Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Ever wonder what colleges mean by the phrase: holistic admissions process? Curious about what really happens around the selection committee table in a college admissions office? In this week's episode, Ian Fisher, Becky Leichtling, and Laurie Peltier are going to take listeners through a mock admissions session. Using case studies we've put together, they'll offer insight into some of the ins and...

While most of our content focuses on the almost 3,000 four year colleges and universities in the United States, there are lots of options for advanced study in Canada as well. In this week's show we're going to talk about the Canadian university system from both the admissions and finance side of things. We'll talk about the differences in our systems in terms of the admissions process, what to ex...

Did you know that the College Board will give students a preview of the new SAT this October when they sit for the PSAT? Designed as a practice for the real thing, the PSAT will roll out a shorter version of the test that will debut in March 2016. Jake Neuberg of Revolution Prep will join us to go through the changes and what they mean for students taking the test this fall. If you're already in c...

Much of what we see, read, and hear about college admissions seems to imply that even the very best students will struggle finding an institution to accept them. Once you step back from the craziness that surrounds admissions, you realize there are lots of options for many students. But is that true for students routinely earning C's or even D's? On this week's episode, we'll explore the college p...

Did you know that the University of California system will start accepting applications on November 1 and stop accepting them on November 30? If so, congratulations--you have at least one of the basics covered. But if you haven't sat down to fill out the actual UC application, you may not be aware that it generates a lot of student (and parent!) questions. In this week's episode, my California-bas...

As many of you may be aware, there are some great alternatives to highly selective private colleges and universities for very bright students, Those are the honors programs and colleges at some public universities. We're going to be discussing the benefits of those programs. We're also going to discuss another type of offering that might appeal to some students—same sex colleges. What are the posi...

Have you or your student ever had a disciplinary issue that led to a suspension, an expulsion, or even a visit to court? Former Swarthmore senior admissions officer Kennon Dick will join us to share his thoughts about how to best address disciplinary issues in the college process. For those of you getting ready to apply for financial aid, college finance expert Beth Feinberg Keenan will walk us th...

The Common App for the 2015-2016 application season made it's official debut this past weekend on August 1. Before you rush to start filling it out, tune in to Getting In as Elyse Krantz and I walk through it and offer information and advice section by section. College finance expert Shannon Vasconcelos will also return to talk to us about what NOT to do when paying for college.

The Common Application is the application of choice for more than 500 colleges and universities in the US and abroad, which makes it fairly common for many students applying to college to use it. Each year the application goes live on August 1, and each year there are a few minor and sometimes major changes. Elyse Krantz, who writes a fabulous series of blogs each year the cover everything you nee...

It's hard to read any account of the college admissions process these days without hearing about how important extracurricular activities are. What is less widely discussed is that the ways in which you present those activities is almost as important as doing them in the first place. On this week's show, we'll answer your questions about how to make the most of those activities on your application...

Early decision is a way for students to show commitment to their top choice college and get an early answer at the same time. But you may not be aware that there can be significant financial implications to this binding option. We'll dig into what applying under this program can mean for financial aid and scholarships. We're also going to wrap up our four-part segment on the high school years with...

Ever heard that junior year is the most important of all when it comes to college admissions? In part three of our four-part series on what to be thinking about each year of high school, we'll tackle this question and offer insight into what is important to accomplish in this third year of high school. We'll also cover establishing a budget as a teenager, something that will come in very handy in...

Many colleges require a personal essay in which applicants share something important about themselves. But did you know that some also ask for an essay that, in essence, asks Why this college? It's incredibly important to get this one right, and on today's show we'll walk students through this essay--what it's about, why colleges ask for it, and how to best approach it. We'll also discuss ways to...

This week's show is all about getting an early start. For starters, we're introducing the first segment in a four-week series covering everything you need to be thinking about relating to college admissions for each year of high school. We'll start where you start—with ninth grade. We're also going to discuss getting an early start on college finance, including looking for scholarships and whether...

Do you have college admissions and finance questions? We have answers! Join us on June 18, when we invite our listeners to call in and talk to us live on air. Have a question about whether or not to drop French after sophomore year? We can answer that. Curious about whether or not to cash in your entire 529 plan in the first year? We can answer that. Wondering if you should write your college essa...

For all those rising seniors out there, summer is a great time to start work on your college applications! If you're currently stuck staring at the Common App prompts and wondering where to go from there, don't miss this episode! In part one of a two part series, Ian Fisher will be offering tips and suggestions for approaching the first two prompts on the Common App. We'll also welcome Fordham's M...

While 529 savings plans and pre-paid tuition options get a great deal of coverage in the media, there are actually quite a few different ways to save for college. In this week's episode, we'll explore using a Roth IRA for just this purpose. We'll also explain the science behind all of those college marketing materials currently flooding your mailbox and inbox and help you understand what it all me...

Ever wonder if it makes sense to select different majors at each school to improve the odds of acceptance? Maybe you heard that admissions officers really like essays that focus on an example of doing good in the community? On this week's show we're going to address the issue of tailoring the applicant to the college in a segment on presenting your authentic self in those applications with former...

While applying to college can be long and arduous and figuring out the financial piece is often just as challenging, it's really just a precursor to the biggest hurdle of all: going to college. In this week's show, we're talking about making a successful transition. Kennon Dick and Laurie Peltier, College Coach experts who also went through this process themselves just last year, will share tips f...

Securing a nomination. Passing the physical fitness test. Taking the appropriate coursework. If the idea of attending West Point, Annapolis, or another service academy in preparation for serving your country appeals to you, then tune in to hear College Coach expert Lisa Albro's tips on when and how to go about this often confusing application process. Alex Bickford will discuss how to best use you...

Ask any high school junior how they're feeling, and the almost inevitable reply will be, Stressed. The root of much of that stress these days is college. Whether students are overloading themselves with coursework, overbooking themselves with extracurricular commmittments or simply worrying about it, the looming spectre of college is what can push them over the edge on a regular basis. Former teac...

There are a lot of numbers involved in the admissions process: GPAs, standardized test scores, admit rates, class rankings, etc. Although in general numbers are a fairly black and white matter, the fact is that there is a lot of gray area when it comes to numbers and college admissions. Julia Jones, former senior admissions officer at Brandeis University and College Coach's list guru, will explain...

Ever wonder how you or your child can stand out in the ultra-competitive Ivy League admissions process? The answer is developing a distinguishing excellence. In a continuation of a discussion begun in our last episode of Getting In, we will be answering your questions about what a distinguishing excellence is, and how students can both identify and work towards developing one. For those students a...

Do you or your child aspire to the Ivy League or similarly highly selective colleges? Don't miss this episode of Getting In, when former Yale admissions officer Amy Alexander will join us to discuss the basics of admission to the Ivies, including curriculum choices, extracurricular activities, standardized test scores, and more. We'll also welcome Lisa Albro to the show to go over the importance o...

Worried about the college admissions essay? Unclear about how to use the prompts provided on the Common App? Wondering what changed about the Common App prompts this year? We've got answers! Elyse Krantz, former senior admissions officer and Common App expert, will share information about the new prompts and how to best use them in the essay process. If you're concerned about college loans, you wo...