Episodes

Every college in the US is happy to answer your questions, and we frequently encourage students to approach colleges to get more information and address their concerns. But have you ever wondered if there are questions that you shouldn’t ask? We’ll give you our thoughts. Last week we tackled the question of whether or not you should save for college. This week we’ll discuss how much you should save. Finally, we’ll explore general services on college campuses for students with learning difference...

You may have heard people talking about college savings interfering with financial aid eligibility. Maybe you’re wondering if it even makes sense to save for college, or if it would be better to simply rely on financial aid and loans. We’re going to try to clear up any confusion around the question of saving for college in this week’s show. In another in our series taking listeners inside the admissions process at colleges across the country, this week offers a peek at University of Southern Cal...

Ever wonder what happens after you submit your application to college? The answer (as it often is in college admissions!) is: it depends. That’s why we’re taking you the process at some of the colleges where we worked in admissions. This week, we’re looking at Holy Cross and Babson. Those of you who have been saving for college may be surprised to learn that there are some important things to think about as you prepare to finally spend that money. Tune in for our tips. And finally, Office Hours ...

Lots of high school students aspire to careers in medicine, and they hope to get on the fast track to being a doctor by applying to BS/MD programs. But many aren’t aware there is another option that is slightly less selective, and therefore often a bit easier to attain: BS/DO. We’ll tell you all about it on this week’s show. We’re also answering your college finance and admissions questions in Office Hours.

There has been a lot of conversation in the traditional media and social media around the type of education students pursue in college. Should students pursue more pre-professional degrees such as business or physical therapy? Are STEM majors truly the best path to success after graduation? Can you even get a job with a liberal arts education? And what the heck is a liberal arts education anyway? As usual, we have answers to these questions! In other segments, we’ll be looking at what needs to b...

In our ongoing series taking you inside the admissions processes at a variety of schools, College Coach educator and former MIT and Caltech admissions officer Zaragoza Guerra will take us through the differences in those two schools’ application evaluations. We’ll also tackle some key tips and considerations for students on the Autism spectrum who are applying to college. We’ll also look at utilizing summer jobs to help pay for college.

Every year we read a handful of stories about students who are accepted to all eight Ivies and a few other highly selective schools AND hear about students who apply to all of the Ivies and get into none. Regardless of the fact that the latter is much more prevalent than the former, families seem to come away with the idea that applying to more of these selective schools will somehow increase the odds of acceptance. We’re going to look at the statistics behind that assumption. In Office Hours, w...

Curious about what holistic admissions means and how it’s practiced at different colleges and universities? In the second in our series on this topic, two former Penn admissions officers will offer some insight into how it worked at their institution. We’re also answering your college finance and admissions questions in Office Hours.

Many students come to us looking for a “rah rah” environment in their college—or convinced that a sports culture will negatively impact their college experience. We’ll be discussing the impact of sports on campus culture, including how to determine if a school has it. In other segments, it’s time for this year’s group of seniors to make some final decisions about the college they will attend next year. For many (most?), one major factor in this process will be cost. In this week’s Office Hours, ...

Waitlisted? Curious about what this means and why this happened? Tune in to the show as we use our Office Hours segment to discuss this and offer a little advice around whether or not you can appeal a denial. We’re also talking to campus safety advocate Jordan Draper about how to review statistics and ask questions to determine the safety of a given campus. Finally, if you’ve waited until now or just realized that you need more money, we have some tops for finding scholarships in the spring of s...

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 state spotlight series, this time taking a closer look at the different schools that make up Texas’ state system. Finally, we’ll be talking about education tax breaks that families can take advantage of this year.

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 schools. We’ll also be answering your college finance and admissions questions.

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 how to determine the terms of your offer from this perspective. In other segments, we’ll be walking you through the Common App essay prompts for the 2017/2018 application season, which were recently released. And in our Office Hours segment, we’ll offer some thoughts on start...

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 on reading season, which is what we call that time of year when pretty much all you do as an AO is read files. In our other segment, we’ll talk about the importance of crafting a plan for paying for all four years of college and offer suggestions about how to best do that.

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, we’re going to walk you through how to best approach the negotiation process with the schools to which you have been accepted. We’ll also explore the University of California system, explaining the different campuses in terms of strengths, “vibe”, and selectivity.

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 admissions process? And how much money can you win anyway? We’re going to answer all of these questions and more in this week’s episode of Getting In. Applying to college can be very stressful for students and parents, and parental involvement can play a large part in ratcheting up t...

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 school, you may want to appeal. Tune in to learn more about how and when to do that. If you’re listening to our show, you are focused on college as an important part of your or your child’s life. But what if college is not the immediate right next step? We’ll talk about some o...

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 the review process at these schools. Financial aid offers will also be coming in over the next few months, and we’re going to help you compare them and evaluate which is the best for your needs. Finally, we’ll be looking at some of the unique leadership and mentoring programs ...

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 scholarships with February and March deadlines. For those who are investigating community college as an entry point to a four year institution, we’ll be speaking with John Fink, research associate at the Columbia University’s Community College Research Center.

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 listener questions on both admissions and college finance.

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 about steps to take now if you want to get your MBA and applying to medical school. If you’re planning a mid-year transfer and worried about financial aid, well we’re going to cover that too.

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 themselves without the money to pay for their spring college bills. And in Office Hours, we’ll discuss the rumor mill, including how to recognize a rumor and separate fact from fiction.

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 remainder of senior year. We’ll also be answering your college admissions and finance questions.

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, or denied, including whether or not you should add additional schools to your list at this point. We’re also going to look at recent trends in college pricing per a recent College Board report.