On last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Ian Fisher discusses three very different phases of the college admission process: writing supplemental essays, receiving admission decisions, and repaying loans.

In the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coast Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga covers a wide range of topics, beginning with a discussion on how to prepare to repay student loans, and then an in-depth look at the supplemental essays for Loyola Marymount University and Occidental College. She wraps up with a lively conversation about the differences between studying the sciences and studying engineering in college.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga talks with her guests about whether or not to disclose learning disabilities on the admission application, how you’ll know when you’re ready to submit your first college application, and how to keep track of student loans while you’re in college.

Recent college graduates must learn to navigate lots of new experiences—new freedoms, new responsibilities, and, yes, new bills. Graduates who borrowed student loans to help finance their undergraduate educations will soon be entering the world of student loan repayment—a domain that can be challenging to traverse, particularly on an entry-level salary. Borrowers wanting to get the lay of the repayment landscape should head on over to the Fortuna Admissions blog to learn about their loan repayment options from College Coach finance consultant, Shannon Vasconcelos.

Divorce is never easy, and paying for college is no cake walk either. Combine these two situations and things can get very complicated very quickly. If you are experiencing a separation and/or a divorce, we thought it would be helpful to give you some tips on how you might approach this major financial decision, what the rules are in the financial aid process, and, finally, how your situation affects various aspects of college financing once your child enrolls in college. In Part One of this series, we discussed your first steps and how to complete the financial aid applications. In Part Two, we will talk about college financing (i.e., student and parent loans), as well as other things to think about once your child is enrolled in college.

On this week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Ian Fisher unpacks how to think about your college major, athletic recruitment at highly-selective institutions, and income-driven student loan repayment plans.

If you’re a high school senior or a parent of a high school senior, congratulations! You have officially made it through the college admissions process! The May 1^st deposit deadline having just passed, you have likely made your college decision and put a deposit down at the school of your choice. The next decision point for many families will now be which college loan to choose. How does one go about making this important decision of how to finance their college education?

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Sally Ganga welcomes three College Coach experts to explore how much might be too much to borrow for college, what steps seniors should take if they have received a waitlist admission decision, and NACAC’s national State of College Admission Report. You can listen to the complete show on the Voice America network or by searching for “Getting in: A College Coach Conversation” wherever you get your podcasts.

When families ask us about the pros and cons of using private education loans, the finance educators at College Coach are quick to point out that private loans can be less flexible and riskier than federal loans. In mid-March, the Senate passed a bill that, if eventually approved by the House and signed by the President, will make private student loans a little less uncertain.  The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act is a revision of parts of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, and there are two obscure but troublesome features of private loans that it addresses.

Over the years, I’ve worked with many families who are shocked to hear that their children cannot borrow the full amount that they need to cover all college expenses not covered with financial aid. Undergraduates are actually quite limited in the amount they can borrow in their name alone: $5,500 for their first year, $6,500 for sophomore year, and $7,500 for junior and senior years. That’s only $27,000 in Federal Direct Loans for a student who is enrolled for four years. With high college expenses, these limited amounts may not go far in terms of covering that tuition bill.