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.


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The MEFA Podcast
Episode #33. 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. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #31. 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. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #25. 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.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #24. 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.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #23. 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.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #22. ***Please note that some details about co-ops and loan repayment in this episode are now outdated. Please reference mefa.org for updated information. *** 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 noncustodial 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.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #20. 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.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #17. 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.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #16. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Jennifer Ma, Senior Policy Research Scientist at the College Board®, and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of Training and Education at MEFA. Jennifer Ma explains College’s Board recent Education Pays report, including patterns among U.S. adults with different education levels and disparities in college participation and completion across demographic groups. Jonathan and Julie discuss new college loan rates and answer listeners’ questions about letters of recommendation. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.
The MEFA Podcast
Episode #15. Host Jonathan Hughes is joined by Dror Liebenthal, co-founder and CEO of bold.org and Julie Shields-Rutyna, Director of Training and Education at MEFA. Dror Liebenthal explains how students can search for scholarships on bold.org, an innovative, streamlined, and secure service that matches students to exclusive scholarships. Jonathan and Julie discuss vaccine requirements at Massachusetts colleges and answer listeners’ questions about financing off-campus housing. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.