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: Wheaton College
Norton, MA

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.

Are you passionate about potatoes? Not eating them mashed or fried, but researching them? The National Potato Council (NPC) awards this scholarship to a graduate student whose research benefits the potato industry.

Scholarship: National Potato Council Scholarship

Considering pursuing an MBA, but worried about the debt burden it would require you to take on? Well, I’ve got good news for you. It is possible to get your student loans forgiven. Qualifying for repayment assistance can be tricky, however, so check out Shannon Vasconcelos’ guest post on the Fortuna Admissions blog for the details on the complex requirements for student loan forgiveness.

Here’s a quick quiz for you. Let’s say that you’re applying to five colleges using the Common Application. Each college requires one main personal statement along with two additional supplemental essays. And let’s say you’re also applying to one college on the Coalition Application, one college on the University of California application, one college on the ApplyTexas application, and one college that uses its own school-specific application. How many essays will you need to write in all?

Labor Day has come and gone, and that means two things: summer is (sadly) over and it is officially college application season! Beth Heaton returned to host last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, covering a range of topics. In the first segment, first generation college-bound students were given advice, recommendations, and things to consider as they begin their college career. Many families need help building a college list that is affordable, and the second segment on the show offered tools for researching colleges from a financial perspective. And the show wrapped with an Office Hours discussion focused on the “Why this College?” essay that many colleges ask applicants to write.

Identity. How do you define it, describe it, put it down on paper? And for seniors applying to colleges and universities, what does a school want to see when they ask about your identity on a college application?

Take Duke’s optional essay prompt, for example. I’ve met many a student who’s hit a mental snag when trying to tackle it:

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: Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL

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 think if you don’t have a 4.0 GPA, you won’t win any scholarships? Do you feel like it’s not even worth the effort to apply? Well, here is a scholarship that is available for being persistent and not giving up in the face of scholarship rejections. Keep on fighting the good fight toward financial independence, and it may just end up paying off in the form of this scholarship for aggressive applicants.

Scholarship: Scholarship for Aggressive Scholarship Applicants

While high school seniors are worried about what college they’re going to get into, the primary concern of many parents of seniors is how on earth they’re going to pay that college.  It’s no surprise, then, that parents are anxious to get the financial aid process rolling and are wondering when to get started with aid applications.  The short answer to the question, “When should I apply for financial aid?,” is “soon,” but the below points should provide a little additional clarification on application timing:

Are you looking at test-optional schools? Planning to apply to the University of California system? Have questions about loans or the FAFSA? Then this episode of the Getting In: A College Coach Conversation is just for you! As we move into the days and weeks where students are returning to school, we’re shifting gears to discuss the ever-more timely ins and outs of specific college application processes. This week, college admissions advisor Sally Ganga filled in as host.