ED Deferrals/Denials; Gap Year Considerations; More Finance FAQs

The New Year is almost here, and host Sally Ganga will be talking with College Coach admissions counselor Julia Jones about resolutions for 2025 related to the college admission process and education in general.  High school juniors, are you ready to start your college search process? College admissions coach Lisa Albro will be joining Sally to chat about the college search kick-off for juniors.  And parents, are you struggling to let go of your current or soon-to-be college students? College Coach finance expert Michelle Smoley has some tips for parents in this situation. 

Did you apply Early Decision to a college? Were you deferred or denied? If so, you may be wondering what to do next. Host Ian Fisher will be talking with College Coach admissions counselor Brian Swann, formerly of Carleton College, about next steps. Seniors, are you considering a post-graduate or gap year? Either can be a wonderful option, but it’s important to plan carefully. Listen in when Ian talks with Jay Bonham, college admissions coach from Hamilton College. In addition, finance colleague Dina Birmingham will be answering the top finance questions from high school underclassmen and parents right now.

Does your student have an IEP or 504 in high school? Is it possible they may use accommodations in colleges, for learning disabilities or health conditions? If so, you may find this episode very helpful. In segment one, host Sally Ganga will be interviewing Sydney Ruff, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Landmark College about how her institution assists neurodiverse students to succeed in college, either through a four-year Bachelor’s degree at Landmark or through one of their transitional programs. Then, Sally will be joined by Sara Calvert-Kubrom, College Coach admissions consultant, and they will discuss how to research accommodations at colleges that don’t have specialized support structures. Last, Sally will be joined by Laurie Peltier, College Coach finance consultant, who will answer some of the top questions her team is hearing about paying for higher education right now.

Interested in liberal arts colleges? Or, maybe unsure of what liberal arts colleges have to offer? Listen in as host Ian Fisher does a deep dive into Trinity College, a small liberal arts college in Connecticut. He interviews Matthew Hyde, Dean of Admissions and Financial aid, and Joseph Catrino, Executive Director of Career, Life and Design. They’ll answer the question of what you can do with a liberal arts degree! Ian will also be talking with College Coach finance expert Jennifer Willcox about federal loans; yes, the grace and on-ramp periods are over, and it’s time to start repaying them!

Host Beth Heaton is so pleased to be welcome Harry Feder, the Executive Director of Fair Test, the organization that has been advocating for test optional admissions for students for many years. Feder will be talking about the organization itself as well as the state of testing in undergraduate admissions today. In addition, seniors will soon be receiving decisions from many colleges if they applied early decision or early action. College Coach admissions consultant Christine Kenyon will discuss how to be intentional when you open your admission decision. It’s important to consider how to be kind to others when doing so! Last, did you know that November 18 through the 24th is National Apprenticeship week? College Coach finance expert Jan Combs will be joining Beth to discuss how to earn while you learn through an apprenticeship.

Have you thought about attending a college with a co-op program? Host Beth Heaton will be interviewing College Coach admissions consultant Kennon Dick about Drexel University where he formerly worked as an admission officer. In addition, College Coach admissions consultant Kristine Sawicki, formerly of Reed College and Stanford University, will share college interview strategies. College finance expert Michelle Smoley joins us to provide personal finance tips for young adults regarding shopping on holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Applying to Carnegie Mellon? Or Georgetown? You’re in luck, as our host Ian Fisher will be interviewing former admission officers from both those institutions. We’re very lucky to have Lauren Savage, previously an admission officer at Carnegie Mellon, on our show. College Coach Lauren Randle, previously an admission officer at Georgetown, joins us as well. In addition, College Coach finance expert Michelle Clifton will be addressing federal student loans by providing updates on the SAVE plan and the federal court injunction regarding it.

Continuing our series on college application supplements, we are addressing a doozy today! Beth Heaton will be joined by College Coach colleague Jonathan Wickremasinghe-Kuhn to discuss the University of Chicago’s supplemental essays. These are challenging, so if you’re thinking about applying, listen in. Colleague Nial Rele, resident of Vermont, will be there for another segment to discuss the thankfully more straightforward University of Vermont supplemental essays, and College Coach Finance expert Chrissy Foran will be joining Beth to discuss the reality of paying in-state tuition as an out-of-state student.

Applying to Boston College? Cornell University? Host Shannon Vasconcelos will be joined by College Coach colleagues Blair Dixon, to discuss Boston College’s supplements, and then Mary Sue Youn to cover Cornells’. In addition, college finance expert Beth Feinberg-Keenan will be there to talk about the financial benefits of a well-considered list of colleges.

Working on your Yale University supplemental essay? Host Beth Heaton will be joined by Amy Alexander, College Coach colleague and former Yale admission officer, to discuss their supplement. In another segment, Karen Spencer, another colleague, will be there to go over the University of Michigan supplement. Then Stacey MacPhetres, College Coach Finance Expert, will go over the Who, What, and Why of merit scholarships.