as a measure of vibe and place?…
Feb 24, 2026 · 54:54
The college admissions process spits out lots of stats. Some numbers are straightforward, or they seem to be, while many data points require a nuanced interpretation from an…
Feb 17, 2026 · 50:43
By definition, a guidance or college counselor offers counsel as a search takes shape and progresses. But sometimes that advice is resisted by parents and students. A "reach" or…
Feb 10, 2026 · 45:31
"What counts?!" is the perennial question asked by parents and students as they wonder what makes a strong application. The answer, it turns out, is complicated. In a…
Feb 3, 2026 · 54:06
An effective college search starts with discovery. “Start your discovery with the fundamental thing about college,” AB host and Dartmouth Dean Lee Coffin advises. “You are going…
Jan 27, 2026 · 49:46
It's time for the high school class of 2027 to step into the college search spotlight. As juniors kick off their college search, AB resets its narrative spotlight to the…
Jan 20, 2026 · 21:15
In a preseason bonus episode, Admissions Beat cross-shares a YouTube conversation about financial aid from the parenting website Grown & Flown featuring AB host and Dartmouth…
Dec 9, 2025 · 55:17
For the high school Class of ’26, the first college admissions milestone is at hand as early decisions—some binding, some not—land. In AB's season finale, a trio of deans and a…
Dec 2, 2025 · 40:37
From Grey's Anatomy to Bridgerton , Shonda Rhimes is television's storyteller extraordinaire. The Emmy winner visits AB for a lesson on how to channel main-character energy in an…
Nov 25, 2025 · 55:41
"Getting in" is the clear goal for almost every applicant, but a college search also yields valuable lessons for the road beyond the admissions process itself. Angel Perez, CEO…
Nov 18, 2025 · 51:16
For many students around the world, college presents a rare opportunity to change the arc of a life, to pursue the fabled “American Dream,” where anything can happen for anyone.…
Nov 11, 2025 · 57:25
The media's admissions beat is a very active feed each fall as application deadlines approach. Headlines invite clicks, shares, chatter...and often anxiety as students and…
Nov 4, 2025 · 1:00:59
Like most professions, college admissions has its own internal language, and that distinctive style of communicating is especially true as an application is read and summarized.…
Oct 28, 2025 · 48:01
Sticker shock is real. Perceptions of college affordability represent one of the biggest concerns that most families navigate as a college search unfolds, with a 2024 survey of…
Oct 21, 2025 · 56:56
Like so many things, a college search often looks—and feels—better in hindsight. Parents are important eyewitnesses to a search as it unfolds and concludes, and they have plenty…
Oct 14, 2025 · 53:51
A college application generates a lot of data. "The transcript is the heart of the application," Emily Roper-Doten of Brandeis notes, "and there's a story in that transcript."…
Oct 7, 2025 · 49:35
Let your life speak. That venerable Quaker saying is great advice for any well-constructed college essay, but so many seniors wrestle with writer's block as the "perfect" essay…
Sep 30, 2025 · 1:07:17
From the annual conference of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling in Columbus, Ohio, an all-star cast of 12 deans and college counselors joins AB host Lee…
Sep 23, 2025 · 44:44
For decades, coming to America for university (or "uni," as it's known in the UK) has been the shared goal of students around the world. Today, that plan is less certain as…
Sep 16, 2025 · 47:26
The national admissions beat is abuzz with fast-breaking stories as the next admissions cycle gets underway. “The fundamentals are the fundamentals,” AB host and Dartmouth Dean…
Sep 9, 2025 · 51:00
In the eighth season premiere, AB host Lee Coffin and his guests map the shift from discovering college options to applying to those choices. As high school seniors embrace the…
May 20, 2025 · 48:24
In the season seven finale, Dartmouth's Kathryn Bezella discusses lessons gleaned from her first year as an admissions dean with Lee Coffin, who just completed his 30th year in…
May 13, 2025 · 51:33
