Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast: Recent Episodes
Amy Seeley & Mike Bergin
Welcome to THE college admissions industry podcast! Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts.
Tests and the Rest is perfect for school counselors, educators, test prep professionals, college consultants, and just about anyone engaged in the college admissions process. You can subscribe to this podcast or stream it online via any podcast app, including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio.
YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. Between the two of us, expect over 50 years of industry insight, expertise, insider news, and a bit of sarcasm.
While higher education is grappling with the implications of a demographic shift among applicants, an equally important trend of a decidedly geographic nature is creating winners and losers on opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Amy and Mike invited independent education consultant Mark Stucker to explain why Southern colleges are currently so popular.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Are Southern colleges and universities really outpacing other schools in popularity, and why?
- How did the pandemic influence admissions trends?
- Are there any particular schools drawing more applicants?
- Are students happy at Southern colleges once they get there?
- What should students who aren't from the South know about attending Southern colleges?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mark Stucker has spent more than 25 years helping students and families navigate one of life's most important decisions: finding the right college fit. Throughout his career, he has worked in college admissions, boarding school admissions, and college counseling across independent, public, and charter schools, as well as in private practice, guiding more than 2,000 students from all 50 states through the admissions process. His philosophy is simple but powerful: every student deserves a college that is both the right academic and personal fit—and one that is financially attainable for their family.
Mark's career has included leadership roles at Westtown School, where he served as Associate Director of Admissions, chaired the admissions committee for five years, and worked extensively in college counseling. He later spent more than a decade with KIPP Metro Atlanta, building and leading college counseling programs that helped approximately 70 students each year successfully transition to college. In 2010, he founded School Match 4U, an educational consulting firm dedicated to helping students identify their best educational opportunities.
Widely recognized as a trusted voice in college admissions, Mark is the author of 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admissions Questions and the founder, co-host, and producer of the Your College-Bound Kid podcast, which has become Apple's most-listened-to podcast in the Education for Kids category. His expertise is informed by visits to more than 350 college campuses and professional involvement with organizations including IECA, NACAC, and SACAC. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Summer Institute for College Admissions and Stanford University's Counselor Outreach Program.
When he's not talking college admissions, Mark enjoys traveling, golfing, gardening, reading, exploring different cuisines, and following college and professional sports. He and his wife of 35 years are the proud parents of two successful daughters, and his passion for helping students discover their futures continues to shape the advice and insight he shares with families across the country.
Mark can be texted at 404-664-4340.
LINKS
The Lure of the South: Why More Students Are Heading South for College
The Rising Popularity of Southern Colleges
RELATED EPISODES
THE FLUTIE EFFECT IN ADMISSIONS
ATTENDING A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
THE BENEFITS OF JOINING A FRATERNITY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Young adults should always be encouraged to dream big when imagining their futures. When the time comes to actualize those aspirations, though, practical details matter most. Amy and Mike invited author Jeff Selingo to clarify how to define a dream school.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the "Top 25 or bust" mentality and why do so many families still equate selectivity with quality?
- Do you need to attend a top-ranked school to get an exceptional college education?
- How do you define fit, and what specific factors should families consider when evaluating whether a college is truly the right match for a student?
- What is a hidden gem college and what characteristics do these institutions tend to share?
- What indicators should families look for when assessing a college's ability to prepare students for meaningful careers?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jeff Selingo is a New York Times bestselling author of four books on education and the job market, including his newest, Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You (September 2025). Based on more than two years of research and a survey of some 3,000 parents, the book gives families permission to think more broadly about what signals a "good" college and then the tools to discover their dream school. His previous book, Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, was named one of the New York Times's 100 Notable Books of the Year in 2020.
For more than twenty-five years, his in-depth reporting and storytelling have provided practical insight about the future of higher education and the workforce to university leaders, corporate executives, as well as students and parents.
Jeff has talked before scores of colleges, businesses, healthcare organizations, and financial services companies and helped leaders understand what's next for education and how companies can better compete for talent, especially among today's Gen Z. He has appeared at the Milken Global Institute, LinkedIn, Ohio State University, Salesforce, Spain's Bankinter Innovation Foundation, the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions, and Deloitte, as well as before the boards of Carnegie Mellon University, the Duke Endowment, and Amherst College, among others.
As both an observer of higher education and an insider with an academic appointment at one of the largest universities in the country, Jeff occupies a unique position to explain the intersection between work, life, and learning. He writes regularly for The Atlantic, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
His research focuses on the changing nature of work and its impact on education, paying for college, the student experience, and shifting expectations for what the public and employers want from colleges. He is co-host of the podcast, Future U., and writes a biweekly newsletter, Next.
Jeff is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University, where he is the founding director of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership. He has also served as a visiting scholar at Georgia Tech's Center for 21st Century Universities. In addition, Jeff regularly counsels universities and organizations on strategy.
Previously, Jeff was the top editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, where he worked for sixteen years in a variety of reporting and editing roles. His work has been honored by the Education Writers Association, Society of Professional Journalists, and the Associated Press.
He received a bachelor's degree from Ithaca College and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the board of trustees at Ithaca College and the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). He lives with his wife and two daughters near Washington, D.C.
Jeff previously appeared on this podcast in episode 126 to discuss Shaping an Admissions Class.
Find Jeff at https://www.jeffselingo.com/.
LINKS
Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You
RELATED EPISODES
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently explores important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Mike and Amy been up to this month?
- How did Mike work with ACT recently?
- What has Amy been philosophizing about?
- Is a perfect test score worth working for?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Understanding the ACT: Foundations and Tools for Student Success
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: June 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: May 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2026
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
How many bad relationships begin because people prioritize superficial qualities over true virtues? Whether you are looking for a partner or applying to college, your deeper values should inform your decisions. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Cadwallader to explain why college flash isn't fit.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- In terms of both college admissions and dating, what does it mean to say "flash isn't fit?"
- Why do students and families get pulled toward what looks impressive when building a college list?
- How does the idea of "potential" show up in the college process, and why can it be misleading?
- What do students needing to define their own criteria actually look like in practice?
- If a student is building a list right now, what important mindset shift should they adopt?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ann Cadwallader, founder of My University Coach, has worked in education for 35 years and has guided students through the college admissions process as an Independent Educational Consultant for nearly two decades. She holds a BS from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota, and in 2020 earned the Certified Educational Planner designation — an achievement that reflects her deep expertise in college advising.
Ann has personally visited 193 college campuses across the country, giving her firsthand insight into a wide range of schools and student experiences. Known for her calm, strategic approach, she is dedicated to reducing stress for both students and parents and helping families make smart, intentional choices—so students can tell their story with confidence and clarity.
Ann previously appeared on this podcast in episode 670 to discuss Intentionality On The Road To College.
Ann can be reached at ann@myuniversitycoach.com.
LINKS
Flash Isn't Fit: What Dating Reminded Me About College Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
SELECTING YOUR FOREVER SCHOOL
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Most people know–or at least think they know–the role of a school-based counselor. What about all of the professionals in private practice who support families on their admissions journeys and more? Amy and Mike invited IECA CEO Stephanie Simpson to learn what an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) is and who needs one.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What role do Independent Educational Consultants (IECs) play in a student's academic journey, and how do they
- How can IECs complement the contributions of school counselors, especially in districts where high counselor-to-student ratios make individualized support difficult?
- At what point in a teen's academic journey can IECs be most valuable?
- What else do IECs offer beyond application coaching?
- What does a qualified, ethically grounded IEC practice look like in today's landscape, and how should educators and school counselors help families evaluate who they choose to work with?
MEET OUR GUEST
Stephanie Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the leading professional organization representing independent private college and career counselors who support students and families navigating postsecondary education pathways. Previously, she served as CEO of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), the world's largest and oldest professional association dedicated to helping middle school educators cultivate the potential and possibilities of young adolescents.
Stephanie's nearly 15 years of association leadership experience includes senior roles at the American College of Cardiology and the American Psychiatric Association. She holds a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a BA from DePaul University.
Stephanie can be reached on LinkedIn.
LINKS
Independent Educational Consultants Association
IEC profile Archives - TestBright
RELATED EPISODES
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NEED A COLLEGE CONSULTANT?
HOW TO CHOOSE A COLLEGE COUNSELOR
THE DIFFERENT ROLES OF SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COUNSELORS
HOW SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNSELORS CAN WORK TOGETHER
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and the founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Paying for college poses serious challenges for most families, but should understanding the rules around borrowing really be one of the hardest parts? Amy and Mike invited financial aid expert Will McGinley to offer guidance into decoding student loans.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are student loans such an important topic?
- How much do students borrow on average for their undergraduate degrees?
- What is the difference between federal DL, PLUS, and Private education loans?
- Which student loan option is best for most students?
- When should someone start applying for their loans?
MEET OUR GUEST
Will McGinley is an Account Executive for the PHEAA Keystone and PA Forward student loan programs. He brings nearly 20 years of financial aid experience to the role, most recently serving at Baldwin Wallace University, Ashland University, and Liberty University, in roles ranging from loan processing to Director of Financial Aid. His career has provided extensive experience presenting to students, families, and higher education colleagues on a variety of topics, including financial literacy, the financial aid process, and gap financing. He has also served on committees for the NCAA and OASFAA.
Will and his wife of 19 years enjoy spending time with their 2 teenage sons, coaching, hiking, and playing with their French bulldog, Pierre.
Will can be reached at William.Mcginley@pheaa.org.
LINKS
EducationPlanner.org
MySmartBorrowing.org
Keystone Student Loans
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT LOANS
THE TRUTH ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
UNDERSTANDING YOUR COLLEGE TUITION BILL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Know everything that the SAT Desmos calculator can do for you.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind the Desmos SAT Math Course?
- How does the Desmos SAT Math Course work?
- Who should use the Desmos SAT Math Course?
- What kinds of outcomes does the Desmos SAT Math Course deliver?
- What should someone curious about the Desmos SAT Math Course know about it?
ABOUT THE DESMOS SAT MATH COURSE
A complete self-paced video course covering every calculator concept and every practice question — so students walk into the test knowing exactly what the SAT Desmos calculator can do for them.
To learn more, please visit desmosSATmath.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
If you think the massive amount of information colleges expect applicants to absorb is too much, think about the equally essential insights that are left unsaid. Amy and Mike invited ed tech professional Reetu Gupta to dive into what colleges aren't telling you.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are colleges actually looking for today that they weren't before?
- Why is "minimum to compete" an important consideration for applicants?
- What should parents thinking "my kid has great grades, but I'm still worried" know?
- What are colleges doing behind the scenes to find their next class of students — and why does every family need to know this?
- What is one thing every college-bound teen should start thinking about immediately?
MEET OUR GUEST
Reetu Gupta is the co-founder and CEO of Cirkled In, the #1 student portfolio platform connecting students with colleges, internships, jobs, and scholarships. Under her leadership, Cirkled In has seen remarkable growth, empowering over a million and a half students to showcase their full potential beyond test scores and gain access to life-changing opportunities.
A recognized leader in EdTech, Cirkled In has received prestigious national and global accolades, including the Grand American Business Awards (Top 10 Companies in the U.S.) and Elite 200 by GSV (Top 200 Global EdTech Companies). The platform has also been featured in national and local media for its role in transforming education and workforce development.
Before founding Cirkled In, Reetu spent 15 years in corporate America, working across startups and Fortune 50 companies. She holds an MBA (Valedictorian) from the University of Washington, along with MS and BS degrees from India. Her entrepreneurial excellence has earned her a spot on Forbes NEXT1000 as an inspiring entrepreneur, as well as the "Female Entrepreneur of the Year" award. A firm believer that education is the most powerful tool for change, Reetu is on a mission to modernize this 100+ year-old industry and ensure that every student has access to the opportunities they deserve.
Reetu can be reached at reetu@cirkledin.com.
LINKS
Cirkled In
RELATED EPISODES
BUILD A WINNING BRAND TO ACE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
UTILIZING A REFLECTION JOURNAL TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ESSAY
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Much of the stress involved with taking an important exam is related to testing in a proctored environment surrounded by your anxious peers. What happens when you shift to more familiar ground? Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to explore the experience and implications of taking a high-stakes test at home.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the technical and logistical requirements of an in-home exam?
- What security measures prevent widespread cheating?
- What are the benefits of taking a high-stakes test in your home?
- What are the downsides of taking a high-stakes test in your home?
- How does the CLT compare to the SAT or ACT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA), and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU's Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep's free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University's Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28), SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131), and SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WRITING TEST? (#271) TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025 (#432) and STATE OF TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS IN 2024 (#550), and THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID (#593). He hosted the show CELEBRATING OUR 500TH EPISODE and facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com.
LINKS
CLT
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT IS THE CLT?
HOW DOES REMOTE PROCTORING ACTUALLY WORK?
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How was the NTPA National Conference in Chicago?
- Where did Amy travel, and who planned her trip?
- How's Mike's garden growing?
- What are your hosts looking forward to this summer?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: May 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2026
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
According to Henry Ward Beecher, there is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs. Teens willing to spend time in this region will benefit from much more than just the sheer pleasure of a good book. Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Marina Yalon to dive into beach reads for better scores.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's wrong with the "harder is better" reading approach?
- What's the benefit of contemporary fiction? What kinds of skills can students build from reading contemporary fiction?
- Do beach reads really have SAT vocabulary words?
- What are some book recommendations for summer reads?
- How should parents approach helping teens find the right book?
MEET OUR GUEST
Marina Yalon is the founder of MYPrep, a virtual tutoring company dedicated to taking the stress out of SAT and ACT prep. With deep expertise in both exams and nearly two decades spent coaching students to achieve their goal scores, she brings a highly individualized approach to test prep—meeting each student where they are and building from there. Through sessions, students build test (and life!) confidence. She's the kind of tutor students want to tell their friends about.
Marina loves working with all kinds of learners, and her sessions are as likely to end with a book recommendation as a practice set. An avid reader with a soft spot for plot-twists and unreliable narrators, she's thrilled when a student gives her a new addition to her ever-growing TBR list. Her philosophy: it's all figure-out-able!
Marina previously appeared on this podcast in episode 233 for a Test Prep Profile.
Marina can be reached at https://www.learnwithmyprep.com.
LINKS
A Little Reading Every Day
RELATED EPISODES
VOCABULARY ON THE SAT & ACT
IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 1)
IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 2)
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
If you've been paying attention over the last year, you've observed tremendous change, chaos, and uncertainty roiling higher education. Behind the scenes, things are even crazier than they seem, which affects every single applicant. Amy and Mike invited educational consultants Aly Beaumont and Meg Joyce to unpack college enrollment trends for 2026 and 2027.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the big theme for college admissions right now?
- What two pathways do students need to decide between in selective admissions?
- How are adverse economic conditions affecting colleges and financial aid?
- What are the unforeseen benefits to applicants from the endowment tax?
- How can students and families navigate the current enrollment climate?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Aly Beaumont is the founder of Admissions Village, a family-focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success in this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives and the repeat business from family members. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University, where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT, with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz, and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Kenyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is a Professional member of IECA, and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California, Irvine.
Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 212 to discuss PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, in episode 341 to discuss COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS, in episode 406 to discuss WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS?, in episode 537 to discuss WHAT DO TRULY TEST OPTIONAL COLLEGES FOCUS ON?, and was the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 264.
