Episodes
Dec. 19, 2019
New Landscape Tool; VA Tech & Santa Clara Essays; Winter Savings
The College Board made a splash a few months ago with its new Adversity Score. After some negative backlash and bad press, they scrapped the score and replaced it with their new Landscape tool. Tune in to find out what all th...
Dec. 12, 2019
Admissions Myths; Paying for College; Colleges That Change Lives
Have you had The Talk with your kids yet? No, not that talk. The one about how much you can afford to pay for college! We have advice for why this talk is important, how to discuss it, and the best time to broach the subject....
Dec. 5, 2019
Mental Health Issues & Support in College; Application Countdown
Mental health issues are a significant and growing concern on college campuses throughout the United States. In this week’s show, we welcome Courtney Joly-Lowedermilk, NITEO Manager at the BU Center for Psychiatric Rehabilita...
Nov. 21, 2019
Coalition Prompts and University of Maryland Essay; Listener Q&A
The Coalition Application is similar to the Common App in that it is one application students can fill out that is accepted at multiple schools. While some of the essay prompts overlap with the Common App in theme and approac...
Nov. 14, 2019
Gap Years, What to Do if You Are Deferred, Repaying Student Loan
When college students graduate, they have a grace period of a few months before they need to start repaying their student loans. As that grace period is coming to an end, we have some thoughts on getting started on the repaym...
Nov. 7, 2019
Top 5 College Application Mistakes; Too Many Applications
Every year we read about students who apply to far too many schools, topping out at 20, 30, and even 40 or more applications. While we appreciate the temptation to do more given how uncertain the process can feel, our experie...
Oct. 31, 2019
UC Personal Insight Essays; Last Minute Tips; College Selection
November 1 marks one of the biggest early application program deadlines of the year, and many students will submit at least one application by that day. But what if you’re a senior and you’re just getting started thinking abo...
Oct. 24, 2019
University of California Application; Listener Q&A
More than 200,000 students will apply to the University of California system this year using the UC application. That’s bound to generate a lot of questions, and we have a lot of answers for you. We’re also answering your oth...
Oct. 17, 2019
Merit Scholarships; Early App Deadlines; Mindfulness in Test Prep
People who can write a check for $50,000 or $75,000 to pay for college make up a pretty small group, and not many colleges can or will offer that much aid even to those who qualify for it. If you’re not sure where the money t...
Oct. 10, 2019
Underclassmen Goals; Your School Counselor; Costs of Applying
One of your biggest allies in the college process is your school counselor. Whether writing a letter of recommendation, sending out a transcript or directing you to local scholarship resources, there are many, many ways in wh...
Oct. 3, 2019
Bloopers, Early College Programs, Learn to Live Like a Student
Love watching blooper reels for your favorite TV shows? We’re offering our own blooper reel of mistakes we saw students and parents making when we were admissions officers. Don’t be them! We’re also welcoming the associate di...
Sept. 26, 2019
Listener Q&A; Johns Hopkins and UC Boulder Supplemental Essays
If you’ve been staring at a blank computer screen wondering how to craft an answer to the supplemental writing prompts for Johns Hopkins and UC Boulder, you’ve come to the right place! We’ll talk through appropriate approache...
Sept. 19, 2019
College Admissions Myths; the CSS Profile; Submitting Test Scores
There are many, many myths floating around out there about college admissions, and in this new regular segment, we’re going to try to replace the myth with some facts. Last week we shared everything you need to know about com...
Sept. 12, 2019
Recommendations; FAFSA; Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr Essays
It is almost October 1, commonly known as FAFSA time around here, and we have guidance for those completing the form this fall. We also have advice for teacher recommendations, from how they are used to who to ask to how to a...
Sept. 5, 2019
Alumni Interviewer Tips; What is FERPA; Common App Activity List
Many of the most selective colleges in the country rely on alumni interviewers to get some additional perspective on applicants. We are excited to welcome one of our regular listeners, who also happens to be an alumni intervi...
Aug. 29, 2019
Essays for Vassar and University of Rochester; Listener Q and A
It is application season, and application season means supplemental essays In this weeks show, we will dissect the supplemental questions for Vassar and University of Rochester. We will also answer your college admissions and...
Aug. 22, 2019
College Financing; Staff Students Should Know; Apply Texas App
When it comes to financing your college education, there are a lot of options. We are going to tell you about them and give you the information you need to make the best choice for your family. Landing on a college campus can...
Aug. 15, 2019
Common App Changes, Readying Kids Financially, Wayfinding Academy
Michelle Jones, founder of Wayfinding Academy, joins this weeks show to offer her thoughts on how Wayfinding is approaching college from a different perspective. We will also discuss this years changes to the Common App and t...
Aug. 8, 2019
EA/ED/Priority Admissions; Safety Schools; the College Bill
There are a lot of early admissions deadline options, early action, early decision one and two, priority admissions, restrictive early action, etc. How do you know which, if any, is the right choice for you? We will help you ...
Aug. 1, 2019
High School Impact on Admissions; Listener Q and A
Ever wonder if what your high school does not do, like offer many (or any) AP or IB courses or rank students, might actually hurt you or your student in the college admissions process? We will share our thoughts on how this w...
July 25, 2019
Changes in Admissions- Work Study vs Part-Time Job- Subject Tests
Now that the dust has settled on the 2018-2019 admissions season, we’re looking at the changes we’re seeing in college admissions that will likely impact the upcoming year. We’ll also explore the differences between federal w...
July 18, 2019
The Common App: prompts and supplemental essays- student loan debt
Dear Debt’s Melanie Lockert paid off $81 thousand in student debt in just a few years. She’ll join us to talk about how she got to $81 thousand in the first place, what she would do differently if she could do it all again, a...
July 11, 2019
Enough As She Is- Kindness Matters Financially Too!
Taking a mindful approach to the college application process can help students have a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling high school experience. Rachel Simmons, author of Enough As She Is, which focuses on helping girls ...
June 27, 2019
Aid for Business Owners; Institutional Priorities; More Tests?
Owning your own business can impact the financial aid process. Tune in to learn more about how that works. We’ll also help rising seniors evaluate where they are in the testing process and determine whether or not they need t...