The MEFA Podcast

Episode #20. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Nick Charrette, Assistant Director of Veterans Upward Bound, who discusses what Veterans Upward Bound offers, the different types of GI Bills, and how veterans can maximize their education benefits.

Episode #19. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Jennifer Bento-Pinyoun, Director of MEFA Pathway at MEFA, who explains how students and counselors can utilize MEFA Pathway, and Cheryl Nelson, Counselor in the Lunenburg School District, who explains how she uses the platform with her eighth and ninth grade students.

Episode #18. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Mary Rubenis, Outreach Manager of Attainable at MEFA, who explains how individuals with disabilities can save for qualified expenses in an Attainable account, and Sarah Lazare, Director of the Banacos Academic Center at Westfield State University, who explains how students with disabilities can prepare for college success.

Episode #17. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Stephanie Wells, Director of College Relations at MEFA, who explains how to compare college loan options, including the differences between Federal Direct Student Loans, the PLUS Loan, and private loans, as well as paying the college bill through a combination of past, present, and future income.

Episode #16. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Jennifer Ma, Senior Policy Research Scientist at the College Board, who explains College’s Board recent Education Pays report, including patterns among U.S. adults with different education levels and disparities in college participation and completion across demographic groups.

Episode #15. Host Jonathan Hughes talks with Dror Liebenthal, co-founder and CEO of bold.org, about how students can search for scholarships on bold.org, an innovative, streamlined, and secure service that matches students to exclusive scholarships.

Episode #14. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Paul Curley, CFA, Director of 529 & ABLE Research at ISS Market Intelligence, who explains all you need to know about 529 accounts, including their history, how they work, what studies show about opening an account, and why it’s important to start saving for college.

Episode #13. Jonathan Hughes breaks down uAspire’s recently published Beyond the College Bill report with uAspire’s Massachusetts Policy Director Anika Van Easton and Senior Vice President of Knowledge Holly Morrow.

Episode #12. PLEASE NOTE: This podcast was recorded in 2021. As of 2022, this program has been renamed from After the College Acceptance to How to Pay for College: A Guide for High School Seniors and Families. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning and Content Creation Jonathan Hughes explains how MEFA’s How to Pay for College: A Guide for High School Seniors and Families campaign will help...

Episode #11. MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes explains how MassTransfer guarantees transfer admission from an associate to a bachelor's degree program and the powerful savings it offers for students and their families. Jonathan is joined by Mark Broadbent of Holyoke Community College and Liuginsa Rosa, student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Episode #10. Host Jonathan Hughes discusses the first year of BabySteps, what was learned in the pilot program, and how the program makes saving for college more accessible. Jonathan is joined by Alayna Van Tassel of the Office of Economic Empowerment.

Episode #8. ***Please note that some details about the FAFSA in this episode are now outdated. Please reference mefa.org for updated information.*** Host Jonathan Hughes explains what's new with the FAFSA, including changes to the EFC, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, FAFSA-related websites, and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Jonathan is joined by MEFA's Julie Shields-Rutyna and Meredith...

Episode #7. Host Jonathan Hughes breaks down the resources available to students in Massachusetts to help save on the cost of college, including Tuition Break, New England State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), and Open Educational Resources (OER). Jonathan is joined by Wendy Lindsay from the New England Board of Higher Education.

Episode #6. Host Jonathan Hughes explains the two Massachusetts's college saving plans, The U.Fund and The U.Plan, as well as the BabySteps Savings Plan. Jonathan is joined by Yiming Shuang and Christine Jauregui of Inversant.

Episode #5. Hosts Jonathan Hughes and Jonathan Sparling break down factors to consider when comparing student loans, how some school may be delayed with their billing process this year, how to be a wise borrower, and how the process of applying for a loan works.

Episode #4. Hosts Jonathan Hughes and Jonathan Sparling explain how the U.Plan works and interview a real life saver who used the U.Plan to pay for her child's college.

Episode #3. Hosts Jonathan Hughes and Jonathan Sparling explain how to know if a college is a good investment, online tools you can use in the absence of campus visits, and what resources colleges are offering prospective students to help them get a feel for campus.

Episode #2. Hosts Jonathan Hughes and Jonathan Sparling break down everything you need to know about appealing your financial aid offer including how to appeal, who should appeal, and what deferment might mean for your financial aid.

Episode #1. Hosts Jonathan Hughes and Jonathan Sparling discuss how COVID-19 affects every aspect of college planning, from students already attending college to colleges making plans for the upcoming school year to parents just starting to save.