College Admissions Consulting School’s In: Application Workshop – Admissions & College Finance Questions Written by Kristine Sawickion September 28th, 2016 I grew up in California and attended a big suburban public high school. For college, I chose Reed in Portland, Oregon, where I studied psychology with a focus in behavioral neuroscience. After a year working as a research assistant at Oregon Health & Sciences University, I switched my professional objective and taught at both the middle and high school levels and coached women’s cross-country. Eventually I made my way to admission work and spent the next eleven years at Reed, culminating in a year as Acting Dean. I later moved to California and spent a few years in the Stanford Office of Undergraduate Admission, where I continued to work directly with students both domestic and international. Learn More About Kristine college admissions advice, getting in, paying for college, Our latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation was dedicated exclusively to answering the questions of our listeners. Host Elizabeth Heaton partnered with College Coach’s Kathy Ruby, to tackle the admission and college finance questions that are on our listeners’ minds. College Admission Questions The admission application questions posed by our listeners were judged excellent and spanned a wide range of topics: What is the best way to represent employment experience on the college application? How does the personal essay for graduate school differ from the personal essay submitted for undergraduate applications? How does the admission process consider dual enrollment courses taken at a community college? What is the influence of being a legacy applicant in making an admission decision? College Finance Questions Questions that pertained to financing the college education were equally thought-provoking: Is there space in the financial aid application to explain that financial information from the previous year is not representative of the current year’s financial situation? If your student is already in college, what are the best ways to find scholarships and maximize loans? How do funds in a 529 savings account affect eligibility for financial aid? When is the appropriate time to fill out financial aid forms? On the next episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Sally Ganga will welcome guests to explore the public health major and provide details about filing the FAFSA. Related Resources Read | Posted on June 4th, 2025 Legal Documents Your Child Needs to Sign Before Heading to College Read | Posted on May 20th, 2025 What is Demonstrated Interest? Read | Posted on April 29th, 2025 Navigating the Ethical Use of AI Tools in College Admissions
