Episode 348: College Admissions Today: Fit, Cost, and Timing with Amy McVeigh

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Episode 348: College Admissions Today: Fit, Cost, and Timing with Amy McVeigh

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Melissa Joy, CFP®, welcomes back Amy McVeigh, founder of Smart College Selection, an independent college consulting firm serving families in Indiana and Michigan. Amy first joined the podcast in 2020, and this conversation catches up on what has changed since. Standardized testing has swung back at many schools, artificial intelligence is showing up in both admissions offices and parents' worries about majors and job markets, and the cost of college remains one of the biggest financial decisions a family makes. Amy's steady message is that the process comes down to fit for the individual student, and that being careful about where you get your information is the key to keeping the process sane.Melissa and Amy dig into the money side of the decision: why even families who say price is no object benefit from a real look at cost, how merit aid differs from need-based aid, why the real dividing line is in-state public versus everywhere else, and how sticker price and net price can look very different. They also talk about how to think about the financial health of small colleges. Amy then shares what parents of seventh and eighth graders should focus on, how the high school years typically unfold through the application workshops before senior year, what working with an independent consultant involves, and why she encourages every parent to write down their own hope for their child's college experience.What You'll LearnWhy standardized testing matters again at many schools, and what a reasonable approach to test preparation looks likeHow artificial intelligence is changing admissions, essays, and parents' concerns about majors and job marketsWhy choosing a college is one of a family's biggest financial decisions, and why emotion should not be the only driverThe difference between schools that award merit scholarships and schools that direct their institutional funds to demonstrated needWhy in-state public versus everywhere else, rather than in-state versus out-of-state, drives the cost differenceHow sticker price and net price can differ, and why the financial health of small colleges deserves a lookWhat parents of seventh and eighth graders should focus on, and what can waitHow the high school years typically unfold, from study habits in ninth and tenth grade to application workshops before senior yearWhat an independent college consultant does, and how to decide whether to hire oneWhy writing down your own hope for your child's college experience can keep the whole process groundedAbout the GuestAmy McVeigh is the founder of Smart College Selection, an independent college consulting firm that guides students and their families through the college selection process in Indiana and Michigan. Before starting Smart College Selection in 2014, Amy spent more than two decades running a business performance consulting firm and held corporate roles in finance, public relations, sales, marketing, and communication at Fortune 100 companies. She holds a college counseling certificate from UCLA, an MBA from Harvard, and a degree in public relations from Boston University. Amy is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), where she serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President of Education and Training, and she works with the University of California, Berkeley Extension on its college counseling curriculum.Connect with Amy: Smart College Selection | About Amy | Contact Smart College SelectionThe previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

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