Ol' College Try

It’s a New Year’s special on Old'College Try, and Matt Carpenter and Peggy Keough are kicking off 2026 with the college-focused resolutions every family should consider.

In this episode, Matt and Peggy each share two practical, high-impact resolutions designed to reduce stress, improve communication, and lead to better college and financial outcomes. From starting honest conversations early, to understanding academic, personal, and financial fit, to teaching students how to advocate for themselves through financial aid appeals—this episode is packed with real-world advice families can actually use.

You’ll hear why transparency matters, how to give your student ownership without losing guardrails, and why “never accept the first offer” is a life skill—not just a college strategy.

If college is anywhere on your family’s horizon, this is the perfect way to start the year informed, confident, and prepared.

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In this special holiday edition of Ol’ College Try, hosts Matt Carpenter and Peggy Keough tackle listener-submitted Q&A questions just in time for the end of the year. From financial aid appeals at state schools to common FAFSA and CSS Profile misconceptions, Matt and Peggy break down what families really need to know—without getting lost in the weeds.

This episode covers:

• How student and parent assets impact financial aid

• Whether retirement accounts affect FAFSA and the CSS Profile

• When and why it’s worth appealing a financial aid offer (even at state schools)

• How colleges think about full-pay families versus discounted offers

• When families should start working with College Aid Pro—and why earlier is better

Plus, the episode wouldn’t be complete without some holiday fun. Matt’s daughter, Emma Claire Carpenter, joins as a very special guest to answer the toughest Christmas questions of all—what’s on her wish list and what she loves most about the holidays.

Whether you’re navigating senior-year stress or just starting to think about college planning, this festive Q&A episode offers practical insights, reassurance, and a reminder to enjoy the season. Happy holidays from the Ol’ College Try team!

Connect with Us! Website: ⁠⁠https://collegeaidpro.com/⁠⁠Create a FREE MyCAP Account: https://hubs.li/Q03PTJ_x0Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/collegeaidpro/ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-aid-pro/ ⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ PLUS Get 15% OFF site wide with coupon code COLLEGETRY15 💸

Early Decision and Early Action results are rolling in — and for many families, emotions are running high. In this episode of Old College Try, Matt Carpenter and Peggy Keough, the Fair Godmother of Financial Aid, break down what families should do when early college decisions arrive… especially when the answer isn’t what you hoped for.

They walk through the key differences between Early Decision, Early Action, deferrals, waitlists, and rejections, and share practical next steps for each scenario. Most importantly, Matt and Peggy dive deep into the emotional side of the college admissions process — how parents can support their students through disappointment, manage expectations, and keep perspective when a “dream school” says no.

Drawing from personal stories, professional experience, and years of working with families, this conversation reframes college rejection as a life lesson, not a life sentence. If your family is navigating early admissions decisions — or preparing for them — this episode offers reassurance, strategy, and much-needed clarity.

Topics covered include:

• What to do after an Early Decision acceptance

• How to respond to deferrals and waitlists

• Why college admissions decisions are business decisions, not personal judgments

• How parents can model healthy mindset and resilience

• Why where you go to college is not who you become

Whether your student was accepted, deferred, waitlisted, or denied, this episode will help you move forward with confidence and perspective.

Connect with Us! Website: ⁠⁠https://collegeaidpro.com/⁠⁠Create a FREE MyCAP Account: https://hubs.li/Q03PTJ_x0Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/collegeaidpro/ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-aid-pro/ ⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ PLUS Get 15% OFF site wide with coupon code COLLEGETRY15 💸

Got into your dream school Early Decision…but not loving the price tag? In this episode of Old College Try, Matt Carpenter and “fairy godmother of financial aid” Peg Keough break down how to appeal an Early Decision financial aid offer without breaking your ED agreement—or your budget.

They cover:

• What Early Decision really means (and why that contract is a big deal for parents, students, and counselors)

• Why “negotiate” is a dirty word in financial aid—and what language to use instead

• How to know if your offer is fair, low, or wildly under-awarded

• When merit aid appeals make sense (and when they really don’t)

• Real family case studies, including big wins from smart appeals

Matt and Peg also unveil College Aid Pro’s Net Price Calculator Challenge: run the college’s NPC, compare it to your myCAP projection, and if the college is more accurate than we are, we’ll send you $100.

If Early Decision decisions are landing at your house, this is your playbook.

Connect with Us!

Website: ⁠⁠https://collegeaidpro.com/⁠⁠

Create a FREE MyCAP Account: https://hubs.li/Q03PTJ_x0

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PLUS Get 15% OFF site wide with coupon code COLLEGETRY15 💸

What is demonstrated interest—and can it really change a student’s chances of getting accepted? In this episode of The Ol’ College Try, host Peg Keough sits down with Mark Stucker, producer of Your College Bound Kid, to break down how colleges measure interest and why it matters for admissions and financial outcomes. You’ll learn how schools use demonstrated interest to predict yield (who’s likely to enroll), avoid “unlikely to enroll” applicants, and protect admit rates. Mark explains the most important ways students can show real interest—campus visits (in-person or virtual), college fairs, optional interviews, strong “Why Us?” essays, email engagement, and even website traffic colleges track through their CRMs. Peg and Mark also discuss which colleges care most about DI, common myths, and practical, low-stress strategies families can use to help students stand out and make better college decisions. If you’re building a college list or applying this year, this is a must-listen.

