Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Ever wonder how important essays are in the process at large state universities? It probably won't surprise you to learn that it depends! In this week's first segment, we share our thoughts on when these essays really matter and when they are less important. In Office Hours, we're answering your college admissions and finance questions.

For most colleges, applying for financial aid is as simple as filling out the FAFSA. But a smaller group of schools also requires the CSS Profile. We'll share what to expect if you need to complete that form as well. In the era of test optional colleges, students and parents frequently struggle to decide whether they should submit their test scores as part of their applications. We'll walk you through how to think about that. Finally, we're reviewing the additional essay prompts for University of Chicago in our fall series on supplemental essays.

Should you file the FAFSA even if you don't qualify for financial aid or have no plans to apply for financial aid? These are questions we frequently field, especially during the fall, and we're going to answer them on today's show. We also have advice on applying to visual and fine arts programs. Finally, in the first of our fall series on supplemental essays, we're looking at the supplemental essay prompts for Wake Forest.

AP Capstone Program; College Bills; Balanced College Lists For seniors finalizing their college lists, one of the most important things to consider is whether it's a balanced one. All reaches? Not good. All safeties? Might be overlooking some other options. We'll talk through how to finalize a balanced list that isn't too long or too short. In other segments, we're discussing the AP Capstone program and offering tips for covering the remaining balance on your college bills.

What does it mean when colleges send you mail? We discuss examples from a few different schools where we worked, and share thoughts on what to do with the mail you receive. We're also answering your college finance and admissions questions in Office Hours.

Starting the University of California application and wondering how to tackle those essays? We'll discuss how to approach them in this week's podcast. In another in our series on our team's own college stories, Lisa Albro shares the challenges she faced as a first generation college student and then as a graduate entering the work world during a recession. Finally, we'll update you on mandatory administrative forbearance and when you're likely to have to restarting federal loan repayments.

School is officially back for most seniors, and it's time to focus on the application process in earnest. We have timelines for both the admissions and the college finance process, including what needs to get done and when. For those students with access to Naviance, we have suggestions for how to use that through the application process.

A few years ago, we wrote a blog titled, "Colleges Don't Care About Community Service." In this week's show, we'll share whether or not our opinions on this topic have changed. In other segments, we'll look at the link between mental health and financial aid, and dig into the PSAT and whether or not students should plan to prep for it.

A great college list starts with academics, namely majors. If a college doesn't have any in your areas of interest, it's off the list! We have tips for how to go about researching majors. We also have finance advice for recent college graduates, and we'll discuss the pros and cons of submitting applications in the early decision, early action, and priority rounds.

In another in our series on our team's own college stories, Kyra Tyler joins the show to talk about pursuing a bachelor of arts in flute performance at Northwestern despite having no interest in a musical career. Tune in to learn how she draws on that education in her career. In office hours, we're answering your college finance and admissions questions.