College Admissions Consulting College Admissions and Finance Questions: Asked and Answered! Written by Kristine Sawickion November 3rd, 2016 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 admissions advice, financial aid, getting in, paying for college, Our entire latest episode of Getting in: A College Coach Conversation was dedicated to answering our listeners’ questions. Host Elizabeth Heaton partnered with College Coach finance expert, Beth Feinberg Keenan, and together they addressed the college admission and college finance questions asked by our audience. Admission Questions Elizabeth tackled several excellent questions pertaining to the college application process including: Is there an advantage to submitting an application in advance of the application deadline? Are there taboo essay topics? Is a transcript “C” detrimental to an admission application? What can a student do in high school to be competitive for Ivy League admission? What is the role of geographic diversity in highly selective admission? Is Naviance an accurate indicator of acceptance to colleges? Some colleges ask what other colleges you are applying to—how is that information used? Is it advisable in the college application to disclose a learning difference? Finance Questions Questions pertaining to financing the college education were thought-provoking: Should a financially comfortable family still apply for need-based financial aid? Does applying Early Decision or Early Action impact the probability of receiving a merit-based scholarship? What is the scoop on need-blind schools that meet 100% of financial need? On our next episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Ian Fisher will host a School’s In! Application Workshop and will discuss the value of working a job in high school. Related Resources Read | Posted on April 16th, 2024 Understanding Direct Admission: A Pathway to Success Read | Posted on April 10th, 2024 Acceptance by Emi Nietfeld; Why You Should Fill out the FAFSA Read | Posted on April 9th, 2024 Community Colleges with Campus Housing
