One of your biggest allies in the college process is your school counselor. Whether writing a letter of recommendation, sending out a transcript or directing you to local scholarship resources, there are many, many ways in which they will support you. We have advice from a former school counselor on how you can be a better partner. We’ll also take a look at the costs associated with applying to college and walk you through some goal setting suggestions for underclassmen.

Love watching blooper reels for your favorite TV shows? We’re offering our own blooper reel of mistakes we saw students and parents making when we were admissions officers. Don’t be them! We’re also welcoming the associate director of admissions for Bard College at Simon’s Rock to share more information about early college programs, including what they are and who would most benefit from these opportunities. Finally in Learning to Live Like a Student, we’ll focus on how small and large financial choices that students make while they are in college can and will impact their financial future after graduation.

What International Students Can Expect from the US Admissions Process

Applying to a U.S. university from abroad can seem like a daunting process. Not only are you taking a leap from the familiar educational surroundings of your secondary school into the unknown waters of higher education, there’s a possibility you’re flying farther away from home than most of your peers and taking a chance on an entirely different country and educational system. Let’s just say, “we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Unless, of course, Kansas is your ultimate destination.

If you’ve been staring at a blank computer screen wondering how to craft an answer to the supplemental writing prompts for Johns Hopkins and UC Boulder, you’ve come to the right place! We’ll talk through appropriate approaches to all on today’s show. We’ll follow that by answering all of your burning college finance and admissions questions.

If you’re paying attention to the news, you may be aware that the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) recently voted to eliminate portions of its ethics code regarding student recruitment. The result is that colleges can now offer special incentives to students applying under binding Early Decision policies, continue to recruit students who have already committed elsewhere, and recruit students who were admitted but enrolled elsewhere.

Call them what you may – likely, foundation, strong possibility, or no problem colleges – there is no such thing as a safety school anymore. Most students consider a “safety” (a term, it should be known, that colleges themselves universally find distasteful) to be a school that nearly guarantees them admission. In other words, the students’ grades, rigor, and test scores place them so far above the typical admitted student, that gaining admission into those particular colleges seems to be a sure thing, a slam dunk. But as someone who – for the past 13 years – has diligently created lists of best fit colleges for high school seniors, I know that the days of feeling secure in a safety school are long gone.

Guest Post by Julie Wolf, freelancer writer and parent

In late August, my daughter started her first year at a large urban university not far from home, and, since then, I’ve heard from her a handful of times. A couple of weeks ago, though—Thursday, September 12, 2019, not that I’m keeping track—she actually texted! But she didn’t text to say “I love you.” She wanted information. She had walked to CVS with some friends (new friends! Yay! She’s making friends!) so that they could get flu shots, and while she’d brought her insurance card, she wanted the first five digits of her Social Security Number. (She knew the last four.) “Just in case they need more information.”

There are many, many myths floating around out there about college admissions, and in this new regular segment, we’re going to try to replace the myth with some facts. Last week we shared everything you need to know about completing the FAFSA, and this week we’re tackling the CSS Profile, which is required by about 400 colleges and universities. Finally, we’ll let you in on the who, what, where, when, and how of submitting standardized test scores.

Graduate school study, including business school, can come with funding opportunities that are not typically available to undergraduate students. These include the potential receipt of fellowships and assistantships. In her latest contribution to the Fortuna Admissions blog, College Coach finance expert and former Babson College financial aid officer, Michelle Clifton, explains what fellowships and assistantships are, and how to win them.

It’s almost October 1, commonly known as FAFSA time around here, and we have guidance for those completing the form this fall. We also have advice for teacher recommendations, from how they’re used to who to ask to how to ask for them. In Office Hours, we’re working through the supplemental questions for Haverford, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr, three colleges on the outskirts of Philadelphia.