For many high school seniors, the college search is an all-consuming process with three clear goals: apply to college, get into college, pick a college. Then, in May, it comes to…
May 6, 2025 · 25:38
Meet Luis Aguero, a first-generation college-bound student from San Bernardino, Paraguay. Self-taught in English as well as the unfamiliar ways of the college admissions process…
Apr 29, 2025 · 49:30
Mindy Kaling joins AB for its 100th episode as the multi-talented Hollywood star and Dartmouth alumna remembers her own college admissions process in which "I wasn't thinking…
Apr 22, 2025 · 44:21
AB's third annual open-ended conversation with applicants and parents at Dartmouth's admitted student open house offers insights and tips from those who have just navigated a…
Apr 15, 2025 · 52:11
Extracurricular activities, which are essential ingredients of any college application, yield lessons and skillsets that animate a student's story. Reflecting on his own…
Apr 8, 2025 · 41:39
Veteran college counselor Doug Burdett, from Brunswick School in Connecticut, joins his longtime colleague and AB host Lee Coffin as they ponder the lessons from their 30-year…
Apr 1, 2025 · 41:40
Marcia Hunt, past president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and the longtime dean of college advising at Florida's Pine Crest School, joins AB host…
Mar 25, 2025 · 49:37
College admission decisions for the high school class of 2025 have landed, and now it's time for seniors and their parents to assess those outcomes and move towards an enrollment…
Mar 18, 2025 · 44:31
Twenty-five years after New York Times education reporter Jacques Steinberg, author of The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, spent a year observing…
Mar 11, 2025 · 39:15
For any college admissions officer, reading and evaluating an application is the work of the work. It is the heart of the admissions process itself, its most essential task.…
Mar 4, 2025 · 44:00
Many people ask, "What counts?" as they ponder the elements of "merit" in a college application. This week, two Ivy deans tackle this perennial query as Brown's Logan Powell…
Feb 25, 2025 · 48:26
Discovery is act one of every successful college search, and it should reveal as much about the searcher as about the places being explored. AB host and Dartmouth Dean Lee Coffin…
Feb 18, 2025 · 44:01
Season 7 of Admissions Beat gets underway at just the right time to give this year's high school juniors a preview of what's to come, as they look closely at themselves, survey…
Dec 10, 2024 · 33:05
In the Season Six finale, Trinity College's Matthew Hyde returns to AB to reflect on his own son’s college search this year. As a veteran admissions dean and a first-time…
Dec 3, 2024 · 50:59
Suburban public high schools in America are home to a significant pool of applicants to most selective colleges. The admissions chatter in those classrooms, counseling offices,…
Nov 26, 2024 · 39:11
Holidays bring people together, and Thanksgiving in the U.S. comes at a particularly challenging moment for high school seniors as they apply to college. Well-meaning friends and…
Nov 19, 2024 · 56:54
The language of financial aid brings new—and sometimes confusing—vocabulary for many families. Gail Holt, Amherst’s dean of financial aid, and Dino Koff, director of financial…
Nov 12, 2024 · 45:20
Ever wondered how the elements of a college application came to be the elements of the college application? Today, essays, testing, recommendations, and interviews are…
Nov 5, 2024 · 54:47
“I’ve never of it is…” is a frequent reaction from students and parents as college options are introduced, but there is real opportunity when a student is open to options that…
Oct 29, 2024 · 45:49
For students around the world, going to college in America has been a goal of many for decades. AB host LeeCoffin and his guest Robin Appleby—who led schools in London, The Hague…
Oct 22, 2024 · 1:08:16
AB host Lee Coffin probes the lessons learned by students and a parent from last year’s admissions process. He is joined by four first-year college students who reflect on their…
Oct 15, 2024 · 32:03
In Part 2 of AB’s “advising all-stars” roundtable discussion from the annual meeting of the National Association for College Admission Counseling in Los Angeles, host Lee Coffin…
Oct 8, 2024 · 39:37
