Episodes

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 high school college counselor, and Mollie O’Connor, Director of Client Services at College Coach. They will discuss all aspect of working with independent college advisors, including whether you should disclose to your high school counselor and busting myths about what they ...

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, will be diving into what is meant by the descriptors “a liberal arts education” and “a polytechnic institute.” You may be surprised by the explanation. And do you know what loud budgeting is? Michelle Smoley, College Coach finance expert, explains.

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 Kenyon about how to find your best fit college. Hint: tune out the noise of other people’s opinions and focus on your own needs and wants. In addition, Sally will be chatting with college finance expert Beth Feinberg-Keenan about how to look at financial fit when selecting a c...

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 when you aren’t excited about your admits, and Nicole Doyle about colleges that are still taking applications. For those with younger students, College Coach finance colleague Laurie Peltier will be joining him to discuss options for saving for college.

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 system, but still managing to gain admission to Harvard. She goes beyond the typical triumphant narrative, however, and discusses the personal cost of portraying herself as someone who has “overcome” these obstacles when, in important ways, she hasn’t. So tune in! Zachary Gr...

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 admissions, educational, and financial points of view.

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 Institute, and Linda Parker, Director of Financial Aid, on the show today. Host Ian Fisher will be interviewing all three about their roles and insight on Union. Tune in, as it’s a wonderful college that we recommend frequently to prospective students!

This will be a fun show, as College Coach admissions expert Tova Javetz will be here to answer listener questions with our host Shannon Vasconcelos. Seniors, are you considering attending some admitted student programs? College Coach veteran admission expert Steve Brennan is here to discuss the pros and cons (hint: mostly pros) with Shannon.

Juniors, are you confused about whether or not to take the SAT or ACT? You’re not alone. There have been lots of changes in recent months, and our host Beth Heaton will be joined by Megan Stubbendeck, CEO of ArborBridge, an online test prep service and one of College Coach’s trusted partners, to discuss everything you should know about standardized testing. For our seniors, we know many of you have heard from colleges or are anxiously awaiting your decision, so we’re here to help with a segment ...

Are you interested in studying music or musical theater in college? This is a great show; host Sally Ganga interviews experts in applying to college programs in each field. First, she will be joined by Charlie Murphy, Director of the organization Musical Theater College Auditions, or MTCA. He’s using his own experience as a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s BFA program in musical theater and as a current actor to help students who want to study Musical Theater, and is happy to provide some tips for ...

Do you know that California has great universities that are not UC schools? Listen in when host ian fisher interviews College Coach colleague Gabbi Tobias about the California State University system, typically called the Cal States. Considering medical school but you’ve already graduated from college and didn’t take any of the required classes? It’s not too late! College Coach expert Lauren DiProspero, former admission officer at both Stanford and Columbia medical schools, will talk about optio...

While college campuses are, by and large, very safe places, we know that crime can happen anywhere. Host Sally Ganga will be joined by Jessica Mertz of the Clery Center, an organization dedicated to helping colleges create the safest possible environment on campus and to advising families on campus safety. Jessica will be giving Sally some tips about students should be concerned about. Hint: it isn’t what most people think about! Have you been homeschooled? Nicole Doyle, College Coach colleague,...

Have you invested yourself at your current college, working hard in your classes and trying out a few extra-curricular activities, but you still feel like it isn’t the right place for you? Or maybe you’re at a community college and it’s time to move on? If so, listen in. Host Shannon Vasconcelos will be discussing the transfer process with colleague and former Hamilton College Admission Officer Jay Bonham. Shannon will also be joined by Alex Rendon, who, previous to coming to College Coach, work...

Parents, do you have a high achieving student and are concerned about how to best support them in high school and the college process? Listen in as our host, Ian Fisher, will be talking with colleague DJ Meehan, former high school counselor, about what to do. In addition, Ian will be joined by colleague Joy Biscornet, who in a previous life was an engineering major and worked in admissions at top engineering school the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign to discuss engineering nuts and bo...