Meg Joyce works with Aly at Admissions Village, helping students and their parents navigate every step of the college search and application process. A self-professed research and detail geek, her favorite part of her job is watching students grow in skills and confidence as they work their way through high school and eventually college applications. Meg wants every student to feel supported and heard, and most of all - special - because when students feel that, it comes through not just in their applications but in everything they do.
Meg is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied finance and English and worked in the alumni office, talking to alums to learn about their time on campus and later volunteering for many years as an alumni interviewer. Meg works with Aly at Admissions Village helping students and their parents navigate every step of the college search and application process. A self-professed detail geek, her favorite part of her job is watching students grow in skills and confidence as they work their way through high school and eventually college applications. She likes to say she treats every student as she would want her own child to be treated (she's got four grown ones of her own). Meg is a Professional member of IECA, a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and has a certificate as an independent educational consultant from the University of California, Irvine.
Meg and Aly previously appeared in episode 630 to discuss THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS PROFILE.
Find Aly and Meg at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
LINKS
Trends in Admissions and Higher ED, Part 1 - Colleges are Following Two Pathways
Trends in Admissions and Higher ED, Part 2 - Admissions is Competitive Not Just For You, But Colleges As Well
Trends in Admissions and Higher ED, Part 3 - Students Should Follow One of Two Pathways
FAQs: How the 2025 Net Investment Income Tax ("Endowment Tax") Rate Increase Affects Harvard University
RELATED EPISODES
THE DEMOGRAPHIC CLIFF IS HERE
WHAT IS THE CSS PROFILE?
POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Gauntlet: Harder Questions, Higher Scores
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's the story behind The Gauntlet, and what problem inspired it?
- How does The Gauntlet solve the challenge of managing prep material and what's actually in the library?
- How does the new tutor dashboard streamline day-to-day student management?
- What is The Gauntlet's pricing model, and how does it alleviate changes in student utilization.
- For tutors who are already invested in different resources, what makes The Gauntlet worth trying?
ABOUT THE GAUNTLET
From the very first student he tutored, John McDowell has been on a single mission: get his students the highest scores possible. That obsession exposed a problem he couldn't ignore—free and official prep materials simply weren't hard enough. A student returning from test day complaining that the test was "much harder than the practice tests" isn't just a letdown; it's a bad rap for a tutor.
So he built the answer himself: The Gauntlet
Today, The Gauntlet offers the most rigorous SAT prep in existence, anchored by The Gauntlet book series on Amazon: a Math Challenge, a Verbal Challenge, and now a Vocabulary Challenge built from the most frequently repeated SAT words. Built on a proprietary pedagogy that has delivered an average gain of over 70 points from a baseline SAT Reading and Writing score of 660, the platform delivers the 300 hardest SAT verbal and math questions available anywhere, full-length and section-only mock tests, Mr. John's famous high-frequency vocab and must-know math flashcards, and 3,000+ categorized drill questions—every one written and vetted by six published content experts, not AI, with new content added each week.
Now Mr. John's Test Prep is opening The Gauntlet to private tutors and agencies with its next leap forward: a tutor dashboard that serves as a true command center. Tutors can assign content from the full library—or their own custom drills, quizzes, and practice tests—to individual students or entire cohorts, track performance in real time with at-a-glance metrics like days to test, score deltas, target gaps, and each student's weakest area, and schedule homework effortlessly with an industry-first drag-and-drop calendar view. Students get automatic inbox reminders on due dates, and with a built-in command palette and persistent messaging, everything tutors need lives in one place.
And the best part is the pricing: industry-first prorated billing per student. Most test dates don't fall at the end of the month, so why pay for a student's access for days they'll never use? It can save tutors thousands compared to other platforms—and tutors can even let students pay for their own access, with account connection still a breeze. Built by an SAT specialist with a transparent record of one-on-one success and an MA in Applied Linguistics, The Gauntlet is for students chasing top percentiles—and the tutors who get them there. Learn more at passthegauntlet.com.
To find out more, please contact support@tutorstack.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
A great many tasks need to be accomplished successfully in order to secure a seat at a selective college. Luckily, they don't all need to be done at once, but proper timing makes a world of difference. Amy and Mike invited educator Eric Greenberg to discuss the finer points of strategizing your testing and admissions timeline.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is it important for students and parents to assess testing plans by the end of 10th grade?
- By when should students strive to earn their best SAT or ACT scores?
- What are the dos and don'ts regarding choosing between the SAT and ACT?
- How should different rounds of applications (ED1, ED2, Rolling, RD, etc.) impact the "SAT, ACT, or neither" decision?
- Why is it crucial for students to understand the short-term and long-term implications of application submission dates?
MEET OUR GUEST
Eric Greenberg is a leading educational services expert. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School and is a graduate of The Fieldston High School in Riverdale, New York. Since establishing the Greenberg Educational Group in New York City in 1991, Greenberg and his team have helped thousands of students, of all ages, achieve their academic goals.
Greenberg Educational Group provides students and families with the tools needed to help achieve their educational aspirations. The team offers highly acclaimed Strategic Educational Advising & Application Essay assistance for all levels of a student's education, Test Preparation services, and Subject-Specific Academic Tutoring. Greenberg Educational Group's clients include students in elementary & middle school, high school, college, and graduate school, both domestically and internationally.
Eric can be reached at greenbergeducationalgroup.com.
LINKS
College Testing Plan for the HS Class of 2027
Testing & Scholarship Timelines Webinar
RELATED EPISODES
WHEN SHOULD YOU TAKE THE SAT OR ACT?
CHOOSING BETWEEN THE DIGITAL SAT AND THE ACT
SHOULD I APPLY EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Getting into your top choice college may feel like a dream come true, but figuring out how to pay for it can turn into a nightmare, especially when you don't know what you're doing. Amy and Mike invited financial aid expert Howard Freedman to recount some financial aid horror stories.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How can transferring assets to reduce assisted living costs hurt a student?
- How can failing to report reportable assets on a financial aid form reduce financial need?
- What is the impact of grandparents giving money to their grandchildren for college?
- How can failing to establish accountability lead to family stress?
- How can getting a jump on financial aid forms turn into a timely mess?
MEET OUR GUEST
Years after founding Financial Aid Consulting, Howard Freedman was recruited to oversee the ACCESS Program at Boston Public Schools. This position broadened his experience by providing financial aid services and scholarships to over 2,700 high school seniors at more than 20 schools. Consequently, he received a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
He graduated from the College Board's Financial Aid Institute and completed ongoing training with experts from college financial aid and admissions departments. This helped me gain a better understanding of how these organizations are taught and operate.
He was a member of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) and the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA), where he connected with college representatives and guidance counselors to gain diverse perspectives on higher education and student support. Howard assumed leadership roles in professional organizations while also becoming a public speaker and author for national publications on general topics and college-related issues. A substantial collection of his articles and podcasts is available at Financial Aid Consulting. He is also a highly regarded author of three editions of Making College Happen.
For over twenty years, he has consistently empowered his clients by teaching them how to make objective decisions to evaluate the most affordable colleges and other forms of career development. He is also an author, comedian, podcaster, financial analyst, public speaker, and friend to his clients.
Howard can be reached at Financial Aid Consulting.
LINKS
Making College Happen: An insightful guide to making savvy financial decisions and cutting college costs
RELATED EPISODES
BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE
WHAT DO FEDERAL POLICY CHANGES MEAN FOR FINANCIAL AID?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE BETTER FAFSA
WHAT IS THE CSS PROFILE?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
What if your PDFs could grade and track themselves? with educator Jam Mirzakhalov, Vinny Madera, and Aaron Golumbfskie
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind StudySpaces?
- How does StudySpaces work?
- What is the story behind Assessiv?
- How did the StudySpaces and Assessiv collaboration come together?
- How is this combination a net benefit for everyone in test prep?
ABOUT STUDYSPACES AND ASSESSIV
StudySpaces is the home of modern tutoring, the one platform test prep and tutoring companies use to run their curriculum, assessments, and student experience in one place, all branded as their own.
StudySpaces has now merged with Assessiv, the hand-curated SAT content library built by veteran test prep experts Aaron Golumbfskie of PrepMatters and Vinny Madera of TestPrepWizards. It brings the best tutoring platform and best-in-class content under one roof. Every plan includes a free SAT library: 5 adaptive mock exams and 175+ worksheets, 2,500+ questions in all, ready to assign on day one.
Inside the platform, tutors organize and tag their content their own way, then assign quizzes, drills, and full-length mock exams to one student or a whole cohort in a single click. Everything is auto-graded on submit, with scoring, pacing, and weak-area analytics flowing straight back to the tutor, and branded parent reports going out automatically. Because the platform is fully white-label, students and parents experience it as the tutoring company's own product, never StudySpaces. StudySpaces doesn't compete with tutors, it powers them.
As a strategic ACT partner, StudySpaces also delivers official ACT practice tests, and it works whether students test digitally or on paper. Paper-based programs still get every test scored, with the same analytics and parent reporting as digital. SSAT, ISEE, and more are rolling out alongside, plus the option to bring in custom content for any exam (AP, GRE, MCAT, and beyond).
To learn more, reach out to Jam at jam@studyspaces.com or book a call at studyspaces.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
With everyone in the world angling to access the benefits of artificial intelligence without succumbing to the plentiful pitfalls of excessive automation, you'd expect higher ed administrators to explore every way possible to harness tech for more accurate and efficient student selection. And you'd be right. Amy and Mike invited ed tech professional Ashish Fernando to examine how colleges use AI in admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does AI actually look like inside an admissions office today?
- Why are data silos a problem across educational institutions?
- Does AI lead to less bias in admissions decisions or more?
- Where is the human advantage in making admissions decisions?
- Looking ahead five or ten years, what will separate the colleges that survive and thrive from the ones that struggle?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ashish Fernando is the Founder & CEO of EDMO, an AI-powered education technology company that provides enrollment solutions to higher education institutions. With an education background from Bentley University, Ashish has spent the last several years building intelligent tools that automate document evaluation, streamline enrollment workflows, and enhance student engagement. Growing up in an education-focused family inspired his mission to make global admissions more accessible, transparent, and efficient.
A member of the Forbes Technology Council and a frequent higher-ed speaker, Ashish also hosts the Edu Unlocked podcast, where he brings together leaders driving innovation in universities. His work reflects a simple philosophy: use AI to empower institutions and create better experiences for students worldwide.
Ashish can be reached at https://goedmo.com/contact.
LINKS
What Really Happens to Transfer Students' Credits?
Why Test Scores Matter More Than Ever
RELATED EPISODES
AI AND THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
WHAT DO COLLEGES KNOW ABOUT APPLICANTS?
COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?
- Where did Mike travel?
- How was the IECA Conference in Baltimore?
- What are your hosts' current thoughts on AI?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
RELATED EPISODES
Testing & Scholarship Timelines Webinar
Top 15 SMEs for Test Prep (SAT, ACT, AP) in USA
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2026
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
High schoolers who show advanced aptitude and interest in science and math often seem destined to concentrate on STEM in college. Surprisingly, though, many choose a more financially focused track. Amy and Mike invited college counselor Mike Hammer to explore business vs engineering majors for tech-minded students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- If a student is talented in math and science, and interested in both business and engineering, which one should they go for?
- If a student is interested in engineering but might do better in business, should they go for a business major in college?
- What are the major differences between business courses and engineering courses in undergrad college?
- What kinds of intellectual curiosity suggest business or engineering as ideal majors?
- Engineering majors can be competitive; are business majors as competitive?
- Will it be a problem for the college application if a student's high school did not offer any business classes?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mike Hammer earned his Business degree from the Haas School at UC Berkeley. Besides higher ed, his background includes work in for-profit, non-profit and consulting sectors. Mike's 25 years at Cornell University included working closely with admissions directors and reading admissions for 14 cycles. He was responsible for helping administrators understand changing trends in applications and helping the university adapt to serving increasingly diverse applicants. Mike also served as a mentor for STEM student groups including the McNair Scholars, helping students navigate the complex environment of higher education. His experience gives him a comprehensive understanding of the importance of matching each student's talents, goals and dreams to the environment that is right for them, and how to communicate a student's unique story to the admission readers.
Mike first appeared on the podcast in episode 463 in an IEC PROFILE.
Mike can be reached at mikehammer@stemadvising.com.
LINKS
The 10 most in-demand bachelor's degrees—No. 1 isn't engineering
Global Essay Prize | John Locke Institute
RELATED EPISODES
HOW BUSINESS-MINDED STUDENTS CAN STAND OUT IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADMISSIONS
HOW COLLEGES ADMIT BY MAJOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
While the SAT changed in a very big way during the digital transition, the exam has continued to evolve in a way that test takers need to understand. Amy and Mike invited educator Lori Goldstein to review new trends in SAT Reading & Writing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How have the Words in Context questions changed?
- What is the new way in which "weaken the claim" questions are appearing?
- What is the new twist in the Transitions questions?
- What have been important changes to the Rhetorical Synthesis questions?
- Should students do RW module questions in order?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lori Goldstein grew up in NY and NJ and attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a degree in Communications. She worked in television for a while (behind the scenes) and then took a job in Florida. Eventually, Lori started selling sailboats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, which provided her the opportunity to go sailing every chance she had.
After raising her family, Lori decided to become a math teacher. She enrolled to get the credits needed to re-learn all the high school math that she had forgotten. This was actually fun for her, allowing her inner nerd to come out. She started tutoring kids in math. Eventually, one parent asked if she could help their daughter with the SAT. "Why not?" she said. The rest is history.
Lori previously appeared on this podcast in episode 235 for a Test Prep Profile and in episode 538 to discuss All About Digital SAT Reading & Writing.
Lori can be reached at circletestprep.com.
LINKS
Meet The Digital SAT: READING AND WRITING
RELATED EPISODES
RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT
HOW THE DIGITAL SAT IS SCORED
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
As much as every student anticipates four or more years of perfect health during their undergraduate studies, life happens. Luckily, illness or injuries don't need to mean an end to your academic journey, especially if you know the right way to take a pause. Amy and Mike invited college advisors Jennifer Stephan and Karen Flood to explain the process of taking a medical leave of absence from college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a medical leave of absence (MLOA), and how do colleges actually use medical leaves?
- What is the typical timeline for a leave request?
- How do you know when a medical leave is the right decision versus trying to push through?
- How do students return from a medical leave, and what are colleges really looking for in that process?
- What does a medical leave mean for a student's future?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Dr. Jennifer Stephan has held a variety of roles at top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, an alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and a parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jennifer is currently the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Prior to joining Tufts in 2016, she spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of Computer Science at Wellesley College, where she collaborated with colleagues at MIT, Olin College of Engineering, and Babson College to support students pursuing engineering. While at Wellesley, Jennifer served on the College's Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating approximately one hundred transfer applications each year.
Jennifer is also the founder of Lantern College Counseling, a robust college counseling practice where she regularly draws on insights from her experience leading in higher education to help students develop their college lists and shape competitive, authentic applications. Jennifer specializes in STEM, computer science, engineering, undecided, and transfer students. She is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
Jennifer appeared on the podcast in episode 620 to discuss ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS AN UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, in episode 541 to discuss NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADMISSIONS, and in episode 559 for an IEC Profile.
Find Jennifer at jennifer@lanterncollege.com or https://www.lanterncollegecounseling.com.
