Paying For College Episodes

#107 – Today, we present three steps to take after completing the FAFSA. These are easy-to-follow steps that will ensure that you receive your financial aid as soon as possible. Additionally, we walk you through a detailed description of the steps taken to award you need-based and non-need-based financial aid. As the episode progresses, you will gain an understanding of what your Student Aid Report will tell you and what it will not tell you. You will also understand the meaning of Cost...

#106 – On this episode, Jankel and I present the six steps that are necessary to apply for and receive financial aid. We highlight the details of the first two, including, the information that will be necessary to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and how to complete the form. During our conversation, we also discuss ways to avoid mistakes that students and parents can make, which can slow down the process of securing aid. Jankel talks about what to do if your famil...

#105 – On this episode we present the 10 most common mistakes students and parents/guardians make when filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Although some of these mistakes are easily avoidable, some can be more difficult to catch. We talk about several elements related to applying for financial aid, and highlight the importance of keeping track of the 3 different types of deadlines and applying early. Jankel also gives advice to students and parents/guardian...

#062 – Misinformation about college admissions is widespread and constant. And, although poor and downright wrong information is often circulated with the best of intentions, it has the potential of taking you down a path that does not help your college goals. On this episode, I uncover the truth behind six popular myths, having to do with preparing and applying to highly selective colleges and universities, the affordability of a private college education, school rankings, the role that lega...

#043 – What do you do after you apply to all the colleges that made it to your final list and some of them respond granting you admission, actually saying yes, we want you to be one of our students? How do you choose the one whose admission you will accept? In today’s episode, we give you the steps to follow as you read the acceptance letters you receive from each of the college and universities to which you applied, and how to decipher the contents of the Financial Aid Award letters in th...

#039 – We continue covering two elements of the senior year checklist that have everything to do with financial aid. It is in the senior year when students apply for financial aid. Different colleges and universities have different financial aid eligibility requirements, and they must be taken into consideration when applying for financial aid. These include, but are not limited to Grade Point Average and number units taken during a quarter or semester. Jankel provides an explanation of...

#027 - On this special episode, we are stepping away from our normal episode line-up to make you aware of important information that will affect you if you are a high school student planning to go to college, or if you are the parent of one. I walk our listeners through Biden’s Plan for Education Beyond High School, the document in which the new president spelled out what he intends to do help students get a higher education. Some of the ideas contained in the document date back to 2015. A...

#025 - This is a special and timely episode that will give you important information to help you manage your college admission path within the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. You will understand how most college admissions departments are gearing up for the next academic year, the pressures that are guiding what they do, and the ways that can be used to give you an advantage. We also discuss whether you should take the SAT, which has been made optional for admission into most col...

#006 - On this episode, we continue our conversation about colleges with higher admission rates by exploring Pacific Union College, or PUC as it is more commonly known, an institution with a 55% admission rate. Gene Edelbach, vice president at PUC with more 30 years of experience in higher education, joins us in the studio to share detailed information about the many benefits students experience when they attend a small private college like PUC. Mr. Edelbach talks about the importance of c...