Your Keys to College

Gina, Jen, and their special guest, Lauren Gaggioli, a former tutor and course creator on taking the SAT and ACT, discuss what standardized testing means, how to decide if the ACT or SAT is right for your child, and how admissions and financial aid might use test scores to make admissions and scholarship decisions, even if they are test optional. We'll talk about what to look for in a college that says it's test optional and how to tell if sending in your scores will help you get the best financial aid package. There is so much in this episode for you to guide your students through the stress of taking a standardized test that builds on Episode 41. Lauren Gaggioli is a solopreneur, writer, and podcast host who loves, loves, loves building online businesses. Her first venture was Higher Scores Test Prep where she built innovative and affordable online ACT & SAT prep courses. After selling the company in 2021, she dove into supporting her fellow digital entrepreneurs as they share their unique gifts with the world. When she's not serving clients as a content strategy consultant or hosting her online mastermind for entrepreneurs, you can find her recording the next episode of her parenting podcast, training for a runDisney half marathon, or channeling serious Molly Weasley vibes knitting up a new sweater, puttering in her garden, homebrewing beer with her husband, or making a delicious mess of the kitchen with her kids in their home just outside of Seattle. Thank you for joining us today!Please visit us and sign up for our newsletter today! We also welcome your emails and questions at k2c@keystocollege.org.

Not many students look forward to taking the SAT or the ACT. Taking a standardized test is the bane of many students' college admissions experience. In this episode, we'll talk about some ways you can prepare your student with a good mindset and some practice. We'll share three places to get free help and practice questions (see the links below). Next episode, we'll take a deeper dive into the SAT and ACT and get some great advice from our guest, who tutored students in standardized test taking for many years. ResourcesKhan Academy - more than test prep, a great resource for middle and high school classesNumber 2.comCollege Board - check out this page that talks about taking a digital practice testThank you for joining us today!Please visit us and sign up for our newsletter today! We also welcome your emails and questions at k2c@keystocollege.org.

In this episode we talk with parent Lou Mongello, about the journey to college as a family with his son in 12th grade, and his daughter a first-year student at Carnegie Mellon. Lou talks about the constant conversations they had about college, the massive adjustment of his daughter being away at college (and HIS adjustment, not just hers). He talks about some tips for creating good habits early for success in the classroom and how that first year in college can require tasting some humble pie. He definitely recommends getting help to go through the college admissions process! Lou Mongello is a highly successful entrepreneur and host of WDRRadio.com and can also be found at LouMongello.com.Thank you for joining us today!Please visit us and sign up for our newsletter today! We also welcome your emails and questions at k2c@keystocollege.org.

Join Lindsay Dollinger, high school Spanish teacher, and Cindy Wolfe, school counselor, as they talk about what they're seeing as high school students talk about and prepare for college. We talk about asking for help, getting letters of recommendation, and how you as a family, can support your student. There's lots of good information to answer the question, what happened in school today?If you want to find our more or reach out to our guests you can find Lindsay at dollinli@japioneers.org and on social media atIG: www.instagram.com/lindsaydollingerWebsite: www.lindsaydollinger.comPodcast: The Purpose and Pixie Dust Podcast (pod.co/the-social-selling-sisterhood)You can find Cindy at wolfeci@japioneers.org. As always, you can find us at keystocollege.org and email us at k2c@keystocollege.org. Thank you for joining us today!Please visit us and sign up for our newsletter today! Email us with your questions at k2c@keystocollege.org.

Beth Shorten, parent of a high school senior who is getting ready to make his college choice, talks to us about tips that worked for her, where she sought thoughtful advice, and how to add the college search and campus visit process to an already busy schedule! Beth shares some great tips about the campus visit and what helped her and her son really get a feel for each college. We know you'll get great information from listening.Sign up for our webinar, Creating a Roadmap to College: For Parents of 9-11th graders here. Find Beth's blog at https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/.Find Gina and Jen at Keystocollege.org.Email us at k2c@keystocollege.org. Thank you for joining us today!Please visit us and sign up for our newsletter today! Email us with your questions at k2c@keystocollege.org.

Tim Bigonia, parent of a daughter in graduate school and two sons in high school, shares his experiences helping his daughter through college during the pandemic and after the loss of his wife in 2020.  He also shares how he guides his boys as a single dad through the ups and downs of high school, and the conversations he has with them about getting ready for college. Tim has some great tips for parents of high school students throughout our conversation. You can find Tim's podcast at Journey to Grateful. And if you need a graphic designer (who we can highly recommend), you'll find him Bigonia Creative.We also invite you to join us for our webinar on February 5, 7-8pm ET. Register here or head over to our website at Keystocollege.org. Thank you for joining us today!Please visit us and sign up for our newsletter today! Email us with your questions at k2c@keystocollege.org.

