College Admissions Consulting Changes to the Common App, Financial Aid Awards, and Accelerated Degree Programs Written by Lauren DiProsperoon August 9th, 2018 I began my undergraduate admissions career at Stanford University where I helped coordinate diversity events and outreach. This ignited a passion for higher education which led me to Columbia University where, after earning my masters, I began recruiting and reviewing the applications of students applying to Columbia College from all around the country including the northeast, mid-west, Texas and California. I also reviewed the applications of international students from countries across Asia as well as Canada and Mexico. During my time at Columbia, I was Director of Admissions at Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons where I oversaw the entire medical school admissions process, including recruitment, application review, interview days, and admitted student events. From there I became the Director of Enrollment Management at the University of San Francisco where I oversaw a team that supported both undergraduate and graduate admissions. In that role I recruited in Southern California and reviewed applications from multiple domestic territories for the undergraduate admissions team. Most recently, I was the senior director at Stanford Medicine, where I again oversaw the entire medical school admissions process. Learn More About Lauren accelerated degree programs, common app, common application, common application help, On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Elizabeth Heaton discusses this year’s changes to the Common Application, institutional variance in financial aid awards, and accelerated degree programs. Accelerated Degree Programs Megan Courtois joins Beth to talk about the accelerated Physical Therapy degree she is pursuing through Muhlenberg College and Thomas Jefferson University. She talks about why she chose this path and what she has learned along the way. Many of our families are interested in these types of programs, so this is a must listen segment! Why Financial Aid Offers Differ Shannon Vasconcelos, former financial aid officer at Tufts University and Boston University, then starts off a two part discussion about why colleges offer different financial aid award packages. She speaks with Beth about the five major reasons a need-based financial aid package may vary from college to college. Shannon shares tips on how to approach your college list, and gives a heads up about the tool that can help you have a good estimate of your financial aid package before you even apply. Common Application Changes The Common Application just opened! Elyse Krantz, our resident expert on the Common App, joins Beth to discuss some of the changes for this year’s application cycle. The good news? There aren’t major changes as there have been in recent years. The application does have some improvements that you should be aware of and Elyse shares her tips for seniors who are getting their applications underway. Tune into our next show when guest host Sally Ganga continues the discussion on institutional variance in financial aid awards, this time looking at merit scholarships. We’ll also dive into questions about supplemental essay questions and tackle when to take the SAT/ACT. 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
