Episodes
March 23, 2017
Making Your Final College Choice - State System Spotlight: Texas, Education Tax Breaks
Acceptances are in, and perhaps you are one of many students (or the parent of one) who has a few options to consider. If so, don’t miss our segment on how to make your final college choice by May 1. We’ll do another in our s...
March 16, 2017
State System Spotlight: State University of New York, Answering Listener Questions
In the second segment of our State System Spotlight, we’re exploring the different campuses of the SUNY system, including the differing levels of selectivity, specific strengths and focuses, and the culture and feel of the sc...
March 9, 2017
New Common App Essay Prompts, Scholarship and Financial Aid Renewability: Office Hours: Starting Your Common App Essay
One of the most important things you need to understand about your financial aid and/or scholarship packages is whether or not they are renewable for all four years. Tune in to this week’s episode for more information about h...
March 2, 2017
A Day in the Life of an Admissions Officer; How to Financially Plan for all Four Years
Ever wonder what life is like as an admissions officer? Understanding what they’re doing on a daily basis can be especially valuable in understanding who will be reading your application. This segment will specifically focus ...
Feb. 23, 2017
How to Negotiate a -Better- Scholarship: State System Spotlight: University of California
Maybe you got some merit-based money from one college, but not from the one you most want to attend. Or perhaps you got a scholarship to one of your top choices but were hoping for more. In this week’s episode of Getting In, ...
Feb. 16, 2017
Everything You Need to Know About the National Merit Scholarship Process and Awards: Applying to College: How Can Parents Help?
It’s that time of year again: National Merit Scholarship finalists have been announced, and students are scrambling to update schools with their new status. How did those students qualify? Does it even matter in the admission...
Feb. 9, 2017
Financial Aid Appeals: What If College is Not the Right Next Step? Office Hours
As financial aid awards start to come in, families can be thrilled and disappointed at the results. If your award isn’t what you expected or, more importantly, isn’t enough to allow you or your child to attend their chosen sc...
Feb. 2, 2017
The Ivy League Admissions Interview, Comparing Financial Aid Offers: Women's Leadership and Mentoring Programs
Preparing for your interview at an Ivy or similarly selective institution and wondering what it’s all about? We’ll share information on why these are offered, what to expect, and the role your interview will likely play in th...
Jan. 26, 2017
Scholarships with February and March Deadlines: Community College to Four Year Institution: Office Hours
You may have heard that if you want to apply for scholarships to help pay for college, the key is to start early. But if you procrastinated, you’re in luck, because in this week’s show we’re going to share information about s...
Jan. 19, 2017
Office Hours: Answering Listeners' Admissions and College Finance Questions: High School Plan: Pre-Vet Students
Have an aspiring veterinarian in your household? In another segment in our High School Plan series, we’ll review the best courses and extracurricular activities for potential pre-vet students. We’re also answering your listen...
Jan. 12, 2017
Steps to Take Now if You Want to Get Your MBA: Applying to Medical School, Financial Aid for Mid-Year Transfers
Lots of students head to college with a goal of earning a million dollars—or finding a cure for cancer—before age 30. If you anticipate applying to business or medical school, you’ll want to tune in this week, when we’ll talk...
Jan. 5, 2017
Can an Average Student Get Into a Top-Tier School? Options if You Can't Pay the Spring College Bill- Office Hours: Avoiding the Rumor Mill: Our 100th Show!
We answer a lot of listener questions on the show, and one that we get asked fairly frequently is “Can an average student get into a top-tier school?” Tune in to find out. We’re also looking at options for families who find t...
Dec. 29, 2016
School's In Application Workshop: My Applications are Submitted-Now What? Listener Questions
It can be tempting to take an extended break once you finally submit your last application. Guess what? Not a great idea! We’ll offer some advice about what not to do now that apps are in, and how to best approach the remaind...
Dec. 22, 2016
School's In Application Workshop - What to Do About Those Early Decision and Early Action Decisions; Trends in College Pricing
Most colleges have released their decisions for the early round, whether that is Early Decision or Early Action. We’ll be discussing how to handle all possible outcomes in terms of what to do if you were admitted, deferred, o...
Dec. 15, 2016
School's In! Application Workshop: Countdown to January 1 and Listener Questions on College Finance and Admissions
The last big deadline is approaching and we’ll be offering tips and suggestions for making sure applications are ready to go. We’ll also take another shot at answering your college finance and admissions questions.
Dec. 8, 2016
School's In! Application Workshop: Princeton, Yale, and Dartmouth Supplements: To Transfer or Not to Transfer
To transfer or not to transfer—that is the question! Meet Brooke, who came home from college after a few months determined to transfer. She’s going to share why, what her research uncovered, and whether or not she ultimately ...
Dec. 1, 2016
School's In Application Workshop: Supplements for Penn, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, and Cornell: Keeping Track of Your Student Loans
If you’ve taken out a new student loan every year or even every semester, keeping track of them can be a herculean task. Tune in for tips on how to best do this. In this week’s School’s In Application Workshop session, we’re ...
Nov. 17, 2016
School's In! Application Workshop: Countdown to January 1 and Listener Questions on College Finance and Admissions
With Thanksgiving only a week away, New Year’s Day is fast approaching. The holidays may mean gifts and family gatherings, but here at College Coach ‘tis the season for regular decision application deadlines. We’ll spend a li...
Nov. 10, 2016
The Pros and Cons of Not Applying for Financial Aid When Applying to College, School's In! Application Workshop: New University of California Essay Prompts
One of our most frequent questions revolves around whether or not to apply for financial aid when applying for acceptance. There are many factors to consider here, and we’ll try to cover as many as possible during today’s sho...
Nov. 3, 2016
School's In Application Workshop: What to Do After the Nov. 1 ED and EA Deadlines; Religion in Essays and Essays for Religious Colleges, The Benefits of a Part-Time Job
It’s November 3, and that can only mean one thing: all of the ED and EA applications with November 1 deadlines have been submitted. In this week’s show, we’re going to discuss what to think about and do next. We’re also going...
Oct. 27, 2016
'School's In' Application Workshop: Listener Questions
As we get closer to the fall and winter deadlines, we know you have lots of questions. We have lots of answers, and we’ll devote this week’s show to sharing them with you!
Oct. 20, 2016
The Danger of Missing a Deadline, School's In! Application Workshop: Submitting Test Scores, University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin, Madison Supplemental Essay Prompts
What are the consequences of missing a financial aid deadline? Does that mean you definitely won’t receive any money? Or is it not really a big deal? In this week’s show, we’ll answer these questions and more in our segment o...
Oct. 13, 2016
Filling out the CSS Profile, School's In! Application Workshop: Should You Disclose a Learning Difference?
Two weeks ago we focused an entire show around completing the FAFSA. In this week’s show, we’ll go through the CSS Profile, another financial aid document required by about 200 colleges and universities. In our weekly School’...
Oct. 6, 2016
School's In Application Workshop: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Completing the Common App
The Common App is accepted at close to 700 public and private colleges in the US, making it one of the most popular choices for one-stop-shopping in the admissions process. Every year, College Coach puts out a multi-part seri...