

Getting In: A College Coach Conversation
Bright Horizons College Coach
Planning for college? Tune into Getting In: A College Coach Conversation to learn what colleges are really looking for and how to highlight your hard-won achievements for the best chance at success. Every week, we gather former admissions and financial aid officers as well as other expert guests for candid, behind-the-scenes talk. New episodes drop every Thursday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 13, 2023 • 57min
Supreme Court Decisions
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.

Jul 6, 2023 • 55min
Honors Colleges; SUNY System; Last Minute College Payment Options
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.

Jun 29, 2023 • 49min
Niche Colleges: Embry-Riddle & George Fox; College Paperwork
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.

Jun 22, 2023 • 56min
Niche Colleges: The Webb Institute; Listener Questions
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.

Jun 15, 2023 • 55min
Summer Tips for Students: College Visits; Exploring Interests
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.

Jun 8, 2023 • 53min
Executive Function Coaching; Insurance for College Students
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.

Jun 1, 2023 • 53min
Dartmouth versus Princeton; How to Spend Money from a 529
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.

May 25, 2023 • 52min
The Athletic Recruitment Process
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!

May 18, 2023 • 55min
European Universities Consortium; Military Education Benefits
Interested in learning more about earning your college degree in Europe? On this episode, our host, Beth Heaton, interviews Ioana Benea (Bocconi University) and Juan Carlos Ruiz (Brussels School of Governance) about the European Universities Consortium (EUC). The EUC is a group of eight universities throughout Europe whose goal is to promote internationalization of higher education and provide educational opportunities in Europe to non-Europeans. Each member university offers programs taught entirely in English so they provide realistic opportunities for any English speaker. Additionally, since May is Military Appreciation Month, our college finance expert Laurie Peltier joins us to discuss the GI Bill and maximizing military benefits.

May 11, 2023 • 52min
Teaching & Architecture Pathways; Teens & Financial Independence
For students who are career minded, we have another Pathways episode. Are you considering being a teacher? College Coach admissions consultants Kara Courtois (a former elementary and high school teacher) and Brian Swann (former program director for the Center for Excellence in Urban Teaching at Hamline University) join us to talk about the ins and outs of the profession. We also have something for future architects! College Coach admissions consultant Kyra Tyler and her husband, Scott Whitebone, architect at HED and graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology, will discuss various architecture career pathways. They'll touch on architecture, interior architecture, and landscape architecture, as well as degree and licensure nuances. Finally, College Coach finance consultant Chrissy Foran will give some tips for your teen to achieve financial independence.


