Paying for college stirs up way more than just number crunching—it’s a raw experience laden with stress, overwhelm, and uncertainty. In today’s episode, Sarah Holtan, PhD, sits down with Mark Mitchell, Vice President of Access and Affordability of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), to cut through the facts and talk about the very real feelings families face when tuition bills are due.

Mark reveals what’s changed in the financial aid landscape and why the pressure is only getting heavier for families—and what colleges can actually do about it. If anxiety, confusion, and those unexpected extra costs sound all too familiar, what simple tweaks could make college feel like a better investment?

Don’t you want to hear what most colleges are missing when trying to ease the burden for students and their families? Mark Mitchell breaks it all down—emotion, process, and practical solutions—in this eye-opening conversation.

Episode Highlights

04:05 - It was the first time since we've done this survey that stress topped the list of emotions.

09:56 - If more families are working more to make the tuition work, it's easy to imagine like the added stress that that brings with it.

14:39 - It's more about how to make sure that that stress doesn't make them stop doing what they need to be doing for their child.

37:05 - If somebody's struggling with something, just ask them. Get a group of families together and say, hey, what's wrong with this process? How can we make it better? What are you struggling with?

Sarah Holtan, PhD

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Mark Mitchell

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