Episodes
Aug. 29, 2024
How to Start a Club; Applying to College Abroad; Tuition Prep
Are you sending your senior to college in the fall? If so, join host Sally Ganga to hear Jan Combs, college finance expert at College Coach, give tips on what you should be doing right now to prepare for that tuition bill. Th...
Aug. 22, 2024
What is the Coalition Application; Financial Aid ABCs
Have you heard of the Coalition for College? Curious to learn more? Host Ian Fisher will be joined by Liz Cheron, CEO of Coalition for College, to discuss the application's role in the college admission landscape. Then, he an...
Aug. 15, 2024
Supplemental Essays; Activity Lists; Loan Repayment Updates
Host Sally Ganga is lucky enough to welcome Kimberly Ortiz, who came to College Coach from Harvey Mudd College, and previously, Cal Tech, to discuss college supplemental essays. Sally will also be joined by colleague Alex Ren...
Aug. 8, 2024
High Loan Interest Rates; Common App; Naviance & Other Trackers
Paying for college has been tough for a while now, but high interest rates are making it even tougher. Host Ian Fisher is joined by College Coach finance expert Alex Bickford to discuss what your options are. In addition, he ...
Aug. 1, 2024
Financial Wellness for College Students
Did you know that August is Wellness Month? And that financial wellness is a thing? Our colleague Michelle Smoley, college finance expert, is here to discuss financial wellness tips for those heading to college with host Shan...
July 25, 2024
A Chat with the Dean at Dartmouth; Summer Scholarship Search Tips
Interested in Dartmouth? We’re lucky enough to welcome Lee Coffin, Vice-President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, here to discuss all things about the College. He previously worked in admissions at Tufts and Connecti...
July 18, 2024
Colleges in Portland ME; Jesuit Colleges; Paying Tuition
Parents, do you have a student heading off to college in the fall? Your tuition and fees are likely due! Listen in to find out more about paying that important bill. You’ve probably heard of Georgetown, but did you know there...
July 11, 2024
Exploring Colleges in Portland OR; Listener Q&A
Do you like Portland, Oregon? Thinking you might like to go to college there? If so, listen in, as host Shannon Vasconcelos will be interviewing colleague Sara Calvert-Kubrom, alumna and former admission officer at Lewis & Cl...
July 4, 2024
A Deep Dive on Skidmore College
Join our host Sally Ganga as she speaks with several special guests for a deep dive on Skidmore College. Sally talks with Janessa Dunn, the Director of Admissions, and Maggie Besthoff, a Skidmore student, about what life is l...
June 27, 2024
Questions to Ask and What to Do on College Visits
Does the idea of touring every college on your list overwhelm you? Listen in to this episode, as host Beth Heaton will be joined by College Coach admissions consultant Marissa Salazar who joined us from the Colorado College a...
June 20, 2024
Pros and Cons of AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment Programs
Confused about the differences between Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Enrollment? Curious about whether one is better in terms of admission or receiving credit once you’re enrolled in coll...
June 13, 2024
A Deep Dive on Hamilton College
In the continuation of our Deep Dives series, host Sally Ganga speaks with representatives from Hamilton College, a private liberal arts college in New York, to learn more about life at Hamilton.
June 6, 2024
True or False? Debunking Admissions and Financial Aid Rumors!
Does most of what you know about college and the college admission process come from friends, neighbors, and acquiantainces? Does the college admission process and higher education in general seem a bit scary as a result? If ...
May 30, 2024
Helicopter Parenting; Engineering at MSU; Loan Repayment Updates
We have an exciting guest today: our host Shannon Vasconcelos will be joined by Sean Fochtman of Michigan State University. He’ll discuss his insights from working with students in the College of Engineering as well as his cu...
May 23, 2024
How Social Media is Used in the College Admissions Process
How does college admissions and paying for college intersect? Listen to this show to find out. Host Ian Fisher will be talking with colleague Gabbi Tobias about how to use social media to research colleges. It can be a very h...
May 16, 2024
Questions NOT to Ask Admissions; Prep for the College Transition
Will you be attending a reception or a college campus and have a chance to meet with an admissions officer? Have you heard that all questions are good questions? Well, maybe not. Our host Beth Heaton will be talking with form...
May 9, 2024
Pros and Cons of Studying Abroad; Listener Q&A
Are you considering studying abroad in college? Listen in as our host Shannon Vasconcelos chats with colleague Elyse Krantz about the pros and cons. Then, Shannon with be answering listener questions with College Coach collea...
May 2, 2024
All about Working with College Admissions and Finance Counselors
Are you considering hiring help for college admissions and/or scholarship applications? Listen in, as host Sally Ganga, formerly a high school college counselor, will be joined by her colleagues Michael Yager, another former ...
April 25, 2024
Types of Institutions: Liberal Arts & Polytechnic; Loud Budgeting
Confused by some of the terms you hear that describe colleges? Host Ian Fisher and his guests, College Coach colleagues Serena Frisina, formerly of Lewis & Clark University, and Zaragoza Guerra, formerly of Cal Tech and MIT, ...
April 18, 2024
College Recommendation Letters; Focusing on Best Fit Colleges
Juniors, this episode is for you! Host Sally Ganga will be addressing how to ask for letters of recommendation with guest and college admissions counselor Karen Spencer as well as chatting with admissions advisor Christine Ke...
April 11, 2024
Unhappy with Acceptances? Late Applicant Tips; Saving for College
Seniors, are you unhappy with the colleges that have admitted you? Or, have you not yet applied? For this episode, our host Ian Fisher will be talking with College Coach admissions counselor Brittany Preston about what to do ...
April 4, 2024
Acceptance by Emi Nietfeld; Why You Should Fill out the FAFSA
What an exciting episode today! Our host, Shannon Vasconcelos, will be talking with author Emi Nietfeld about her memoir, Acceptance, in which she discusses growing up with a troubled mother and eventually in the foster care ...
March 28, 2024
All About Community Colleges
Are you considering attending a community college? Listen in, as we will be spending the full episode discussing the wonderful opportunities they provide and, of course, what to know to be a successful transfer, from admissio...
March 21, 2024
A Deep Dive on Union College
Go Union! This show is all about Union College in Schenectady, New York. We are lucky enough to have Matthew Maltesta, Vice-President of Enrollment, Ashok Ramasubramanian, Dean of Engineering and Co-Director of the Templeton ...