Dr. Karen Flood is the founder of Riverside College Coaching, LLC, which provides one-on-one support to help students thrive in college. With deep insider knowledge of universities, Karen supports students in their transition to college-level academics, helping them develop organizational and time-management skills and a stronger sense of self-efficacy.
Before founding Riverside College Coaching, Karen spent three decades at Harvard University as Associate Dean of the Harvard Summer School, a Resident Dean of Harvard College, Director of Undergraduate Studies, First-Year Adviser, and Lecturer. In these roles, she counseled hundreds of students navigating academic and personal difficulties.
Karen has a BA from Yale University and a PhD from Harvard University and has received multiple teaching distinctions at Harvard, including the Jan Thaddeus Teaching Prize.
Karen can be reached at karen@riversidecollegecoaching.com.
LINKS
Medical Leave of Absence in College: What Families Need to Know About Readiness, Documentation, and Return
Know Your Rights: Leave of Absence Policies in Higher Education
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO PERSIST TO COLLEGE GRADUATION
COLLEGE TRANSITIONS AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE
MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
How often does a thorough college search process involving hours of research and weeks of onsite college visits take an unexpected last minute twist because of fuzzy criteria and gut feelings? Shouldn't certain statistics inform better choices? Amy and Mike invited ed tech entrepreneurs Braden and Cooper Weissman to explore how data is transforming the way students navigate college decisions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why does the college admissions process feel more complicated today?
- How can counselors help students think about choosing a college beyond rankings and prestige?
- What are the risks of relying on guesswork or outdated information during the admissions process?
- Where do students tend to struggle most when applying to colleges and making school decisions, and how can counselors help address those gaps?
- How might data and technology improve the college search process?
MEET OUR GUEST
Braden Weissman is the co-founder and Co-CEO of Nerd Apply. A competitive athlete and team builder at heart, Braden brings a performance-driven mindset to everything he works on. He was named Arizona's Student and Athlete of the Year in 2021 and carried that same discipline and leadership to the University of Michigan, where he co-founded multiple ventures alongside his brother, including Dorm Doctor AI, Dynamic Purchasing Solutions, and WEIDEV.
Braden was later accepted into the University of Miami's four-year MD/MBA program, but chose to defer to fully commit to building Nerd Apply. He is passionate about creating tools that reward collaboration, integrity, and real-world outcomes. Braden lives in New York City, where he enjoys staying active and spending time with close friends.
Cooper Weissman is the co-founder and Co-CEO of Nerd Apply. A lifelong builder, Cooper began teaching himself to code at a young age and launched businesses while still in high school, some of which had to be registered in his older brother's name because he was not old enough to open a bank account himself.
At Dartmouth College, Cooper immersed himself in entrepreneurship and leadership, serving as a student leader at the Magnuson Center and winning the Global Venture Capital Investment Competition. His curiosity and systems-oriented thinking continue to shape Nerd Apply's product vision today. Cooper lives in New York City and is driven by experimentation, thoughtful problem-solving, and building communities around shared ideas.
Find Braden and Cooper at nerdapply.com.
LINKS
Nerd Apply
RELATED EPISODES
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
SELECTING YOUR FOREVER SCHOOL
WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?
- Where did Amy travel?
- What are Amy and Mike's time-sensitive tasks this month?
- What's one principle you try to live by every day?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Wild & Wonderful Ramp Chowder {with Dairy-Free & Vegan Options)
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Leann Westin to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Biology exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Biology exam?
- How is the AP Biology exam structured and scored?
- What are the highest priority topics on the tests?
- How should students prepare for the AP Biology exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Biology?
MEET OUR GUEST
Leann Westin is a Master Tutor at Open Door Education in Massachusetts, where she also serves as the Tutor Success Coordinator. Leann earned a BS in biology with a minor in Spanish from Wake Forest University, and she specializes in biology, environmental science, statistics, SAT/ACT prep, and organizational coaching.
Leann has over a decade of full-time experience helping students prepare for the AP Biology exam through both one-on-one tutoring and small group classes. Her favorite AP Biology topics to teach are evolution and ecology. Outside of her work at Open Door, Leann has been an education volunteer at her local zoo for almost a decade, and she enjoys helping people better understand the natural world.
Leann can be reached at https://opendoor.education.
LINKS
AP Biology Exam
AP Biology Exam – AP Students
AP Biology (Pearson Education AP) by Fred W. Holtzclaw; Theresa Knapp Holtzclaw
AP Biology — bozemanscience
RELATED EPISODES
BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
THE RISE IN AP TESTING
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Pressure is a privilege, according to Billie Jean King, who said it's what you do with it that matters. Millions of students, however, may beg to disagree about the privilege part, and what many of them do with it impedes rather than elevates their performance. Amy and Mike invited ed tech specialist Deanna Oliver to explore what happens when academic pressure turns into behavioral issues.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How does academic pressure typically show up in schools?
- Why do some students "act out" while others withdraw or disengage?
- What are the most common warning signs that adults miss until the situation escalates?
- What does a healthy system of school-based support look like?
- If a parent could implement just a few changes at home, what would make the biggest difference?
MEET OUR GUEST
Deanna Oliver is the CEO & Co-Founder of Psyflo, an AI-powered youth mental health platform that helps schools shift from reactive crisis response to proactive, early support. With a background in public health and health technology, she focuses on practical systems that fit real school constraints—supporting student wellbeing through scalable check-ins, skill-building, and clear safety workflows that reduce burden on counselors and educators.
Deanna can be reached at deanna@psyflo.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannaoliver/.
LINKS
Feelwell
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) | CDC
Calling All Perfectionists: This Advice Just Might Heal You
Expectation overload
RELATED EPISODES
BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS' LIVES
BUILDING HAPPIER TEENS
COLLEGE TRANSITIONS AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE
CULTIVATING AND RECOGNIZING ACADEMIC CURIOSITY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and the founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
It's been said that pain in life is inevitable, but we can choose whether to suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. How can we help learners make the right choice when enthusiasm or available time wanes? Amy and Mike invited educator Athena Savino to explore what motivates students in test prep.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's the biggest misconception tutors and parents have about what motivates students to engage?
- What is the best way to assess student needs and sequence instruction?
- Why should goals and expectations set the foundation for preparation and coaching?
- What time frames work best to maintain enthusiasm and focus?
- What separates the students who hit their goals from the ones who don't, and how much of it is within a tutor's control?
MEET OUR GUEST
Athena Savino is the founder of Top Marks Prep, a platform that partners with tutoring centers to help students achieve better outcomes on the SAT, ACT, HSPT, SHSAT, ISEE, and PSAT through smarter practice and data-driven instruction.
The daughter of immigrant parents who came to the US to expand educational opportunities for their family, Athena grew up with a deep appreciation for what access to the right tools and support can do. She earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
She began tutoring while pursuing her MBA and discovered that what actually moved the needle for students was simple but underappreciated: repetition and the motivation to keep improving with each attempt. That observation led her to build TopMarksPrep, which now provides tutoring centers with a student-facing study platform and an admin platform that delivers actionable, insightful data — helping tutors and center directors enhance every session and personalize instruction at scale.
Athena lives in Chicago with her husband and is expecting her first son in April 2026.
Athena can be reached at athena@topmarksprep.com or LinkedIn.
LINKS
Academic buoyancy: Towards an understanding of students' everyday academic resilience
Newsletter for Tutoring Center Owners & Directors
RELATED EPISODES
HELPING TEENS FIND MOTIVATION AND INSIGHT
HOW DO I MOTIVATE MY STUDENT?
TECHNIQUES TO MOTIVATE UNMOTIVATED STUDENTS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Brooke Daly. Brooke is the founder and CEO of Advantage College Planning, a nationally recognized college counseling firm that has helped thousands of families navigate the admissions process with clarity and confidence. With more than 20 years of experience in college admissions and financial aid, Brooke works closely with students to develop thoughtful college lists and authentic applications that reflect their strengths and goals.
Brooke is an instructor in the College Counseling Certificate Program at the University of California, Berkeley, a past president of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and the co-founder (along with her husband) of CollegePlannerPro, a widely used software platform for independent college counselors. She currently serves as Vice President of Education and Training for the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
Through her work with families, counselors, and national organizations, Brooke is passionate about helping students find colleges where they will thrive!
Find Brooke at advcp.com or on LinkedIn.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Sarah Abaza. Cairo-based Sarah Abaza founded Quest Consulting to help international students find their path to universities across the U.S. and beyond. Before discovering her calling in education, she spent years as an entrepreneur, where she learned the value of curiosity, communication, and resilience — lessons she now brings to her students. With a background in political science and a lifelong love of writing, Sarah blends structure with storytelling in her advising approach. A mother of three, she guides each student's journey with empathy and strategy. Sarah is a certified IEC (Independent Educational Consultant), and holds a certificate from UCLA. She is a member of IECA ( Independent Educational Consultants Association), NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling), and HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association).
Find Sarah at Sarah@questconsulting.org.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Ingrid Latham. Ingrid has been advising students on the college process since 2004. She enjoys learning about her students' activities and how those might relate to ideas for majors and careers. Navigating the college process can be more manageable with Ingrid's assistance in creating timelines for completing each task. In addition to college applications and essays, Ingrid also helps with high school and college course selection, which can be an excellent opportunity for students to explore different interests. Many of her students return for Ingrid's advice on preparing their LinkedIn profiles and practicing for internship interviews.
Ingrid has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University, during which time she worked as a math and chemistry tutor. After working in engineering for seven years, Ingrid decided to follow her true calling of helping young adults to fulfill their dreams. Having lived and worked in a variety of settings, Ingrid has an extensive network of former colleagues and students who serve as great connections when her current clients want to learn firsthand information about a college or career.
Originally from Ohio, Ingrid was the captain of her high school's swim team, a newspaper editor, and a baton twirler. Ingrid now lives in Wisconsin, where she enjoys nature, walking her dog, reading, rollerblading, and singing in a local chorus. A fun fact about Ingrid is that she was an announcer for her son's high school and college lacrosse teams!
Find Ingrid at leaprogram.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Steve Tapper, who serves clients nationwide through Tapper College Counseling. Steve obtained his College Counseling Certificate with Distinction from UCLA and then served as a seasonal reader with the Emory University admissions office, where he analyzed students' curriculum rigor and grades and assessed applications as a partner in the Committee-Based Evaluation process. Steve then worked as an essay specialist for College Essay Guy and with another college counseling firm before founding Tapper College Counseling.
Steve received a B.A. with Honors from Brown University, where he was on the swimming team, and a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. He also served as an alumni admissions interviewer for Brown. As an independent college counselor, Steve loves helping students position themselves for success (including taking the right classes and finding meaningful extracurricular activities), find great-fit colleges, and tell their stories in college applications.
Steve is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). He also attended HECA's Professional Development Institute and is certified by the Myers-Briggs Company to administer the Strong Interest Inventory and Strong Interest Inventory 244 assessments.
Steve lives in Atlanta with his wife. They have two children, a recent college graduate and a rising college senior, and a standard poodle named Zeke.
Find Steve at https://www.tappercollegecounseling.com or steve@tappercollegecounseling.com
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Beth Kraemer. Beth is the co-founder of In College Consulting and has spent more than a decade helping families navigate the increasingly complex world of college admissions. With a background in journalism, education, and law, she brings both storytelling expertise and strategic thinking to her work with students.
Beth earned a journalism degree from Northwestern University, a master's degree from The Ohio State University, and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law. She first became involved in admissions as a Northwestern alumni interviewer. She is a Professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association and regularly visits campuses to stay current on admissions trends.
In addition to her consulting work, Beth serves on the board of the Pinpoint Scholars Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access and leadership in STEM education.
Find Beth at incollegeconsulting.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?
- Where did Amy travel?
- What big project was completed for Mike?
- What did Amy and Mike think they would be when they were younger?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
While the pain divorce can cause everyone involved is well known, less understood are the problems that only pop up when the FAFSA is due. Amy and Mike invited college financial prep expert Vicki Vollweiler to explain the impact of divorce on college admissions and financial aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is college planning actually more complicated after divorce?
- What mistakes do divorced parents make before senior year that end up costing them later?
- How do financial aid rules treat divorced families differently... and why is there so much confusion?
- What are strategies that can save families significant money?
- How should parents navigate co-parent communication when college planning becomes emotional or contentious?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vicki Vollweiler is the founder of College Financial Prep and an expert in divorce and college planning strategy. She helps parents, especially separated, divorced, and blended families, navigate financial aid, build financially smart college lists, and avoid costly mistakes. With a warm, practical approach, Vicki's mission is to reduce stress, increase clarity, and help families save as much as possible on the cost of college.
Vicki is the author of College Planning For Divorced and Widowed Parents: Reduce Stress, Save Thousands and Make Smart Decisions For Your Child's Future.
Vicki can be reached at www.collegefinancialprep.com.
LINKS
College Planning For Divorced and Widowed Parents: Reduce Stress, Save Thousands and Make Smart Decisions For Your Child's Future
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WHAT IS THE CSS PROFILE?
THE BETTER FAFSA FOR NEW AND PREVIOUS FILERS
WHAT DO FEDERAL POLICY CHANGES MEAN FOR FINANCIAL AID?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
College admissions is serious business, doubly so if you want to study business at a selective institution. Fortunately, the very traits that presage corporate or entrepreneurial success contribute mightily to the application process. Amy and Mike invited independent education consultant Evan Green to explore how business-minded students can stand out in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- When a high school student is interested in business, how should they approach college applications?
- What are good extracurricular activities that high school students interested in business can pursue?
- How can high school students interested in business position themselves to stand out in the college admissions process?
- Should applicants address business school or program-specific essays differently?
- How can business-minded students maximize their opportunities once they get to college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Evan Green is co-founder of Green College Consulting, an IECA-member college admissions consulting firm, and founder of Corporate Liberation, an entrepreneurship consultancy that helps corporate employees become entrepreneurs. In his prior career, he spent 17 years as an enterprise sales executive at several large technology companies.
He has a particular focus on helping business-minded college students get into the right schools and pave the way for a successful business career.
Evan holds a BSBA in New & Small Business Management from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a JD from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Evan can be reached at https://greencollegeconsulting.com/home.
LINKS
The 10 most in-demand bachelor's degrees—No. 1 isn't engineering
DECA
Liberation Day: Quit Your Job and Escape the Corporate Trap
RELATED EPISODES
BUILD A WINNING BRAND TO ACE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
COMPARING MOST POPULAR AND MOST LUCRATIVE COLLEGE MAJORS
WHY THIS COLLEGE, WHY THIS MAJOR?
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Golisano Institute
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Yes, of course college students want scholarships. Who wouldn't want their education funded in part or entirely with funds that don't need to be paid back? But an astonishingly deep well of free money seems inaccessible to most applicants. Amy and Mike invited educator Leia LeMaster Horton to explore how to win scholarships.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- When should students start going after scholarships?
- What are the three types of scholarships?
- Which major private, merit-based scholarships are most strategic to target?
- What preparation should a student complete before seriously applying for scholarships?
- What are the three most common scholarship essay prompts students should prepare for?
MEET OUR GUEST
Leia LeMaster Horton, M.Ed., is the founder of Horton Test Prep and a nationally recognized Test Prep Professional and Scholarship Expert in the college prep industry. She is a featured speaker at homeschool conferences and college fairs across the country, including events at UC Berkeley, UT Austin, Clemson, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia University, and has been on numerous podcasts and webinars guiding families through the often stressful college preparation process.
