How’s that college essay coming? Not well? Then check out this insight from former Reed College admissions officer Ian Fisher on how to approach your personal statement in this installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert. Ian lets you know what college admissions officers are looking for in an application essay, how to choose a good college essay topic, and how to get started.

In the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Beth Heaton covers a wide range of informative topics: an insider’s perspective on what happens after you submit your financial aid application, a conversation about honors colleges, and insight into the UVA supplemental essays.

Carnegie Mellon University has just two required supplemental essays, one long and one short. You’ll also find two optional prompts that allow students to explain educational interruptions and discuss their CMU admission interview, if they had one.

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 Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN

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.

What do beverages, beans, rice, condiments, and college scholarships have in common? The answer is Goya Foods. The largest Hispanic-owned food company stocks our kitchens with pantry staples and also runs a generous scholarship program for students looking to major in culinary arts or food sciences.

Scholarship: Goya Foods Scholarship

Many people froze their credit in the fallout of the recent Equifax security breach.  Though a wise action to take in order to protect your credit and prevent fraudsters from opening up new credit in your name, implementing a credit freeze could affect the financial aid application process.

Thinking about heading to business school after completing your undergrad degree, but wondering how you’ll afford it? Need-based financial aid can make up one important piece of your payment puzzle, but strategies to maximize this aid need to be put in place long before submitting that business school application.

‘Tis the financial aid application season, so guest host Sally Ganga kicked off last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation with some tips on completing the CSS Profile form.  She also talked with her guests about how to choose a college major and offered advice to students answering the Lehigh University supplemental essay prompts.

Full disclosure: I’m a fan of University of Michigan and I’ve followed Michigan football since I was really young. Why is this relevant? Well, last year I traveled to Michigan on business and for the weekend traveled across the state to visit with admissions, take the tour, and take in a game at “the Big House.”

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: Bennington College
Bennington, VT