Now is the time to start mapping out your college plan with your student, whether they're just finishing their first term in high school or about to finish their junior year. We share three tips (and a bonus tip!) to get you started. We'll talk about the importance of reflecting on the first term, planning for the next academic year, talking with your student about their interests, launching the college search, and our bonus, thinking about summer programs.  We have more in-depth dive into these topics in an upcoming February 5th webinar, 7-8pm ET. You can get more details and register here. We'll be able to answer your questions live and in person! I hope you'll join us! Thank you for joining us today!Please visit us and sign up for our newsletter today! Email us with your questions at k2c@keystocollege.org.

If you are looking for ways to help finance college through scholarships, then this is the episode for you. We talk to Jocelyn Pearson, founder of The Scholarship System who has helped students (and families) find millions of dollars in scholarships. Jocelyn dispels a few myths, like how athletes are the only ones to get scholarships, or that the only way to find scholarships is by using a search engine (that everyone else uses!). She shares tips that you can use right after your done listening  as well as some great advice on how to work together as a family to find the funds that fit your student. We loved recording and learning from Jocelyn and know you will too!  Learn more about Jocelyn's program the Scholarship System. Interested in listening to her free webinar? You can sign up here.Sign up for our newsletter at Keys to College. Email us at k2c@keystocollege.org. 

We talk a lot about college admissions and financial aid and share many strategies and tips for you to help your student. But what exactly to we do and why do we do this work? We talk about our three pillars for helping families of high school students succeed in admissions and beyond. They are Insight, Expertise, and Collaboration. We'll unpack those in this episode, covering what they mean to us and what they mean for you as we guide you through college admissions.Contact us at k2c@keystocollege.orgSign up for our newsletter at https://www.keystocollege.org/

This is a Thanksgiving and thanksgiving episode. We will talk about ways to stay in the moment and be thankful for the work you and your student have done so far on the path to college. Your student has the time and the power to influence their college journey through both continuing to send in applications, applying for scholarships, and working on improving their grades and their study skills. We'll share reminders on why senior year grades are important, even after the acceptance letter comes in, and why a student's worth (or yours) should not be tied to what college accepts them. We are thankful and appreciative for you listening to our podcast, focusing this episode on high school seniors, parents, and college-bound students! Happy Thanksgiving!Email us with your questions at k2c@keystocollege.orgSign up for our newsletter at keystocollege.org

Special guest, Katie G, recent college graduate from the University of Virginia, shares her experience of getting to college. It's a story of getting help from  family and her high school college counselor, procrastinating, feeling peer pressure to apply to certain colleges, and ends with some words of advice. We loved our conversation with Katie and how she shared her ups and downs as she navigated college admissions as a high school senior. We hope you will too!Sign up for our newsletter here:  https://www.keystocollege.org/Reach out to us at k2c@keystocollege.org

Admissions is looking for students to present their best selves in their college application, including their essay. This means taking the time to proofread and polish the essay. As parents and family, you (if you're allowed) can give some wonderful advice on if the essay is clearly communicating what the student wants to share about themselves AND be sure their grammar, spelling, and punctuation is good to go. Jen talks about encouraging students to ask someone else to review their essay and give advice, reading the essay aloud to them so they can hear it and make corrections, and being sure to keep the student's voice in the essay. As always, you can email us any questions you have at k2c@keystocollege.org. You can also email us if you'd like to talk about having us work directly with your student through the admissions process. Please sign up for our newsletter on our website. You'll also be able to find recordings of our recent webinars here in the next week (mid-October, 2022). These webinars go more in depth about the entire essay process of reflection to find a great topic, action to get over any difficulties writing, and polishing the essay. 

In her 35 year career, Jen has read a lot of essays. She, like most seasoned admissions counselors, can tell when the essay is written quickly, when it's a first and only draft, and when a student has put the time in to thoughtfully write about themselves. Here, she'll talk about three tips for you to help students start writing that takes the pressure off and ensures they are writing about themselves. Not a book report or listicle, please! To find Jen and Gina's webinar about writing a stand-out college essay, you can find it starting October 1 on our Facebook page.Or visit our website to watch the webinar and  to sign up for our newsletter (at the bottom of the page) for information on all of the ways we can help you and your student navigate the college admissions process.If you're interested in having us work with your student, read more about what we offer here.

