Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

The college search process can be daunting for all students, but LGTBQ+ students may find it particularly challenging as they search for spaces where they will feel comfortable and safe. In honor of Pride month, we're talking through how these students can best approach this part of applying to college. In Office Hours, we're answering listeners' college finance and admissions questions.

As you prepare to pay for college, you may be finally tapping your college savings accounts. We have advice about how to best approach this. The Common App recently released a report on the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. We've pored over the findings and will share highlights with you. Finally we're looking at what it's like to be at a college with a Christian name—and not be Christian.

Rising seniors already know that this summer is an important time to get ahead on their application work. One important component of that is finalizing your list and noting important submission deadlines. And understanding those options is key to your success. With that in mind, we'll discuss early decision one and two, early action, restricted early action, priority, regular decision, and rolling decision. For those with tuition bills due, we have advice for securing financing for the upcoming year. And in Office Hours, we're all about starting your activity list for the Common Application.

It's Pride Month, and we're covering LGBTQ+ scholarships in celebration. We're also talking about student research—why you might do this and what it can look like. Finally, in office hours we're reviewing how to decide if using an independent counselor is the right path for you.

Students these days are frequently involved in as many activities outside of the classroom as classes they're taking inside it. A social worker and teen parent joins today's show to discuss how cutting back can help improve mental health. In Office Hours, we're answering listeners' college finance and admissions questions.

No summer plans? No problem! There are so many interesting things students can do with their summers that don't need to be planned way in advance. Tune in to learn more. Interest rates are rising, and we're discussing what that might mean for college financing and savings. Finally, we have advice re: asking for letters of recommendation, including who, when, and how to ask.

Now that the dust has settled on regular decision 2022, we're sharing the results and trends we're seeing. We're also exploring things to think about if you're trying to decide whether to move out of the dorm to an off-campus apartment next year.

Babson, Olin, and Wellesley Colleges may seem like three very different colleges sharing only a similar location. But they've come together for an interesting collaborative program impacting students at each of the schools. Their three admissions deans join today's podcast to share more about it.

Did you receive one of the dreaded "not a no but not a yes" waitlist offers? There are some strategies you can employ, and we'll share them on the show today. It's also tax season, and we have some tax-advantaged ways for you to save for college. Finally, one of our own seniors joins the show to share his college search, application, and decision process.

It's late April, and most seniors are getting ready to make their final choice and deposit at the college they'll attend next fall. We're covering all the next steps they need to be thinking about. Many students with top choice colleges feel like they should attend a summer program at that college. We're also talking through the value of attending a college that participates in a consortium of some kind, from the Five Colleges in Massachusetts to the Claremont Schools in California.