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The Future of Higher Education with Lydia Mason

Our guest this episode is Lydia Mason, an education consultant and high school English teacher. She previously worked as an admissions reader at NYU. In that role, she recommended admissions decisions and served on scholarship committees. She also helped evaluate candidates for the MLK Scholars and Dean’s Scholarship programmes.

In this episode, Lydia explores test-optional college admissions through her experience as an admissions reader. She also draws on her work mentoring high school students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. In particular, she explains why passion projects matter and how students can communicate them effectively in college applications.

This interview is part of The Future of Higher Education podcast. Our Test-Optional Admissions series examines the growing number of colleges and universities in the United States that have adopted test-optional policies. Additionally, we explore broader changes in college admissions. Stay tuned for more conversations with experienced admissions professionals.

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