Jen has been reading college application and scholarship essays for more than 20 years. She knows what makes a great topic to write about and helps students share their stories. In this episode, Jen will share two tips you can use to get your students to reflect on their high school experiences both in and outside of high school to ensure they pick a topic that is meaningful to them and not just the freshest experience. If you'd like our professional help guiding your student through the application process, and to take advantage of our special offer if your student brings a friend, head to our website. Find our more about our webinars, and sign up for our newsletter at Keystocollege.orgAs always, you can find us at k2c@keystocollege.org where we welcome your questions! 

It's not too early to start thinking about college with your 10th grader. As Gina says, 10th grade is a year of motion, moving toward college in ways that are social and emotional and academic. Tenth grade is a chance to build a solid foundation to move into higher level classes, Honors, AP, and IB. It's also an opportunity to talk about what activities are exciting to move into and (perhaps take a leadership role in) and activities that are no longer interesting and could be dropped. We close by talking about looking at the big picture of preparing for college by learning self-advocacy and talking to teachers to find their voice. Thank you for joining us! Please rate our podcast and leave a comment where ever you listen to Your Keys to College.

There are three reasons why valuing your student's passion and joy can contribute to their success in the admissions process and once they are in college. Gina and Jen share why joy and passion in the application is something admissions people look for, why students deserve to be happy where they choose to attend college, and how joy, passion, and belonging come together to create success for your student socially, emotionally and academically in college. To sign up for our newsletter: keystocollege.orgTo email us: k2c@keystocollege.orgOur Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/K2CCollegeGuidance

We have a short episode today with Jen talking about what five areas to include when helping your student craft their activities list on the application. Those area, or lenses to use when deciding what should be included, are Commitment,Leadership, Service, Prestige, and Passion. The activities list, like the college essay, helps admissions counselors answer the question, what will this student bring to the campus community. How will they add to what we have here? By guiding your student to consider all of their high school activity through these lenses, you'll help them share what's most meaningful to them and to admissions. Sign up for our newsletter at Keys to College, see what are upcoming webinar topics are, and learn how you can have us guide your student through the admissions process. 

We are talking about pop culture and how going to college is represented in the movies. Our guest is Dr. La'Tonya Rease Miles, LT, who teaches and talks about pop culture especially as it relates to students who are first-generation to college (students whose parents don't have a four-year college degree). But just because we talk about how first-generation students are represented in movies, in Spiderman, Harry Potter, Zootopia, Monsters, Inc., and the Oscar-winning CODA, doesn't mean the college stories aren't relevant to all families. LT and I talk about how these different portrayals of students getting into and being in college can be great discussion starters in your family about what to expect in college. We even talk about how Hollywood often misrepresents the college experience by focusing on fun and Greek Life. I mean, when have you ever seen a movie about students studying for exams, coding for a project,or doing their lab work? Enjoy this episode and get ready with a pen and paper to jot down the movies we mention.Please give us a five-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts!To learn more about LT:La'Tonya Rease Miles and Career Launch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyareasemiles/ Empowering First-Generation College Students, for students and allies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweringfirstgensFirstgen and Juice: https://www.instagram.com/firstgenandjuice/For more on Keys to College: https://www.keystocollege.org/Check out our upcoming free webinars at https://www.keystocollege.org/webinarsEmail us at k2c@keystocollege.org 

It's not too early to start thinking about college if you're the parent of a 9th grader. Jen and Gina are here with three tips on the important areas of class selection, skill building, and finding activities that are meaningful and interesting to your student. Ninth grade is a clean slate for students, the beginning of building a high school transcript and the activities that will go into their college application. It's a short episode with good information to help your student is they're considering a college path.Please leave us a review and a five-star rating, and sign up for our newsletter to get information on our upcoming workshop series at www.keystocollege.org. 

You may not think of preparing for orientation as something that is necessary, but we think you'll have a much better time of it if you do a little research before you go (like you and your students getting familiar with the course catalogue).We'll walk you through strategies for selecting first semester courses and how to make the most of all of the student and family activities on campus. We'll close with a conversation on how to talk with students about any anxiety they may be feeling and reinforcing that they've made a good decision. 

