Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Wondering if college is worth it? We'll help you think through how to evaluate the return on investment and avoid some pitfalls that might decrease your ROI. Are you a senior or the parent of a senior who hasn't yet done anything on the college process? We have some to dos and timelines to get you going! We'll also discuss the who, what, where, when, and why of college interviews—tune in for some...

What's a NESCAC anyway? Bates College admissions officer Scott Alexander joins the show to share a current view of his college and other NESCAC schools. Pitzer College admissions officer also joins the show to discuss the Pitzer essay supplements. And in our latest Personal Finance segment, we'll go over the benefits of establishing an emergency fund.

As you know, we are in the season of supplements. We'll look at both Ithaca College and Notre Dame while also tackling those pesky major of interest and why this college questions in general. In other news, we look at what's next from a financial perspective for National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Ten days to November 1—yikes!! We have advice for what to focus on now as we inch closer to those November 1 deadlines. We're also sharing our takeaways from the annual conference for National Association of College Admissions Counselors—NACAC for short.

What the heck is a net price calculator and why should you use one? Glad you asked—we'll tell all in today's show! We also welcome Chris Perlongo from the University of Vermont to talk early action, early decision, and supplemental essays about Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Finally, we're also sharing colleges with atypical deadlines and applications.

The FAFSA is live, and many of you have questions. We've assembled our list of the top 10 FAFSA questions along with the answers, and we're sharing them with you! Three of our college admissions consultants will also share their experiences attending colleges in the "middle of nowhere" and in the heart of the city.

Majors, majors, majors. Is it okay to be undecided? What about choosing something you've never studied before? On this week's show, we're exploring majors: how to think about them, how to choose them, when to wait (and whether or not that is a problem when it comes to admissions), and how to know that a major is right for you—even if you've never taken one course in the subject. We'll also explain...

Seniors completing the Common App and looking at a long list of supplemental essays may be asking, "but why do I have to write more essays?!" right about now. Becky Konowitz, dean of admissions at Santa Clara University joins the show to answer that question and dig into her own schools supplemental questions. In other segments, we're breaking down recent updates re: Federal Student Loan Forgivene...

If you've been looking at college price tags and wishing you'd started saving earlier, you might want to tune in to today's show. Guest Yvette Haring of TIAA-CREF will be talking about 520 college savings programs and whether or not it's too late to open one (hint—probably not!). In other segments, we're talking to working parents to find out how they make time to support their students (it's Work...

If you're interested in attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution, intrigued by Hispanic Studies, or want to learn more about Latino-Hispanic Scholarships, today's show is for you! We'll hear from a representative from University of New Mexico, a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), offer insight into what it means to major in Hispanic Studies and other interdisci...

Imagine heading off to college with no one to support you—no parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents. That's what many foster students who make it to college face every year. Join us to learn more about how the Wily Network is stepping up to fill that void. If you've received money back from your college, and you're not sure why, we have answer. We'll share everything you need to know about financial...

Planning to apply to a University of California institution or a Texas public university? We're exploring the UC application and the Apply Texas platform in today's podcast. And in our college finance segment, we'll share details on the Cal Grant Program.

Attention college freshmen: starting strong is one of the keys to a successful college experience. We have some best practices to help students get off to a good first semester. We're also answering your college admissions and finance questions.

It's that time of year: the Common App and the Coalition application are both live. We're breaking down each option and offering suggestions on getting started on these application platforms. We will also look at credit reports in terms of both personal and college finance.

Wondering if working in college is a good idea? We have thoughts! (Because of course we do!) We're also exploring the benefits of studying a foreign language with our guests from Duolingo, one of the coolest ways to support classroom learning, pick up a new language on your own, or for international students to show proficiency in English.

If you've ever dreamed of being a sportscaster, tune in to today's podcast to learn more about how to make that happen from someone in the field. We also have a list of things athletes should be doing now. And finally, we'll talk through sharing financial aid package information with others—why you might want to do this, when you might not want to do this, and how to do it.

Your student applied, got in, and made their final decision. Now what? We have everything you need to know from the mother of two college students who has gone through the process herself. In Office Hours, we're answering your college finance and admissions questions.

Today's show is all about attending college in a place other than your home country. We'll be offering admissions and college finance advice for international students who plan to attend college in the US and US students who want to go abroad for their studies.

What does it mean when a college meets financial need? We'll take a closer look at the reality of this policy for families and share some colleges that do this. For those planning college visits this summer, we have advice from a Boston College admissions officer and a tour guide about how to make the most of that time even though students aren't on campus.

While much of the scholarship dollars available to students comes courtesy of merit aid awarded by colleges to the best applicants in their pools, a handful of selective scholarships require an application process. We'll explore the requirements for Morehead Cain and talk about other selective scholarships in today's podcast. On the finance side, we're talking through the buy now, pay later progra...

The college search process can be daunting for all students, but LGTBQ+ students may find it particularly challenging as they search for spaces where they will feel comfortable and safe. In honor of Pride month, we're talking through how these students can best approach this part of applying to college. In Office Hours, we're answering listeners' college finance and admissions questions.

As you prepare to pay for college, you may be finally tapping your college savings accounts. We have advice about how to best approach this. The Common App recently released a report on the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. We've pored over the findings and will share highlights with you. Finally we're looking at what it's like to be at a college with a Christian name—and not be Christian.

Rising seniors already know that this summer is an important time to get ahead on their application work. One important component of that is finalizing your list and noting important submission deadlines. And understanding those options is key to your success. With that in mind, we'll discuss early decision one and two, early action, restricted early action, priority, regular decision, and rolling...

It's Pride Month, and we're covering LGBTQ+ scholarships in celebration. We're also talking about student research—why you might do this and what it can look like. Finally, in office hours we're reviewing how to decide if using an independent counselor is the right path for you.

Students these days are frequently involved in as many activities outside of the classroom as classes they're taking inside it. A social worker and teen parent joins today's show to discuss how cutting back can help improve mental health. In Office Hours, we're answering listeners' college finance and admissions questions.