Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Merry Christmas! As soon as you're done opening presents, consider your New Year's Resolutions with host Sally Ganga and College Coach colleague Kimberly Asselta, who will be addressing 2026 goals for high school students.

Also, are you undecided? Or, have you picked a major because you think you need to but you aren't sure it's right for you? College Coach colleague Christine Kenyon will be there to discuss when it is and isn't okay to be undecided.

And last, if you are still looking for scholarships but concerned about having to write even more essays, listen in on this segment as College Coach finance expert Russell Seidelman will help you figure out the most efficient and effective way to approach the process.

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Are you interested in experiential, educational travel? Listen in, as host Kyra Tyler will be talking with Durban Rose Ripley of EF Language Abroad programs about their philosophy and offerings, which include trips all over the world, inclusive of both service and culture focused tours. In addition, College Coach finance expert Laurie Peltier will be discussing the National Merit Scholarship program and what that does for students.

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Did you know there is a college whose mascot is the Banana Slugs? And another whose mascot is the Poet? Listen in to the December 11th show when host Shannon Vasconcelos discusses college mascots with College Coach colleague Tova Javetz. They aren't all eagles, lions, and wolves.

Early Decision round one results are out. New College Coach colleague Jenni Gargano, former Associate Director of Admission at Dartmouth College, will be on the show to discuss what students can do now whether they were admitted or not.

And finally, guest and College Coach finance expert Beth Feinburg-Keenan will be there to discuss the financial side of being admitted to your Early Decision college.

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Are you looking for a big university with of lots of school spirit but also small class sizes and lots of research opportunities? An honors college at a large university may be your best bet. Listen in as host Shannon Vasconcelos, herself a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Honors College, talks about what honors colleges are and their benefits with colleague Jen Simons.

Then, new colleague who came to us straight from the Carnegie Mellon admission office Lauren Savage with be here to discuss the difference between various computer science majors.

And last, if you were given grace on your student loan payments and wonder what happens now, college finance expert Zachery Gries will join Shannon to discuss next steps.

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Many students are interested in an engineering career, but some don't know what studying to be an engineer requires or about the different kinds of engineering, from traditional ones like mechanical to newer fields like biomedical. Host Sally Ganga will be joined by colleague Mary Sue Youn, who has been advising aspiring engineers professionally on their college applications for years. But first, Sally will be joined by finance colleague Michelle Smoley who will expound on the virtues of working during holiday breaks from colleges to both earn and learn!

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Hopefully you caught our first edition of College Admissions in the Media, which went live on June 12th of 2025. Today host Kyra Tyler is continuing that conversation with colleagues Blair Dixon and Aysha Wong. In addition, College Coach finance colleague Chrissy Foran will be joining Kyra to discuss choosing colleges which offer merit aid for your college list.

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Are you a high-achieving, low-income student? Listen in as our host Ian Fisher discusses the Questbridge Scholarship with College Coach Finance expert Alex Gonzalez.

Have you heard that all college admission essays must have a "hook"? Confused about what the colleges want in these essays? New College Coach educator Shayla Bezjak-Martinez, formerly of Harvey Mudd and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is here to clarify what colleges are really looking for in the admission essay "genre."

Last, did you know that some colleges give you the option of submitting a virtual interview or video? While students can find that intimidating, it doesn't have to be! Colleague Sara Calvert-Kubrom will be taking about what approach to take.

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Working frantically to finish up your Early Decision application? Host Shannon Vasconcelos will be joined by College Coach colleague Karen Spencer to discuss putting the final touches on your Common Application.

Are you still trying to decide whether you should apply Early Action to a school? Listen in, as College Coach colleague Brittany Preston will tell you what to consider in making the decision.

And last, Finance colleague Laurie Peltier will be there to tell you that you don't need to get spooked by financial aid application mistakes.

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Celebrating our 500th (!!) episode

If you're applying to the Cal States or University of California schools, listen to today's show. Host Kyra Tyler will be interviewing colleague Steve Fernandez-Brennan about how to fill out the Cal State Application, and then Kyra will be joined by Cesar Contreras, who just came to us from the admission office at UCLA, to discuss the University of California Personal Insight Questions.

In addition, College Coach Finance Colleague Jennifer Wilcox will be there to discuss credit underwriting differences between federal and private education loans.

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Applying to Columbia University, Barnard College, or the University of Chicago? Host Sally Ganga, who worked in admissions at the University of Chicago, will be interviewing colleague Mary Sue Youn, who worked at Barnard, about Barnard and Columbia's supplemental essays. Then Mary Sue Youn will turn the tables and interview Sally about Chicago. Let's see if Sally can handle the change in roles.

In addition, College Coach Finance Colleague Chrissy Foran will be there to help us understand what all the many financial aid acronyms, like FAFSA, FSAID, SAI, etc, mean.

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