What happens when 20 admissions folks gather in a meeting room at their annual conference in Los Angeles? They have lots to say! AB host Lee Coffin and his recurring co-host…
Oct 1, 2024 · 56:54
As high school seniors take a deep breath, open a blank document, and begin to craft their college essays, Admission Beat host Lee Coffin empowers them to ask this question: “Who…
Sep 24, 2024 · 52:34
With October on the near horizon, Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin encourages seniors to get in gear and begin thinking about the nuts and bolts of their applications. His guests,…
Sep 17, 2024 · 40:22
Kicking off Season Six of the Admissions Beat, host Lee Coffin of Dartmouth welcomes listeners back to school as another admissions cycle commences. Raising the curtain on the…
May 21, 2024 · 39:18
As the school year ends, Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin holds his final “office hours” with listeners for this podcast season. For graduating seniors, he advises them to “finish…
May 7, 2024 · 47:28
What if math was a fundamental skill you could develop, rather than something you were simply good or bad at? Engineering programs are designed to blend theory with…
Apr 30, 2024 · 56:16
What advice do this year’s high school seniors and their parents have for those who will follow in future college application cycles? AB host Lee Coffin and Jacques Steinberg,…
Apr 23, 2024 · 7:40
The conversations, debates and diverse voices that animate a college campus are essential elements of an undergraduate experience. As seniors visit campuses for accepted student…
Apr 16, 2024 · 50:59
“’How will this look for colleges…?’ is the most common question I get from juniors as they select senior year courses,” reports longtime college counselor Eric Monheim. For…
Apr 9, 2024 · 45:07
For centuries, the liberal arts have been foundational to the mission of higher education. But trying to explain the concept of this course of study — and the multifaceted…
Apr 2, 2024 · 46:32
Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin considers April the “13th month” of the college admissions calendar. For many high school seniors, April brings a sense of closure, as they move…
Mar 26, 2024 · 43:30
What constitutes a strong SAT or ACT score? What do admissions officers mean when they say they consider scores in context? If a college is test-optional, should you submit your…
Mar 19, 2024 · 45:19
What’s it like to read applications at a highly selective college or university for the first time? Not so long after their own college graduations, Dartmouth admissions officers…
Mar 12, 2024 · 48:14
Ever wonder how admissions officers decide which applicants to invite to join the incoming class? Jacques Steinberg, who wrote a New York Times best-seller, "The Gatekeepers:…
Mar 5, 2024 · 52:57
Public opinion polls reveal a surprising shift in American views on higher education: roughly half of the parents surveyed imagine a four-year college degree as the educational…
Feb 27, 2024 · 49:16
What would it be like to be a former admissions officer guiding your own child through a college search? While they know a lot more than most parents, the emotions they…
Feb 20, 2024 · 48:49
This week, Admissions Beat wades into the topic of college affordability. For high school seniors, we provide up-to-the-minute insight and tips on navigating the rollout of the…
Feb 13, 2024 · 53:30
How might a high school junior begin the journey of self-discovery that is the bedrock of the college search? In an encore episode of Admissions Beat, host Lee Coffin of…
Feb 6, 2024 · 56:08
Throughout this winter, 11th graders will find themselves seated across from a college counselor in their high school, perhaps for the first time. The topic: kicking off a…
Jan 30, 2024 · 1:01:06
For our Season 5 premiere, Admissions Beat turns its attention to high school juniors. Host Lee Coffin, dean of admissions at Dartmouth, previews what prospective applicants can…
Dec 19, 2023 · 51:29
In the Season 4 finale, Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin reaches into his holiday grab bag for a handful of end-of-year topics. First up, a visit to the Admissions Beat newsroom…
Dec 12, 2023 · 50:32
Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin encourages applicants to periodically snap an “existential selfie,” an exercise to zoom in on their values and priorities. This week, he and his…
