Episodes

Rising seniors! Hopefully you’re already thinking about your college applications, and some of you may be asking just what kinds of essays you’ll need to write. College Coach colleague Karen Spencer will be joining host Shannon Vasconcelos to discuss the best prompt to answer for the Common Application essay. In addition to the Common Application essay, many schools require supplemental essays. And those essays are as important to the colleges, if not more so, than the Common Application essay....

Host Ian Fisher will be back again for the second show in a row to welcome colleague Abigail Anderson to discuss how to create the Common Application’s Activity List. You may think it is the same as a resume, but Abigail is here to tell you that it isn’t. Listen in so you can prepare. College Coach colleague Tova Tolman will be there to talk with Ian about which colleges do not accept the Common Application. There are some well-known ones, including the University of California schools. And Coll...

Are you considering a summer job? College Coach Finance Expert Zachary Gries will be joining host Ian Fisher to discuss the reasons why that can be important for young adults. Ian then has the great fortune to speak with Dr. Christie Fox, Assistant Provost for Student Success, and current college student Zack Nielson, both of Westminster University of Utah. They are pleased to talk about their institution in general and specifically how to approach college as a student with disabilities. Learn M...

First, we want to introduce Kyra Tyler, our brand new host! This is her inaugural show. Do you have plans to visit a college campus or attend a college admission reception? Concerned that you might put your foot in your mouth? Kyra will be interviewing colleague Mary Sue Youn about questions to ask, and NOT to ask, an admission officer. In addition, colleague Sara Calvert-Kubrom will join Kyra to discuss first year abroad programs. Sara formerly worked at two institutions famed for their study a...

Seniors and parents, you probably know that researching colleges is important when creating a list of colleges for your upcoming applications. But did you know that while there are many good resources for said research, there are bad ones as well? Listen in when host Shannon Vasconcelos interviews College Coach Colleague Elyse Krantz. Elyse is our expert among experts: the rest of us go to her for hard to find answers on colleges we are less familiar with. So this should be a very enlightening c...

Interested to know just who works at College Coach, and how they came to their roles as college admissions or finance educators? Host Sally Ganga will be interviewing three of our newest team members: admissions educators Geraldine Castenada, formerly of Pomona College, Marissa Dudley of Colorado College, and College Finance Educator Russell Seidelman of the University of Portland. Then, Sally will be discussing trends seen in the past admission cycle, which saw some of the biggest changes in re...

Is your plan to apply to all the Ivies plus some additional highly selective colleges because you think it will increase your odds of being admitted? Host Ian Fisher will be joined by College Coach colleague Landis Fryer to explain why it doesn’t, and why a carefully targeted list makes the most sense. For seniors, at this point you have likely received admission decisions from all your colleges. If you applied to many, you may be struggling to decide which college will be best for you. Listen i...

Join us today for a return of our parent panel! Learn more about how our team of college experts navigated the college process for their own students, what they learned, and what they found challenging when host Sally Ganga interviews College Coach colleagues Karen Spencer, Mary Sue Youn, and Jay Bonham. And to kick off the program, Laurie Peltier will be explaining to Sally when parents are borrowing too much to pay for college and how to avoid that. Learn More About Bright Horizons College Coa...

Students, have you heard that colleges want you to take AP exams even if you haven’t taken the class? Are you confused about whether you will be required to report the scores? Host Shannon Vasconcelos will be talking with College Coach colleague Blair Dixon about all things Advanced Placement. Juniors may also be concerned about asking for letters of recommendation. How many are necessary? Who should you ask? Colleague Karen Spencer will be there to answer those questions. And last, College Coac...

Are you and your senior student unsure of how you will pay for college? Listen in to this segment, when host Sally Ganga interviews College Finance expert Michelle Smoley about developing a strategy for paying for colleges using creative finance. Some seniors are also coping with unwanted decisions from colleges, like being denied from their top choice, or waitlisted. College Coach colleague Scott Alexander is here to discuss the practical steps to take if you’ve been waitlisted, and colleague C...

Are you unsure of your major? Or, have you picked your major based solely on what you want as your future career? Listen in, as the connection between majors and careers is not always linear and direct. Host Ian Fisher will interview College Coach colleagues Taryn, Andrea, former high school counselor and advisor at Boston University, and Leigh Pinkston, former Assistant Director of Career Development at Smith College, about how students can make themselves career ready from a broad variety of m...

Seniors, after those admit letters roll in, you’ll also start receiving invitations to admitted student programs. College Coach colleague Sara Calvert-Kubrom is joining host Shannon Vasconcelos to discuss why you should attend and what questions you should ask. College Finance expert Jan Combs will also be there to suggest what to ask about finances at those events. Last, College Coach colleague Sara Calvert-Kubrom will be there to answer listener questions.

