College Admissions Consulting Paying Off Student Loan Debt & Writing the Why This College Essay Written by Abigail Andersonon September 21st, 2016 I joined College Coach after working in independent school and college admissions. At the collegiate level, I evaluated thousands of applications and managed more than 20 student workers and 200 alumni interview volunteers. I recruited in, and read applications for, multiple domestic and international recruitment territories, including all of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, Europe, and the Americas. I also worked with and evaluated transfer applicants. Committed to increasing college access and demystifying the college application process, I collaborated with colleagues across institutions to develop free, accessible programming for high school juniors wanting to jumpstart the application process and improve their essay skills. My passion has always aligned with working directly with high school students; I started my career in admissions at a highly-selective all-girls’ boarding school. While there, I recruited students throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and California. I oversaw multicultural and first-generation student recruitment, participated in both admission and financial aid committees, and assisted in residence hall management. Learn More About Abigail essay prompts, getting in, paying for college, writing college essays, She’s back! After a month away, Beth Heaton has returned to the mic! On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Beth hosted two phenomenal guests—Jessica Elberfeld and Kara Courtois—to discuss two vastly different topics—undergraduate debt repayment and college-specific supplemental essays. Paying Off $100k+ in Debt In the first segment, Jessica Elberfeld joined Beth to discuss her success in paying off $113,000 in undergraduate debt in just under seven years. Even though Jessica spent the first two years of her undergraduate education at a tuition-free community college, Jessica accrued a significant amount of debt when she transferred to Belmont University for the final two years of her degree. Jessica’s initial approach to paying down her debt was to pay off the interest; but when the principal came due, she knew she had to start setting aside more money. In this segment, Jessica dives deep into her spending plan with Beth, discussing what she “gave up” to make her plan work—and whether or not she’d take out those loans again! Supplementary Essays In the second segment Kara Courtois, former admissions officer at Barnard College and College Coach educator, joined Beth to discuss how parents can (and can’t) help their students write college essays. Their top tip? Don’t start by having your child read other students’ successful college essays! Kara and Beth discussed not only how to approach the personal statement in this segment, but also how to approach school-specific essay prompts, like the dreaded “Why do you want attend X college?” prompt. All in all, last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation should be on your “can’t miss!” list. Related Resources Read | Posted on April 29th, 2025 Navigating the Ethical Use of AI Tools in College Admissions Read | Posted on April 22nd, 2025 Demystifying Liberal Arts: What They Are and Aren't Read | Posted on March 11th, 2025 Does a Teen Need to File a Tax Return?
