Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

What does it mean when a college states that they cover 100 percent of demonstrated financial need? Is that too good to be true? We have thoughts—and facts—and we'll share them! For those students interested in engineering, we're digging into 3+2 programs to share more details about how those work. Office Hours is all about supplemental essays: what they are, who requires them, and where to find them.

We frequently—and strongly—suggest that families discuss what they can afford when it comes to college. But talking money can be challenging. We have advice to make "the talk" a bit easier. Athletic recruitment has many moving parts, and it's often the parents who are charged with keeping track of everything. We'll share suggestions for ways parents can help their recruited athletes. Finally, we will address the most common myths we hear regarding the University of California schools.

Congrats to all graduating seniors who successfully applied to college and are preparing to start this fall. Laura Amigone, a college success coach from Rudder Coaching, joins the podcast this week to offer advice to these students to help them make a smooth transition from high school to college. We'll also discuss why saving is important for everyone in another of our Personal Finance 101 series.

College interviews aren't part of the process at many colleges in the US. But interviews are an opportunity for candidates to add a more personal component to their applications at those institutions that offer them. Find out what types of interviews are available, which students should plan to take part, what to expect, and how to prepare. We're also answering your college admissions ad finance questions in our regular Listener Q&A series.

Interested in earning teaching young children as your career? Learn more about the Horizons Teacher Degree Program, a no-cost degree program for all full-time employees in Bright Horizon's early education centers and preschools. In our Personal Finance 101 series, we'll talk about how to help your student prepare for financial responsibility in college. Finally, we're discussing each of the Common App's seven essay prompts and offering tips on how to approach each of them in Office Hours.

Are you heading off to college pretty sure you want to transfer after year one? We have some thoughts about this approach that we'll share with our listeners this week. If you're wondering how students fund graduate and professional degrees, we'll offer some insight. And finally, we have information for students interested in a career in physical therapy, from the education required to the skills necessary for the job.

This year our own Elizabeth Heaton is in our listeners' shoes as she helps her son navigate the college process. She's sharing her thoughts with co-host Ian Fisher. We'll also lay out a suggested schedule of summer work for rising seniors who want to make the most of this time (hint—it includes writing and finalizing the essay!). Finally, we lay out the details of tuition payment plans, which can help some families avoid borrowing altogether.

Many students think the final hurdle to becoming a doctor is graduating from medical school. But in fact there is another one looming: residency matching. If you don't get a residency, you can not become a doctor. We have some information on what to look for related to residencies as you evaluate medical schools. In our Listener Q&A, we're answering your college admissions and finance questions.

Have you heard that you can pay in-state prices for an out-of-state school? One way to make this happen is through tuition reciprocity programs. We'll discuss how those work in today's podcast. We also have information about ROTC and will go over the who, what, when, and why of recommendation letters.

This week's show is all about health, from remaining healthy while you're in college to maintaining healthy finances as a way of supporting mental health. Jill and Dave Henry, authors of the newly published College Health Guide will join the show to share what they've learned as coaches for young people over the years. And in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we will also look at the correlation of healthy finances and mental health.