College Admissions Consulting Applying to the University of San Francisco, College Payment Plans, and Making Your College List Written by Kristine Sawickion July 19th, 2017 I grew up in California and attended a big suburban public high school. For college, I chose Reed in Portland, Oregon, where I studied psychology with a focus in behavioral neuroscience. After a year working as a research assistant at Oregon Health & Sciences University, I switched my professional objective and taught at both the middle and high school levels and coached women’s cross-country. Eventually I made my way to admission work and spent the next eleven years at Reed, culminating in a year as Acting Dean. I later moved to California and spent a few years in the Stanford Office of Undergraduate Admission, where I continued to work directly with students both domestic and international. Learn More About Kristine college lists, college payment plans, getting in, paying for college, On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Elizabeth Heaton welcomed three college admissions and finance experts to explore the admission process at the University of San Francisco, college payment plans, and strategies for getting started making your college application list. Inside the Admissions Office at the University of San Francisco First, Beth welcomed College Coach admissions educator Lauren DiProspero, who worked in the Office of Undergraduate Admission at the University of San Francisco, an urban, Jesuit institution with the motto, “change the world from here.” Lauren talked about her experience working there, highlighting USF’s holistic decision-making process and the essays being an especially important part of their review. Lauren also shared with listeners an interesting detail about USF: in addition to the traditional fall admissions cycle, they offer spring admission as well. College Payment Plans Next, Beth welcomed College Coach finance educator Cheryl Hunt to talk about college payment plans. Most colleges offer a college payment plan that allows families to pay tuition over a period of time, instead of in a lump sum at the start of the semester. Cheryl explained how these programs work and defined the differences between an installment plan and a deferred payment plan. She noted the importance of enrolling in these plans early, with some plans starting as early as May. Getting Started Making Your College Application List Finally, Beth welcomed College Coach admissions educator Emily Toffelmire to talk about how to get started making a college list. Emily gave tips on approaching online research and emphasized how much can be learned from a campus visit. Beth and Emily explored ways to help the student who thinks they are open to any kind of college, and wrapped up with discussion on when and how students should consider their likelihood of being admitted to a particular school. On the next episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Ian Fisher hosts a show to talk about college fairs, trends in college admission, and the prospect of getting a college loan with bad credit. Related Resources Read | Posted on March 27th, 2024 A Deep Dive on Union College Read | Posted on March 20th, 2024 Should I Attend Admitted Student Day; Listener Q&A Read | Posted on March 13th, 2024 Standardized Tests; Choosing Your College; Financial Aid Appeals