Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Latest Episodes:

Is A Suspension the Kiss of Death in College Admissions? Aug 13, 2015

Show notes

Have you or your student ever had a disciplinary issue that led to a suspension, an expulsion, or even a visit to court? Former Swarthmore senior admissions officer Kennon Dick will join us to share his thoughts about how to best address disciplinary issues in the college process. For those of you getting ready to apply for financial aid, college finance expert Beth Feinberg Keenan will walk us through understanding colleges' financial aid policies. Finally, former Babson senior admissions officer Christine Kenyon will discuss undergraduate business programs, including what is typically covered, which students might be most interested in the programs, and what graduates go on to do with their degrees.

Common App 2015-16: Part Two of Everything You Need to Know Aug 06, 2015

Show notes

The Common App for the 2015-2016 application season made it's official debut this past weekend on August 1. Before you rush to start filling it out, tune in to Getting In as Elyse Krantz and I walk through it and offer information and advice section by section. College finance expert Shannon Vasconcelos will also return to talk to us about what NOT to do when paying for college.

Common App 20015: Everything You Need to Know Jul 30, 2015

Show notes

The Common Application is the application of choice for more than 500 colleges and universities in the US and abroad, which makes it fairly common for many students applying to college to use it. Each year the application goes live on August 1, and each year there are a few minor and sometimes major changes. Elyse Krantz, who writes a fabulous series of blogs each year the cover everything you need to know about the Common App, will share her practical insight and great tips on completing this year's application. On the college finance side, we're doing to dig a bit deeper into loan repayment, as Shannon Vasconcelos stops by to discuss income driven repayment plans.

Presenting Extracurricular Activities for Maximum Application Impact Jul 23, 2015

Show notes

It's hard to read any account of the college admissions process these days without hearing about how important extracurricular activities are. What is less widely discussed is that the ways in which you present those activities is almost as important as doing them in the first place. On this week's show, we'll answer your questions about how to make the most of those activities on your applications. We're also excited to have a representative from the Common App join the show to discuss changes to the application for 2015. And finally, we'll talk about what do do if it's time to start paying off all of those student loans you took out a few years ago.

Can You Apply Early Decision and Still Get Financial Aid? Jul 16, 2015

Show notes

Early decision is a way for students to show commitment to their top choice college and get an early answer at the same time. But you may not be aware that there can be significant financial implications to this binding option. We'll dig into what applying under this program can mean for financial aid and scholarships. We're also going to wrap up our four-part segment on the high school years with a final piece on what to focus on senior year. Finally, we're going to cover the impact of learning differences on the college process and offer tips on how to manage those challenges.

Is Junior Year Really the Most Important for College Admissions? Jul 09, 2015

Show notes

Ever heard that junior year is the most important of all when it comes to college admissions? In part three of our four-part series on what to be thinking about each year of high school, we'll tackle this question and offer insight into what is important to accomplish in this third year of high school. We'll also cover establishing a budget as a teenager, something that will come in very handy in the transition to college (and life!). We'll also delve into majors and the college process, including how the selection of a particular major can impact admissions and what majors really mean in terms of a student's ultimate career.

Why This College? What Do I Say in That Essay?? Jul 02, 2015

Show notes

Many colleges require a personal essay in which applicants share something important about themselves. But did you know that some also ask for an essay that, in essence, asks Why this college? It's incredibly important to get this one right, and on today's show we'll walk students through this essay--what it's about, why colleges ask for it, and how to best approach it. We'll also discuss ways to establish credit as a college student--and tips for avoiding credit mishaps during those four years. Finally, we'll feature part two in a four-part series on what to be doing in terms of academics, extracurricular activities, and college planning each year of high school. Up today: sophomore year.

Getting an Early Start: College Admissions and Finance Jun 25, 2015

Show notes

This week's show is all about getting an early start. For starters, we're introducing the first segment in a four-week series covering everything you need to be thinking about relating to college admissions for each year of high school. We'll start where you start—with ninth grade. We're also going to discuss getting an early start on college finance, including looking for scholarships and whether or not it's a good idea to move assets around to increase financial aid. We'll finish off our series on the new Common App essay prompts for 2015-2016 by exploring prompts three through five.

Answers to Your College Admissions and Finance Questions Jun 18, 2015

Show notes

Do you have college admissions and finance questions? We have answers! Join us on June 18, when we invite our listeners to call in and talk to us live on air. Have a question about whether or not to drop French after sophomore year? We can answer that. Curious about whether or not to cash in your entire 529 plan in the first year? We can answer that. Wondering if you should write your college essay about your once-a-year visit to the soup kitchen? We can answer that. Give my guests Sally Ganga and Beth Feinberg Keenan and me a call at 866-472-5788, and we will get you on the air!

Getting Started on College Essays: 2015-2016 Common App Essay Prompts, Part 1 Jun 11, 2015

Show notes

For all those rising seniors out there, summer is a great time to start work on your college applications! If you're currently stuck staring at the Common App prompts and wondering where to go from there, don't miss this episode! In part one of a two part series, Ian Fisher will be offering tips and suggestions for approaching the first two prompts on the Common App. We'll also welcome Fordham's Monica Esser to offer her perspective on international admissions to US colleges. Stacey MacPhetres will also walk us through the pros and cons of consolidating college loans.

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