Are you a student-athlete planning to compete in college? If so, tune-in to hear our host, Beth Heaton, talking with college finance expert and parent of a college athlete Stacey MacPhetres. They will be joined by Michael Yager, College Coach admissions expert, who will be covering the athletic recruitment process and athletic scholarships in their discussion. Ian Fisher, Getting In co-host, will be playing the role of guest in a separate segment to discuss how students can research colleges.

Juniors, and to a lesser degree sophomores, this is a great time to start thinking about the colleges where you’ll be applying! Our host, Shannon Vasconcelos, will be chatting with College Coach admissions expert Nial Rele about how to build your list. One important item on your to dos when doing so is to visit some colleges, and College Coach admissions expert Serena Frisina will join Shannon to talk about how to get the most out of those visits. And we’re very excited to have college finance e...

Seniors, have you heard the rumor that colleges don’t care about senior year grades? Well, that’s incorrect, and even if a student has been admitted, colleges can rescind admission offers if grades drop. Listen in as host Ian Fisher discusses how and when this happens with Tova Javetz, college admissions counselor and former admission officer at Barnard, Columbia, Fordham, and Montclair State. Ian also welcomes Amanda Cuttler, former head hunter for Tory Burch and current consultant in talent ac...

Have you and your student discussed who is paying for college, and how? Are you hesitant to do so because you don’t want to disappoint them? You aren’t alone! Listen in as we’ll be addressing that topic in our first segment with a conversation between host Sally Ganga and College Coach finance advisor Aimee Yorsaner. Then, Landis Fryer, College Coach admissions expert and former admission officer at Dartmouth, will join Sally to discuss summer programs—no, it’s not too early to think about those...

Happy (Almost) New Years! Our host Shannon Vasconcelos will be discussing New Years resolutions with College Coach colleague and guest Kyra Tyler. Then, Michelle Clifton of College Coach’s Finance Team will be joining Shannon to give updates about Student Loan Repayment and the federal SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan.

Have you been considering attending a Canadian University? Listen in, as Meghan Thompson, Student Recruitment Officer from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, will be joining us to discuss Canadian admissions, a very different animal from U.S. admissions. Our host, Beth Heaton, will also be talking with College Coach colleagues Amy Alexander, formerly of Yale admissions, and Zaragoza Guerra, formerly of Cal Tech and MIT admissions, about who gets into highly selective, perhaps most a...

Getting In host Sally Ganga will be interviewing College Coach educational consultant, Elyse Krantz, our go-to person for the nuts and bolts of the application process regarding what to do now that you’ve submitted your applications. If you are concerned you might miss something important after you submit, tune in! Then, our colleague Lauren Randle, former high school counselor, will be going over the post-admit decision etiquette and kindness pointers. Finally, Jennifer Wilcox of the College Co...

Seniors, did you apply Early Decision or Early Action to college? If so, you should be hearing from the college or colleges soon, in which case, it may be time to make some decisions! Michael Yager, College Coach Educational Consultant, will be joining host Shannon Vasconcelos to discuss what students should be thinking about now. Then, they will be joined by College Coach finance expert Beth Feinburg-Keenan to answer Listener Questions. If you want to submit your own, you can do so via any of o...

If you weren’t aware there are all men’s colleges, you’re not alone! Ed Devine, Director of Admission at Hampden Sydney in Virginia will be here to discuss them with our host, Shannon Vasconcelos. Then, College Coach colleague Brian Swann will be joining to tell us about US State Department sponsored pre-college programs for youth, and College Coach Finance colleague Laurie Peltier will hop on to talk about how to transfer financial aid when you transfer schools in spring semester.

This is a particularly exciting episode, as we’ll be joined by Benjamin Baum, the Vice-President of Enrollment at St. Johns College of Annapolis, Maryland. He and host Beth Heaton will be discussing new ways of evaluating applications. Then, Beth will be responding to listener questions along with college coach finance expert Michelle Smoley.