In a world in which everything seems to have changed overnight, what you have available to pay for college may have shifted drastically over the last few weeks. Appealing your financial aid offer may be more important than ever, and we have advice on the best way to go about that. For those students thinking about transferring, we have a personal transfer experience story to share. In Office Hours, we’re offering tips for determining which college program is the “best” one for you.

You want to transfer. We want to help. Check out this week’s show for insight into the transfer application process, from what’s required to when you need to get those applications submitted. We’re also answering listener questions on college finance and admissions.

The Thanksgiving holiday is almost upon us, so while families are getting ready to enjoy the holiday (and the holiday meal!), host Elizabeth Heaton has a full feast of information for students and parents in the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation. In addition to a double helping of admissions and financial aid questions, Beth also helps parents and students who may be thinking about transferring colleges after their first few months away.

We are often asked about what happens to a GPA when a student transfers high schools. In Texas, many high schools convert grades to an unweighted GPA, which can be very confusing—and perhaps even frustrating, especially when it’s on top of adjusting to a new home and new high school. However, it’s an expected process and not something to worry too deeply about. I hope I can offer some clarification on what is going on when a GPA is converted.

Transfer essays are different because transfers are different! As we used to say at Georgetown, every transfer has a story to tell…and the essay is their opportunity to do it!

The most frequent essay question for transfer applicants is “Why do you want to transfer to X School?” This is a two-sided question. It’s asking not only why you want to go to X school, but also why the school you currently attend isn’t a good fit.

California residents have long been aware that the University of California system plays by a different set of rules than many other colleges and universities. Your GPA is based only on grades earned in 10^th and 11^th grade. You must take a fine arts class in order to be minimally qualified for admission. And application readers are much more interested in the story you tell in your essay than the language or style you use to tell it.

Will attending a community college hurt my application if I want to transfer to a prestigious four-year college?

Here at College Coach we get this question a lot. I recently talked to a father whose son was a senior in high school and although it was October, his son had made no strides in researching colleges though his parents had been asking him to do so since his junior year. Just as concerning, their son was consistently earning more Cs than Bs, and not because he had trouble understanding the material. Rather, he simply wasn’t completing his work. His father described him as a good kid, but a little immature for his age and grade level.

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Sally Ganga welcomed guests to explore the college transfer process and opportunities for private scholarships.

The most recent episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation addressed a variety of useful topics for our listeners, first digging deeply into how to understand and prepare for two different graduate programs:  the MBA (Master of Business Administration) and the MD (Doctor of Medicine) degrees. Guest host Ian Fisher concluded the show with a college finance expert who offered practical tips for students transferring from one college to another mid-year.

Even though the official start to winter isn’t here just yet, it sure feels like it! Snow is falling, and the countdown to the end of the year has begun. That means that regular decision college application deadlines are just around the corner for high school seniors, and college freshmen will soon be returning home for winter break. Last week’s episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation spoke to both high school seniors who are working on the applications for some Ivy League colleges, and also explored the transfer process for those returning college freshmen who may be reconsidering their college choice.