As a founding member of the National Test Prep Association, a scholarship judge, certified test prep instructor, and creator of the digital course Secrets to Earning Scholarships, Leia is passionate about helping students raise their ACT, CLT, and SAT scores, unlock scholarship opportunities, and make their dream schools a reality.
Leia previously appeared on the podcast in episode 248 for a TEST PREP PROFILE.
Leia can be reached at info@hortontestprep.com or on Instagram @LeiaLeMasterHorton.
LINKS
Secrets to Earning Scholarships
The Coolidge Scholarship
Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship
Bold.org
Scholarships.com
RELATED EPISODES
COMMON MISTAKES IN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
LESSONS LEARNED BY OFFERING A SCHOLARSHIP
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and the founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Of all the subjects taught in school, mathematics is most certainly the most common source of stress. But what's so mind-numbing about numeracy? Amy and Mike invited educator Dan Roeder to unpack and explore solutions for math anxiety.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is math anxiety?
- What causes math anxiety?
- What are the major impacts of math anxiety?
- What are proven solutions for math anxiety?
- How can someone support a student or child to alleviate math anxiety?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dan Roeder is a math educator and researcher focused on understanding and reducing students' math anxiety. He currently serves as Math Department Coordinator at Winston Preparatory School's New York City campus. He earned his M.S. in Mathematics Education from the University of Rochester as a National Science Foundation Noyce Scholar, where his thesis examined the roots of math anxiety and practical classroom interventions. Since completing his research, he has focused on applying it in the classroom and sharing it with educators at conferences across the country.
Before becoming an educator, Daniel studied Economics and Statistics at Duke University and worked in corporate development at BlackRock.
Dan can be reached at roeder.dan4@gmail.com.
LINKS
Recognizing and Alleviating Math Anxiety
The Neurodevelopmental Basis of Math Anxiety
Spotlight on math anxiety.
RELATED EPISODES
MENTAL MATH AND AUTOMATICITY
HOW STRESS AFFECTS TEST PERFORMANCE
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?
- Where did Amy travel?
- Should Mike change his intro to the podcast?
- What are three things Amy and Mike love?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2026
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Tremendous amounts of interest and anxiety are expended on answering the question of where a student might go to college. Usually, though, the focal point is the school and not the community around the school, when sometimes the setting makes all the difference. Amy and Mike invited educator Ryan Allen to explore the question of what makes a great college town.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a college town?
- Why are some towns with colleges not proper college towns?
- What are some of the best college towns in the United States?
- What features or factors make or break a college town?
- Should more schools aim to create a full college-town experience?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ryan M. Allen is an Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education and Leadership at Soka University of America. His academic research centers on the internationalization of higher education, global mobility, and the intersections between education and urbanism, with a particular emphasis on the US and East Asia. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of College Towns, a Substack where urbanism meets higher education. He holds a PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MA from Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea), and a BA from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Ryan can be reached at collegetowns.org.
LINKS
What Even is a College Town?
Morrill Act (1862) | National Archives
The Education and Urbanism of Breaking Away
RELATED EPISODES
ATTENDING A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
ATTENDING A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE
MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE VISITS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Every exam is designed to assess an obvious array of knowledge and skills. However, much more than the obvious is often needed to truly excel. Amy and Mike invited educator Mike Settele to review overlooked test-taking skills.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the obvious or well-known test-taking skills?
- What are some classic test-taking skills that influence the score?
- What are some overlooked test-taking skills?
- Are any of these skills hard or impossible to improve during the test prep timeline?
- What is the most important test-taking skill?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mike Settele is the founder of Settele Tutoring, an SAT prep company that specializes in creating user-friendly SAT resources. Mike has published thousands of hours of SAT lessons on his YouTube channel, which are watched every day by students around the world.
Mike began his SAT career while an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied political science and philosophy. He started as a Writing section tutor for Capital Educators, a test-prep company that offers courses in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. After graduating, Mike became a full-time program director for Capital Educators, but he eventually found his true passion in helping to create their curriculum for the new SAT in 2016.
After the new test was released, Mike moved to Los Angeles and founded Settele Tutoring, shifting his focus to private tutoring so he could create new SAT materials. He has since published the "SAT Packets" study guides for both the Reading and Math sections of the exam, with new editions coming soon for the digital SAT. In fact, when he's not tutoring, Mike can often be found sitting on Santa Monica Beach, writing SAT questions.
Mike previously appeared in episode 573 for a Test Prep Profile.
Find Mike at https://setteletutoring.com/ or his YouTube SAT channel.
LINKS
Top 10 Overlooked SAT Skills — it's so much more than Reading and Math!
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RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT READING & WRITING
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
When you need expert individual support with skill, strategy, behavior, or body of knowledge, you'll probably reach out to a tutor or coach. How do those roles differ, and how can you get the most out of them? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Scott Clyburn to define coaching for academic success.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is there a difference between teaching and coaching?
- What are simple conversation habits that keep students in the driver's seat in learning?
- What is the best way to benchmark executive function skills?
- Why is it valuable to look at habits you want to change as experiments?
- What are the most common pitfalls when tutors try to shift to a coaching approach?
MEET OUR GUEST
Scott Clyburn holds degrees from the University of Virginia and Yale University and is the founder and director of North Avenue Education, a premier test-preparation and study-skills firm based in Portland, Oregon.
Originally from Houston, Texas, Scott has taught in both secondary and higher education and has been a professional tutor since 2005. He sees tutoring as an opportunity for any student to become a better learner. Scott specializes in coaching students with LD and is motivated by seeing his students transform their potential into action. Scott is the author of the North Avenue Guide to Study Skills, which will be published this winter and licensable by tutors and orgs in 2026.
Scott previously appeared on the podcast in episode 97 to discuss Test Prep for Students with Accommodations.
Find Scott at scott.clyburn@northaveeducation.com or https://northaveeducation.com.
LINKS
The difference between tutoring and academic coaching
RELATED EPISODES
EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS FOR TEST PREPARATION
HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
THE THREE CORE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND TEST PREP
WHY PROFESSIONALISM IN TUTORS MATTERS
WHY YOU WANT TO WORK WITH A CAREER TUTOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
A DIY attitude can not only open the mind to new experiences and illuminate hidden strengths but also save a dollar or two. But we may not want to tackle every important task alone, particularly one as complex and chancy as a competitive college application. Amy and Mike invited independent educational consultant Jodi Rosenshein Atkin to help assess how to know if you need a college consultant.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Does every student need outside help in applying to college?
- What does a student's high school have to do with the need for a college consultant?
- What role do family dynamics play in the need for external support?
- What kinds of services do college consultants typically offer?
- What does it take to do it yourself?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jodi Rosenshein Atkin is an independent educational consultant in private practice. She holds a BA and an MA in Psychology from the University of Rochester and has over 20 years of experience in educational and clinical settings. Her first career focused on working with individuals and families living with learning challenges. She is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, as well as a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, New York State Association of College Admissions Counselors, and Higher Education Consultants Association. Jodi has visited over 300 college campuses in 17 different states and 3 countries!
Jodi is committed to finding a "best fit" school for every student, considering academic, financial, social and cultural factors. It's about more than the mascot and the sweatshirt; it's about finding the places that each student can thrive and grow, making the most of their higher education investment. Finding the right school is a journey, not a race to some imaginary finish line.
Jodi is a frequent guest speaker at libraries, schools, podcasts, and webinars. Her insights have been featured in publications nationally, including the Wall Street Journal, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Teen Vogue, Rochester Business Journal, and The Deseret News (Utah). She has also presented to professional groups, including the NYS Association of College Admissions Counselors. She and her husband, Louis, have four adult children and live in Rochester, NY with their golden doodle, Dustin.
Jodi has appeared on this podcast in episode 32 to discuss Making the Most of College Visits, in episode 160 to discuss Demonstrating Interest during Virtual College Tours, and in episode 523 to discuss Why This College, Why This Major?
Find Jodi at www.jodiratkin.com
LINKS
When Should You Engage a College Admissions Consultant?
IECS and the College Journey
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HOW TO CHOOSE A COLLEGE COUNSELOR
THE DIFFERENT ROLES OF SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COUNSELORS
HOW PARENTS CAN SUPPORT (NOT DERAIL) THE COLLEGE PROCESS
INTENTIONALITY ON THE ROAD TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?
- Where did Mike travel?
- What are Amy and Mike's favorite family meals?
- What is Impact 9, and what are your hosts presenting on?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Impact 9
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: September 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
There's not a single question on the SAT or ACT that absolutely requires a calculator to solve. So are these powerful tools even necessary, and if so, where do they make a difference? Amy and Mike invited educators Vinny Madera and Tony Miglio to explore the importance of calculators on the SAT and ACT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How important is a calculator on the SAT and ACT?
- What are the best calculators to use on the tests?
- What skills are helpful to know for using DESMOS on the SAT and ACT?
- Is it better to take the digital ACT in order to be able to use DESMOS?
- Should test takers download useful programs into their calculators in advance?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Vinny Madera is the guy who shapes Test Prep Wizards and helps the team determine the most effective and efficient ways to get the results students need. Tutoring in some capacity since college, Vinny decided in 2007 to become a full-time tutor and works directly with over 800 students per year through his classes and individual students. Aiding numerous school districts, private institutions, and tutoring companies, Vinny has developed all Test Prep Wizards' reporting software and has written the company's SAT and ACT manuals, which have been licensed by many school districts as an efficient, low-cost means of helping their students.
Vinny is a huge nerd fan of data and statistics, moonlighting as a math enthusiast at Fairfield University, where he teaches a variety of math courses and freshman experience workshops. He brings this love of numbers and trends to Test Prep Wizards in the form of its state-of-the-art analysis programming. Vinny is the author of Demystifying the Calculator: A Guide to Using the TI-84 PLUS CE on the ACT.
Vinny first appeared on the podcast on episode 141 to discuss Tracking Test Score Data, in episode 225 to discuss Calculator Usage On The SAT and ACT, in episode 340 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting, and in episode 511 to discuss Answer Traps on Standardized Tests.
Find Vinny at testprepwizards.com or vinny@testprepwizards.com.
Tony Miglio is the owner of NKY Tutoring and a nationally sought-after test prep expert specializing in the math section of the ACT. He has worked with students both locally in the Greater Cincinnati area and also with students throughout the US and Europe. He works with students in person and virtually; in groups, and 1-1, and is able to help build a rapport with each of his students to help students grow in confidence, along with growing their ACT Scores.
Tony is a former teacher and has been an ACT tutor for more than 15 years, with the last 10 specializing in helping students improve their ACT Math Scores. His specialty is customizing the mental approach for each student based on their score to drive success on the test.
Tony first appeared on the podcast on episode 48 to discuss How Test Prep and Sports Are Similar, and in episode 225 to discuss Calculator Usage On The SAT and ACT.
Find Tony at nkytutoring@gmail.com or nkytutoring.com.
LINKS
Live Online Calculator Class
Demystifying the Calculator: A Guide to Using the TI-84 PLUS CE on the ACT
Be Calculator Smart on Test Day
RELATED EPISODES
Using The Desmos Calculator In Digital Testing
All About Digital SAT Math
Calculator Usage On The SAT and ACT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The old saying that you won't receive what you don't ask for definitely applies to college financial aid. Nobody likes paperwork, but there's one critical financial aid form that unlocks access to more than $14 billion in nonfederal aid. Amy and Mike invited financial planner Brian Eyster to explain exactly what the CSS Profile is.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the CSS Profile, and how does it differ from the FAFSA?
- Do all private universities require the CSS? How can I find out which colleges?
- Which assets and which income(s) do you need to reveal or disregard?
- How do you value your farm, business, and real estate, and how do you discount the values properly with documentation?
- Are you able to amend the CSS after submission?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brian Eyster, CCFS®, ELA™, LIC, is the visionary founder of the G.R.A.D. Process™, a groundbreaking system created to help families navigate the challenge of paying for their children's college education without sacrificing their retirement goals.
Over his 27-year career, Brian has developed a profound understanding of the financial needs of families. His personal experiences with college planning for his own kids have shaped his approach to wealth management, risk mitigation, resource allocation, and college funding strategies.
As a highly sought-after speaker, Brian shares his knowledge on Creative Funding for College, Cash Flow Design, Income Planning, Risk Management, and Tax-Advantaged Strategies. Clients trust and respect Brian for his commitment to delivering exceptional service.
Brian lives in Metro Detroit with his wife, two kids, three cats, and enough guitar and softball equipment to last three generations.
Brian can be reached at https://essentialstrategies.net.
LINKS
CSS Profile
How to Complete the CSS Profile
Participating Institutions and Programs
FHFA House Price Index® Datasets
How Student Loans Secretly Sabotage Your Financial Future
College Planning With Brian Eyster
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FAFSA AND CSS PROFILE
THE BETTER FAFSA FOR NEW AND PREVIOUS FILERS
WHAT DO FEDERAL POLICY CHANGES MEAN FOR FINANCIAL AID?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Even as many competitive colleges are returning to test score requirements for admissions, many others remain at least nominally optional. What does the near future hold for testing, and who stands to gain from improved exam performance? Amy and Mike invited educator Phillip Bates to explore the college admissions edge of test scores.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How significant are standardized test scores in today's increasingly holistic college admissions landscape?
- What strategies can students employ to maximize their test scores and gain a competitive edge in college applications?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of test-optional policies?
- How has the importance of test scores in college admissions evolved over the past five years?
- What steps should students who are struggling with standardized tests but still aspire to attend competitive colleges take?
MEET OUR GUEST
Philip Bates is a lifelong learner and educator with an unwavering passion for equipping educators with the tools and strategies to help students transition from the classroom to college success. As Director of College Readiness at UWorld and host of the From Classroom to Campus podcast, he draws on 18+ years of experience as a teacher, principal, and education leader to equip educators with the knowledge and strategies to help students succeed in higher education. A dynamic speaker and advocate for college preparedness, Philip is committed to making the path to college more accessible and achievable for all learners.
Phillip can be reached at UWorld, through the From Campus To Classroom podcast, and on LinkedIn.
LINKS
Where Are Test Scores Required?
College Testing Plan for the HS Class of 2027
RELATED EPISODES
THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2027
WHO LOSES WHEN WE ABOLISH ENTRANCE EXAMS?
WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
After 699 episodes devoted to amazing conversations about testing, admissions, education, and learning, it's time for something completely different. Amy and Mike invited educator Scott Greenspan to help celebrate our 700th episode.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How did Tests and the Rest start, and how has it changed over time?
- What impact has the podcast had so far?
- What are Amy and Mike's theme songs, mentors, and dream vacations?
- Who else would Amy and Mike be willing to host TATR with?
- What might the future hold for the National Test Prep Association?
MEET OUR GUEST
Scott Greenspan is the founder/president of Span Test Prep in Glenview, IL, which is located in the north suburbs of Chicago. For well over 30 years, Scott has helped over 4000 students reach their goals on the ACT and SAT. He especially enjoys working with his students on motivation, mindfulness, and mastery of the content. He and his staff also do academic tutoring and college admissions coaching.
Scott is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in math, and he earned an MA in teaching from North Park University. His hobbies include tennis, skiing, and hiking.