There's a lot to consider when your students are filling out the housing forms - from the types of rooms and halls, finding a good roommate (and answering the housing questionnaire honestly!), location of the hall to classes and resources, and thinking about where your students might find like-minded friends their first year. Gina and Jen will guide you through a few key points to talk about as a family before you send in your housing form and deposit.As always, you can email us with any questions at twogurus@keystocollege.org. Thank you for listening and giving us five-star ratings and a review!

A lot of families will think about financial aid as one of the main points to consider before putting down that enrollment deposit, but not only are there other money considerations, there's the travel (for you and your student), majors and academic atmosphere, and deciding where your student can grow into who they want to be. Gina and Jen guide you through these considerations (and a few more) to help you think through how to make your college choice. Please feel free to reach out to us at anytime at twogurus@keys.college.org with any questions, or leave it in your 5 star review of our podcast. Thank you! 

Many students have learning differences, and often parents want to know what questions to ask and whether their student should share this information during the admissions process. Gina, a former school counselor, shares some fantastic advice on how to make sure your student's evaluation is up to date and not expired, what to look for during your college visits to make sure the college can accommodate your student, and whether (and when) you might consider disclosing the learning difference during the admissions process.  Jen adds her insights on what this all looks like in the college admissions process and who to talk to to get your questions answered. If you have more questions on how to navigate this part of the college process, please reach out to us at twogurus@keystocollege.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Colleges are about to send out letters of acceptance, referral to regular decision, and some denial letters. How can you help your students think about what's next, especially if they are disappointed with what they hear? We'll talk about the things you can focus on now with your student, having conversations about redirecting them to apply to other colleges, and a reminder that now is the perfect time to submit all of your financial aid documents. 

Welcome and thanks for joining us on this episode where we talk about when to hit submit on your applications. Gina spends time talking about grades and when and why to send in your application based on your grades. Jen talks about why waiting until everything is absolutely perfect could be a problem. We close with both your gurus talking about different admissions deadlines and how you can use them to your advantage, and why you might want to reach out to colleges if your circumstances change after deadlines have passed. We'd love your comments and questions so please leave us a 5 star review. You can also email us at twogurus@keystocollege.org. We'd love to answer your questions in an upcoming podcast! 

Here's a short episode where you'll learn what your students should include in their college application activities list. The Activities List often doesn't get the attention it deserves as students focus their attention on their college essays. We'll talk about how to help your student include some of the important activities that are too often forgotten or that students don't think count. Should they include leadership roles where they worship? Does a job count as an activity? What if they do all the translation for their grandparents at doctor's visits and other appointments, does that count? We will answer these questions and give you great ideas on how to help your high school senior shine in their activities list. 

Jessenia is a first-year college student and the first in her family to attend college. She sits down with Gina and Jen to talk about how important her parents' support was in her college journey, how she found mentors to help her with her application and financial aid, and gives us some insight on what her first 6 weeks of college has been like. Jessenia shares some great advice about handling imposter syndrome and using daily affirmations to be in the best mindset for college.You can email Gina and Jen at twogurus@keystocollege.org. We'll gladly pass any questions to Jessenia as well.The book Jessenia mentioned on overcoming imposter syndrome is called "The Middle Finger Project," by Ash Ambirge.Keep an eye out in December for Jessenia's podcast, Flip the Switch, on financial literacy and the college admissions process, coming soon in multiple languages! 

This week, Rachana, a third-year student studying IT and Management at the University of Virginia, talks to us about how she navigated the admissions process and how she found success in college. She shares her tips on admissions (and Gina talks about Rachana's essay and gives some great advice for you), talks about how she's the first to go through the college application process for US schools, and shares thoughts on how to help students avoid social comparison, or comparing themselves to others. She shares some great bonus information here on success in that first semester of college too! 

This year, college visits can have restrictions and protocols in place that make it harder for the whole family to get a sense and feel of the university. We offer some tips for getting the most out of your visit and some ideas on what to expect on campus. We also talk about alternatives to the traditional campus tour and admissions information session to discover if a college is a good fit for your student and your family. For questions, feel free to email us at twogurus@keystocollege.org. And for more on the college search, check out Your Keys to College Episode 6: Beginning your college search: Your role as family, students, and educators. 

When it comes to college admissions, there's a lot of lingo on applying - early decision, early action, rolling admission, and regular decision. And then those admissions folks like to abbreviate them - ED, EA, RD! Find out what each one means to you and your students and what they mean to the admissions offices. We'll talk about which one might be the best and how to ask admissions offices for advice on when to apply. You will walk away from this podcast with great information on the college admissions process that you can use to help you make the best decision for you and your college-bound students!

