Guest Post by Sabrina Manville, Co-Founder of Edmit

It’s decision season! After all the time you’ve spent figuring out where to apply, submitting applications, doing interviews, and… waiting, most families now know where they stand at the colleges they applied to. And that means you have to decide where you put down your deposit.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga covers three timely and informative topics: how to make demonstrated interest work for you in the college application process, the best way to communicate with colleges, and appealing the financial aid awards that high school seniors are starting to receive.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga covers how to compare financial aid award letters, Division 3 athletics and admissions, and summer planning.

Have your financial aid packages left you overwhelmed by the cost of college? Maybe you have heard about appealing the financial aid offered, but aren’t sure if you should go for it. And if you do decide to ask for more money, where do you start? We have the answers to all your burning questions!

As early round admission decisions start to roll in, students across the country are receiving both good (accepted) and bad (denied) news. And along with these clear-cut outcomes, many students are receiving some ambiguous news: yes, you’ve been accepted, but no, we are not awarding you enough financial aid to actually allow you to attend. This type of result can actually be the worst of all for families, as it often puts parents in the heartbreaking position of having to say no to their child’s dream school. Is there, however, any other option?

For high school seniors who are finalizing their college lists—or juniors who are just starting to get serious about their college search—one feature you may be looking for in a college is generosity.  Specifically, how generous is a college with their need-based financial aid programs?

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga covers a range of topics that will appeal to high school students and parents at different stages of the college search. She begins with a discussion about exactly when to prepare for and take standardized testing and the what, when, where, and why of college supplemental essays. She wraps up the show with a continuation of last week’s conversation about how financial aid awards differ among colleges, this time focusing on merit aid policies and practices.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, Elizabeth Heaton discusses this year’s changes to the Common Application, institutional variance in financial aid awards, and accelerated degree programs.

Families of high school seniors tasked with making a college enrollment decision over the next few weeks are in a tough position. They are about to make a huge purchase—likely one of the largest financial investments of their lives—without knowing exactly how much it will cost them. While the family needs to be prepared to take on four years’ of tuition payments, they only have a financial aid offer for one year in front of them. How do they know they can count on this financial aid for all four years?

High school seniors have likely received all of their acceptances and financial aid offers at this point, and families are weighing their college options. Many are asking themselves, “My Financial Aid Isn’t Enough—Now What?” College Coach has teamed up with our test prep partner, Revolution Prep, to answer that question for you.