Memorable Parents, Financial Aid for Transfer Students & Waiting for Acceptances | College Coach Blog

On last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Elizabeth shared cautionary tales of parents who made more of an impression than their children, the myths behind financial aid for transfer applicants, and tips for what seniors should (and shouldn’t) be doing while they wait for their decisions to return. Most Memorable Parent Award The last thing a parent (should) want to be is more memorable than their student in the application process. Canh Oxelson, Director of College Counseling at Horace Mann School and former admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania, joined Beth in sharing cautionary tales and common pitfalls for parents deeply invested in the process. What does an admission officer truly think when she or he hears the phrase, “we’re applying to college”? Will it be noted when a parent dominates the tour, asking all the questions? What happens if a parent sends an email on “behalf” of their student? Canh and Beth both weighed in from their experiences and offered tips to avoid this potentially costly situation. Financial Aid for Transfer Students Next, Michelle Clifton joined in the conversation to dispel the myth that transfer students will not be offered financial aid. While the process is the same, the timing is different. Michelle also took on more nuanced questions about merit aid and loans for transfer students, a must-listen if you’re readying those transfer apps for fall enrollment. The Long Wait Waiting might be the most difficult part of the application process and in the final segment, Julia Jones offered up her advice for making it through this holding pattern. Aside from reminding students to stay on track (your grades will be reviewed by the admission committee at both the mid- and end of year!), Julia also suggested using this time to reach out to your application reader with updates or to visit the colleges you haven’t yet seen. There are instances where you wouldn’t want to reach out to your application reader, though, so make sure to tune in and find out what those instances are. In next week’s broadcast, past College Coach students will return to discuss how they chose their college and what they learned from the process. We will also host a new monthly segment, answering listener questions. If you have questions, please send them in! Recent Episodes of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation:

• Parents: Please Don't Be More Memorable than your Students!
• Finding Money for College After You've Filed the FAFSA
• Researching Colleges and Listener Questions