Even though someone else is going to write your student's letters of recommendation for the college application, there's a lot you can do to guarantee they can get a good one that compliments their application. Gina and Jen will talk about who to ask, whether they're a great student or an average student, how to ask, and what to give your recommenders so they can highlight your student's awesomeness. Grad your family and pen and paper to take some notes, and the use the takeaways to prepare your strategy for great letters of recommendation!

This might not be good news to you, but some colleges ask for additional essays, called supplemental essays, as part of the college application. Gina and Jen unpack why colleges ask for this additional information and how it's an advantage to your student, where you can find the essay prompts in the application, and how to answer the different types of essays that they ask for. We know applying for and going to college is a family affair, so we'll share takeaways that you can use right away to help your student answer the questions in the prompts and put their best foot forward in the college admissions process.You can find us at keystocollege.org and you're welcome to email us at twogurus@keystocollege.org.You can find our video recordings on our YouTube under Your Keys to College. Here's a great blog post on another site that shares examples of the different types of essays: https://galined.com/blog/6-common-supplemental-essay-prompts/.Be sure to do your research when it comes to the colleges you're applying to, and reach out to us if you have questions at twogurus@yourkeystocollege.org. 

From following directions to proofreading the essays, this episode shares the nuts and bolts of writing a compelling essay for college admission and scholarships. Students and parents have roles to play to make the essay a meaningful glimpse into a student's journey and to polish the essay so it shines. You'll walk away with specific tips on creating a hook in the first paragraph, using The Peloton Method to tell the story, and a great idea on proofreading any essay. We appreciate you joining us today! Feel free to email us with any questions at twogurus@keystocollege.org. 

Writing a compelling college (and scholarship essay) starts with coming up with a meaningful topic. We'll share what college admissions counselors are looking for when they read your essay, and how your student can choose a topic that's meaningful to them. You'll walk away learning two strategies to help your student come up with a great topic, and numerous ways your participation can help. Tons of tips in this one all from the minds of your two gurus and college admissions experts! Thanks for joining us!

In this episode, edited from an hour-long workshop for high school students, Jen talks about the Hero's Journey as a framework for thinking about your essay topic and how to write an interesting and compelling essay. Students can use this framework for college admissions or scholarships. We also tell you what the two questions are that every admissions office is asking and what they're looking for in your application to help them make their decision. By the time you're done listening, you'll know why it's important for your students to incorporate their trials, treasures, and transformation into their essays, and some tips on how to make that happen.To find out more about the entire workshop, please email twogurus@keystocollege.org.https://keystocollege.org 

We jump right in with one more idea about setting boundaries based on helping students with their academic work and enabling them to succeed in college. Gina talks from her experience as a counselor and as a parent about letting students feel the consequences of failure and feel the emotions that comes from stumbling. Finally, we close with three takeawaysabout feeling comfortable with these conversations and options if you (or your student) don't feel comfortable; we review the three steps to unpacking boundary setting with your kids: why, what, and how; and how enabling your students to find the college information they need sets them up for success.  Thanks for listening! 

There is a lot packed into this short episode as Gina and I continue our three part series on setting healthy boundaries. We talk about how a student pulled together their school counselor (Gina), their parents, college counselors, and housing to set the boundaries they needed for their first year of college (before they even arrived on campus) after a traumatic experience of sexual assault. We'll also talk about how you can enable your student to set boundaries to help them find their voice and express their needs and passions as they search for colleges that fit who they are and, more importantly, who they want to become. 

Thanks for coming to hear more about setting healthy boundaries. In this episode, we're focusing on boundaries in relationships. Gina and Jen will talk about the importance of students having a positive internal dialogue, how you can be a role model for your student, and three concrete ways you can help them develop  positive boundary-setting skills now. And yes, Gina does have an excellent dodgeball analogy in this episode! 

It's important to work with your student, your child, to help them learn to set boundaries while they are in high school. This skill will lead to academic and personal success now and for life. Join us as we talk about the why, what, and how of setting boundaries for anything, and then delve into the ways your student might show they are struggling with overwhelm. We'll spend time sharing strategies to help your children see for themselves what's happening, and questions you can ask to help them adjust their schedules.  Walk away from this podcast with ideas to help your student learn skills for college and lifelong success. 

