Congrats to all those seniors who have made their decision and deposited at the college they will attend next fall. Now what? We have what you need to know about what comes next. In our ongoing medical school series, we’re covering all the pre-med application options for high school students, from BS/MD, BS.DO, early assurance, and straight up pre-med. Finally, we’re discussing all the work options for traditional college students, from work study to student employment to internships.

by Shannon Vasconcelos, former financial aid officer at Tufts University

Attention high school seniors, continuing college students, and all of their parents: In news coming out of the U.S. Department of the Treasury today, we now know what federal student loan interest rates will be for the upcoming school year. 

by Lisa Albro, former admissions officer at Goucher College

While applying to a traditional four-year college generally involves writing essays and providing teacher and counselor recommendations and grades, there are several more layers to a military academy application.

There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school!

School Spotlight: California State University, San Marcos
San Marcos, CA

by Emily Toffelmire, former admissions officer at University of Southern California

Just a fraction of the universities and colleges in the country have made formal announcements about their COVID vaccine policies for students, but some clear trends are emerging. According to Inside Higher Ed, “many institutions mandating the immunizations for students fit a certain profile: more often private than public, selective, located in a Democratic-leaning state.”

by Kara Courtois, former admissions officer at Barnard College

It’s common, especially at larger high schools, that school counselors cannot personally know each and every student to whom they are assigned. Given the unreasonable number of students most counselors have in their caseload, this unfortunate situation is not surprising, but this reality has only gotten more challenging because of virtual schooling. Maybe this doesn’t worry you too much as a parent until you realize this same counselor may be required to write a letter of recommendation for your student’s college applications. But don’t panic; it’s not as dire a situation as you might think! Our college admissions experts help students get over this hurdle every year.

by Mary Sue Youn, former admissions officer at Barnard College

In my college counseling practice, I’ve worked with a few students over the years who are excited to attend college but may not be ready for college…yet. At times, these students consider a gap year, which is a break in their academic progression from high school to college that allows them to travel, work, or volunteer. However, sometimes these students don’t want an academic break, yet they also aren’t quite ready for the next college step either. That’s where the post-graduate (PG) year comes in. A PG year is offered by many private boarding schools as an extra year of high school, a 13^th year, where the student can continue to grow in a way that might help them move towards their college goals productively.

by Ryan Kelley, former admissions officer at Fordham University

You may have reached the point in your high school career where it’s time to think about the next chapter in your life: college. This is an exciting and often overwhelming experience. With so many colleges and universities, where does one even begin the search process? Often times it begins with the “big name” schools. Ones that are world-renowned for their academics, highly selective admission processes, or sports teams who appear on national television. Sometimes, though, the big name schools are not the best fit. This does not mean they are not good, or even great, schools. It means maybe they are not great for you. Many of these institutions provide their students wonderful opportunities in and out of the classroom, however, they are not the only ones able to do this. Some schools not only change lives, they are literally classified as doing so.

Wanting a break before starting college or looking for something interesting to do before applying? Rebecca Barr of Education First joins this episode of our podcast to discuss gap year options through EF. We also have advice on what to be doing now if you hope to be recruited athlete and project management tips for parents helping their students apply to college.

by Lauren DiProspero, former admissions officer at Columbia University

To become a doctor, you must graduate from medical school. To practice medicine, you must be licensed. To become licensed, you must complete a residency program. Given this requirement, I am sure that many people assume that residency is simply the next step in a medical student’s journey, and maybe they even assume residency is a guarantee. That is, unfortunately, not the case.