All too often, we hear students rave about the moment they first set foot on campus for that gorgeous fall tour. Students were clustered in small groups dotting the quad, enjoying the brisk autumn air, discussing Kant or Boaz. A softball game had broken out on the diamond in front of one of the dorms, and these college kids felt effortlessly casual in the way they interacted with one another. In the dining hall, it was lasagna night—with a side of garlic bread, of course—and the conversations drifted from pop culture to the big game to politics. Wow. “From that moment on, I was in love.”

Not so fast, kiddo.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Ian Fisher talks about internships for high school students and tackles a number of our listeners’ questions.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Elizabeth Heaton continued our new series on summer opportunities for high school students. This installment was dedicated to opportunities for the high school writer. In addition, Beth invited guests to talk about the differences between 529 college savings and prepaid tuition plans, and to explore the admission process at Fordham University. Listen to the complete show on VoiceAmerica or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is the second of a four-part series on the subject of overparenting, this post focusing on your part as a parent in the college admissions process.  Make sure to also check out our recently published  post on how to play an appropriate role in your middle schooler’s life , and stay tuned for upcoming posts on including your child in the college finance process and your role as a parent in the life of your college student.

Admissions, Penn Style

Ever wonder how admission officers at the most selective universities read applications? In the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Elizabeth Heaton launched the second installment in the series looking at how admissions decisions are made at a variety of institutions. To help her discuss admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, Beth welcomed her former Penn colleague, College Coach expert Sai Somboon. Together they discussed how applications are read at Penn, helping listeners understand the process a bit better.

It’s that time of year again: people wearing green and raving about the luck of the Irish, as the celebration of St. Patrick makes everyone nostalgic for the leprechaun and his pot of gold.

The latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation focused on following a day in the life of a college admissions officer and financial planning for all four years of college.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga turned her attention to California, with a double segment on the University of California system. She finished the show with a finance segment on the ever-popular topic of negotiating scholarship offers from colleges.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, long lost Beth Heaton was back in the host seat and began by helping parents strike the right level of involvement in their student’s college search process. The second half of the show was a double segment on all things National Merit Scholarship Competition.

I can vividly remember sitting at my desk in the fall of my senior year of high school and being so nervous I could barely breathe. I’d been on dozens of college tours, spoken with countless students, and interviewed endlessly. But I still hadn’t found “the one.” I hadn’t experienced that “eureka” moment. You know, the one where you’re walking around a campus and just know it’s where you’re going to spend your college years. Some of my friends had described it as a sunbeam of light falling straight down onto their head while listening to angels sing and birds chirp.