College Admissions Consulting How Many APs to Take, Financial Aid for Admitted Students, Visiting Colleges on Spring Break Written by Tova Javetzon March 8th, 2019 I began my career as both a tour guide and senior interviewer at my alma mater, Barnard, where I later joined the admissions team and read and reviewed applications from students applying from the northeastern, midwestern, and western regions of the United States, as well as Canada. A few years later, while pursuing my master’s degree, I briefly left admissions to be the director of student life at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Realizing I missed working closely with students on the high school side of college counseling, I joined the admissions team at Fordham University where I recruited and reviewed applicants applying to Fordham’s liberal arts and business colleges. My most recent experience at Montclair State helped me understand what the application process looks like outside of highly selective colleges and how to help students who may not be fully prepared for college-level work. One of my favorite past experiences was managing the athletic recruitment process at Fordham as well as a number of sports at Barnard. Understanding the inner workings of both the Ivy and Patriot athletic leagues meant I was able to guide students to find the best athletic matches as part of their college search. Learn More About Tova ap courses, college admissions advice, college visits, financial aid, On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Sally Ganga and guests discuss how many AP classes should you take, financial aid questions for admitted students to ask, and tips for your college visits during upcoming spring breaks. Financial Aid for Admitted Students In the first segment, Stacey MacPhetres joins Sally to talk about the financial aid questions you should be asking when attending an admitted student day. Stacey lists some other offices beyond the obvious that you definitely don’t want to miss when you’re on campus. They review the questions families should be asking regarding meal plans, payment plans, and health insurance. Stacey also reviews some of the nuanced questions to ask of the Financial Aid Office regarding Federal Work-Study and on-campus jobs. How Many AP Classes Do I Need to Take? As any devoted listener of our podcast knows, the most common answer to our most frequently asked questions is…“It depends!” And the answer to, “How many AP classes do I need to take?” is no exception. Kennon Dick and Sally unpack what is often being asked behind the question, why there isn’t a magic number, and how to know what might be right for you or your child. Fear not, they also talk about what happens if Advanced Placement courses might not be right for your child in the first place! Kennon reviews how honors, International Baccalaureate, and other accelerated courses come into play, and they clarify why the context of your high school impacts all of these pieces. Office Hours: Spring Break College Visits In the last segment, Sally is joined by Emily Toffelmire to discuss what one actually does on a college visit and when the best time is to do one. Emily explains why it’s important to register for the visit and clarifies who should be the one to sign up. They review what questions to ask, where to go, how to take effective notes, and what parents can do to make sure students take the lead. Sally doesn’t let Emily leave without sharing some insight on what not to do or ask when visiting a college campus. Missed a past episode? Check out the archives in iTunes for topics like Appealing a Financial Aid Award and the always popular listener question series. Want your question answered on air? Submit it here. Related Resources Read | Posted on April 29th, 2025 Navigating the Ethical Use of AI Tools in College Admissions Read | Posted on April 22nd, 2025 Demystifying Liberal Arts: What They Are and Aren't Read | Posted on March 11th, 2025 Does a Teen Need to File a Tax Return?
