Episodes

It may seem that all you need to do after you deposit is buy some extra-long sheets for your dorm room bed and show up in time for the first day of classes. In reality, there are lots of different deadlines and forms, particu...

One of the best parts of the college process should be the moment when the tables are turned and students get to decide which school they will attend out of all those who made them offers. But this process can sometimes be as...

It’s every college going student and parent’s nightmare: decisions from colleges arrive, and there isn’t a yes in the bunch. Does this mean that the college dream is over? Definitely not, since there are actually many institu...

What happens if you got into most of the colleges on your list, but now you’re realizing you don’t really like any of them? We’ll be looking at what you can do if you find yourself in this situation. We’ll also talk to a stud...

College visits can be an incredibly valuable part of the college process—or they can be a big waste of time and money. Students and families can make these worth their while by thinking ahead about the kinds of questions they...

In our first segment on Turning the Tide, Ian Fisher, Elyse Krantz, and Beth Heaton discussed the relative merits of the report and plan but only had time to cover the basics. In this week’s show, they’ll return to dig a bit ...

You might think a scholarship offer is firm and final—either you get it, or you don’t, and the amount is fixed. In reality, colleges often have leeway in not only who they offer money to, but how much money they offer. In thi...

The initial financial aid award you receive from a college doesn’t necessarily have to be the best and final offer—it’s actually okay to ask for more if you think you need it. Our college finance experts, who also happen to b...

We’re excited to welcome another student to the show to tell her college selection story. In this case, she had to make a difficult decision between USC and Carnegie Mellon, and she’s going to tell us how she did this. A rece...

It should be an easy thing to compare financial aid offers from different schools. But between loans, grants, merit scholarships, work study, and other different components, it can often feel like comparing apples to oranges....

It seems that every other day we get asked about the possibility of paying in-state tuition at an out-of-state college. There are so many myths surrounding this concept that it can start to feel like the whole thing is made u...

Ever wonder how the admissions process works at large state universities? We’ll give you a hint—it’s not exactly the same as at the Ivies. Kelly Bird, senior assistant director of admission at the University of Georgia will j...

As decisions start to come in next month, many students will be embarking on one of the biggest challenges of the college admissions process: where to actually go! In the first two segments on our new series offering student ...

Standing out in the college admissions process is a great thing. Unless you're the parent, and not the student. Listen is as we share horror stories of parents who are more memorable than their students and get a better under...

Once you file the FAFSA, it may feel like all you can do is sit and wait to find out how much money the colleges on your list will offer in their packages. But there are actually things that students and parents can be doing ...

Over the past few months, we’ve been asking you to send us your thoughts on the things you’d like to hear more about, along with your specific questions. In today’s show, we’re going to answer as many of those admissions and ...

Extracurricular activities are important. After course selection, grades, and test scores, applicants' activities outside of the classroom can be a significant factor in admissions process at many colleges. So what do you do ...

In the fall of 2015, a coalition of US colleges and universities, including all of the Ivies and a number of other highly selective public and private institutions announced the creation of a new application. Their stated goa...

New Year's Resolution: make a plan for your admissions process and another one for how you’re going to pay for college. Today's episode is all about planning ahead, from preparing to complete the FAFSA to making sure you have...

Most of those students who applied via early action or early decision programs have received their answer by now. Unfortunately, some got a definitive no and are on the regular decision. Others got a yes--very exciting!--and ...

Many of the students we meet with are already set on pursuing a pre-med track when they get to college, with the ultimate goal of attending med school. In this week's show, we'll be doing another high school plan session focu...

So you sent in a few early applications and figured you were done. Now you've gotten the results and they're not good: no acceptances and mostly denials. Don't panic--Kara Courtois is here to help! Join us for advice about fi...

Much of the college process seems to focus on either getting into college or paying for it, as if these two things are mutually exclusive. In this episode, we'll be addressing how to think about how to craft a list with an ey...

You've run the numbers on the net price calculators and it's pretty clear--you're not going to qualify for any financial aid. Should you apply anyway? We'll tackle that question in this week's show. We're also going to ponder...