College Admissions Speaker Series
Expert Voices in College Admissions
Khan Lab School presents the College Admission Lab speaker series. This exclusive webinar series is led by Sal Khan as he's joined by senior admissions officials from across the United States. These virtual fireside chats along with Q&A explore the current landscape of college admission and what schools are looking for in applicants.
We look forward to seeing you in the fall for more engaging discussions on trends and changes in admission!
John Leach
Financial Aid & Merit Scholarships: Navigating the Real Costs of Higher Education
Program Focus: Demystify need-based aid, merit scholarships, and ROI considerations.
Juan Espinoza
The College Essay: Authentic Storytelling in the Digital Age
How the college essay fits into today’s admissions process and how AI is changing the way students approach their writing. Some takeaways that we found useful:
- Be genuine and let your real voice come through.
- Use AI tools to help brainstorm or organize ideas — not to write for you.
- Admissions readers want to understand how you think, not just how well you write.
- Honesty and reflection always stand out more than perfection.
Juan Espinoza
Jim Nondorf
John Leach
Financial Aid & Merit Scholarships: Navigating the Real Costs of Higher Education
Program Focus: Demystify need-based aid, merit scholarships, and ROI considerations.
Emily Roper-Doten
The ROI of College: Career-Focused Liberal Arts Education
Program Focus: Examining the return on investment of college through the lens of liberal arts, career readiness, and long-term value.
Matt McGann
Equity & Access in College Admission
Program Focus: Address socioeconomic barriers and institutional efforts to diversify.
Gary Clark
Extracurricular Engagement: Quality vs. Quantity in Student Activities
Program Focus: Helping families understand meaningful engagement vs. résumé padding.
Ashley Pallie
Building Academic Readiness for College & Admission
Program Focus: Exploring strategies for strengthening academic preparation and readiness for selective college admissions.
LAST SEASON'S SPEAKERS
Rachelle Hernandez
Johns Hopkins University
– Vice Provost for Student Affairs
Jonathan Williams
Pomona College
– Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Micki Kidder
University of Notre Dame
– Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment
Whitney Soule
University of Pennsylvania
– Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions
Karen Richardson
Princeton University
– Dean of Admission & Financial Aid
Stu Schmill
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
– Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services
Olufemi Ogundele
UC Berkeley
– Associate Vice Chancellor of Admissions & Enrollment
College Admissions FAQs
From our mastery-based transcript to standardized testing, find answers to your questions about the college counseling process at KLS.