Right around now, juniors are trying to figure out where they will be applying to college. But how? Is it all about the nicest dorm and best food? College Coach colleague Nial Rele will be joining host Ian Fisher to discuss what is important in choosing a college and why. In many cases, cost will be a very big factor, so College Finance Expert Aimee Yorsaner will be discussing how to use your college list to get the best bang for your buck. In addition, some juniors might be wanting to get start...

Is your student looking for a research opportunity? Our host Ian Fisher will be joined by Jun Yun Chow, co-founder of Polygence, a research mentorship program for teens. Next, in honor of March Madness, Ian will interview College Coach colleague Michael Yager about tips for being an athletic recruit, and also talk with College Coach Finance Expert Alex Gonzalez about athletic scholarships.

Have you heard that there are changes to the ACT? Not sure how that will impact you or your student? Host Sally Ganga will be joined by Dr. Megan Stubbendeck, Senior Director of Instruction at Arborbridge, a test prep company that is one of College Coach’s trusted partners. She will then be joined by College Coach colleague Lisa Albro to discuss why your major matters less than you think, and finally, by colleague and finance expert Alex Bickford to discuss changes to the 529 plan which allows r...

It’s safe to say that 90% or more of us are concerned about college costs, and today’s show is all about paying for college, whether through merit scholarships, appealing financial aid awards, and comparing awards from different colleges and universities. Our host Shannon Vasconcelos will be joined by College Coach Finance Expert and colleague Michelle Smoley for the discussion.

Are you interested in starting your own business? Learning the pluses and the possible pitfalls? Host Sally Ganga has the great fortune to interview three different people who have followed non-traditional paths. She’ll be interviewing Steve “Nookie” Postal, a Chef and cookbook author, Jess McDaniel, a professional photographer who has her own business, and Kevin Heald, owner and head beer and cheese monger at the restaurant Malt & Mold on the Lower East Side of New York.

If you’re a long time listener of the Getting In podcast, or, just curious about how college admissions has evolved over the last ten years, this episode should be of interest. Hosts Sally Ganga, Shannon Vasconcelos, and ian fisher join Elizabeth Heaton, Getting In’s original host, to say goodbye and reflect on the podcast and admissions trends since its inception almost exactly ten year ago. Beth will also be introducing Kyra Tyler, another College Coach colleague and frequent guest on the pod ...

Have you heard of Curious Cardinals? Host ian fisher of Bright Horizons College Coach will be chatting with Audrey Wisch, Co-founder and President, about CC’s mission to help high school students find their passion through mentorships. Are you concerned about financial aid and trying to understand what the SAI is? College Coach finance expert Dina Birmingham will be discussing how it is used in financial aid award notifications. In addition, while most of the discussions around colleges are fo...

Do you want to hear from our newest team members here at College Coach? Listen in for a very fun episode with our panel of three college admission experts: Karin Sherer and Mikhail Filarski, who both came to us from Lewis & Clark University admissions, and Kimberly Ortiz, formerly of Harvey Mudd and Caltech admissions. In addition, host Shannon Vasconcelos will be talking with our new finance team member Jess Mosley, who came to us after working in the financial aid offices of Reed College and t...

Interested in Emory University, or just want to hear from the Director of Admissions at a highly selective university about what is happening right now in undergraduate admissions? On this episode, we have the remarkable good fortune to interview Dr. Mark Butt of Emory for our first two segments. In addition, host Sally Ganga will be joined by finance College Coach colleague Michelle Clifton to discuss an update on the federal student loan program.

Given that it’s still cold out, you might think it’s too early to be looking at summer programs, but we’re here to encourage you to start now! Host Beth Heaton will be speaking with College Coach admissions counselor Landis Fryer about how to begin. Beth will also be speaking with Brendan Nelson of EdAssist, also part of the Bright Horizons family of services, about how to earn a degree paid for by your employer. Yes, there are companies that will pay for much of your undergraduate degree! In ad...

Seniors, have you submitted your applications? Feeling a bit anxious and wondering what to do now? You’ve entered a waiting period that can feel almost as stressful as completing the applications themselves, but if you listen in, you will hear the wise words of Kyra Tyler, College Coach veteran, who is addressing this topic with our host Shannon Vasconcelos. In addition, College Coach finance expert Jennifer Willcox will be there to talk about using this time to brush up on life skills in prepar...

The New Year is almost here, and host Sally Ganga will be talking with College Coach admissions counselor Julia Jones about resolutions for 2025 related to the college admission process and education in general. High school juniors, are you ready to start your college search process? College admissions coach Lisa Albro will be joining Sally to chat about the college search kick-off for juniors. And parents, are you struggling to let go of your current or soon-to-be college students? College Co...