Falling in love with a campus - or choosing a future at the Kitchen Table College Chats

What are the hidden financial indicators of troubled colleges? At The Kitchen Table College Chat

Marc and Gary discuss some easy-to-find key indicators of financially strong college and financially weak colleges. Available in the new College Viability Inspection Report, these are the top 3 they discussed. 1. Enrollment trends 2. Endowment value (effectively a college's savings account) 3. 4-year graduation rates Here is the link to the College Viability Inspection Report [https://www.mycollegeviability.com/]. Here is an example of what a report looks like [https://inspection.mycollegeviability.com/colleges/naropa-university-co/].  (By the way, the financial report part is FREE.)

Will your college student stay or leave? at the Kitchen Table College Chats for April 30,2026

Will a pothole or dingy dorms at your child's college campus be the final straw? This week Marc and Gary look at retention (staying at a college) from perspective not normally shared in the higher education news media. We sit around our virtual table and provide that perspective that students and parents need to make the best possible college decision. Join us as we sit at your kitchen table for our College Chat.

Falling in love with a campus - or choosing a future at the Kitchen Table College Chats

In this podcast episode of Kitchen Table College Chats, Marc Deboer and Gary Stocker continue their virtual kitchen table chats for colleges students and their families. Most students fall in love with a college campus.  In this episode, we ask parents and students alike to make sure that colleges they love during the tour can deliver the college education needed. From Emotion to Evaluation Before you fall in love with a college campus, run a simple mental shift: Instead of asking:  Do I love this campus? Ask: Will this college still get me to graduation day? Will this college keep my major or eliminate it? Does this college have the resources to keep the buildings and grounds safe? That means looking at: *  Enrollment trends (growing or shrinking?)  *  Graduation rates (who actually finishes? Most colleges take longer than 4 years to graduate students.)  *  Financial health (stable or stressed?)  *  Program strength (expanding or being cut?)  This is the difference between choosing a place… and choosing a future.

Admissions myths that hurt families at the Kitchen Table College Chats

If you listen to enough college admissions advice, you might start to believe a few things: That everyone should go to college. Going to college guarantees you a good job.  That students must discover their life passion at age 17.  Or that the best strategy is simply applying to as many schools as possible and hoping for the best. The problem?  A lot of that advice is based more on tradition and urban myth than reality. In this episode, Marc and Gary break down the admissions myths that quietly hurt families—and replace them with a more practical way to think about choosing a college. Because when it comes to admissions, good information can save a lot of money and stress.

Will this college make it to your graduation day at the Kitchen Table College Chats

What if the college you choose doesn’t make it to your graduation day? It sounds dramatic—but it’s becoming a very real question. Across the country, colleges are quietly cutting majors, merging programs, and in some cases closing altogether. In this episode, Marc and Gary talk about the question families rarely ask during campus tours: Is this college financially healthy enough to get my student across the finish line? We’ll break down the warning signs, the numbers schools don’t like to highlight, and a few simple ways parents and students can do their own “viability check” before committing four years and a lot of tuition dollars. Pull up a chair. This is the kind of college conversation that should probably happen around the kitchen table.