Episodes

While it’s important to use college applications as an opportunity to translate your accomplishments in the most impactful way, too much “packaging” can be problematic. We’ll share more about what the looks like and why it’s an issue. We’re also offering tips for how to best highlight extracurricular activities in supplemental essays that don’t simply regurgitate your resume. Finally, did you know there are rules about making satisfactory academic progress in order to maintain financial aid elig...

Our podcast focuses on getting in to college, but what happens when it’s finally time to send your students off to school? A current college parent shares her thoughts on how to let go with grace. We’re also answering your college finance and admissions questions in our Office Hours Q&A segment.

We’re excited to welcome a current college student to the podcast to share her reflections on her college admissions process—what went well, what went wrong, and how it all ended up. In Office Hours, we’re looking at the pros and cons of early decision to help you decide if it’s the right choice for you. We’ll also offer advice for reviewing your college bill and figuring out what you owe and when it’s due.

Timing is everything, especially when it comes to the college admissions process. This week we’re providing tips and suggestions on the best time to take standardized tests. We’ll also explain why merit-based scholarship awards will look very different depending on the institution granting them. Finally, Office Hours covers the who, what, where, when, and why of supplemental essays.

There are a number of accelerated degree programs offering students the chance to complete advanced degrees in either fewer years than it would normally take or without the hassle of applying to graduate school. Tune in to hear about the pros, cons, and special considerations of these unique programs from a current student. We’re also explaining why need-based financial aid awards can vary so much from school to school. In Office Hours, we’re sharing the changes to this year’s version of the Com...

A handful of colleges have begun offering special programs in which students spend the first year studying abroad. If you’re wondering what they’re all about and whether or not they’re right for you, we’re sharing more about these programs and who would be a good fit. We’ll also be answering your questions about college finance and admissions.

If you aspire to the most selective colleges in the country and will need financial help to attend, don’t miss our segment on how financial aid works at the Ivies. For those getting ready to head to college in the fall, we’ll be talking through how to choose your courses for the first semester. And in Office Hours, we’re sharing everything you need to know about subject tests, including whether or not you need to take them.

We often think of social media as a negative element of the college process, but what if there was a way to use it to your advantage? We’ll discuss this and some specific suggestions for using LinkedIn as part of your college applications. Did you know that financial aid is available at community college? We’re giving you an inside look at one such office and offering tips on how to best leverage what’s available to you there. In Office Hours, we’re helping you get started on the Common App.

College is expensive enough—you don’t want to spend what’s left of your money on books and dorm supplies. We’re offering tips for finding bargains on this new round of expenses. If you’re preparing to welcome your student back home (or worried about that moment in the future), we have some suggestions for what to expect and how to prepare. Finally, if you or your student are considering going abroad for college, we have suggestions on how to find the perfect university in the UK.

If you’re considering traveling outside of the United States for college (or even if you’re not), you might want to include Canada in your college process. We’ll walk you through why Canada might be a good choice and offer resources to help you search for the best fit options. In Office Hours, we’re answering your college finance and admissions questions.

STEAM is a new acronym that has been tossed around quite a bit recently. In this week’s show, we’ll explain what it is and which colleges offer programs in this area. Sending a teenager off to college can be scary for many reasons. Preparing your teen financially for this transition can help to reduce fear and make for a smoother entry into this new environment. In Office Hours, we’ll debate the pros and cons of starting the higher education path at a two-year college.

One of the most important elements of the college process is making a plan and setting goals. This is the time of the year to review what was accomplished and write down some goals for the current year, and we’ll be discussing suggestions for how to do this and what to focus on. Summer is also a great time to get in standardized test prep, and we’ll offer ideas for that. Finally, if you’ve ever wondered what loan forbearance is and how it works, wonder no more—we’re going to tell you all about i...

Summer is a very important time in the college process. Two very important items to focus on: planning and making the most of college visits, and getting started on your main essay. We’ll talk about both in this week’s episode. We’ll also explain how refund policies work, which is important to understand if you find yourself unable to attend for a semester for some reason.

If you’re considering Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC for short), don’t miss this week. We welcome a recent program graduate and her mom to discuss how she decided this was the right program for her, how mom felt about the decision then and now, and things to consider from both the application and finance perspective. In Office Hours, we’re answering your questions on college admissions and finance.

In last week’s Getting In, we discussed the importance of a distinguishing excellence for those students hoping to be admitted to the most selective schools in the country. This week, we walk you through the best way to present that DE in your applications. In Office Hours, we’re talking about starting the activity section of the application and creating an application resume if necessary. For all those work study students out there or those that simply hope to get a job, we’re offering advice o...

If you aspire to one of the most selective colleges in the country, you must have something that takes you from competitive to compelling. We discuss the concept of a “distinguishing excellence”—what it is and how you can get one. For graduating high school seniors and their parents, we go over the required steps and offer some tips for making a successful transition to college.

One year ago, NY State established the Excelsior Program offering free tuition to qualifying state residents at state institutions. As the program heads into its second year, we’ll revisit how the program works and share information about how students can take advantage of it. For students and families who have made the decision to pursue homeschooling as an alternative to a traditional school setting, the college admissions process can be a bit more challenging. We’ll discuss what you need to k...

Teenagers who are both talented athletes and strong students might be able to leverage those abilities in the Ivy League admissions process. We’ll investigate how that process works from the perspective of someone who was both an Ivy League recruited athlete and admissions officer. We’ll also explain how income-driven repayment plans work and talk through how to select a college major in Office Hours.

It’s down to the wire for this year’s seniors, with deposits due to the college of their choice by May 1. For those struggling with this decision, we’ll offer tips for evaluating your acceptances and choosing the best option. We’ll also answer listener college finance and admissions questions in Office Hours.

As the world becomes more global and a greater number of students look for college options farther from home, we’re seeing lots of interest in the UK university system. We’re going to explore some common myths related to applying to and attending university in the UK, and hopefully offer a better understanding of the reality. We’ll also talk about the beauty of payment plans in helping families better budget for and pay for college. And in Office Hours, we’ll cover some common questions related ...

There are two important parts of every college lists: finding the best fit colleges where the student can get in and pay for. We’ll devote two segments to those ideas this week, focusing on how to get started on the list and how to incorporate the paying angle into the search process. We’re doing another segment on waitlists in Office Hours, this time from the perspective of the colleges. We’ll share how they use waitlists and what that means for students who currently have waitlist decisions fr...

We’re tapping our colleagues’ experience this week to offer insight into Goucher College and how they approach admissions and Babson’s financial aid process. In Office Hours, we’re offering advice about how to make the most of resources available at your high school to support you in preparing for and successfully applying to college.

Every year the National Association of College Admissions Counselors studies the state of college admissions and issues a report. We have the results of this year’s report, and we’re going to share some highlights. If you’re planning to get loans to help pay for college, don’t miss our segment on how much is too much too borrow when it comes to money for higher education. We’ll also offer tips for students on the waitlist in Office Hours.

Is it better to be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond? And what does aquatic life have to do with college anyway? Tune in for our take. We’ll also answer your college finance and admissions questions in Office Hours.