March 17, 2026

Finding the Right College for You with Andrew Linnehan

How can students avoid the noise and chaos that surrounds the college application process? When should students realistically start thinking about what colleges they want to apply to? What should students pay attention to beyond the numbers and statistics of a school? Andrew Linnehan answers all these questions and more on this episode of Office Hours.

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About this episode

In this episode of Office Hours, Andrew Linnehan, Former Senior Associate Director of Admission & Former Director of Communication and Audience Engagement at Northwestern University, stresses the importance of students choosing a college that is right for them. He goes into detail about the factors students should consider when choosing a college, along with strategies that allow students to dive deeper and look beyond data points and statistics listed on a college brochure or website.

In an age where college admissions is crowded with noise and chaos from outside perspectives, especially with social media, Andrew recommends that students start thinking about what kinds of communities would be a good fit for them and look into colleges during their junior year of high school. This allows students to come into their senior year with more confidence and clarity.

Mentioned in this episode

Host

Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut.Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Guest

Andrew Linnehan

Andrew Linnehan is the former Senior Associate Director of Admission and Director of Communication and Audience Engagement at Northwestern University. He has many years of experience helping students and families through the college admissions process. Andrew is also an alumni of Northwestern University, receiving both his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication.