If you can believe it, we’ve been bringing college finance and admissions information to you every single week since we launched our college admissions podcast, Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, on February 5, 2015. Join us for a celebration as we share stories from our time working in admissions and financial aid, along with some cautionary tales and highlights from a few of our favorite students and parents.

Have you ever wondered how someone becomes the radio announcer who covers the play-by-play for your favorite hockey team? Do you love to write, but don’t see yourself becoming a novelist? It’s hard to know where your career path will lead when you’re in high school, and you may not know all the options that are waiting for you, especially if you are still developing your interests. The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) provided by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great resource to discover various careers and learn more about the entry-level education required to enter these fields. In addition, the OOH compiles data on projected job growth. Per the OOH, the average growth rate for all occupations is 5%. Highlighted below are three very different careers that are forecasted to have much faster than average growth rates.

There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school!

School Spotlight: Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT

There is a scholarship (or many scholarships) out there for everyone. Every student has some skill, interest, experience, or characteristic that may make them an attractive candidate for one scholarship or another. And while we often refer to scholarships as “free money,” scholarships don’t actually come for free. It takes work to thoughtfully consider your strengths and research the scholarships that might be most appropriate for you. While the effort that goes into finding and winning scholarships may be akin to a part-time job, we at College Coach want to make your job a little easier. This on-going scholarship series highlights a new scholarship each week. Check out the below, along with the other posts in the series, and you may discover a funding resource that will make covering that college bill a little (or a lot!) easier.

This scholarship advertises that students can receive a “private school education at a state school price.” Students who qualify for this new scholarship at Oglethorpe University in Georgia pay tuition and fees at the rate of their own in-state public university. Added bonus: top Early Action applicants are invited to participate in the university’s annual on-campus “Scholarship Weekend” scholarship competition for full-tuition scholarships.

Scholarship: Oglethorpe Flagship 50 Scholarship

If you’re the parent of a high school senior, you’ve likely completed the FAFSA by now. And if your child applied to any private colleges, you may have also completed a CSS/Profile.  So congratulations!  The most difficult part of the financial aid application process is over.  You can now sit back, relax, and let the money roll in, right?

Wrong! Did you know you can ask for more financial aid?

Our country is suffering from a ratio of students to school counselors that averages about 455 to 1. In no surprise to anyone, too few counselors is having a negative impact on students. We welcome Harvard professor Mandy Savitz-Romer to the show to share her insights. For high school seniors looking for scholarship money, we have tips for thinking local. And in Office Hours, we have thoughts for those very same seniors as they head into their last semester of high school.

Standardized tests play an important role in the application process at many colleges, and those colleges will generally accept submission of either SAT or ACT scores. So which test should your child take?

There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school!

School Spotlight: University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND

There is a scholarship (or many scholarships) out there for everyone.  Every student has some skill, interest, experience, or characteristic that may make them an attractive candidate for one scholarship or another.  And while we often refer to scholarships as “free money,” scholarships don’t actually come for free.  It takes work to thoughtfully consider your strengths and research the scholarships that might be most appropriate for you.  While the effort that goes into finding and winning scholarships may be akin to a part-time job, we at College Coach want to make your job a little easier.  This on-going scholarship series highlights a new scholarship each week.  Check out the below, along with the other posts in the series, and you may discover a funding resource that will make covering that college bill a little (or a lot!) easier.

Do you love animals? Is your beloved family pet a rescue animal? Do you spend time volunteering at a local shelter or helping a non-profit raise money for animal rights? Well, here’s a scholarship for you! This annual scholarship is for students passionate about helping our animal friends.

Scholarship:  Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship

On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law a government spending bill which included many provisions of the SECURE Act (short for Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act—quite a mouthful). As its extended name would imply, most of the provisions of the SECURE Act affect retirement accounts like IRAs and 401ks. One particular aspect of the new law that we thought may be of particular interest to Insider blog readers (all diligent college savers, I’m sure!) affects the use of 529 Plans.