As admissions decisions start to come in, you may receive scholarship offers from some of your schools. Did you know you can negotiate for more? Learn more about the dos and don’ts of the scholarship negotiation process. For those finding college too expensive even with scholarships and financial aid or those who want a different college experience, we have information about options to have your degree funded by your employer. Tune in for another story from our team. Hear about how one of our college finance experts started with an associate’s degree before getting his bachelor’s.

We talk a lot about what to do as part of your college admissions process. This week, we have some cautionary tales of mistakes some have made in the hopes that you can avoid making similar bloopers. In Officer Hours, we’re answering your college admissions and finance questions.

Guest post by Dr. Steven Tolman, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Georgia Southern University

The transition from high school to college brings many exciting adventures, yet it also poses a new environment with unfamiliar or unspoken expectations. With the imminent beginning of the new semester, a question on the minds of many new college students is, “What do I call my college professor?” Let’s begin by better understanding the type of faculty you’ll have in college.

Seniors: your applications are in. What can you do now? We’ll talk about steps you can take on the admissions and finance side while you wait for your decisions.  Juniors: you’re up! We have advice for starting the college process in earnest now that you’re in the second half of junior year.

Sure, you’ve got the grades and test scores, but so do lots of other students—and most of them are denied admission from Ivy League universities. What, then, is the secret recipe to gain Ivy League acceptance? College Coach consultant, and former Babson and Holy Cross admissions officer, Kimberly Asselta explains in this installment of the video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert.

Just in time for the new year, we have some new year’s resolutions for college admissions. We’re also sharing two team stories this week: attending college as an adult and paying for college as an adult.

In another segment in our Med School Series, we’ll consider post-baccalaureate programs, including what they are and who would benefit. We’ve been giving a lot of attention to early action, early decision, and priority decision admissions plans, but this week we’re all about regular decision lists and planning. Finally, for those of you hoping to establish better financial habits in the new year, we have suggestions on developing a spending plan.

by Lauren DiProspero, former admissions officer at Columbia University

As college students studying pre-med progress towards the end of their junior year, they may start to wonder if they should begin applying to medical school. If you happen to be one of these pre-med juniors, it may feel like all of your peers are on track to do just that.

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

December brings our first big round of admissions news from the students we work with here at Bright Horizons College Coach®. While families across the country (and around the world) are feeling a mix of emotions caused by what has felt like a volatile admissions year, we’ve received plenty of news to cheer about from our students. Here are some highlights from our class of 2021’s early action, early decision, and rolling deadline decisions. Stay tuned in 2021 for our regular decision outcomes.

In another story from our team, Jen Simons will share her experience choosing and attending a women’s college. We’ll also answer your questions on college finance and admissions.