Connect with Us! Website: ⁠⁠https://collegeaidpro.com/⁠⁠Create a FREE MyCAP Account: https://hubs.li/Q03PTJ_x0Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/collegeaidpro/ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-aid-pro/ ⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ PLUS Get 15% OFF site wide with coupon code COLLEGETRY15 💸

Connect with Mark Stucker!

Podcast: Your College Bound Kid

Website: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-stucker-b59b5012/

It’s a special Thanksgiving mailbag episode of The Ol’ College Try podcast! Matt Carpenter and Peg Keough go in totally unprepared and answer your toughest, most common college-planning questions on the fly. They tackle what happens when you have two, three, or even more kids in college at once (and why some schools give a break while others don’t), how FAFSA and CSS Profile work for divorced or separated families, and the truth about your Student Aid Index (SAI)—including why it’s not what you’ll automatically pay.

You’ll also learn how rental or investment properties are treated on the FAFSA vs. CSS Profile, why most colleges’ net price calculators are outdated (and how to double-check affordability the smart way), and whether appealing a financial aid offer can backfire (spoiler: it won’t—if you do it right).

Perfect for parents trying to make sense of financial aid rules, tuition reality, and how to advocate for more aid without hurting admissions. Happy Thanksgiving—and don’t forget to send your next burning question for a future mailbag!
Connect with Us! Website: ⁠⁠https://collegeaidpro.com/⁠⁠Create a FREE MyCAP Account: https://hubs.li/Q03PTJ_x0Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/collegeaidpro/ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-aid-pro/ ⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ PLUS Get 15% OFF site wide with coupon code COLLEGETRY15

Private scholarships are the biggest distraction in the college affordability world — and today, we’re setting the record straight.

In this episode of Old College Try, hosts Matt Carpenter and Peg Keough break down what families think they know about scholarships versus how the system actually works. From the myth of private scholarship riches to the colleges where every admitted student gets a discount, Matt and Peg unpack the real strategies that lead to meaningful savings.

You’ll learn:

• Why private scholarships account for only 3–5% of all financial aid—and why they shouldn’t be your starting point

• How scholarship displacement works (and why that $2,000 award may not lower your bill at all)

• The 95% of aid families SHOULD be focused on—merit scholarships from the colleges themselves

• What kinds of colleges don’t offer any merit aid at all (yes, it’s more common than you think)

• When appealing for more merit actually works—and how senior year performance can help

• The truth about full-ride scholarships vs partial awards

• A proven step-by-step system for deciding which scholarships are worth your time

Plus, the hosts preview next week’s listener mailbag episode and invite your questions!

If you want to build a smart, financially sound college list, this episode is a must-listen.

Connect with Us! Website: ⁠⁠https://collegeaidpro.com/⁠⁠Create a FREE MyCAP Account: https://hubs.li/Q03PTJ_x0Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/collegeaidpro/ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-aid-pro/ ⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

PLUS Get 15% OFF site wide with coupon code COLLEGETRY15

Learn why many college net price calculators are inaccurate—and how misinformation can cost families tens of thousands of dollars. In this episode, Matt Carpenter and Peg Keough break down the flaws in NPCs, reveal real case studies from Northwestern and Duke, discuss CAP’s partnership with Niche featured in The New York Times, and explain how to get the most accurate college cost projections.

Connect with Us! Website: ⁠⁠https://collegeaidpro.com/⁠⁠Create a FREE MyCAP Account: https://hubs.li/Q03PTJ_x0Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/collegeaidpro/ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-aid-pro/ ⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

In this episode of The Old College Try, host Matt Carpenter sits down with Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review, to reveal the top colleges that give the most financial aid in 2025. They break down how schools like Washington & Lee, Princeton, Vanderbilt, and BYU make college more affordable — and why the sticker price rarely reflects the real cost.

Learn the difference between need-based and merit-based aid, discover hidden scholarships, and get insider advice on how families can maximize financial aid and lower college costs. Whether you’re a parent, student, or counselor, this conversation is packed with practical college affordability insights you can use right now.

Episode Highlights:

• How The Princeton Review ranks the best colleges for financial aid

• Why a $90,000 sticker price might actually cost $20,000

• The truth about need-based vs. merit aid

• How elite schools like Princeton and Amherst handle financial need

In this episode of The Ol’ College Try, hosts Matt Carpenter and Peg Keough dive deep into one of the trickiest financial aid topics—how divorce, separation, and split households affect college costs and aid eligibility. From defining what “separated” actually means to explaining which parent should file the FAFSA (and what happens if you’ve remarried), Matt and Peg break down the rules, the exceptions, and the planning opportunities families often miss.

They also cover:

• The difference between FAFSA-only and CSS Profile schools

• What to do if your ex won’t cooperate—or can’t be reached

• How colleges verify your status (spoiler: not much)