Scott is on the Board of Directors for the National Test Prep Association.
Scott first appeared on the podcast in episode 191 in a Test Prep Profile and in episode 540 to discuss How Tennis And Test Prep Are Similar.
Scott can be reached at sgreenspan@spantestprep.com or https://www.spantestprep.com/.
RELATED EPISODES
CELEBRATING OUR 600TH EPISODE
CELEBRATING OUR 500TH EPISODE
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF TEST PREP: AMY SEELEY'S ORIGIN STORY
SAT & ACT TESTING TIMELINES: MIKE BERGIN'S ORIGIN STORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
An assortment of institutions as diverse and differentiated as colleges and universities can be ranked and sorted in any number of ways. If not all listing criteria are equally relevant, which ones should you trust to find your best fit schools? Amy and Mike asked Washington Monthly editor-in-chief Paul Glastris to clarify his rankings for the best colleges for your tuition dollars.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's wrong with the metrics that U.S. News and similar ranking systems use to rate colleges?
- What alternative metrics would be better to rate colleges?
- How can upward mobility of graduates be measured?
- Which "hidden gem" colleges should rank highly but don't show up prominently on other lists?
- What makes a school a good value for most students?
MEET OUR GUEST
Paul Glastris is editor in chief of the Washington Monthly and founder of the magazine's alternative college rankings. He was previously a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and a correspondent and editor at U.S. News and World Report. He is a co-founder of the National Vote at Home Institute and co-author of two books, The Other College Guide: A Roadmap to the Right School for You and Elephant in the Room: Washington in the Bush Years. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Politico Magazine, Slate, and other publications.
Paul can be reached at editors@washingtonmonthly.com.
LINKS
Washington Monthly's 2025 College Guide and Rankings
2025 Trends in College Pricing 🎓🦅
RELATED EPISODES
WHICH COLLEGE RANKINGS CAN YOU TRUST?
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT COLLEGE RANKINGS
CONSIDERING COLLEGE FINANCIAL FIT FIRST
RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Public schools are mandated to provide educational opportunities to all students and generally work very hard to support learners with profound deficits or differences. But what about learners who require enrichment rather than accommodations? Amy and Mike invited Kenneth Shores to examine the question of what public education owes to advanced students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- In theory, what is the purpose of public education?
- Why has public education struggled to support advanced students?
- Does harm occur when enrichment is withheld from thriving students?
- Why shouldn't families be responsible for providing enrichment?
- How does supporting advanced students align with the purpose of public education?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Kenneth A. Shores is an associate professor specializing in education policy in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, and he is affiliated with the UD Center for Research in Education and Social Policy. His research is focused on educational inequality and encompasses both descriptive and causal inference. To this end, his work addresses racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in test scores, school disciplinary policy, classification systems, and school resources. In addition, he has examined how improvements to school finance systems can reduce educational inequality and how vulnerabilities in school finance systems can contribute to it.
Dr. Shores was a National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellow, a Philanthropy and Civic Society Fellow, a Stanford Graduate Fellow, and an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Predoctoral Fellow. In 2018, he was the co-recipient of the National Council on Measurement in Education's Annual Award for exceptional achievement in educational measurement.
He received his Ph.D. in education policy analysis from Stanford University. Prior to graduate school, he was a middle school teacher on the Navajo Nation.
Kenneth can be reached at https://kennethshores.com or kshores@udel.edu.
LINKS
Rethinking What Public Education Owes to Flourishing Children
High-achieving students deserve to be challenged in school
RELATED EPISODES
WHY GIFTED PROGRAMS ARE UNDER ATTACK
THE NECESSITY OF GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMS
HOW GRADING POLICIES INFLUENCE GRADE INFLATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2025
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How was the NTPA Winter Workshop?
- What are Amy and Mike's plans for finishing the year strong?
- What are Amy and Mike's favorite Christmas carols?
- What are Amy and Mike's goals for 2026?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: September 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Every dollar saved for college is a dollar you won't have to borrow. But even if you can save, what's the best way to put money aside for higher education? Amy and Mike invited financial expert Joanne Dashiell to explore new ways to use your 529 plan.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is a 529 plan, and how does it work?
- Can you talk about the two different types of 529 plans, savings and prepaid?
- What are some of the tax advantages associated with using a 529 plan?
- How have 2025 policy changes expanded 529 plan flexibility?
- What is the one message you hope families take away about saving for college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Joanne Dashiell serves as Chief Marketing Officer at CollegeWell and Private College 529 Plan. In her current role, Joanne is responsible for leading all marketing efforts across multiple audiences and channels for CollegeWell. She brings over 20 years of higher education experience and a passion for helping families and students make their college dreams an affordable reality. Through her varied roles, Joanne has helped tens of thousands of families prepare for college by developing education and outreach programs for audiences of all ages.
As an industry expert, Joanne has delivered presentations throughout the country at national, regional, and state conferences. She serves as a resource for secondary and post-secondary professionals, providing guidance on financial aid regulations and trends in college enrollment and financing. Joanne's higher education career began in 2001, during which she spent several years working in financial aid at both public and private institutions, as well as in various roles at MEFA, ASA, and the Higher Education Assistance Group.
Joanne can be reached at education@pc529.com.
LINKS
Can 529 Funds Be Used to Pay for Test Prep?
Private College 529 Plan | What is a 529 Plan?
Education Savings Vehicles: Know Your Options
RELATED EPISODES
529 COLLEGE SAVINGS PLANS
THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID
BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Kevin S. McCormick is a certified New Jersey English teacher who has taught middle and high school in Elizabeth, NJ since 2013. Before joining Teach for America, he worked in Institutional Equity Sales at Salomon Smith Barney, the NYSE, and the American Stock Exchange. He holds an MBA in Finance and International Business and a BA in English from NYU.
Dani Fleischer is a writer and educator whose work has appeared in The Huffington Post and The Washington Post. Like Kevin, she teaches Middle School Language Arts in Elizabeth, NJ, helping students grow as readers, writers, and critical thinkers. She holds a BA from Rutgers University.
Kevin and Dani founded Steel Trap Tutoring ten years ago, developing their own proprietary materials for ACT and SAT prep. In their free time, they endure the lifelong struggle of being New York Giants and Knicks fans—valuable firsthand experience in resilience to pass along to their students.
Find Dani & Kevin at 646-499-0019 or steeltraptutoring@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lucy Zhang is the owner of A+ Test Prep and Tutoring, a 30+ year–old company helping students boost SAT/ACT scores and academic performance. She also co-founded SetSail, an online tutoring company connecting U.S. tutors with students abroad, and now runs both organizations. Lucy is focused on growing her impact by bringing additional tutoring teams into the fold, so more students can access high-quality, one-on-one support.
Find Lucy on LinkedIn.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Roman Marchenko. After 15 years of teaching high school social studies in public and private settings, Roman transitioned to full-time test preparation. He's always been a big fan of standardized tests, and a large part of his practice is getting students to evolve their mindset about the ACT and SAT. So many view these tests as a necessary evil, at best, but that serves as an obstacle to performance!
Roman's favorite part of the job is getting to glimpse the lives of his students as he looks for unique ways to help them. He lives and works in the North Shore of Chicago and has one employee, a Bernedoodle named Millie who greets the students and acts as one of the least qualified security guards in the world. When he's not tutoring, he's trying his best to steer his four boys through school, safeguard a modest Lego collection, and indulge in a love of EDM music.
Find Roman at yourexaminedlife@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Angie Kelley. Angie is the founder of Land Run Learning, a test prep and tutoring company dedicated to helping high-performing students train smart, test strong, and claim their futures. A licensed Oklahoma educator and graduate of Oklahoma Christian University with a B.S.E. in Mathematics, Angie draws on twenty years of classroom experience and a passion for strategic learning to help students reach their potential on high-stakes exams. Her work bridges the gap between academic mastery and confident performance, empowering students to thrive under pressure.
Find Angie at angie@landrunlearning.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jonah Fishel. Jonah has spent nearly a decade helping students and families unlock confidence and mastery in learning. His journey began in an unexpected place: volunteering as a mentor inside a juvenile detention center in central Virginia. There, he worked with young people facing immense challenges, including behavioral issues, learning differences, and years of disrupted schooling. What he discovered was that the real work wasn't just teaching math or reading. Instead, it was showing students that learning was worth the effort, and that they were capable of doing it.
That early experience reshaped his entire philosophy of education and has guided his work ever since. Today, with a decade of test prep tutoring experience, Jonah specializes in supporting students with learning differences, helping them build both academic skills and self-belief.
He holds a B.A. in Storytelling from the College of William & Mary, with minors in Computer Science and Religious Studies, and is completing his Master's in Education at Villanova University. He also spent nearly five years at Inspirica, a New York–based tutoring firm, where he worked as a full-time test prep tutor before becoming the company's Education Technology Manager.
Find Jonah at nextstepprep.net.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Expanding your tutoring business with MentoMind with educators Amit Jain and Chris McKenna
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How are tutors using MentoMind?
- How is MentoMind helping tutors attract more students?
- How is MentoMind evolving from an SAT/ACT platform to an all-learning course platform?
- What kind of courses are tutors creating on MentoMind?
- What is the new and upcoming AI-powered toolkit "TutorHub" all about?
ABOUT MENTOMIND
MentoMind is a revolutionary SAT/ACT prep platform designed to support students and help tutoring and test prep businesses thrive.
MentoMind helps tutors attract and engage students through free diagnostic tests, practice questions, fun quizzes, and video courses. With robust white-label capabilities, freemium features, and payment gateway integration, tutors can launch their own branded platform to offer free content and sell digital subscriptions or self-paced programs. By using automated drip emails and parent communication, tutors can nurture a community of students and become their go-to choice the moment students need additional support in the form of full tutoring services.
MentoMind uses AI-powered insights, adaptive learning technology, and high-quality test prep content to deliver personalized practice and strengthen student outcomes. The platform offers more than 3,500 expert-created practice questions, full-length tests, and real-time performance tracking, making it a well-rounded resource for standardized test preparation.
For tutors, MentoMind streamlines time-consuming tasks such as grading, quiz creation, and student progress tracking. Its centralized dashboard lets instructors assign practice tests, monitor performance, and provide personalized feedback. It also integrates parent communication tools to support transparency and engagement. With AI-powered features, tutors can create or upload their own learning and practice materials, allowing them to focus more on teaching and student growth.
One noteworthy feature of MentoMind is its AI-powered learning assistant, which offers 24/7 support to students. It provides hints and step-by-step guidance when they encounter difficulties, while keeping tutors informed of their conversations and progress. This interactive tool adapts to individual learning needs, making study sessions more engaging and effective.
Beyond test preparation, MentoMind provides a holistic environment for both learners and educators. Whether you're an independent tutor, a test prep center, or a school, MentoMind delivers the tools, insights, and automation needed to enhance student success while streamlining workflows and supporting business growth. With advanced AI capabilities, automation, and white-label flexibility, MentoMind is a forward-thinking solution for college test preparation.
TutorHub by MentoMind is an AI toolkit and content marketplace built for tutors. It enables tutors to quickly convert their existing practice worksheets into digital problem sets that are easily shared with students and graded automatically. And we're just getting started—powerful tools for creating new content and publishing to the marketplace are coming soon.
Amit first appeared on the podcast in episode 539 to discuss How Can Tutors Use AI? and in episode 631 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: MentoMind.
To learn more about MentoMind, please reach out to amit.jain@mentomind.com or chris.mckenna@mentomind.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Liberal arts colleges represent what may be the most misunderstood class of higher ed institutions. What are the hallmarks of these schools, and what kinds of students should seek them out? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Matt Arant to provide instruction in Liberal Arts Colleges 101.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How are liberal arts colleges defined in comparison to other types of schools?
- Is the application process different for liberal arts college applicants compared to those applying to research universities?
- Can you study STEM subjects at liberal arts colleges?
- What sort of pre-professional advising or alumni engagement programs are available at liberal arts colleges? Will I be adequately prepared for life post-graduation?
- How do I know if a liberal college might be a good fit?
MEET OUR GUEST
Matt Arant is the founder of Arant Academic Planning, LLC. Prior to becoming an independent counselor, Matt worked as an admission representative at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At F&M, Matt was the primary athletics liaison for the Office of Admission, working closely with over two dozen intercollegiate sports throughout the entire application cycle.
Matt has been invited to present on college athletic recruitment and the admissions process to public and private schools all across the country and is an active member of both the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and Texas Association for College Admission Counseling (TACAC). He is also a current associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), based in Metro Austin, Texas.
Matt previously appeared on the podcast in episode 634 to discuss Division III and Ivy League Athletic Recruitment.
Find Matt at https://www.arantacademicplanning.com.
LINKS
How a Liberal Arts Degree Helps You Advance Your Career
RELATED EPISODES
ATTENDING A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE
ATTENDING A SMALL COLLEGE
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How busy was last month for Amy and Mike?
- How was the College Board Forum?
- What new professional role has Amy taken on?
- What's been keeping Mike so busy?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: September 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: July 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Most college-bound teens tend to focus on core English, history, science, and math classes as the keys to the schools of their dreams. Little do they know how important or influential their language studies can be. Amy and Mike invited educator Rachèle DeMeo to explore foreign languages as a superpower in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's the best way for students to make their language proficiency really stand out on a college application, so it doesn't just look like another bullet point?
- How can students highlight their language skills on their college applications?
- How can foreign language knowledge help students skip certain classes in college?
- How can students weave their language skills into their college experience—whether through study abroad, tutoring, campus jobs, or other opportunities that let them practice and even get paid for it?
- What are some of the long-term benefits of being bilingual or multilingual—not just for a student's academic journey, but also for their personal growth and future career opportunities?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rachèle DeMeo was born in Nîmes, in the south of France, and raised in a multicultural family with American, British, and Italian roots. Growing up bilingual, she developed a deep love for languages and cultures, which set the stage for her lifelong mission: helping others discover the power of languages.
After earning her French Baccalaureate in languages, philosophy, and literature, she moved to the United States, where she completed a B.A. in Christian Education, taught French in various institutions, and even worked on Capitol Hill. She later moved to California to teach French at the middle school, high school, and college levels, and went on to earn two Master's degrees and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.
With more than 20 years of teaching experience, Rachèle has taught everyone from young children to college students and professionals, both in-person and online. She is the founder and president of FLAM San Diego, a nonprofit school that provides French language and culture programs for children across the U.S., and the founder of Belle Terre Academy, which offers online language courses. She is also an author of six (published) books, an educational speaker who trains teachers worldwide, and a YouTuber with a growing community of over 18,000 subscribers.
Beyond education, Rachèle is passionate about humanitarian work, having supported refugee and orphan projects around the world. She's also a musician, a lover of travel, and a fan of extreme sports like surfing and snowboarding. Today, she and her husband are raising their two children bilingually, continuing the family tradition of celebrating languages as a bridge between cultures.
Rachèle can be reached at Rachele@flamsandiego.com.
LINKS
Rachèle DeMeo's books
Foreign Languages for University Admissions — Setting Up for Success
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR AP WORLD LANGUAGE EXAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The choices a high schooler makes about how to spend their time outside of classes tell prospective schools a lot about what kind of college student they'll be. However, in terms of admissions, not all activities are created equal. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Marlena Corcoran to review the best & worst extracurriculars for high schoolers.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the worst extracurricular activities for college-bound students?
