College Admissions Consulting Choosing the Best Common App Prompt; Supplemental Essays; One Person’s Experience with Student Loan Debt Written by College Coach Guest Authoron July 24th, 2019 Bright Horizons College Coach occasionally features blog posts written by guest authors. You’ll find more information about each guest author in the About the Author section on the blog post. Learn More About College Coach college debt, common app, common application, essay prompts, Dear Debt’s Melanie Lockert paid off $81 thousand in student debt in just a few years. She’ll join us to talk about how she got to $81 thousand in the first place, what she would do differently if she could do it all again, and what led to the creation of her Dear Debt blog (now also a book). We’re also discussing how to choose your Common App prompt and what Common App supplemental essays are all about. To listen to other episodes, visit Getting In: A College Coach Conversation on VoiceAmerica or search for us on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, please leave us a rating or review! We appreciate your feedback. Related Resources Read | Posted on June 4th, 2025 Legal Documents Your Child Needs to Sign Before Heading to College Read | Posted on May 20th, 2025 What is Demonstrated Interest? Read | Posted on April 29th, 2025 Navigating the Ethical Use of AI Tools in College Admissions