Getting In: A College Coach Conversation - July 27th, 2023

We’re continuing our Niche College series on the podcast this week. Our host, Shannon Vasconcelos, interviews Karen Kristof, Dean of Admission at Colorado College. She’s here to describe their Block plan; students take one class at a time and each class lasts three and a half weeks, enabling full immersion into that class’s work. In addition, Shannon will be joined by Kyra Tyler, College Coach admissions consultant, to answer questions from our listeners. Remember to submit your own questions! Send us your questions through Facebook or Instagram for our next Q&amp;A segment.

Niche Colleges: Colorado College; Listener Questions

As most people know, the Supreme Court of the United States recently released some controversial and important decisions regarding higher education. In this episode, we explain those decisions and give our perspective on them. First, host Sally Ganga hears from finance expert Michelle Clifton with an update on the status of student loans. Then admissions expert Kyra Tyler joins Sally to discuss the Court’s decision on race-conscious admission in higher education.

Supreme Court Decisions

Do you know that many large public universities have Honors Colleges for their strongest students? Host Ian Fisher interviews Tim Matthews, Senior Assistant Director of the Honors College at the University of Buffalo. Ian will be continuing the State University of New York (SUNY), theme in his discussion with Ryan Creps, a former Bright Horizons College Coach colleague and doctoral student at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development. Finally, Zachery Gries, Bright Horizons College Coach finance expert, will suggested some last minute options to pay for college this fall.

Honors Colleges; SUNY System; Last Minute College Payment Options

George Fox

Host Sally Ganga interviews Sara Boferding, Director of Admissions at Embry-Riddle University, to learn more about aeronautics, aviation, engineering, and business. In addition, we’ll learn about life at a Christian college from, Joy Brown, Senior Director of Admission at George Fox University. Lastly, College Coach finance expert Jan Combs fills parents in on all the paperwork they need to complete when sending their student to college.

Niche Colleges: Embry-Riddle & George Fox; College Paperwork

Interested in a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering? Host Shannon Vasconcelos interviews Lauren Carballo, Direct of Admissions and Students Affairs at The Webb Institute, where students attend tuition-free! College Coach veteran Kyra Tyler is also present to answer listener questions.

Niche Colleges: The Webb Institute; Listener Questions

While visiting colleges during the academic year is the ideal, it isn’t always possible. And summer visits are still well worth it! Bright Horizons College Coach admissions consultant Nial Rele and finance expert Alex Gonzalez join host Beth Heaton to discuss what to ask during those visits. We also have the great fortune of chatting with Audrey Wisch, founder and CEO of Curious Cardinals, about how students can use the summer to explore their interests and invest in their own learning.

Summer Tips for Students: College Visits; Exploring Interests

Parents of students with ADHD or executive function issues will be particularly interested in this episode, when our host, Beth Heaton, talks with Hannah Choi, Executive Function Coach for Beyond Book Smart and host of the podcast, Focus Forward: An Executive Function Podcast. As a coach, she supports college and adult clients in challenges like time management, planning, prioritizing, organization, and metacognition. Beth also hears from Michelle Smoley, College Coach Finance Expert, about what types of insurance should be considered for college.

Executive Function Coaching; Insurance for College Students

Interested in finding out more about Ivy League colleges? While they are part of the same football league, they are not all the same. Matt Alander, Director of Princeton Undergraduate Admissions, and Isabel Bober, Senior Associate Director of Dartmouth Undergraduate Admissions join us for a spirited debate about which college is better! We also talk with Bright Horizons College Coach finance expert Alex Bickford about how to use money saved in a 529 plan.

Dartmouth versus Princeton; How to Spend Money from a 529

On this episode, we welcome Bright Horizons College Coach finance expert Stacey MacPhetres and her daughter, a DIII basketball player at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, to discuss their experience with the athletic recruitment process, from both the parent and student perspective. We’ll also answer questions from listeners. If you want to have a question answered on a future podcast episode, be sure to post it to our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

The Athletic Recruitment Process

Planning for college? Tune into Getting In: A College Coach Conversation for tips, techniques, and insider perspectives. Hosted by Elizabeth Heaton, a former admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania, and featuring her fellow admissions and college finance experts from Bright Horizons College Coach, the show shares what colleges are really looking for and how to highlight your hard-won achievements for the best chance at success. New episodes air every Thursday at 4 PM Eastern Time, 1 PM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Variety channel.

My only worry is that it is feeding my paranoia that I’m forgetting something

Great podcast

Very useful insights into the college application and financing process.

Valuable Insights

Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

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 experience shows us time and again that too many applications is a big mistake. In this show, we’ll share some of the negative results we saw from too many applications. We’ll also identify our top five college application mistakes and our top 5 financial aid application mistakes. If you’re wondering what NOT to do in the college process, tune in this week!

Top 5 College Application Mistakes; Too Many Applications

In previous shows we’ve covered how to negotiate for more merit money and appeal financial aid packages. We thought it might be interesting to look at the trends we’re seeing in this year’s student packaging. In Office Hours, we’re answering your college admissions and finance questions.

Trends in Merit and Financial Aid Packages; Listener Questions

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 figure that out. We will also help you figure out the college bill that is coming your way, and discuss what makes a college a safety, i.e., a school where you have a better than 90 percentage chance of being admitted.

EA/ED/Priority Admissions; Safety Schools; the College Bill

Test prep can be an expensive undertaking, yet we recommend that every student do some prep before they take the ACT or SAT. We’ll be discussing free test prep resources—what’s out there and which options are best. For juniors, we have advice on the top five things you should be doing now to get started on the college search and application process, and the top five things you and your families should know as you prepare to pay for college.