- What are the runners-up for the prize?
- Are there any harmless extracurricular activities?
- opportunity cost
- What are the best extracurriculars--the supercurriculars?
- What about the importance of timing? Which activities should you do when?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Marlena Corcoran is the founder of Athena Mentor: International University Admissions Counseling (Munich and New York). Before starting Athena Mentor, Marlena held visiting research appointments at Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, and the CNRS in Paris. For almost 20 years, she has helped young people discover who they are and what they really care about—and present themselves with confidence, enthusiasm, and success to the most selective colleges and MBA programs in the world. Marlena is the author of Year by Year to College: For IB and International Students.
Marlena previously appeared on the podcast in episode 386 to discuss How To Tell the Ivies Apart.
Marlena can be reached at athenamentor.com.
LINKS
Extracurriculars Matter To You and To Colleges
RELATED EPISODES
Building an A+ Extracurricular Resume
Intentionality On The Road To College
Crafting a College Resume
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
What if your PDFs could grade and track themselves? with educator Jam Mirzakhalov
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind StudySpaces?
- How does StudySpaces work?
- Who currently uses StudySpaces?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about StudySpaces know about it?
ABOUT STUDYSPACES
StudySpaces helps tutors create, assign, and track student work in one place. It connects directly with your existing curriculum, automatically pulling in your PDFs and materials so you never have to start from scratch.
Supporting SAT, ACT, ISEE, SHSAT, and more, it's built for any tutoring format, including one-on-one, group, and on-demand, all fully branded to your business.
Companies like Pass Program, Smarty PANCE, and Kate Fisher Tutoring are using StudySpaces to personalize learning at scale and track every student's progress in real time.
To learn more, please contact Jam on LinkedIn or at www.studyspaces.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Believe it or not, over one-third of college students transfer at least once while earning their degree. So why do so many students assume their first school will be their forever school? Amy and Mike invited college advisor Jaime Smith to share insights on how to plan for your college transfer.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Where do students most commonly struggle when preparing to transfer schools?
- How easy is it to transfer credits between colleges?
- What might students do in advance if a potential transfer is in their future?
- Do transfer students need SAT or ACT scores?
- Is there a difference between transferring from 2-year or 4-year colleges?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jaime Smith, M.A., MS.Ed., is a Certified Educational Planner with 25 years of experience in the field of education. After many years of teaching English at the middle, high school, and college levels, Jaime turned to online education and founded a virtual K-12 supplementary education program, Online G3, where she continues to teach gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooled students. As a college advisor, Jaime specializes in transfer admissions, application essays, homeschoolers, neurodiverse learners, and other non-traditional applicants. In 2023, she completed a Post-Master's Certificate in Transfer Leadership and Practice at the University of North Georgia in collaboration with the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students. Jaime is the author of The Complete Guide to College Transfer.
A California native, Jaime now lives in Oregon with her husband and pet bunny. She has one daughter, a former homeschooler turned transfer student who just started grad school.
Jaime previously appeared on the podcast in episode 578 to discuss WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TRANSFERRING.
Learn more about Jaime at TransferSavvy.com and follow her on Linkedin.
LINKS
Common App for transfer
https://www.transferology.com
https://www.assist.org
The Complete Guide to College Transfer
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN
WHAT TO DO WHEN A STUDENT STRUGGLES IN COLLEGE
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The ability to pay for a college education usually depends on stable economic conditions and clear, predictable rules. But what happens when everything seems to change every day? Amy and Mike invited financial aid advisor Ed Recker to explain what federal policy changes mean for financial aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What federal policy changes will have the potential biggest impacts to students?
- What federal policy changes will have the potential biggest impacts to colleges & universities?
- Has the U.S. Department of Education's reduction in force (RIF) impacted the financial aid process?
- Were there any changes to the FAFSA or federal student loans?
- Are there any benefits to completing the FAFSA early?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ed Recker is a Director of High School Relationship Management with Sallie Mae, serving high schools, states, and professional organizations throughout the U.S. He joined Sallie Mae in 2019, and has over 20 years' experience in the financial aid and enrollment industry. Prior to joining Sallie Mae, Ed was a Senior Consultant within the Enrollment Division of Ruffalo Noel Levitz, held the position of Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Findlay, and held various financial aid positions at the University of Findlay, Terra State Community College, and Bowling Green State University. Ed holds a M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of Toledo, and resides in Ottawa, OH with his wife Kate and daughter Evelyn.
Ed appeared on the podcast in episode #492 to discuss The Better FAFSA For New And Previous Filers and in episode #544 to discuss First Impressions Of The Better FAFSA.
Find Ed at Edward.Recker@salliemae.com.
LINKS
FAFSA 2026-27 - How to Apply for Financial Aid
FAFSA Simplification: A Better FAFSA Process Means a Better Future for Borrowers | Federal Student Aid - Financial Aid Toolkit
RELATED EPISODES
HOW ARE POLITICAL CHANGES SHAPING HIGHER ED
UNDERSTANDING YOUR COLLEGE TUITION BILL
WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The primary goal of our formative years is often seen as figuring out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Why, then, do we focus so much on what we want to be instead? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Matthew Jaskol to explore the importance of cultivating and recognizing academic curiosity.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the development process for a curious but undecided student?
- Why does fostering intellectual curiosity get overlooked in traditional education systems?
- What are ways to encourage students to explore or engage in big problems?
- What's the most important shift in mindset needed to help students pursue authentic growth, rather than just building a polished resume?
- Why is it important to not give up on exploration too quickly?
MEET OUR GUEST
Matthew Jaskol is committed to empowering young scholars from all backgrounds to think critically and create meaningful change. In 2012, he co-founded Pioneer Academics, a public benefit corporation that delivers rigorous and cutting-edge academic initiatives and is also committed to eliminating financial and geographic barriers for high-achieving, low-income students worldwide. Its two flagship institutes are: the Pioneer Research Institute—the world's only fully accredited online research institute for high school students—and the Global Problem-Solving Institute, a virtual innovation lab where students tackle complex global challenges through interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative design.
Matthew believes that when intellectual curiosity is nurtured with structure and academic rigor, it sparks extraordinary growth. His work is driven by the belief that education should be transformational, not transactional, and he remains inspired by the creativity, purpose, and depth students bring to their work.
Matthew can be reached at matthew.jaskol@pioneeracademics.com.
LINKS
The Global Problem-Solving Institute | Pioneer Research
Why 'Find your passion!' may be bad advice | Stanford Report
The Newest College Admissions Ploy: Paying to Make Your Teen a "Peer-Reviewed" Author
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS?
FITTING IN AND STANDING OUT
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast is always focused on exploring essential topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues and ongoing adventures at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How busy was last month for Amy and Mike?
- How can educators balance work and family?
- Should high school prepare teens for the work world?
- What is the status of TestBright Tutor Training?
- What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Is High School Meant to Be Job Training?
The New Hire Readiness Report 2025: Insights from Hiring Managers on Entry-Level Workforce Preparedness
ACT WorkKeys – Job and Career Assessments
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: September 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: July 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: June 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
While high schoolers don't need to know exactly what they'll be doing with the rest of their lives, those students who make intentional, well-informed major choices before applying to college can unlock more merit-based and private scholarship opportunities–including specific awards based on intended major. Mike moderated a conversation with Dave Peterson and Lisa Marker-Robbins to explore Scholarships & Majors: How Clarity Can Unlock More College Aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- If scholarships aren't just awards for past achievements, how should applicants shift their mindset when searching for scholarships?
- How can early career clarity help prevent missteps during the application process?
- How does intended major help shape a personal narrative that's compelling to scholarship committees?
- How early should teens tackle each of the essential components of college and scholarship applications?
- What are some popular majors and special scholarships associated with those majors?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dave Peterson, The Scholarship Coach, is the father of a rising college junior who, to date, has won over $80,000 in scholarships. Because of his son's success with scholarships, people started asking him for advice on how their children could win scholarships. These questions prompted Dave to write the book DEBT-FREE COLLEGE: Proven Strategies for Winning Scholarships and Other Tools to Help You Avoid Student Loan Debt.
Dave shares a new scholarship opportunity every day on his podcast and Substack called "Your Daily Scholarship." He provides one-on-one coaching for students and families to help them find and win scholarships to achieve their debt-free college dreams.
Dave previously appeared on this podcast in episode #496 to share 12 MUST-SEE SCHOLARSHIPS and #529 to explain HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE.
Find Dave at dave@nodebtcollege.com.
Lisa Marker Robbins is an entrepreneur in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her passion and purpose throughout her career has been to serve high school students and young adults on launching into their future. With that greater purpose, she has been a classroom teacher, 23 years ago started a test prep, tutoring and independent college counseling organization that has helped thousands, and in 2021, started Flourish Coaching to guide students and young adults through her 5-part framework towards getting career clarity for what comes after graduation.
Lisa first appeared on episode #119 to discuss how HOW TEST PREP PROS AND FINANCIAL PLANNERS CAN WORK TOGETHER, in episode #227 to discuss STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME, in #363 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Launch College & Career Clarity Course., and, in #554, HOW COLLEGES ADMIT BY MAJOR.
Find Lisa at https://flourishcoachingco.com.
LINKS
Scholarships for the 6 Most Competitive Majors
"Do I Have To Fill Out the FAFSA?"
RELATED EPISODES
HOW IKIGAI CAN HELP TO CHOOSE A COLLEGE MAJOR
UNLOCKING AUTOMATIC SCHOLARSHIPS WITH PSAT, SAT, & ACT SCORES
FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
If learning and testing weren't already challenging enough in and of themselves, success can often depend on the level of congruence between students and teachers. For example, is gender an influential factor in academic success? Amy and Mike invited educator Megan Fitzwater to explore how female students benefit from female educators.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the key differences in how girls learn when they work with female mentors?
- What factors likely contribute to girls feeling like bad test takers?
- What role do standardized tests play in shaping girls' future opportunities in STEM or other fields?
- What should educators who want to better support girls in STEM and test prep keep in mind?
- What kind of female student most benefits from working with female educators?
MEET OUR GUEST
Megan Fitzwater is the founder of All Girls' Prep, a women-led tutoring company dedicated to empowering young women in test preparation and STEM. A graduate of an all-girls high school, she experienced firsthand the confidence and community that thrive in a female-focused environment. It was there that a dedicated physics teacher recognized her talent and encouraged her to pursue the subject, inspiring her to enter the University of Colorado Boulder as a declared astrophysics major.
Transitioning from that supportive, all-girls landscape into the male-dominated world of astrophysics, Megan became one of only a few women in her program. She conducted observational research and excelled academically, yet still grappled with imposter syndrome and quietly questioned whether she belonged. Everything changed when she encountered her first (and only) female physics professor in college. For the first time, she saw herself reflected in someone leading the field she aspired to join, and the impact was profound. The shift gave her a deeper confidence in herself and her abilities, one that shaped the course of her career.
Since then, Megan has dedicated her work to creating the kinds of academic environments where girls can see themselves, take risks, and reach their potential. She has developed innovative SAT and ACT curricula, led courses designed to break down barriers in physics and calculus, and built a team of accomplished female tutors, from engineers to film directors, who serve as mentors as much as educators. Through All Girls' Prep, she is committed to ensuring that young women have not only the skills to succeed but also the representation and mentorship to envision themselves in any field they choose.
Megan can be reached at megan@satprepct.com.
LINKS
Why does teacher gender matter?
The Myth of the "Girl-Friendly" Test
The Impact of Tutor Gender Match on Girls' STEM Interest, Engagement, and Performance
Gender gap in standardized tests: What are we measuring?
Academic performance and single-sex schooling: Evidence from a natural experiment in Switzerland
Student–Teacher Gender Matching and Academic Achievement
Student–teacher gender congruence and student performance: The role of context
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER?
COMPETITIVE MINDSET IN TESTING
WHY PROFESSIONALISM IN TUTORS MATTERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
For many college applicants, the dream of higher education would be unattainable without the support of their parents and guardians. That doesn’t mean, however, that these well-meaning adults can’t become an adverse influence in admissions. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Lisa Hillhouse to discuss how parents can support and not derail the college process.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What non-negotiable terms should be established at the beginning of the process?
-
How can parents support the exploration phase of the college search process?
-
What activities should parents engage in with their student in the process?
-
How should parents model grace in challenging situations?
-
How can parents reassure their student in the process and its final outcome?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lt. Col. Lisa Hillhouse is an independent educational consultant and the founder of Hillhouse College and Career Advising, based in Atlanta. Prior to launching her practice, Lisa retired from the Air Force after 26 years of active duty and reserve service. Much of that time focused on officer recruitment and leadership development. Lisa began her admissions journey with a special assignment to Air Force ROTC at the University of California, Berkeley. She loved educating and mentoring young leaders and continued that work at the United States Air Force Academy as a deputy liaison officer director and admissions liaison officer. There she helped lead and manage one of the largest recruiting areas in the nation while evaluating and developing candidates for military careers.
While in college, Lisa enrolled in AFROTC and went on to earn a scholarship and a commission. Lisa has a Bachelor’s degree in Politics from Assumption University, a Master’s degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a College and Career Planning graduate certificate from the University of California, Berkeley.
Lisa is nationally recognized for her expertise and specialty of guiding and supporting students through the complex process of becoming commissioned officers. Many of her students are focused on earning ROTC scholarships, military service academy appointments, or becoming officer training school candidates. Lisa also collaborates with other consultants around the country. She frequently presents at admissions conferences and webinars and has served as a guest presenter for college advising courses.
Lisa first appeared on our podcast in episode 104 to discuss Applying To A Military Academy and in episode 184 for Demonstrating Leadership In College Applications. Lisa was featured in an IEC Profile in episode 315.
You can find out more about Lisa at www.HillhouseCollegeAdvising.com.
LINKS
How Parents Can Support (Not Derail) The College Process
How parents can be involved in the college admissions process—without overstepping
College Planning Timeline
RELATED EPISODES
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS
HOW PARENTS CAN BEST SUPPORT STUDENTS IN TEST PREP
THE PARENT TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ikigai, a Japanese concept that translates to "a reason for being" or "a reason to live," focuses on the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Doesn’t that sound like a critical consideration for college students and applicants? Amy and Mike invited admissions expert V. Peter Pitts to explore how ikigai can help to choose a college major.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is IKIGAI?
- How can an Ikigai exercise help in narrowing down your major?
- Do students really need to choose a major before choosing a college?
- Do majors really matter? What matters more than choice of a major?
- What is the biggest mistake students make in choosing a major?
MEET OUR GUEST
V. Peter Pitts retired after 42 years in the College Admission profession, most recently with Monmouth College of Illinois. Over his 27 years at Monmouth, he recruited over 2,000 students and still keeps in touch with many of them. He is originally from Iowa and holds an undergraduate degree from Wartburg College (IA) and a Master’s degree from the University of Iowa, both in Sociology.
In his retirement, Peter publishes a website–https://www.lifechangingcolleges.com–that celebrates small private colleges. He also gives presentations to high school classes about a variety of college admission topics. He is the author of Common Sense Guide to Choosing a College---Making a Case for Small Residential College, and his latest book is Choosing Your College Major: The Ikigai Approach.
