How many AP classes should you take? The answer, like many in the college admissions world is, “It depends.” In this installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert, former Reed College admissions officer, Ian Fisher, guides students and parents through how to answer this question for themselves.

Interested in participating in Reserve Officer Training Corps—ROTC for short—in college? We’re welcoming Rob Kirkland, author of The Insider’s Guide to the Army ROTC Scholarship for High School Students and Their Parents, to share his thoughts on applying to these programs. In another in our Biggest Myths series, we’ll look at some myths in both admissions and college finance.

by Karen Spencer, former admissions officer at Georgetown University

With so much unknown out there about the timing of COVID-19 and the length of social distancing measures, one of the most common questions we are fielding is whether or not a gap year might make sense for incoming freshmen. This practice of putting off enrollment for a year is called “deferring,” and whether or not the time off is granted is up to the university. If family finances have changed and your college plans are up in the air, or if the uncertainty surrounding the structure of campus life and learning has you rethinking your plan to enroll this fall, a “gap year” might be a good option. Here are questions to ask before pursuing the gap year option:

by Sara Calvert-Kubrom, former admissions officer at Lewis & Clark College

As in-person summer camps, pre-college programs, travel, internships, sports training, and more begin to be canceled, many wonder “what next?” First, we need to remember that colleges will all take these extraordinary circumstances into consideration when evaluating applications for admission. Accept that it is ok to slow down. There are, however, many enriching ways teens can use this time to positively impact their community, grow academically and personally, and continue to thoughtfully prepare for college.

While some colleges have pushed back their reply date from May 1 to June 1 or even later (we see you, Iowa State!), many students will need to commit to their college of choice within the next few weeks. We have suggestions for how to approach this decision, especially since visiting campus is not an option this year. We will also look into using financial fit as part of the college selection process. In Office Hours, we’ll offer options for students who don’t like any of the colleges that accepted them.

I think we can all agree that this is a challenging time for families, and trying to balance work and young children can be particularly difficult. While many days are hard and require a whole lot of patience, there are small moments and silver linings that are so important to focus on and enjoy in these uncertain times.

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on high school seniors and underclassmen, and on college finance. In today’s show, we’ll be tackling the question of how to get a feel for a college campus without visiting in person, and answering some of the questions (what if I don’t get any grades for the second half of my freshman, sophomore, or junior year) we’re getting from underclassmen. We’ll also walk you through the impact on every phase of college finance, from saving for college to paying for it to handling the loans once you graduate. Finally, we’re doing a listener Q&A to answer some additional COVID-19 questions and some that are completely unrelated.

Guest Post By Sabrina Manville

This post is adapted from an article that originally appeared on Edmit’s site.

The coronavirus pandemic has seemingly changed everything, and college admissions is no exception. Students and graduates at every stage of life are adjusting, whether by doing virtual visits, considering test-optional colleges, or learning online when they did not expect to.

In a world in which everything seems to have changed overnight, what you have available to pay for college may have shifted drastically over the last few weeks. Appealing your financial aid offer may be more important than ever, and we have advice on the best way to go about that. For those students thinking about transferring, we have a personal transfer experience story to share. In Office Hours, we’re offering tips for determining which college program is the “best” one for you.

Guest post by Jackie Hebert, Executive Function Coach and Director of Marketing and Communications at Beyond BookSmart

As Executive Function coaches, we speak with worried parents of high school kids every day. The conversations usually go something like this: “My kid is smart. I see a world of possibilities awaiting them, if only they could be more organized (or stop getting distracted by their phones or be more disciplined about how they work or remember to hand in their homework…). How can I make sure they will be ready for the demands of college?”