Episodes
Aug. 16, 2018
A College Student's Perspective; Early Decision; the College Bill
We’re excited to welcome a current college student to the podcast to share her reflections on her college admissions process—what went well, what went wrong, and how it all ended up. In Office Hours, we’re looking at the pros...
Aug. 9, 2018
When to Take the SAT/ACT; Merit Scholarships; Supplemental Essays
Timing is everything, especially when it comes to the college admissions process. This week we’re providing tips and suggestions on the best time to take standardized tests. We’ll also explain why merit-based scholarship awar...
Aug. 2, 2018
Accelerated Degrees; Need-Based Financial Aid; 2018-19 Common App
There are a number of accelerated degree programs offering students the chance to complete advanced degrees in either fewer years than it would normally take or without the hassle of applying to graduate school. Tune in to he...
July 26, 2018
First Year Abroad Programs; College Finance and Admissions Q and A
A handful of colleges have begun offering special programs in which students spend the first year studying abroad. If you’re wondering what they’re all about and whether or not they’re right for you, we’re sharing more about ...
July 19, 2018
Financial Aid and the Ivies; Choosing Courses; Subject Tests
If you aspire to the most selective colleges in the country and will need financial help to attend, don’t miss our segment on how financial aid works at the Ivies. For those getting ready to head to college in the fall, we’ll...
July 12, 2018
LinkedIn; Community College Financial Aid; Common App Account
We often think of social media as a negative element of the college process, but what if there was a way to use it to your advantage? We’ll discuss this and some specific suggestions for using LinkedIn as part of your college...
July 5, 2018
Saving on Dorm Supplies; UK Universities; After Freshman Year
College is expensive enough—you don’t want to spend what’s left of your money on books and dorm supplies. We’re offering tips for finding bargains on this new round of expenses. If you’re preparing to welcome your student bac...
June 28, 2018
College in Canada; Office Hours: Listener Questions
If you’re considering traveling outside of the United States for college (or even if you’re not), you might want to include Canada in your college process. We’ll walk you through why Canada might be a good choice and offer re...
June 21, 2018
STEAM; Preparing for College; Starting at a Two-Year College
STEAM is a new acronym that has been tossed around quite a bit recently. In this week’s show, we’ll explain what it is and which colleges offer programs in this area. Sending a teenager off to college can be scary for many re...
June 14, 2018
Summer Test Prep; Loan Forbearance; Year in Review and Goal Setting
One of the most important elements of the college process is making a plan and setting goals. This is the time of the year to review what was accomplished and write down some goals for the current year, and we’ll be discussin...
June 7, 2018
Summer College Visits; School Refund Policies; Common App Essay
Summer is a very important time in the college process. Two very important items to focus on: planning and making the most of college visits, and getting started on your main essay. We’ll talk about both in this week’s episod...
May 31, 2018
College Finance and Admissions Q and A; ROTC
If you’re considering Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC for short), don’t miss this week. We welcome a recent program graduate and her mom to discuss how she decided this was the right program for her, how mom felt about t...
May 24, 2018
Distinguishing Excellence on the App; Activity Resumes
In last week’s Getting In, we discussed the importance of a distinguishing excellence for those students hoping to be admitted to the most selective schools in the country. This week, we walk you through the best way to prese...
May 17, 2018
Distinguishing Excellence and the Ivy League; Transition to College
If you aspire to one of the most selective colleges in the country, you must have something that takes you from competitive to compelling. We discuss the concept of a “distinguishing excellence”—what it is and how you can get...
May 10, 2018
Benefits and Drawbacks to Homeschooling; NY State Excelsior Program
One year ago, NY State established the Excelsior Program offering free tuition to qualifying state residents at state institutions. As the program heads into its second year, we’ll revisit how the program works and share info...
May 3, 2018
Ivy League Admissions and Athletic Recruitment; Repayment Plans
Teenagers who are both talented athletes and strong students might be able to leverage those abilities in the Ivy League admissions process. We’ll investigate how that process works from the perspective of someone who was bot...
April 26, 2018
'Best' School Options:How to Choose; Finance and Admissions Q and A
It’s down to the wire for this year’s seniors, with deposits due to the college of their choice by May 1. For those struggling with this decision, we’ll offer tips for evaluating your acceptances and choosing the best option....
April 19, 2018
Payment Plans; Myths: re UK Universities; Standardized Tests
As the world becomes more global and a greater number of students look for college options farther from home, we’re seeing lots of interest in the UK university system. We’re going to explore some common myths related to appl...
April 12, 2018
Creating a College List; Waitlists from the College Perspective
There are two important parts of every college lists: finding the best fit colleges where the student can get in and pay for. We’ll devote two segments to those ideas this week, focusing on how to get started on the list and ...
April 5, 2018
High School Resources; Babson Financial Aid: Goucher Admissions
We’re tapping our colleagues’ experience this week to offer insight into Goucher College and how they approach admissions and Babson’s financial aid process. In Office Hours, we’re offering advice about how to make the most o...
March 29, 2018
NACAC State of Admissions Report; How Much to Borrow; Waitlisted?
Every year the National Association of College Admissions Counselors studies the state of college admissions and issues a report. We have the results of this year’s report, and we’re going to share some highlights. If you’re ...
March 22, 2018
Small Fish in Big Pond or Big Fish in Small Pond?; Listener Q and A
Is it better to be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond? And what does aquatic life have to do with college anyway? Tune in for our take. We’ll also answer your college finance and admissions questions in ...
March 15, 2018
College Visit Pitfalls; Preparing for Results; More Finance Myths
We’re big fans of college visits, because there’s no substitute for getting a firsthand view of the institution. But not all visits are created equal, so in this week’s episode we’ll be helping you avoid some common campus vi...
March 8, 2018
Overnight Visits; Urban Vs. Rural Vs. Suburban; Finance Myths
For students in the final stages of deciding which school to apply to or attend, overnight visits can really make a difference. Tune in to learn more about the value of the overnight visit. We’ll also talk about the pros and ...