Peter previously appeared on this podcast in episode 163 to discuss Do College Majors Matter? and in episode 347 to discuss Attending A Small College.
Peter can be reached at vpeterpitts@gmail.com.
LINKS
Choosing Your College Major: The Ikigai Approach
Why majors don't matter | Kai Kight
Common Sense Guide to Choosing a College---Making a Case for Small Residential College
RELATED EPISODES
HOW COLLEGES ADMIT BY MAJOR
WHY THIS COLLEGE, WHY THIS MAJOR?
STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What adventures did Mike and Amy have in Montana?
- How was the NACAC conference in Columbus?
- Top 2 favorite TV shows of all time and top 2 favorite movies of all time
- What is the topic of the next Tests and the Rest webinar?
- What’s coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Tutor Training - TestBright
Scholarships & Majors: How Clarity Can Unlock More College Aid
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: July 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: June 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: May 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The process of applying to college can be so cumbersome and time consuming that applicants have little time left over for elaborate scholarship applications. Luckily, students can qualify for abundant merit aid just by excelling on admissions tests they should be prepping for anyway! Amy and Mike invited educator Shaan Patel to explore how to unlock automatic scholarships with PSAT, SAT, & ACT scores.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How directly do SAT and ACT scores translate into guaranteed scholarship money?
- How does the PSAT connect to the National Merit Scholarship program?
- What score ranges typically unlock the biggest automatic scholarships at public and private universities?
- How can families use their College 529 Savings Plans for test preparation?
- What are the most effective strategies for students to maximize both their scores and scholarship opportunities?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Shaan Patel is the Founder and CEO of Prep Expert. On ABC’s Shark Tank, he closed a deal with Mark Cuban for an investment in Prep Expert. He created Prep Expert to help high school students achieve their own dreams. Prep Expert has helped more than 100,000 students improve their SAT and ACT scores, get into top colleges, and win over $100 million in scholarships. Prep Expert offers online SAT and ACT courses, academic tutoring, and college admissions consulting.
Shaan can be reached at prepexpert.com.
LINKS
Merit Aid Grids
National Merit Scholarship
RELATED EPISODES
THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID
FLORIDA BRIGHT FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP
PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS
FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The PSAT/NMSQT may not influence college admissions decisions, but the test matters in more ways than you might think. Amy and Mike invited educator and author Brian Stewart to discuss how and why to perform your best on the PSAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What role does the PSAT play compared to the SAT or ACT?
- What are some of the most common mistakes students make with the PSAT and how can they avoid them?
- What study strategies or prep resources are most effective for the PSAT?
- What are some ways students can effectively use the embedded Bluebook tools to do well on the PSAT?
- What kind of students should focus on the SAT and PSAT at the same time?
MEET OUR GUEST
At the end of his first year teaching Social Studies at Dublin Jerome High School, company founder Brian Stewart thought it would make sense to do some part-time tutoring work over the summer. After all, he had done quite well on standardized tests when he was in high school and really enjoyed coming up with creative ways to explain challenging concepts to students. Other companies charged a fortune and didn’t seem to have a high-quality product.
As Brian worked with more students, word spread about the quality of his tutoring services. He started to offer ACT and SAT test prep group classes, and worked with students from all over Central Ohio. In 2011, Brian left his day job to run BWS Education Consulting full time with his wife Caitlin. Applying the expertise from her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Caitlin has ensured that our teaching materials and methods make high-quality test preparation accessible to students of all backgrounds and ability levels.
In 2012, Barron’s Educational Series contacted Brian about submitting samples of his writing as they conducted a national search for their next ACT book author. Brian was chosen to write Barron's ACT, and has gone on to write several ACT, SAT, and PSAT books with Barron's Educational Series. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
In 2014, BWS Education expanded to have associate tutors who teach not only the ACT and SAT, but tutor students in math, science, and writing. Brian and Caitlin personally interview and train every tutor on our staff to ensure they are the best in the business. BWS is a team of committed educators who relentlessly look for the best way to deliver educational enrichment to our clients, whether it’s test prep, academic help, or college admission counseling.
Brian appeared on the podcast in episode #33 to discuss PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship, in episode #383 to discuss Should You Prepare for the PSAT, in episode #507 to discuss The New Digital PSAT, and in episode #590 to discuss How To Prep For The Digital PSAT.
Find Brian at https://www.bwseducationconsulting.com.
LINKS
Brian’s PSAT Book: Barron's PSAT/NMSQT 1520
Why take the PSAT?
PSAT and Scholarships
Colleges that offer Full-Rides for National Merit
Information on the New Digital PSAT
RELATED EPISODES
RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT READING & WRITING
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Someone once said that interviewing is tough, especially if you don't know what you're looking for. Another complicating factor is having no answer to predictable questions–a regrettably common occurrence for higher ed applicants. Amy and Mike invited educator Alison Slater to explore the importance of preparing for a college admissions interview.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is it important to prepare before an interview?
- Are interviews impactful considering that many schools don’t offer them?
- Should students who are offered interviews take them?
- Who should prep for interviews and when?
- How can students prepare for all the interviews they are likely to have coming up?
- What are some questions applicants should be prepared for?
MEET OUR GUEST
Alison Slater graduated from Bucknell University and worked in selective college admission for fifteen years. Interviews were her favorite part of the college application process, but she found they were often missed opportunities when students arrived nervous or unprepared. They were checking a box, not maximizing an opportunity. Alison founded Interview Prep to help students make strong impressions by preparing thoughtfully and approaching each interview with confidence and a plan.
Alison can be reached at interviewprepllc.com.
LINKS
Interview Tips for Students
Common interview questions
RELATED EPISODES
THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLEGE INTERVIEWS
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW
HOW TO SPEAK TO A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REP
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
All the world’s a stage, which means that performance anxiety can be debilitating in a variety of contexts. What does it take to silence your inner critics and do your best when only your best will do? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Christine Gangelhoff to explore what performance teaches us about test anxiety.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the core similarities between test anxiety and performance anxiety in musicians or athletes?
- How can students pace their test prep the way performers pace their practice to avoid last-minute panic?
- What breathing or physical regulation techniques used by performers could help test-takers stay grounded?
- How can students build “performance stamina” to sustain focus during longer exams or high-stakes testing environments?
- What mindset strategies from the performing arts can help students shift from fear to focus during a test?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Christine Gangelhoff is an internationally recognized expert in performing arts college admissions and the founder of SoundPath Consulting, a specialized educational consultancy focused on guiding students through the audition-based college application process. With a background as a music professor, performer, arts administrator, and scholar, she brings a deeply informed perspective to arts education and career development.
Christine first appeared on our podcast in episode 478 to discuss Admissions Considerations For Musicians.
Find Christine at mysoundpath.com.
LINKS
Yerkes–Dodson law
How to Breathe When Feeling Stressed
Test anxiety: Can it be treated?
RELATED EPISODES
HOW STRESS AFFECTS TEST PERFORMANCE
HOW TO BREATHE DURING STRESSFUL SITUATIONS
OVERCOMING TEST ANXIETY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?
- How has the addition of the September SAT affected test prep calendars?
- What special call did Amy recently receive?
- When will the first TestBright Tutor Training sessions run?
- What does the next month hold for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
The Case for the September SAT
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: July 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: June 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: May 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
It’s been said that when we set an intention, somehow the world seems to magically come to meet us. Does that apply in college admissions? You'll never find out if you don’t try. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Cadwallader to outline the impact of intentionality on the road to college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does intentionality mean in the context of the high school experience?
- How does course selection tell a story?
- What really matters when choosing extracurricular activities?
- What does the choice to work or volunteer during high school signify?
- What are other facets of intentionality on the road to college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ann Cadwallader, founder of My University Coach, has worked in education for 35 years and has guided students through the college admissions process as an Independent Educational Consultant for nearly two decades. She holds a BS from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota, and in 2020 earned the Certified Educational Planner designation — an achievement that reflects her deep expertise in college advising.
Ann has personally visited 193 college campuses across the country, giving her firsthand insight into a wide range of schools and student experiences. Known for her calm, strategic approach, she is dedicated to reducing stress for both students and parents and helping families make smart, intentional choices—so students can tell their story with confidence and clarity.
Ann can be reached at ann@myuniversitycoach.com.
LINKS
Making Intentional Decisions: Questions to Ask Yourself.
RELATED EPISODES
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
THE COLLEGE PLEASING EPIDEMIC
HOW CAN PAST POOR DECISIONS AFFECT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Few writing assignments loom as large or feel as significant as the application essay does to a college-bound teen. But what if the keys to a statement that makes a difference were both simple to understand and easy to implement? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Susan Knoppow to reveal valuable college essay secrets.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the real essay prompt every applicant needs to respond to?
- How are college essays used in the admissions process? Do they really matter?
- What are the biggest mistakes students make when writing college essays?
- How many editors are too many?
- How much guidance should counselors provide students on what to write?
MEET OUR GUEST
Susan Knoppow is CEO of Wow Writing Workshop, a college essay coaching company that teaches students and professionals a streamlined, ethical essay coaching process. The ten-step Wow Method has been used by thousands of students to get into their top choice colleges, and is the go-to system for independent educational consultants, school counselors, and other admissions professionals.
A former corporate trainer and executive speechwriter, Susan can turn any task into a series of simple steps. She is a published poet and essayist with a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College.
When she's not running Wow, Susan likes to garden, cook, and go on adventures with her husband and their dog, Luna.
Susan can be reached at wowwritingworkshop.com or susan@wowwritingworkshop.com.
LINKS
10 Step Wow Method
RELATED EPISODES
MAKING YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYS COUNT
COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
HOW MUCH AI IS JUST RIGHT IN THE COLLEGE ESSAY?
TABOO ESSAY TOPICS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Starting in September 2025, the ACT will be administered nationally both on paper and on digital devices. Should you take the ACT on a computer? If so, what do you need to know in advance? Amy and Mike invited educator Adam Snoza to review Strategies For The Computer-Based ACT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What should test takers know about the digital interfaces?
- What are the differences in platforms between the in-school and national digital ACT?
- Even with the majority of test prep providers recommending the paper test, what are unique benefits to the digital test?
- What strategies can test takers employ to make digital testing easier?
- Can a student prepare a digital test if they are using paper tests in school or at home?
MEET OUR GUEST
Adam Snoza graduated from Creighton University and was a high school English teacher for 9 years in both public and private schools. He has spent 16 years in ACT test prep with Aim High Test Prep in Omaha, NE, where he is the president, lead instructor, and curriculum developer, authoring his own 350-page instructional manual.
Adam is also an ACT Instructional Mastery trainer (AIM) in all 6 certification areas: Basics, English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. Now, he is a trainer of the AIM program and works with teachers and tutors across the country on how to effectively teach the ACT test. In addition, Adam co-authored the 2021 update to The Official ACT Mathematics Guide.
Though every student he helps gain a life-changing scholarship or entry into an elite college gives him great satisfaction, his greatest pride comes from working with multiple local charities to bring test prep to underserved populations in an effort to bridge the education gap.
Adam previously appeared on this podcast in episode 159 to discuss ACT Math Reporting Categories and episode 249 for a Test Prep Profile and in episode 298 to discuss Why Remote Tutoring Is Here To Stay.
Find Adam at aimhightestprep.com.
LINKS
Sample Questions - ACT Online Testing | The ACT Test
ACT Test Enhancements
The Upcoming Changes to the Enhanced ACT
RELATED EPISODES
RELATED EPISODES
A TEST TAKER’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENHANCED ACT
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Imagine two models of education, one of which reserves opportunities for college credit for college students and another which allows high schoolers to also earn college credit. Which do you think most college-bound students would prefer? Amy and Mike invited admissions professional Audrey Moreno to explore the impact of dual enrollment programs.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is an early college high school?
- Are there different models of dual enrollment offerings?
- Why is access to dual enrollment programs so important?
- What makes dual enrollment such a powerful tool for increasing college access—especially for underserved students?
- What advice would you give to families or school counselors who are considering dual enrollment as an option?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Audrey Delfina Moreno is a first-generation college student and Mexican American. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology from Northern Arizona University and completed her Ed.D. at Arizona State University in 2013.
For the past 19 years, Audrey has worked in secondary and postsecondary education, focusing on credit recovery and Early College student populations. She began her career as a counselor in Title 1 charter schools in downtown and central Phoenix before transitioning to Director of Early College at Paradise Valley Community College, where she expanded dual credit opportunities and supported college planning programs for high school students.
Now serving as Senior Director of National Bridge Partnerships within ASU’s Learning Enterprise, Audrey leads Accelerate ASU, overseeing partnerships with school districts, high schools, and community organizations to expand access to college credit through ASU’s Universal Learner Courses. She also spearheads Accelerate ASU: College Now, an initiative aimed at strengthening dual enrollment pipelines in collaboration with community colleges nationwide.
Additionally, Audrey serves on the board of Home Schooling for College Credit, where she helps shape policies and strategies to increase access to early college opportunities for homeschooling families. She specializes in designing college credit pathways and is deeply committed to fostering equitable opportunities for high school students who aspire to earn college credit.
Audrey can be reached at moreno.audrey@asu.edu or on LinkedIn.
LINKS
Dual Enrollment Meaning & Benefits
Accelerate ASU
Fast-tracking futures with ASU’s dual enrollment program
RELATED EPISODES
WHEN IS DUAL ENROLLMENT A GOOD OPTION?
ADVANTAGES OF DUAL ENROLLMENT
EARNING ADVANCE COLLEGE CREDIT
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?
- Why is summer always so busy?
- What’s the new college student housing crisis?
- What projects are Mike and Amy working on?
- What does the next month hold for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
A Different Kind of Student Housing Crisis
Testing Gameplan for the HS Class of 2027
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: June 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: May 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Procrastination does not necessarily stem from laziness or disorganization. Sometimes, we put off important tasks to cope with negative emotions associated with their outcomes–perfectly understandable but highly undesirable when it comes to complex college applications and strict deadlines. Amy and Mike invited education consultant Michelle McAnaney to understand how to manage procrastination in the admissions process.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why do students procrastinate?
- Are there any benefits to procrastination?
- How does procrastination affect the college admissions process?
- What are the three types of college procrastinators?
- What can parents do to help their procrastination-prone student manage the task of applying to college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Michelle McAnaney is the founder of The College Spy, a full service independent educational consulting firm that assists students and families across the US and internationally with the college selection and application process.
Prior to founding The College Spy, Michelle was a school counselor and educator for more than 15 years, including serving as the Director of Guidance at two high schools, an adjunct college professor and a GED tutor. Michelle holds a master’s degree in school counseling and a bachelor’s degree in human development. She completed UC Irvine’s certificate program in educational consulting and is a MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Certified Practitioner and a NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Master Practitioner. Michelle visits many colleges each year so that she has first-hand knowledge of the colleges and universities her clients will be considering.
Find Michelle at https://thecollegespy.com/
LINKS
8 Tips to Avoid Procrastination
Could Procrastination Actually Be Beneficial? Some Experts Say Yes.
Podcast - The College Spy
RELATED EPISODES
HELPING TEENS FIGHT PROCRASTINATION
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS
THE THREE CORE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND TEST PREP
MAKING TIME VISIBLE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
When tests change, so should the conventional wisdom about timelines and options. How will the Enhanced ACT factor into your admissions exam plans? Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to review a testing gameplan for the HS class of 2027.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the main issues for students in the high school class of 2027?
