The MEFA Podcast

If you’re divorced or separated, you may have questions about completing financial aid forms. On this episode of The MEFA Podcast, MEFA's Associate Director of College Planning Jonathan Hughes breaks down how to complete these forms, including maintaining confidentiality between parents, which parent completes the forms, how to determine the custodial parent, and how to keep the financial aid office involved. Jonathan also answers listener’s questions about changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, adding additional colleges to the FAFSA, and applying your student loan when you transfer schools. Jonathan is joined by MEFA's Director of College Planning, Julie Shields-Rutyna, and Wheaton College’s Director of Student Financial Services, Susan Beard. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Join co-hosts Jonathan Hughes and Julie Shields-Rutyna as they discuss features of mefa.org, including how to sign up for MEFA emails and where to find the MEFA blog post and webinars about financial aid, as well as all of the different services MEFA has to offer. Then they talk to MEFA’s Digital Creative Content Manager, Lauren Patten, about college scholarships, including how to apply for them, where to find them, and strategies for using them.

In this bonus episode of The MEFA Podcast, host Jonathan Hughes talks to the President and Founder of TISLA (The Institute of Student Loan Advisors), Betsy Mayotte. Here, Betsy talks to Jonathan about the recent temporary changes made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and walks us through the program itself.

Each student has a different track in the post-high school journey. Recently, a parent wrote to us asking for advice for her daughter in college, who isn’t sure she is on the right path. In this episode, host Jonathan Hughes speaks with Jan Combs of Bright Horizons College Coach to address this situation and others that may come up for students deciding what to do after high school. Also in this episode, Julie Shields-Rutyna, MEFA’s Director of College Planning, joins Jonathan to talk about the Federal Student Loan Repayment pause. Finally, in the MEFA Mailbag, Julie answers a question about how and when to apply for their private student loan. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by MEFA’s in-house loan product experts, Frank Cavanaugh and Meg Villavicencio, and MEFA’s Director of College Planning, Education, and Training, Julie Shields-Rutyna. Frank and Meg discuss private student loans, including when families can start applying, what determines if applicants are approved, what kind of rates and terms they may qualify for, and how to compare loan options. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about assets on the FAFSA and discuss steps a student needs to take after depositing at a college. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Apelila Joseph, MEFA Pathway Program Manager, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MEFA. Apelila discusses how Grade 12 students and their families can make a plan to pay their college bill, including the use of savings, payment plans and student loans, and how to be a wise borrower if they do borrow student loans. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about how to pay the college bill and discuss FAFSA verification. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Stephanie Wells, Director of College Relations for MEFA, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MEFA. Stephanie discusses what Grade 12 students and their families can expect to see on financial aid offers, including grants, scholarships, and work-study, and what the difference is between each type of loan that may be listed on a financial aid offer. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about why some colleges offer more financial aid than others and discuss how to determine your net price at each college. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Jim Slattery, Senior Director of Financial Aid at Northeastern University, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MEFA. Jim discusses why some colleges require the CSS Profile™, the differences between the CSS Profile and the FAFSA, how non-custodial parents file the CSS Profile, and why it’s in families' best interest to provide financial aid offices with as much information as possible. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about if funds earned from a co-op are counted in the financial aid formula and discuss Federal Student Loan repayment resuming on May 1st. CSS Profile is a registered trademark of the College Board, with which MEFA is not associated. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Nick Charrette, Assistant Director of Veterans Upward Bound, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MEFA. Nick discusses what Veterans Upward Bound offers, the different types of GI Bills, and how veterans can maximize their education benefits. Jonathan and Julie answer listeners’ questions about applying for financial aid with international parents and discuss Massachusetts state financial aid programs. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Stephanie Wells, Director of College Relations at MEFA, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of Training and Education at MEFA. Stephanie Wells explains how to compare college loan options, including the differences between Federal Direct Student Loans, the PLUS Loan, and private loans, as well as paying the college bill through a combination of past, present, and future income. Jonathan and Julie discuss the VaxMillions lottery and how fully vaccinated individuals between ages 12 and 17 can enter to win a college scholarship in a U.Fund 529 account. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.