The MEFA Podcast

The MEFA Podcast

Welcome to MEFA's podcast series. Here you'll find conversations with experts about every step of planning, saving, and paying for college and reaching financial goals. You can listen to each podcast right on this page, or through your preferred podcast app. Send us a question and we might answer it on the next episode.


Listen and subscribe to the podcast

The MEFA Podcast
Episode #72. Host Jonathan Hughes and co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna share highlights from MEFA’s webinar that outlined six keys to finding a good college fit, which was presented by Dr. Timothy Poynton and Dr. Amanda Sterk. They share clips of the presenters reviewing those six keys, how to best research colleges, and how to decide what college will be the best for your academic experience. Highlights also include discussion of the book they wrote, a college fit tool they built, and much more. Finally, Jonathan and Julie go to the MEFA Mailbag and answer a FAFSA question. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #71. Host Jonathan Hughes talks with Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment at Regis College, Christopher Lydon, about Direct Admissions, a process in which students are admitted to colleges without applying to them They discuss how it works, which students are chosen, what the benefits are, and why it could be become a standard part of college admissions. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #70. Host Jonathan Hughes talks with the founder of The College Investor, Robert Farrington. Robert is a leading expert on student loan debt with a goal of getting students out of debt and helping them build their wealth. Jonathan and Robert discuss student loan debt, how to get out of it, the new SAVE plan offered by the federal government, and much more. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #69. Host Jonathan Hughes and co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna talk with Director of College Relations at MEFA, Shawn Morrissey, about the new FAFSA form and the challenges and delays families have been experiencing. They discuss current FAFSA issues, how families can manage them, what to look for to make sure the form has been submitted correctly, and how colleges are reacting to these setbacks. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #68. Host Jonathan Hughes sits down for a conversation with Jonathan Paz of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugees Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition. They discuss the struggles immigrant students have had receiving college financial aid in the past, how state legislation offers them a new path forward, and the steps required to file for state financial aid using the new form for immigrant students, the MASFA. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #67. Host Jonathan Hughes sits down for a conversation about historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with Dr. Danette Burgess, the President of EASFAA and a regional representative for NASFAA’s Diversity Task Force. Dr. Burgess is also the Senior Associate Director of Scholarships at Howard University and an alumnus of another HBCU, Norfolk State University. Jonathan talks with Dr. Burgess about her own educational journey, the impact of HBCUs on her life, and what it’s like to work and interact with current HBCU students. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #66. Host Jonathan Hughes and co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna discuss the most common issues that have come up for families while trying to file the 2024-25 FAFSA. Topics include FSA ID creation, filing the FAFSA without an SSN, delays in FAFSA Submission Summaries, adjustments to the family’s Income Protection Allowance, and more. They also answer a MEFA Mailbag question about parent assets and the FAFSA. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #65. Host Jonathan Hughes answers a MEFA Mailbag question with co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna about if 529 plans owned by non-parents need to be claimed on the FAFSA. Then MEFA’s own Lauren Danz describes 3 upcoming scholarships that have February deadlines including The Christopher’s High School Poster Scholarship, the Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship, and the Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #64. Host Jonathan Hughes sits down with three freshmen from King Phillip High School, Tanmayee Kollouri, Laura Da Silva, and Ella Bailey, who participated in an international business competition through the DECA Program at their school that focused on financial aid and student loans. Jonathan talks with them about their interest in the topic, how they have informed their school about their project, as well as some of their own interests in higher education. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #63. Host Jonathan Hughes and co-host Julie Shields-Rutyna discuss the new 2024-25 FAFSA and the issues that have arisen, how to file the form, and what to do if problems arise. Then they answer a MEFA Mailbag question about creating an FSA ID and who needs one to file the FAFSA. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.