What do teens really want to know about college admissions?

For our final podcast in our Insider Guide to the College Application Process, I thought we’d do things a little differently. This week, we gathered questions that teens themselves gave us about college admissions and applications — and I’m joined by two special guests to help give them answers.

First, Alyse Levine,, top college counseling expert and founder/CEO of Premium Prep.

Next… Sage! My own 17-year-old rising senior daughter joined me to ask questions (and some great follow-ups!) on behalf of other high school students, including some of her friends. (Please note she wants me to reassure everyone, including her teachers, that this was not her question.)

Take a listen right here or on your favorite podcasting app — and stick around for LOTS of cool picks of the week and some fantastic deals from our sponsors.

Cool Picks of the Week: Alyse explains her love of farmer’s markets, raves about the Béis Backpack for travel, and recommends the Libby app for borrowing free ebooks from your library. Sage highly recommends The Last Train to Key West by Channel Cleeton, which hooked her from the first sentence. We discuss the joy of little lending libraries, and Liz urges every parent to check out The Guide to Gen Z Slang that Sage helped to write. She shares her own favorite phrase these days.

Get a free 1:1 counseling session with Premium Prep:
Mention Spawnned or Cool Mom Picks

Visit our partner PremiumPrep.com for a free, one-on-one, 30-minute counseling session with a best-fit counselor that they select based on your child’s own needs, interests, and college ambitions. Just mention Cool Mom Picks or Spawned!

About our sponsor Phyla Skincare:
Save 25% with code COOLMOM

Phyla is a clinically proven, dermatologist-recommended acne breakthrough that is a game changer. Phyla is an all-natural probiotic treatment that targets the bad bacteria that causes acne to prevent breakouts before they start. It’s got no harsh chemicals like benzene or Accutane, so it’s safe for everyone with literally no side effects — no irritation, no redness, no dryness. In a clinical study, Phyla Phortify Serum reduced acne-causing bacteria by up to 90% when used twice a day as part of a regular skincare routine for 8 weeks.

Phyla is coming to Sephora soon, but until then you can order online at phyla.com and get 25% off your first order with code COOLMOM at checkout. There’s a money-back guarantee so you have nothing to lose.

If you want to chat about today’s episode, pop into the Spawned Community on Facebook or find me on Instagram at @coolmompicks or @mom101. Be sure to subscribe to Spawned wherever you get your podcasts and thank you for listening!