5 Things Juniors Should Do Now; Free Test Prep Resources

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 about your college applications? We have some good advice for you to help kick things off. In other segments, we’ll look at the financial impact of your college list and selection process. And, finally, last week we gave you the low down on the University of California application, and this week we’re tackling the application’s personal insight questions.

UC Personal Insight Essays; Last Minute Tips; College Selection

More and more students are considering universities in other countries. Today we’re welcoming a representative from University College in Dublin to discuss studying in Ireland. We’ll also take you through tips for using your 529 or prepaid tuition plan to pay for college. Finally, in Office Hours we’re helping students get started on an activity list (otherwise known as a resume) for their college applications.

Studying in Ireland, 529 Plans, Creating a High School Resume

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 works. We are also answering your college finance and admissions questions in our Office Hours segment.

High School Impact on Admissions; 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 finance questions in our Listener Q and A segment.

Essays for Vassar and University of Rochester; Listener Q and A

Contemplating a liberal arts degree but concerned about how that will translate into your career? Convinced that your child must major in a pre-professional area if they’re ever going to make a living? We get it: college—and life—are expensive, and these are important concerns. That’s why we’re exploring the value of a liberal arts degree when it comes time to actually get a job. We’re also talking through the impact of owning real estate on the financial aid process.

Liberal Arts Degrees; Real Estate and the Financial Aid Process

Devastated about not getting into your dream school? There’s no doubt this is a tough time, but you can’t abandon college just because your top choice didn’t come through. Tune in for tips on choosing the best colleges from those eager to welcome you to campus. Older parents have a unique set of challenges in sending students off to college while contemplating imminent retirement. We have college finance advice for this demographic. Finally, we have advice for students applying to public institutions from out of state.

Applying Out of State. Choosing a College. College and Retirement

In today’s post-holiday show, we’re exploring the Common Data Set, including what it is and why you need to know about it. We’re also answer listener questions on college finance and admissions.

Common Data Set; Listener Questions

Students with no acceptances will want to tune in to this week’s show, in which we will help you best handle an admissions season gone awry and offer suggestions for moving forward with your college plans. For those getting started on their college process, we have advice for creating a college list that takes ability to pay into consideration, since having options that you can’t afford is basically like having no options at all. Finally, we’ll look at the challenges and opportunities facing third culture kids.

No Acceptances?; Financially Smart Lists; Third Culture Kids

Its summer! Time for ice cream, blockbuster movies, and college visits and essays! Join us for insight into making the most of your college visits in preparation for writing supplemental essays in the fall. Speaking of essays, we’re taking you through the Common App essay prompts for fall 2019. And finally, we have suggestions for how to research information about paying for college on those institutions’ websites.

Summer Visits; Common App Essays; Finding Costs on College Sites

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 ask for them. In Office Hours, we are working through the supplemental questions for Haverford, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr, three colleges on the outskirts of Philadelphia.

Recommendations; FAFSA; Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr Essays

If you would consider yourself “not-rich” and are headed to a campus that could very well be filled with lots of students who are, don’t miss today’s show. We’re welcoming Lauren Schandevel, who encountered this challenge at the University of Michigan and created a guide to help other not-rich students survive and thrive at the university. Perhaps her advice will be useful to you. We’ll also cover next steps for students who have made their final college choice and sent in their deposit. And last but certainly not least, we’ll take a look at the question, “Do colleges care if you are kind?” and try to offer some answers.

The Deposit; Not-Rich Students; Do Colleges Care if You're Kind?

Heard about The College Board’s new adversity score that will be accompanying test results at a pilot group of colleges this fall? We’ll share our thoughts about the score, including information about what it’s based on, why it was created, and what the impact will be for applicants this year. We’re also offering suggestions for getting the most out of your summer experience, whether a job, internship, course, or something else, and we’re answering your questions in Office Hours.

Adversity Score; Getting the Most Out of the Summer; Listener Q and A

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 to pay for your or your child’s education is coming from, check out our advice on how to look for and maximize merit scholarship opportunities. As early deadlines—Early Decision, Early Action, Priority, and rolling—approach, we’ll offer some tips on how to approach these deadlines and what to expect from the early process. Finally, we’ll welcome a guest with insight into using mindfulness as part of your test prep process.

Merit Scholarships; Early App Deadlines; Mindfulness in Test Prep

Computer science programs and majors grow in popularity every year. We’ll explain what they are, who they are for, and what they look for in applicants. In Office Hours, we’re talking through questions to ask on campus tours, whether you’re collecting information to determine which schools should end up on your college list or to figure out how you can afford to pay for them.

Computer Science Programs; Questions to Ask on Campus Tours

The environment, from questions around global warming to plastic in our oceans to single-stream recycling, is very much in the news on a seemingly daily basis. Many colleges now offer some form of an environmental studies major, and we’ll offer thoughts on the options available to students pursuing degrees in that area. We’re also answering your college admissions and finance questions.

Opportunities in Environmental Studies; Listener Q and A

Every year, the National Association of College Admissions Counseling releases a report on the state of college admissions. Join us to learn more about the growth in application volume, the national average college acceptance rate, increases in early decision, early action, and waitlist activity, and more. It’s also tax time, and we’re covering what you need to know now to maximize your tax breaks. In Office Hours, we’re talking about planning ahead to make the most of spring break (and that doesn’t include Cancun!).

State of College Admissions; Spring Break; Maximizing Tax Breaks

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