This year our own Elizabeth Heaton is in our listeners’ shoes as she helps her son navigate the college process. She’s sharing her thoughts with co-host Ian Fisher. We’ll also lay out a suggested schedule of summer work for rising seniors who want to make the most of this time (hint—it includes writing and finalizing the essay!). Finally, we lay out the details of tuition payment plans, which can help some families avoid borrowing altogether.

For colleges that require it, the college essay can be a key component of a successful application. In no surprise to anyone, writing is hard! We have ideas on how to work on your writing skills in preparation for writing your strongest essay. We’re also answering your college finance and admissions questions.

by Emily Toffelmire, former admissions officer at University of Southern California

The Common Application announced on Feb. 16 that it is retiring one essay prompt while introducing a new one. (For those who need a refresher, watch our video “What Is the Common Application?”). The change will take effect for the 2021-22 admissions cycle, and the overall number of essay questions remains the same: students will choose from one of seven options.

by Sara Calvert-Kubrom, former admissions officer at Lewis & Clark College

This year we are seeing substantial changes to the landscape of admission as colleges respond to complex dynamics in our country and the sudden shift to test optional policies due to standardized testing cancellations. With the frequent absence of test scores, many colleges have added new supplemental essay requirements to their applications as a way to learn more about students, and to enhance their ability to be thoughtful community builders for their campuses.

by Ian Fisher, former admissions officer at Reed College

This is the fourth in College Coach’s series of posts covering university-specific supplemental essays. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve shared guidance on answering the Brandeis supplemental essay, the CU Boulder admissions essay and the University of Delaware’s test optional supplemental essays. Stay tuned for our last installment for Lehigh University.

Scripps College is really cool. It’s a women’s college nestled in Claremont, California, and a member of a five-college consortium, along with Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Pomona. Scripps has maybe the most beautiful campus among the five, with striking Mediterranean architecture and Spanish tile. For women, or those who identify as women, there is really nowhere like Scripps anywhere on the West Coast. Serious applicants to Scripps would do well to research these and other unique qualities of Scripss before they begin to tackle the college’s required supplemental essays.

by Jennifer Simons, former admissions officer at Tufts University

This is the third in College Coach’s series of posts covering university-specific supplemental essays. Last week, we shared guidance on answering the CU Boulder admissions essay and the University of Delaware’s test optional supplemental essays. Stay tuned throughout October as we highlight additional prompts for Scripps College and Lehigh University.

If you’re applying to Brandeis University, you’ll encounter this request in the application:

Please include a short response to one of the three prompts below (250 words or fewer).

• Why would you like to attend Brandeis?
• Justice Brandeis once said, “If we would guide by the light of reason, we must let our minds be bold.” Tell us about something bold that you’ve recently done.
• There are approximately 171, 476 words in the English dictionary. Pick your favorite word and tell us why you picked it.

by Karen Spencer, former admissions officer at Georgetown University

This is the second in College Coach’s series of posts covering university-specific supplemental essays. Earlier this week, we shared guidance on writing the CU Boulder admissions essay, and today we focus on another great public university, the University of Delaware. Stay tuned throughout October as we highlight writing prompts for Brandeis University, Scripps College, and Lehigh University.

The University of Delaware, along with the majority of other colleges and universities, has allowed students to apply test optional this year. However, for students looking to utilize this option, Delaware has required submission of three additional essays.

by Steve Fernandez-Brennan, former admissions officer at Occidental College

This is the first in College Coach’s series of posts covering university-specific supplemental essays. Stay tuned throughout October as we highlight writing prompts for the University of Delaware, Brandeis University, Scripps College, and Lehigh University.

The Boulder campus of the University of Colorado is a popular destination, not just for students from the Rocky Mountain state, but from around the world. Known for its welcoming and open-minded campus, it’s not surprising that Boulder has crafted a prompt that mentions inclusivity and the value of diverse identities:

In another in our series of stories from our team, Sai Somboon will share his decision to apply to and attend college in the United States despite growing up in Thailand. We’re also offering tips for the Georgetown application essays and previewing the FAFSA and CSS Profiles so that you can pull together the information you’ll need to complete these when they become available this fall.

In theory, college applications like the Common App, The Universal Application, and the Coalition App allow students to write one essay for all colleges. In practice, many colleges also require supplemental essays. We’ll tell you what these are and how to find them, and offer tips on writing the most common prompt—Why This College? We’re also discussing COVID-19’s impact on college finance based on what we are hearing from colleges and families. Finally, we’ll set some goals for juniors returning to high school.