Episodes
Aug. 1, 2019
High School Impact on Admissions; Listener Q and A
Ever wonder if what your high school does not do, like offer many (or any) AP or IB courses or rank students, might actually hurt you or your student in the college admissions process? We will share our thoughts on how this w...
July 25, 2019
Changes in Admissions- Work Study vs Part-Time Job- Subject Tests
Now that the dust has settled on the 2018-2019 admissions season, we’re looking at the changes we’re seeing in college admissions that will likely impact the upcoming year. We’ll also explore the differences between federal w...
July 18, 2019
The Common App: prompts and supplemental essays- student loan debt
Dear Debt’s Melanie Lockert paid off $81 thousand in student debt in just a few years. She’ll join us to talk about how she got to $81 thousand in the first place, what she would do differently if she could do it all again, a...
July 11, 2019
Enough As She Is- Kindness Matters Financially Too!
Taking a mindful approach to the college application process can help students have a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling high school experience. Rachel Simmons, author of Enough As She Is, which focuses on helping girls ...
June 27, 2019
Aid for Business Owners; Institutional Priorities; More Tests?
Owning your own business can impact the financial aid process. Tune in to learn more about how that works. We’ll also help rising seniors evaluate where they are in the testing process and determine whether or not they need t...
June 20, 2019
Liberal Arts Degrees; Real Estate and the Financial Aid Process
Contemplating a liberal arts degree but concerned about how that will translate into your career? Convinced that your child must major in a pre-professional area if they’re ever going to make a living? We get it: college—and ...
June 13, 2019
Summer Visits; Common App Essays; Finding Costs on College Sites
Its summer! Time for ice cream, blockbuster movies, and college visits and essays! Join us for insight into making the most of your college visits in preparation for writing supplemental essays in the fall. Speaking of essays...
June 6, 2019
Adversity Score; Getting the Most Out of the Summer; Listener Q and A
Heard about The College Board’s new adversity score that will be accompanying test results at a pilot group of colleges this fall? We’ll share our thoughts about the score, including information about what it’s based on, why ...
May 30, 2019
Service Work; Transitioning to College
In the second in our Kindness Matters series, we’ll tackle the question of service work: what qualifies, why students might want to do it, and whether or not it’s truly important in the admissions process. We’ll also devote m...
May 23, 2019
Business Majors; Exploring Interests; Paying for Study Abroad
One of the most popular majors in recent years is business, and more colleges are offering programs in this area. If you’ve ever wondered what students actually study or whether or not you should major in business if you want...
May 16, 2019
Studying in Ireland, 529 Plans, Creating a High School Resume
More and more students are considering universities in other countries. Today we’re welcoming a representative from University College in Dublin to discuss studying in Ireland. We’ll also take you through tips for using your ...
May 9, 2019
Opportunities in Environmental Studies; Listener Q and A
The environment, from questions around global warming to plastic in our oceans to single-stream recycling, is very much in the news on a seemingly daily basis. Many colleges now offer some form of an environmental studies maj...
May 2, 2019
The Deposit; Not-Rich Students; Do Colleges Care if You're Kind?
If you would consider yourself “not-rich” and are headed to a campus that could very well be filled with lots of students who are, don’t miss today’s show. We’re welcoming Lauren Schandevel, who encountered this challenge at ...
April 25, 2019
Disagreeing on College Choice; Micro Scholarships; AP Exams
Help—it’s almost May 1, and we can’t agree on a college! You won’t be the first student and parent not to be on the same page when it comes to college choice, and we’re pretty sure you won’t be the last. Tune in for our advic...
April 18, 2019
Trends in Merit and Financial Aid Packages; Listener Questions
In previous shows we’ve covered how to negotiate for more merit money and appeal financial aid packages. We thought it might be interesting to look at the trends we’re seeing in this year’s student packaging. In Office Hours,...
April 11, 2019
No Acceptances?; Financially Smart Lists; Third Culture Kids
Students with no acceptances will want to tune in to this week’s show, in which we will help you best handle an admissions season gone awry and offer suggestions for moving forward with your college plans. For those getting s...
April 4, 2019
Waitlisted? What to do and recent trends; Summer jobs and savings
In the world of college admissions, nothing may be more frustrating than the waitlist offer. “Thanks so much for applying. I know you were expecting an answer, but we need you to wait for yours just a little bit longer than e...
March 28, 2019
Applying Out of State. Choosing a College. College and Retirement
Devastated about not getting into your dream school? There’s no doubt this is a tough time, but you can’t abandon college just because your top choice didn’t come through. Tune in for tips on choosing the best colleges from t...
March 21, 2019
College Admissions Scandal: What Happened and What Can You Do Now?
We interrupted our regularly scheduled programming to focus an entire episode on the scandal rocking the admissions world involving wealthy parents, corrupt coaches and standardized test proctors, and a villain for the ages i...
March 14, 2019
UC A-G Requirements; How Much to Borrow; Starting a College List
Last episode we talked about how and when to arrange college financing, and this week we’re tackling the bigger question of how much is too much to borrow. For those about to start researching and visiting colleges, we have t...
March 7, 2019
Admitted Student Events; College Consultants; College Financing
Graduating seniors and their families have one more college decision looming: whether or not to spend more money to visit college campuses where the students were accepted for admitted student events. We’ll talk about what to...
Feb. 28, 2019
How Many APs Do I Need?; Accepted Student Days; Visiting Colleges
Ever wonder how many AP courses colleges want to see—or if colleges even do expect to see them? Tune in to our segment on course selection for answers to these questions and insight into how to make the best curriculum choice...
Feb. 21, 2019
Is Dual Enrollment Always a Good Idea? Plus Listener Questions
Some high schools and colleges offer a unique way to earn college credit prior to graduation through dual-enrollment coursework. Learn more about this option, how it stacks up against AP and IB programs, and whether or not it...
Feb. 14, 2019
Negotiating Scholarships; Senioritis; Starting the College Essay
Last week we talked about appealing your financial aid awards, and this week we’re covering how to negotiate for more scholarship money. If you didn’t even know that was a possibility, you’ll want to tune in to learn more. Yo...