Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Every year, the National Association of College Admissions Counseling releases a report on the state of college admissions. Join us to learn more about the growth in application volume, the national average college acceptance rate, increases in early decision, early action, and waitlist activity, and more. It's also tax time, and we're covering what you need to know now to maximize your tax breaks...

Applying to US colleges can be complicated. The process can be even more difficult if you are coming from another country. We have advice designed specifically for international students who hope to attend college in the US. In Office Hours, we are answering your college admissions and finance questions.

Test prep can be an expensive undertaking, yet we recommend that every student do some prep before they take the ACT or SAT. We'll be discussing free test prep resources—what's out there and which options are best. For juniors, we have advice on the top five things you should be doing now to get started on the college search and application process, and the top five things you and your families sh...

If you can believe it, we've been bringing college finance and admissions information to you every single week since we launched Getting In: A College Coach Conversation on February 5, 2015. Join us for a celebration as we share stories from our time working in admissions and financial aid, along with some cautionary tales and highlights from a few of our favorite students and parents.

Our country is suffering from a ratio of students to school counselors that averages about 455 to 1. In no surprise to anyone, too few counselors is having a negative impact on students. We welcome Harvard professor Mandy Savitz-Romer to the show to share her insights. For high school seniors looking for scholarship money, we have tips for thinking local. And in Office Hours, we have thoughts for...

You want to transfer. We want to help. Check out this week's show for insight into the transfer application process, from what's required to when you need to get those applications submitted. We're also answering listener questions on college finance and admissions.

For twins and multiples, the college process is twice (or more) intense than for everyone else, from deciding where to apply, doing college visits, writing essays, and figuring out how to pay for it all. We're offering insight into how twins and multiples are treated in both the admissions and financial aid processes, and giving some tips for successfully navigating both. In Office Hours, we have...

After spending hours on your applications, filling out financial aid forms, and waiting for what might feel like an eternity to get an answer, it can be tempting to accept the first offer that comes along. They like you, they really, really like you! And you like them—what's the problem? We'll tell you on the show. We're also talking to a former Wharton admissions officer about MBA's—what it is an...

Post-January 1 can be super challenging for seniors. After the crush of finalizing and submitting applications, have nothing left to do but wait—and that can be tough. We have some suggestions for actions you can take once all of your apps are in. Since it's the new year, we are all about resolutions—and we have thoughts about some good resolutions you can make related to college admissions and fi...

In today's post-holiday show, we're exploring the Common Data Set, including what it is and why you need to know about it. We're also answer listener questions on college finance and admissions.

The College Board made a splash a few months ago with its new Adversity Score. After some negative backlash and bad press, they scrapped the score and replaced it with their new Landscape tool. Tune in to find out what all the fuss is about and if the name is the only thing that's really changing. Breaks from college can wind up being quite expensive for students depending on what they choose to d...

Have you had The Talk with your kids yet? No, not that talk. The one about how much you can afford to pay for college! We have advice for why this talk is important, how to discuss it, and the best time to broach the subject. We're also doing the second in our series on popular admissions myths that we're trying to dispel. Our final segment focuses on Colleges That Change Lives, the group of colle...

Mental health issues are a significant and growing concern on college campuses throughout the United States. In this week's show, we welcome Courtney Joly-Lowedermilk, NITEO Manager at the BU Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation to talk about how to support students facing these challenges. In Office Hours, we're offering suggestions for staying organized and on track in the final countdown to re...

The Coalition Application is similar to the Common App in that it is one application students can fill out that is accepted at multiple schools. While some of the essay prompts overlap with the Common App in theme and approach, others are quite unique to the application. We will discuss the options and approaches to these topics. In Office Hours, we're answering listener questions related to colle...

When college students graduate, they have a grace period of a few months before they need to start repaying their student loans. As that grace period is coming to an end, we have some thoughts on getting started on the repayment portion. In other segments, we'll discuss who should consider a gap year, and offer suggestions for next steps if you are deferred in the early round from any of your coll...

Every year we read about students who apply to far too many schools, topping out at 20, 30, and even 40 or more applications. While we appreciate the temptation to do more given how uncertain the process can feel, our experience shows us time and again that too many applications is a big mistake. In this show, we'll share some of the negative results we saw from too many applications. We'll also i...

November 1 marks one of the biggest early application program deadlines of the year, and many students will submit at least one application by that day. But what if you're a senior and you're just getting started thinking about your college applications? We have some good advice for you to help kick things off. In other segments, we'll look at the financial impact of your college list and selectio...

More than 200,000 students will apply to the University of California system this year using the UC application. That's bound to generate a lot of questions, and we have a lot of answers for you. We're also answering your other admissions and college finance questions in our listener Q&A segment.

People who can write a check for $50,000 or $75,000 to pay for college make up a pretty small group, and not many colleges can or will offer that much aid even to those who qualify for it. If you're not sure where the money to pay for your or your child's education is coming from, check out our advice on how to look for and maximize merit scholarship opportunities. As early deadlines—Early Decisio...

One of your biggest allies in the college process is your school counselor. Whether writing a letter of recommendation, sending out a transcript or directing you to local scholarship resources, there are many, many ways in which they will support you. We have advice from a former school counselor on how you can be a better partner. We'll also take a look at the costs associated with applying to co...

Love watching blooper reels for your favorite TV shows? We're offering our own blooper reel of mistakes we saw students and parents making when we were admissions officers. Don't be them! We're also welcoming the associate director of admissions for Bard College at Simon's Rock to share more information about early college programs, including what they are and who would most benefit from these opp...

If you've been staring at a blank computer screen wondering how to craft an answer to the supplemental writing prompts for Johns Hopkins and UC Boulder, you've come to the right place! We'll talk through appropriate approaches to all on today's show. We'll follow that by answering all of your burning college finance and admissions questions.

There are many, many myths floating around out there about college admissions, and in this new regular segment, we're going to try to replace the myth with some facts. Last week we shared everything you need to know about completing the FAFSA, and this week we're tackling the CSS Profile, which is required by about 400 colleges and universities. Finally, we'll let you in on the who, what, where, w...

It is almost October 1, commonly known as FAFSA time around here, and we have guidance for those completing the form this fall. We also have advice for teacher recommendations, from how they are used to who to ask to how to ask for them. In Office Hours, we are working through the supplemental questions for Haverford, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr, three colleges on the outskirts of Philadelphia.

Many of the most selective colleges in the country rely on alumni interviewers to get some additional perspective on applicants. We are excited to welcome one of our regular listeners, who also happens to be an alumni interviewer for her alma mater, to the show to offer some perspective on how the process works and tips for interviewees. We will also discuss FERPA, including what it is and how it...