Dec 5, 2023 · 50:17
Sometimes it's required, sometimes it's recommended, sometimes it's optional. Sometimes it's conducted on campus by an admissions officer or college senior, while at others it’s…
Nov 28, 2023 · 56:06
If anyone could lay claim to the title of “chief admissions counselor” for the nation’s millions of college-bound students, it would probably be Angel B. Pérez. A…
Nov 21, 2023 · 38:29
If you’re a high school senior in the United States, you may be seated around a Thanksgiving table where the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce is accompanied by a heavy dollop…
Nov 14, 2023 · 58:09
To commemorate the 50th episode of Admissions Beat, a milestone we reached earlier this season, host Lee Coffin and producer Charlotte Albright revisit some of the podcast’s most…
Nov 7, 2023 · 55:47
Wellesley economist Phil Levine and Dino Koff, Dartmouth’s director of financial aid, join host Lee Coffin for insights on college affordability and the net price calculators…
Oct 31, 2023 · 28:02
In the conclusion of their two-part conversation, Yale’s Jeremiah Quinlan and Emily Roper-Doten from Clark continue their conversation with host Lee Coffin about the academic…
Oct 24, 2023 · 44:09
In the first of a two-part conversation about the academic data that populates an application, Yale’s Jeremiah Quinlan and Emily Roper-Doten from Clark join host Lee Coffin to…
Oct 17, 2023 · 50:33
Author and mental health activist Emi Nietfeld visits Admissions Beat for a thought-provoking and candid conversation with host Lee Coffin about her 2022 memoir, “Acceptance.”…
Oct 10, 2023 · 52:05
In the 50th episode of Admissions Beat, host Lee Coffin from Dartmouth College welcomes college counselors Sherri Geller from Gann Academy in Waltham, Mass., and Ronnie McKnight…
Oct 3, 2023 · 32:12
Admission Beat host Lee Coffin, Dartmouth’s dean of admissions and financial aid, meets “Matt,” a senior at a public high school in suburban New England, for a first-hand,…
Sep 26, 2023 · 24:46
Picking up where last week’s episode left off, Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin and his guests continue their conversation about the ways high school seniors (and parents, too)…
Sep 19, 2023 · 45:24
In the first of a two-part episode, Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin turns his attention to the high school graduating class of 2024, who may be feeling uneasy about the college…
Sep 12, 2023 · 53:49
In the Season 4 premiere of Admissions Beat, host Lee Coffin, dean of admissions at Dartmouth, assesses the extraordinary and ongoing college admissions news cycle in recent…
Sep 5, 2023 · 3:19
Admissions Beat will return for its fourth season on Sept. 12. Whether you’re new to the podcast or a past listener, our goal endures: to support applicants, as well as their…
Aug 8, 2023 · 47:12
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In this special edition of the…
May 2, 2023 · 52:56
As the 2022-23 college admissions cycle draws to a close, Admissions Beat host Lee Coffin is joined by an audience of parents for the recording of the Season 3 finale. Gathered…
Apr 25, 2023 · 7:07
In this week’s episode of Admissions Beat, Dartmouth Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin speaks directly to those high school seniors who still have a college decision to make. “A big…
Apr 18, 2023 · 52:28
With May 1 looming as the deadline for applicants to make a final decision on where to enroll, three Dartmouth first-year students reflect on their academic transition from high…
Apr 11, 2023 · 45:18
Whether you’re a high school senior, a high school junior, or a parent seeking to guide them, the question “So what’s your major?” can seem premature. After all, most colleges…
Apr 4, 2023 · 40:01
For many high school juniors, the college search and application process is deeply intertwined with an interest in playing a particular sport. For some applicants, that focus may…
Mar 28, 2023 · 48:30
Throughout their senior year of high school, but particularly in recent weeks, applicants for the college Class of 2027 have been receiving admissions decisions. Over the next…
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