Overnight College Visits, Choosing a College Setting, and Myths about Paying for College

The latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, is chock full of helpful tips on the college search. From college setting and visits to understanding the finances, Elizabeth Heaton and her guests keep us informed. Overnight Visits on College Campuses Abigail Anderson joins Beth to explain what exactly one does on overnight college visits (yes, some colleges allow you to do this!). Spending a night with a current student can be a great way to dive more deeply into your understanding of that school. Abigail explains what you might be able to get out of the visit, why you might want to do one, and when they’re available. Beth and Abigail share some great ideas of what to take advantage of when you’re on campus and how to research your options. Which College Setting is Right for you? Urban, suburban, and rural can all be great settings for college campuses, but how do you know which you might prefer? Christine Kenyon stops by to join Beth and talk a little bit more about the benefits of each.  Christine walks us through the traditional attributes that can be found, and helps us understand how these settings might impact internship opportunities, community feel, budget, food, and housing. With all of this talk of pros, Christine and Beth make sure to also touch on a few of the cons to consider when weighing these different options. This is a really helpful segment to listen to if you’re trying to make sense of how the differences might impact your college choice. College Finance Myths – Part 1 of 2 College finance expert Stacey MacPhetres joins Beth to bust some of the most popular myths about paying for college that we hear. Come back next week for part two of the series. Myths we tackle this week are:

• Public colleges always cost less than private colleges.
• I will qualify for in-state tuition rates after my first year at an out-of-state school.
• Millions of scholarship dollars go unclaimed every year, so you should spend as much time as possible applying for private scholarships.

Tune in to our next episode when Ian Fisher will be back in the host seat discussing common college visit pitfalls and how to avoid them, and preparing for the decisions as they come in. Download our archives on iTunes and Voice America, and don’t forget to send us your questions!