Listen "618. HOW THE COMMON DATA SET CAN HELP INTERPRET WHAT COLLEGES TELL YOU"
Episode Synopsis
Finding your best fit school requires a lot of smart research, so don't overlook one of the best sources of institutional information available. Amy and Mike invited independent counselor Jane Gabin to discuss how the common data set can help interpret what colleges tell you. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the Common Data Set? How can studying the CDS help with judging the value of a school? What does a school's graduation rate tell us about the school? How can the CDS be accessed and can anyone look at it? Are there schools that try to hide their data? MEET OUR GUEST Jane S. Gabin has been publishing articles on colleges' over-hiring of adjunct faculty since 2015, when she wrote about the problem in "Ask the College Counselor," her regular column for InsideSchools.com. Her writing on this subject has also appeared in Inside Higher Ed (June 24, 2019), the Academe Blog (July 2, 2019 and May 21, 2020), and The College Prep Guide (college-prep-guide.com). A member of NACAC, SACAC, and the International ACAC, as well as the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), she currently works as an independent counselor, addressing groups such as the local NAACP Youth Council about educational opportunities, and speaking to parents and students at local public libraries. Dr. Gabin has over 20 years in the college admissions profession. She worked for 10 years for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was in charge of all international admissions and counselor relations. She followed this with 11 years in college advising at independent schools in the NYC area, primarily at the United Nations International School (UNIS). She gave a talk at the SACAC 2020 conference on "Another Way of Looking at What Makes a College 'Good'" when she addressed this issue (in addition to suggesting a close look at colleges' admission rate, retention rate, class size, and graduation rate). Additionally, she has given or led sessions (primarily on the essay process) at the New Jersey ACAC, the New York State ACAC, NACAC, and for KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) in NYC. She received a Ph.D. in English at UNC-Chapel Hill and has published one novel and is working on another. As an independent scholar, she is currently researching the lives of women artists in the 19th century. Jane previously appeared on this podcast in episode 328 to discuss Concerns About College Staffing Trends. Find Jane at [email protected]. LINKS Common Data Set The Shortest Guide to College Admissions RELATED EPISODES USING THE COMMON DATA SET POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS HOW IMPORTANT IS GPA IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS? HOW ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR MORALE IS CHANGING ADMISSIONS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
More episodes of the podcast Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
696. NEW WAYS TO USE YOUR 529 PLAN
16/12/2025
694. TEST PREP PROFILE: Lucy Zhang
11/12/2025
693. TEST PREP PROFILE: Roman Marchenko
10/12/2025
692. TEST PREP PROFILE: Angie Kelley
09/12/2025
691. TEST PREP PROFILE: Jonah Fishel
08/12/2025
690. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: MentoMind
05/12/2025
689. LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES 101
02/12/2025
688. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2025
28/11/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.