Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

You may have read a recent article in Business Insider chronicling one graduate's story about finishing school 113,000 dollars in debt back in 2009, and paying it off by November of 2016. We're thrilled to welcome that graduate, Jessica Elberfeld, to the show to tell us a bit more about how she wound up in debt, what prompted her to pay it off in record time, and how she did that. In this week's S...

Back to school and still don't have a college list? You're in luck! In this week's School's In! Application Workshop segment, Ian, Julia Jones, and Laurie Peltier will discuss how to craft a college list if you're getting a late start, including where to start and making sure that finances are part of the process. In our ongoing series on international education systems, Zaragoza Guerra will offer...

It's September, and school is officially back in session. With that in mind, we're shifting our summer application workshop series to the fall and relaunching it under the School's In Application Workshop banner. But despite the name change, our focus remains the same: helping students to master their applications in a timely and more methodical manner. Divorce can be challenging under the best of...

One of the scariest things about having more than one child close together is paying for all those diapers, but what happens when diapers turn into college tuition? We have some advice for those of you who will be in this situation shortly. We'll also explore predictors for success and discuss resources for first generation students heading off to college. And we'll feature another of our School's...

Ever wonder how being an athlete can impact your chances of admission? In our next episode, we'll take a look at athletic recruitment and college admission, and the ways in which the two processes will affect each other. We'll also go over tips for making a strong financial transition to college. Finally, don't miss our weekly School's Out Application Workshop session.

Enjoy sushi on the weekends, a pricey gym membership, and shopping at the mall at least once or twice a week? Wondering how this will all fit into your budget when you get to college? You may want to tune in for this week's segment on learning to live like a college student. Hint: you may have to forgo a few things… If you're hoping to maintain a similar lifestyle, then you'll definitely want to t...

The office is open this week, as we do an all Office Hours show. We'll continue our work on the application process, and one of our focuses will be what students should include as part of the "additional information" section of the application. Hint: it could be nothing at all!. We'll also answer listener questions related to both admissions and financial aid.

There are a lot of companies and organizations out there making big promises when it comes to scholarships and student loans. If something sounds too good to be true, guess what? It probably is. Join us as we take a closer look at scholarship and loan scams. We'll also have another segment in our School's Out Summer Application Workshop. We'll talk some more about presenting extracurricular activi...

Worried that family debt might affect financial aid eligibility? Don't miss our session discussing this very issue. Wondering how to present your extracurricular activities in the most impactful way on your college applications? Join us for our weekly School's Out Application Workshop. Curious about other organizations supporting college access? We'll talk to Donna Connolly, director of youth acce...

One of the questions we get very frequently is some form of, "Do I have a shot at getting into an Ivy League or highly selective college." In this week's show, we offer tips for students and families to help them evaluate their chances using the colleges' own primary criteria. We'll also discuss more about putting together a college list, including how to factor finances into that process, as part...

Join us for segment two in our ongoing summer program, School's Out Application Workshop. We'll follow up on last week's homework and talk a bit about getting started with putting together a college list. A college finance expert will join to discuss how much is too much to borrow when it comes to paying for college, and we'll wrap up with office hours answering listeners' college admissions quest...

Ever wonder how highly selective schools evaluate and make final decisions on applications? If so, take a trip with us inside the Yale admissions office with Amy Alexander, former admissions officer for the university. School's Out: College Application Workshop, our special summer program taking students and families through the college application and finance process step-by-step makes its big de...

When it comes to standardized testing, students have two primary options: the ACT and the SAT. Sean Quinn of ArborBridge test prep will join us to help bust the myths, address the rumors, and correct the misinformation that seem to follow these tests. We'll also hold office hours to answer listener's college finance questions.

For many low income students, accessing college and paying for it can be a real issue. Join us as we discuss college access programs in general, interview Amanda Kraus, executive director of Row NY in the first segment in a series focusing on individual access programs, and learn more about college finance options for low income students.

We're thrilled to welcome Bridget Moore, associate director of admissions and coordinator of international admissions at Connecticut College, to this week's show. She'll be telling us more about Conn College and how the selection process works there. We'll also discuss the option of using retirement savings to pay for college. Can you do it? Should you? Finally, we'll be answering college admissio...

Much has been written lately about the amount of debt incurred by students pursuing bachelor's degrees at four year institutions. But what about community college? We'll welcome Jessica Braithwaite, a postdoctoral research associate at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College, to the show to discuss whether or not this is a viable option for many students. We...

A semester in Paris. A year in Johannesburg, South Africa. A summer in Melbourne, Australia. Lots of colleges tout their multiple study abroad programs as reasons to attend. Maybe you've wanted to study abroad ever since your first day in Spanish class, or maybe it's the last thing you're considering. In this episode we'll discuss the benefits of study abroad and how to pay for it if you decide it...

Thousands of students hope to study in the University of California system but either don't have the money for four years of study or don't have the grades and test scores to get in right out of college. The UC system actually has a specific pathway to the UC via community college, which can offer a solution to both the cost and selectivity issues. We'll tell you all about it. We'll also look into...

Last week we welcomed an international student studying in the US to our show. This week, we're going to be discussing the ins and outs of applying if you are an international student interested in attending college in the US. With Malia Obama's recent announcement that she'll defer freshman year for a year, gap years are all over the news. We're going to investigate the options and take a closer...

It may seem that all you need to do after you deposit is buy some extra-long sheets for your dorm room bed and show up in time for the first day of classes. In reality, there are lots of different deadlines and forms, particularly as they relate to the financial side of college, that require your attention after you select your school. We're going to walk you through some things to think about in...

One of the best parts of the college process should be the moment when the tables are turned and students get to decide which school they will attend out of all those who made them offers. But this process can sometimes be as fraught with issues as putting together the initial list. If you're struggling to make a decision, we'll be offering tips to help. We'll also be discussing the Academic Commo...

It's every college going student and parent's nightmare: decisions from colleges arrive, and there isn't a yes in the bunch. Does this mean that the college dream is over? Definitely not, since there are actually many institutions still accepting applications even at this late date. Join us to learn more about how to find them and what to do. On the flip side, what if the student has choices, but...

What happens if you got into most of the colleges on your list, but now you're realizing you don't really like any of them? We'll be looking at what you can do if you find yourself in this situation. We'll also talk to a student about her decision to attend the University of Michigan and the path she took to get there in another segment on students' college choices. We'll wrap it all up by answeri...

College visits can be an incredibly valuable part of the college process—or they can be a big waste of time and money. Students and families can make these worth their while by thinking ahead about the kinds of questions they want to ask and of whom, and we'll be offering guidance around both in this week's show. In another of our ongoing segments on students' college choices, this week we'll hear...

In our first segment on Turning the Tide, Ian Fisher, Elyse Krantz, and Beth Heaton discussed the relative merits of the report and plan but only had time to cover the basics. In this week's show, they'll return to dig a bit deeper and uncover what this means for students. Should they change their approach to course selection? Opt for fewer APs? Move community service to the top of the list of ext...