If your kid might apply for college in the next ten years, you want to listen to this one! Margaret is an expert when it comes to supporting kids through the college application process. She has a particularly valuable perspective on how teenagers experience this crazy time and how parents can support them and today she’s sharing her knowledge with us!


At College Solutions, Margareth helps students and parents find the right fit college: the best academic fit, social fit and financial fit. As parents, we want the best for our kids but it’s important to think about how to get there and how to provide that environment for your kid. Being too involved as a parent might actually give your kid the idea that you don’t trust that they can do it themselves so rather think about how you are helping your child feel empowered to achieve this goal by themselves. How can you support them and show them that you feel like they’re ready to leave your home and go to college?

“I’m gonna write your essay & I think you’re ready for college.
Those two things don’t go hand in hand.”
– Amanda Sovik-Johnston

So what can you do to best support your kid through college applications?

Top 3 ways parents can support their kids through college applications

#1 Focus on authenticity

Tune out the noise of other parents around you and really focus on what your child loves. Then help them grow these aptitudes and help them translate those to other opportunities.

“The thing for parents to remember is to not feel forced
to create someone who your child is not.” 
– Margaret Baudinet

#2 What’s the best-fit college for your kid? 

Where is your kid thriving and why do they enjoy that part of academics? Remember the three parts of a good fit: academic fit, social fit, and financial fit.

#3 Foster an environment where your kid feels comfortable to talk to you about college.

We dive deeper into all of the above and so much more in today’s episode so have a listen if you want to learn more!

Click here to listen on Spotify!

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In this episode on supporting your teen through college application, we cover:

  • Why not to rewrite your kid’s college application essay;
  • The three parts of finding a good-fit college;
  • Trusting your kid to go through this process themselves;
  • The top three ways parents can support their kid through college applications;
  • How to foster a safe environment for your kid to talk to you about college;
  • Some golden tips on scholarships;
  • And so much more!

More about Margaret Baudinet

Margaret Bolton Baudinet is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of College Solutions.
She graduated from the University of Virginia with highest distinction with a degree in political and literary thought, finishing her academic tenure with research at Oxford University. Margaret also holds five years of admission experience from the University of Virginia, specializing in legacy admissions. Margaret has served as a writing coach, a counselor, and now as CEO of College Solutions. She is the proud mother of six-year-old quintuplets. As a mother and a college advisor, she strives to see the whole person — motivations, fears, blind spots, and goals.

Learn more about Margaret and College Solutions on their website or on LinkedIn.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode

More about Active & Connected Families Podcast

Active & Connected Families podcast is a smart, conversational guide to help you and your family feel more active and connected in your daily lives. Your host, Amanda Sovik-Johnston, will tackle the small problems that sometimes get in our way (fighting about laundry… again?) as well as the bigger, more complicated mental health challenges facing our teenagers today.
Amanda is a child psychologist, mom of three boys, entrepreneur, national champion swimmer, wife and an expert at creating fun with a dash of perspective and plenty of wisdom.
You will laugh and sometimes cry with Amanda and her expert guests. Subscribe to the A&C Families podcast and you’ll always learn something unique and useful about how you can become a better person, as well as a better parent!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

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