College Admissions Decoded

Traditionally, campus visits have played a critical role in helping students figure out which school is right for them. But with coronavirus restrictions keeping many campuses (and families!) on lockdown, how can students get a feel for what life—and learning—looks like at their targeted institutions? Experienced school counselors offer tips for determining the right “fit” from afar.

Four higher education experts share tips and advice for making the right college choice. With Nicole Hurd, founder and CEO of College Advising Corps; Jeff Selingo, education reporter and bestselling author of Who Gets In and Why; Tevera Stith, Vice President for KIPP Through College & Career at KIPP DC; and Angel B. Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

In these final weeks of the college admission season, many high school seniors and their families still have important decisions to make. Some are weighing offers of admission from multiple colleges and universities, comparing and contrasting those institutions’ respective communities and course offerings; others are crunching the numbers, taking the measure of potential tuition bills and financial aid packages. Still others may be in limbo on waiting lists or considering a gap year...

Colleges across the country made big changes in their admission requirements in response to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,600 institutions are currently test-optional, meaning students are not required to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications. Transcripts look different, too, especially at schools that have canceled extracurricular activities and moved courses online...

The coronavirus pandemic has put severe financial strains on US colleges, and on students and their parents as well. As a result, more families need financial aid. Experts talk about applying for assistance, how to read an award letter, how to ask for more if it’s not enough, and other options for students on path to college.

Multiple studies have shown that the coronavirus crisis has made us more depressed, anxious, and stressed. Students are not immune from these effects, particularly when they are juggling other stressors, including the college admission process...

Though many of us find a linear path from high school to college, that is not the case for a set of students whose life circumstance, economic realities, and ambitions lead them on slightly different paths to higher education. This episode is all about the late bloomers among us who come at college from a wide range of experiences and with their own unique advantages.

College Admissions Decoded is sponsored by NACAC's National College Fairs...

Various magazines, websites, and listicles publish their college rankings every year, generating a lot of anxiety from college-bound students and their families. But what are they really telling you? Should these rankings have any influence on what college you choose? And, why do they generate such anxiety?  Our panel of experts from the National Association for College Admission Counseling will take a closer look: Earl Macam, college counselor at Mary Institute/St...

So you—or your child—got accepted to college. Congratulations! But now the financial aid award letter arrives. What does it mean? How much aid are you really receiving? What if it’s not enough? Will you have to pay it all back? This discussion aims to clear up some of the many mysteries about financial aid letters...

There’s almost too much information available about students finding a college with the right “fit” academically and socially, but what about the right financial fit?  What’s the difference between a college’s “sticker price” and the actual cost of attendance? What kinds of financial assistance are available to students and their families, and from where?  How much debt is okay? And when should families begin talking about paying for college?  

In this frank and pragmatic conversation,...