Paying for college is no joke, and the lengthy processes and jargon involved in financial aid can make it seem almost impossible. But don't fear — Elias is here! In our first episode of Make it Make Cent$, Elias will be discussing the ins and outs of need-based aid, including the application process, FAFSA, CSS, IDOC, and more!
Come ready to take notes and learn more about navigating need-based aid so that you can get the financial assistance you need succeed.
Undergrad College: Harvard University '17
Major: Music
Graduate College: University of Michigan, M.M.
Work Experience: Now in my fourth year at CollegeVine, I have helped dozens of students gain acceptance to their top-choice schools and have also advised and mentored thousands more through my livestreams. Apart from my work at CV, I am also a professional conductor and a multi-instrumentalist. I currently serve as the music director of the Apollo Ensemble of Boston, and I have led symphonic concerts and operatic productions throughout the United States.
My Admissions Story: Initially interested in pursuing a career as a performing cellist, I applied almost exclusively to music schools with dual and double degree options and ultimately enrolled in the Tufts University/New England Conservatory Dual Degree Program. Unhappy with the combined program and worried I'd never feel like I was fully a student at either school, I logged back into CommonApp.org in October of my freshman year. I can't say I went about the transfer process in the smartest way (I only applied to two schools!), but Harvard miraculously accepted me (or 'excepted me' as I wrote in a celebratory Facebook post that day - no one ever let me live that one down), and the rest was history.