You might not think disengagement is a good thing, but Gina will explain why it's important, and what we mean when it comes to giving your students the skills and confidence to succeed in their next steps after high school. We'll discuss several topics, including time management, nutrition, and discovering how you can help your child discover their learning style - all subjects you can talk about with your student BEFORE they get to college, laying a solid foundation for college and life success. A few things we talk about in this episode includehttps://www.keystocollege.org - our websitehttps://www.noom.com - to help learn and talk about nutritionhttps://www.calm.com - to talk about mental health and mindfulness

Join us and Ana for the third and final part of our interview with her. In this episode, Ana talks about using the Career Development office, getting resume guidance from the experts, and finding an internship. Her experiences as a first-generation college student illuminate the options she took advantage of in college, and how and why she said no to other opportunities. Most importantly, she shares how the knowledge and skills she gained in the classroom and in her activities helped her get the jobs she wanted. Ana drops a lot of great college knowledge that is insightful; we hope you enjoy listening in on our conversation!Look for the video of our conversations with Ana on our YouTube page:https://tinyurl.com/KeystocollegewithAna https://keystocollege.org

In Episode 9, Ana talked about the support system she built up in order to reach her goal of getting to college. Now, Ana will share her journey in college, how she chose her major (after a few tries at other majors), how she built a new support system at her university, how she thinks about failure, and her advice for new college students and their families. Join us as Ana shares her story.https://keystocollege.org 

Today we have special guest, Ana, joining us. Ana is a college student at Northeastern University in Boston. She talks about where she found support to help her with the application process, and what she feels she did right to get her to where she is now (a very successful fourth year student studying Behavioral Neuroscience). She offers some great advice to students, families, and educators on how they can help students like her navigate admissions. https://www.northeastern.eduIf you are in Las Vegas, Ana talks about help from great people at The Fulfillment Fund. You can check them out here:https://fulfillmentfundlasvegas.org/

We love sharing our expertise with you, but we know you want to hear from other experts. On our website, we have curated videos and words of wisdom from current students and recent graduates in Quick Keys, shared links to recommended books, and websites for finding scholarships and free standardized test score practice in our Library of Resources, and links to our webinars so you can find all the information you need to make this a less stressful journey. https://keystocollege.org 

The college search is a family affair - parents play an important role in helping students make decisions on where they should consider applying.  Beginning the conversations on where to apply and what your student is looking for is the first step to going to college!  High school educators play an important role as well. Gina and Jen will talk about what those roles look like, strategies for dealing with family stress over when, where, and how to look for colleges,  and how to talk about what students should be looking for beyond just a brand name and brand of the colleges you've heard of.  There are many colleges to choose from and several that will be a good fit! 

In this final part of our financial aid series, we'll talk about the different kinds of loans, how you might use loans to finance your student's college education without leaving them with massive debt when they graduate, and the different types of loans available to students and parents. We'll also break down what your financial aid package might look like when you receive your award. You'll pick up some great tips on talking with financial aid counselors (GIna used to be one!) to understand your award and be sure you are getting the most from the college. 

When your students are applying for college, you will hear a lot of new acronyms. None are more important than the acronyms that effect and explain the workings of financial aid. We'll share what the FAFSA, EFC, COA all mean in this first podcast of a four part financial aid series. You'll know what the acronyms  stand for and why they are so important to helping you get all the aid you qualify for to attend the college of your choice. Join us for this episode as we lay the foundation of understanding college financial aid. 

Many colleges are putting students in that in-between place know as the waitlist. Students aren't denied admission, but they aren't admitted either. We'll talk about what plans you might want to make, what you can do to show the college you are interested in attending and in being admitted later, why colleges have waitlists, and how they use may use it.  Join us for this bonus episode on a timely topic! 

Show me the money! In this second part of our four part financial aid series, we'll talk about what grants are out there for students, who is eligible, and how to get those grants. Hint: it all starts with completing the FAFSA! 

You want to learn about scholarships because you want the money to pay for college that you don't have to pay back. You want your students to unlock the opportunities that college provides, but you don't want to mortgage their future, or yours, to get it. In this episode, we will cover the different types of scholarships, where you can find scholarships to apply for, and the important differences between need- and merit-based scholarships. 

Welcome to Keys to College, the podcast! We know how stressful the conversations are for families and educators around the college admissions and financial aid processes. Gina and Jen are excited to give you all the information you need to navigate the college admissions process and unlock your opportunities for higher education. Our goal is to de-stress the process, showcase opportunities for you to get into and help pay for college, and have some fun! We want to help you get into college, AND  to prepare you for success in college. We each have 30+ years of experience in both school counseling and higher education. Let us be your guides to and through college!