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We frequently—and strongly—suggest that families discuss what they can afford when it comes to college. But talking money can be challenging. We have advice to make “the talk” a bit easier. Athletic recruitment has many moving parts, and it’s often the parents who are charged with keeping track of everything. We’ll share suggestions for ways parents can help their recruited athletes. Finally, we will address the most common myths we hear regarding the University of California schools.

Congrats to all graduating seniors who successfully applied to college and are preparing to start this fall. Laura Amigone, a college success coach from Rudder Coaching, joins the podcast this week to offer advice to these students to help them make a smooth transition from high school to college. We’ll also discuss why saving is important for everyone in another of our Personal Finance 101 series.

College interviews aren’t part of the process at many colleges in the US. But interviews are an opportunity for candidates to add a more personal component to their applications at those institutions that offer them. Find out what types of interviews are available, which students should plan to take part, what to expect, and how to prepare. We’re also answering your college admissions ad finance questions in our regular Listener Q&A series.

Interested in earning teaching young children as your career? Learn more about the Horizons Teacher Degree Program, a no-cost degree program for all full-time employees in Bright Horizon’s early education centers and preschools. In our Personal Finance 101 series, we’ll talk about how to help your student prepare for financial responsibility in college. Finally, we’re discussing each of the Common App’s seven essay prompts and offering tips on how to approach each of them in Office Hours.

Are you heading off to college pretty sure you want to transfer after year one? We have some thoughts about this approach that we’ll share with our listeners this week. If you’re wondering how students fund graduate and professional degrees, we’ll offer some insight. And finally, we have information for students interested in a career in physical therapy, from the education required to the skills necessary for the job.

This week’s show is all about health, from remaining healthy while you’re in college to maintaining healthy finances as a way of supporting mental health. Jill and Dave Henry, authors of the newly published College Health Guide will join the show to share what they’ve learned as coaches for young people over the years. And in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we will also look at the correlation of healthy finances and mental health.

As frequent listeners to our program know, the best sources of scholarship money are the colleges themselves. But there is more money out there for students willing to put the time in to look. We’ll offer tips on doing those outside scholarship searches. We’ll also explore what’s involved in film studies majors and what colleges who offer them look for in good candidates. Finally, in Office Hours we’ve got advice for students getting started on the Common App activity list.

Those students who do plan to take standardized tests this year have a choice: ACT or SAT. But how do you make that choice if you don’t know what the differences are? ArborBridge CEO and former tutor and curriculum director Megan Stubbendeck shares her insight in our first segment. In Office Hours, we’re answering your college finance and admissions questions.

Wanting a break before starting college or looking for something interesting to do before applying? Rebecca Barr of Education First will join this week’s podcast to discuss gap year options through Education First. We also have advice on what to be doing now if you hope to be recruited athlete and project management tips for parents helping their students apply to college.

Join us this week for an in-depth discussion with Wall Street Journal reporter, Melissa Korn, co-author of Unacceptable. We’ll delve into the who, what, where, and why of the Varsity Blues scandal. More importantly, we’ll talk through the behavior that allowed this to happen on a grand scale and discuss how to avoid similar thinking and actions that can lead to similar ethical transgressions. Finally, we’ll offer tips on what to look for in an ethical college counselor.

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.

COVID, COVID, COVID. Are you as tired of it as we are? As you know, COVID has impacted a number of things about the admissions process, especially visiting colleges. Traditionally the gold standard of demonstrating interest to colleges, what do you do when campuses are closed to visitors? We have thoughts, including why the changes wrought by COVID might actually be a good thing in leveling the playing field around demonstrating interest. We’ll also cover parent financing options for paying for college and what to expect from regular decision results.