Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Wondering if college is worth it? We'll help you think through how to evaluate the return on investment and avoid some pitfalls that might decrease your ROI. Are you a senior or the parent of a senior who hasn't yet done anything on the college process? We have some to dos and timelines to get you going! We'll also discuss the who, what, where, when, and why of college interviews—tune in for some tips.

What's a NESCAC anyway? Bates College admissions officer Scott Alexander joins the show to share a current view of his college and other NESCAC schools. Pitzer College admissions officer also joins the show to discuss the Pitzer essay supplements. And in our latest Personal Finance segment, we'll go over the benefits of establishing an emergency fund.

As you know, we are in the season of supplements. We'll look at both Ithaca College and Notre Dame while also tackling those pesky major of interest and why this college questions in general. In other news, we look at what's next from a financial perspective for National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Ten days to November 1—yikes!! We have advice for what to focus on now as we inch closer to those November 1 deadlines. We're also sharing our takeaways from the annual conference for National Association of College Admissions Counselors—NACAC for short.

What the heck is a net price calculator and why should you use one? Glad you asked—we'll tell all in today's show! We also welcome Chris Perlongo from the University of Vermont to talk early action, early decision, and supplemental essays about Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Finally, we're also sharing colleges with atypical deadlines and applications.

The FAFSA is live, and many of you have questions. We've assembled our list of the top 10 FAFSA questions along with the answers, and we're sharing them with you! Three of our college admissions consultants will also share their experiences attending colleges in the "middle of nowhere" and in the heart of the city.

Majors, majors, majors. Is it okay to be undecided? What about choosing something you've never studied before? On this week's show, we're exploring majors: how to think about them, how to choose them, when to wait (and whether or not that is a problem when it comes to admissions), and how to know that a major is right for you—even if you've never taken one course in the subject. We'll also explain what the CSS Profile is, who requires it, and who needs to complete it.

Seniors completing the Common App and looking at a long list of supplemental essays may be asking, "but why do I have to write more essays?!" right about now. Becky Konowitz, dean of admissions at Santa Clara University joins the show to answer that question and dig into her own schools supplemental questions. In other segments, we're breaking down recent updates re: Federal Student Loan Forgiveness and sharing insight on how to maximize Naviance.

If you've been looking at college price tags and wishing you'd started saving earlier, you might want to tune in to today's show. Guest Yvette Haring of TIAA-CREF will be talking about 520 college savings programs and whether or not it's too late to open one (hint—probably not!). In other segments, we're talking to working parents to find out how they make time to support their students (it's Working Parents Day!), and answering listeners' admissions and finance questions.

If you're interested in attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution, intrigued by Hispanic Studies, or want to learn more about Latino-Hispanic Scholarships, today's show is for you! We'll hear from a representative from University of New Mexico, a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), offer insight into what it means to major in Hispanic Studies and other interdisciplinary majors, and share details about some of the many Latino-Hispanic Scholarships available to students.