- What are the timelines students should keep in mind?
- Have test score policies changed over the last year?
- Should ACT test takers sit for the optional Science section?
- Should students focus on only one test?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA) and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU’s Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University’s Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28), SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131), and SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WRITING TEST? (#271) TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025 (#432) and STATE OF TEST OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS IN 2024 (#550) and THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID (#593). He hosted the show CELEBRATING OUR 500TH EPISODE and facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100). He was featured in a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: EDISON PREP AP HISTORY BOOT CAMPS (#635).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com.
LINKS
ACT Test Enhancements
The SAT – SAT Suite | College Board
ACT Enhancement Content Rebalancing
Is the ACT Science section really optional at your college of interest?
Merit Aid Grids
RELATED EPISODES
A TEST TAKER’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENHANCED ACT
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
THE DIGITAL SAT: HOW IT STARTED AND HOW IT’S GOING
ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS
CHOOSING BETWEEN THE DIGITAL SAT AND THE ACT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Every year, new calculations and complications impact the college application process. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2026.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is the enrollment cliff real, and what does it mean for the Class of 2026?
- Which colleges and universities are becoming more popular?
- With the science section in the ACT becoming optional, should students still take it?
- Is building a balanced college list enough?
- With changing math standards and the introduction of data science in many high schools, should students still take calculus in high school?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, founder of Orlowski College Consulting, has worked in education for 35 years and has worked as an Independent Educational Consultant for 10+ years. She has a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, a BA in Communicative Disorders from San Diego State, and two active teaching credentials. She taught deaf, LD, and 2E students for four years and was a college counselor at a small private school for 3 years. Rebecca specializes in gifted/2E, STEM, creative, homeschooled, and transfer students.
Rebecca first appeared on the podcast in episode 369 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE CLASS OF 2023, in episode 526 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024, and in episode 591 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2025.
Rebecca can be reached at r.orlowski.consulting@gmail.com.
LINKS
‘You can’t create 18-year-olds’: What can colleges do amid demographic upheaval?
Northeast students are heading south for college
24 years of UMich admissions: An inside look at acceptance rates and freshman profiles
Will They or Won't They? Tracking Colleges' New ACT Requirements
Admission 101: Why It’s Important to Let Us Know You’re Interested in Davidson
Calculus or Statistics: Does it Matter?
Is calculus an addiction that college admissions officers can’t shake?
RELATED EPISODES
THE DEMOGRAPHIC CLIFF IS HERE
A TEST TAKER’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENHANCED ACT
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The path for high school athletes seeking to play at the next level becomes more uncertain every year. The increasing complexity of college sports recruitment is matched only by the uncertainty of every other part of the application process. Amy and Mike invited college advisor Barb Smith to share answers about college admissions for the student athlete.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the primary mistake that student-athletes make when they go through the college selection process?
- What are common myths about the college selection process that trap student-athletes and their families?
- What changes in college sports have affected the college selection process for student-athletes in high school? How should these be navigated?
- How can families support their student-athletes in the college admissions process without adding too much pressure?
- What advice do you have for student-athletes and their families just starting the admissions process?
MEET OUR GUEST
Barb Smith is a former Division I college athlete, a 30-year former Division I college basketball coach, motivational speaker, author, entrepreneur, and advocate for all levels of leadership and teamwork. Having both played and coached at the college level, Barb knows that sports go beyond winning and losing.
Having experienced the highs and lows and twists and turns both in sport and in life, Barb has learned the meaning of resilience. Her story is one of extreme highs, like winning conference championships and back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, but also extreme lows, like not winning games or losing a player to spinal meningitis. Barb has shared these stories and others as she speaks on organizational principles, leadership, inclusivity, and team-building.
Barb is the founder of Courtside Leadership, an organization that promotes leadership, teamwork, and team dynamics. She has authored Beyond the Talent: Profile of a Winning Team, which details some of her research in building successful teams.
Most recently, Barb founded Find My Team, a startup company that partners with aspiring high school student-athletes, parents, and coaches and empowers them with the knowledge necessary to make the college athletic recruiting process a positive, proactive, and successful experience.
Barb majored in Health Education at The Ohio State University and earned her MBA in Organizational Behavior at Iona College in New York. She coached women’s basketball at Iona, Univ. of Colorado-Boulder, San Diego State, Univ of California-Berkeley, Univ. of Minnesota, Saint Louis University, and Illinois State.
When not working, Barb enjoys family, nature, birding, cycling, traveling, attending sporting events, meeting new people, and playing with her two rescued greyhounds.
Find Barb at barb@findmyteam.com or findmyteam.com.
LINKS
courtsideleadership.com
Beyond the Talent: Profile of a Winning Team
RELATED EPISODES
DIVISION III AND IVY LEAGUE ATHLETIC RECRUITMENT
MYTHS ABOUT TESTING AND COLLEGE SPORTS
TEST SCORES AND THE NCAA CLEARINGHOUSE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
AI-first data-driven platform to build, deploy, analyze, and personalize any course.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind VEGA AI?
- How does VEGA AI work?
- Who currently uses VEGA AI?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about VEGA AI know about it?
ABOUT VEGA AI
VEGA AI lets educators build Duolingo-style engaging courses in minutes. It creates personalized tests, grades them, flags learning gaps, recommends next steps, and even deploys your AI-avatar to answer doubts 24/7. The smartest educators across the Globe are already using VEGA AI for high-stakes tests like SAT, ACT, APs, and many more.
To learn more, please contact piyush.kumar@myvega.ai or https://www.myvega.ai.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The walls of academia have always seemed distant and distinct from the corridors of political power. But even the ivory tower isn’t safe during periods of dramatic societal change. Amy and Mike invited educator Dominique Padurano to explore how political changes are shaping higher education.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have been some events that have catalyzed change in higher education during the past two years?
- What could be the biggest changes to US colleges and universities in the coming months?
- What impact have these developments had on international students?
- What are some academic considerations that families need to think about when building college lists now?
- What are some social and cultural items families might want to consider when building college lists now?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dominique Padurano has been helping students achieve their academic dreams for 27 years. After teaching history and Social Studies full-time at several elite New York high schools, she founded Crimson Coaching in 2014 to work one-on-one with students prepping for standardized tests like the SAT and ACT; striving to master academic content and skills in high school; and applying to college and scholarships. “Dr. P.,” as her students call her, does 98% of Crimson Coaching’s tutoring and coaching herself. She’s also an adjunct professor of Historical Studies at Empire State University, part of the State University of New York. Currently, Dominique’s at work on a how-to book tentatively titled, Writing College Essays That Work.
Dominique appeared on the podcast in episode 373 to discuss Small Group Classes Vs 1-1 Tutoring for SAT & ACT Prep and in episode 513 to discuss Diversity And The College Essay.
Find Dominique at Facebook, LinkedIn, and info@crimsoncoaching.com.
LINKS
Fulbright scholarship board resigns amid 'unlawful' federal funding rollback
As Crises Grip Colleges, More Students Than Ever Are Set to Enroll
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in Light of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (PDF)
Find Your Representative
Contacting U.S. Senators
Liam Knox | Inside Higher Ed
Navigating School and College Selection in Tumultuous Political Times
RELATED EPISODES
THE DEMOGRAPHIC CLIFF IS HERE
STOP MAKING $EN$E: THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROBLEM
TOP TIPS TO PASS YOUR STUDY VISA INTERVIEW
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Smart college applicants know not to let artificial intelligence agents write their entire personal statement but might shudder at the idea of ignoring these tools entirely. How much is too much? Amy and Mike invited educator Razi Hecker to explore how much AI is just right in the college essay.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Should students avoid AI entirely when writing their college application essays?
- At what points in the writing process can AI be most helpful?
- What tasks can be AI-assisted and which ones should never be?
- Is there a danger that use of AI might be detected by essay readers?
- Why is a main thesis so critical for effective college essays?
MEET OUR GUEST
Razi Hecker is a Harvard graduate (Cum Laude, B.A. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations) and a creative writer whose work appears in literary journals, news outlets, and the most recent edition of 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays.
With over 2,000 hours of college essay coaching and 10+ years in education and creative writing, Razi helps students transform personal experiences into powerful, memorable admissions narratives. His students have been accepted to every Ivy League school, as well as Stanford, MIT, and Caltech. This past year alone, over 70% of Razi’s top retainer students were admitted to at least one Ivy. Those who didn’t landed spots at other elite institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, and Washington University.
Find Razi at League Bound Consulting.
LINKS
Common App Fraud Policy
Can prospective students use generative AI to help with their application to Cornell?
AI Is Taking Over College Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
MAKING YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYS COUNT
WRITING RHETORICALLY IN ADMISSIONS ESSAYS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How was the NTPA Conference in Minneapolis?
- Where did Mike go after Minneapolis?
- What projects are Mike and Amy working on?
- What does the next month hold for Amy and Mike?
- What special milestone has TATR hit?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Tutor: The Stuff of Growth
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: May 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
If you’re applying as a STEM major or looking at selective colleges, there’s no question that you should consider taking advanced or accelerated math courses at the secondary level. The question instead revolves around which course to take. Amy and Mike invited researcher Adam Tyner to review whether taking calculus in high school is absolutely necessary.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the typical pathways for showing math rigor in high school?
- Does the choice between calculus or statistics matter?
- In what cases would one of these choices be more advantageous to an applicant?
- Do students who have taken calculus in high school outperform their peers?
- Are their equity issues wrapped up in this decision?
MEET OUR GUEST
Adam Tyner is the national research director of research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he helps develop and manage Fordham’s research projects. Prior to joining Fordham, he served as senior education analyst at Hanover Research, where he executed data analysis projects and worked with school districts and other education stakeholders to design custom studies.
Adam has also spent several years leading classrooms, teaching English as a second language in both China and California and teaching courses at the University of California, San Diego. His work has appeared and been cited in national and international media such as The Economist, The New York Times, Forbes, Education Week, Education Next, and The Diplomat, as well as in numerous local outlets. Adam holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, San Diego, where he completed his doctoral dissertation on the integration of rural-to-urban migrant workers in China’s cities. He also holds a bachelor of arts in international studies from the University of Oklahoma.
Adam first appeared on the podcast in episode 140 to discuss Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension and in episode 295 to discuss Would Eliminating Tests Make Education More Equitable.
Find Adam at fordhaminstitute.org.
LINKS
Calculus or Statistics: Does it Matter?
RELATED EPISODES
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY AND TEST SUCCESS
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CALCULUS AB OR BC EXAM
GETTING READY FOR AP PRECALCULUS
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most students matriculate directly from high school to college. But what if you’re not like most students? Amy and Mike invited education consultant Julia Rogers to explore how to plan a gap year.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is there a typical profile of "who" takes a gap year?
- What are the biggest benefits of taking a gap year to this particular sub-generation of students?
- How does a student get started with planning a gap year?
- What steps should students and families take to ensure the gap year is structured and meaningful?
- What are the financial implications of gap years?
MEET OUR GUEST
Julia Rogers is a traveler, business owner, and experiential education expert who has spent the last 16 years as a professional gap year counselor. As the founder of EnRoute Consulting, Julia oversees a social enterprise dedicated to fueling the gap year movement and developing a generation of compassionate, driven and resourceful global citizens. She partners with educators, service-learning organizations, non-profits, government entities and families around the world to develop creative educational pathways that result in young adults being better prepared to succeed in life and work. Julia is a TEDx speaker, a podcast host, and President Emeritus of the Gap Year Association, a US-based nonprofit dedicated to the intentional growth of the gap year option through research, standards-setting, and advocacy efforts.
Find Julia at https://enroutegapyear.com/.
LINKS
Gap Year to Freshman Year - En Route Consulting
Gap Year Radio
Gap Year Association
Academic Outcomes – Gap Year Research Consortium at Colorado College
Global Gap Year Fellowship
RELATED EPISODES
WHY TAKE A GAP YEAR?
GAP YEAR ALTERNATIVES DURING COVID
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Kristen Lefebvre, the National Director of Education at StudyPoint, an educational services company that supports students across the U.S. on their journey to college by providing one-on-one academic and test prep tutoring services and college admissions coaching. Kristen graduated from Bates College and earned her master’s degree at Tufts University. Always interested in education, she joined StudyPoint in 2002 as a program manager for the Greater Boston area. In addition to her responsibilities working with families and tutors, Kristen began tutoring as well, working with students preparing to take the SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT, and ACT. She loved helping students learn the ins-and-outs of the tests and reach their score goals. More than twenty years later, she’s still at it! In her role as National Director of Education, Kristen oversees StudyPoint’s curriculum and program development, as well as tutor hiring and training.
In her free time, Kristen enjoys spending time with her husband, three daughters, and their dog. They are a big soccer family, so Kristen spends an unreasonable amount of time on the sidelines of soccer fields, either coaching or watching her daughters and their teams play, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. When not at the fields or work, she enjoys reading, traveling, running, and hot yoga.
Find Kristen at https://www.studypoint.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Allen Tsao, who started out as an Electrical Engineer (BS at UC Berkeley, and MS at Stanford University), and worked as a full-time engineer for 11 years before switching to tutoring full-time. He loves helping students improve their problem-solving ability, especially in difficult classes. His business (Bothell STEM Coach) specializes in AP Physics, with around 150 students studying with him each academic year, along with about 30 AP Calculus students each year.
His goal is to make physics a lot more accessible to students and easier to understand, which is why he also releases a ton of free materials on his YouTube channel as well.
He has a wonderful wife, 3 kids, and a dream job that he loves doing day in and day out.
Find Allen at allen@bothellstemcoach.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Margaret Duden, Founder of Twin Cities Test Prep Tutor, is a full-time test prep and writing tutor who specializes in helping highly motivated students hone their writing skills, achieve their score goals on the ACT and SAT, and gain acceptance at their top choice colleges. Margaret conducts all tutoring sessions herself and prides herself on customizing lessons to meet each student’s unique needs and goals. She is a member of the National Test Prep Association (NTPA), the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and Phi Beta Kappa.
Before starting her tutoring business, Margaret's career centered around writing, editing, outreach, and research in the educational and nonprofit sectors. She has worked for the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Stanford University, Concordia Language Villages, the Smithsonian Institution, and Twin Cities Public Television.
Margaret graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Anthropology. In her free time, she loves practicing yoga, learning about sustainable food production, and reading fantasy novels. She lives in Minneapolis.
Find Margaret at twincitiestestpreptutor.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Ren Abraham, the founder of Telos Tutors, a test prep and academic tutoring company serving students in the Philadelphia suburbs and beyond. With nearly two decades of teaching experience across both the humanities and STEM, Ren brings an interdisciplinary approach to SAT and ACT prep.
After experiencing the limitations of one-size-fits-all SAT prep as a high school student, Ren resolved to craft more responsive, student-centered experiences—grounded in the belief that anyone can learn anything with enough time and the right support. Since founding Telos Tutors in 2016, he has helped students consistently reach their goals on the SAT.
Ren lives with his wife and four children. When he's not working with students, he enjoys reading, TV, singing, and cooking.
Find Ren at ren@telostutors.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.
The unfolding changes to the ACT take effect everywhere in September. Are you ready? Let two nationally recognized experts in education–your hosts of the Tests and the Rest podcast–help you understand both the ACT enhancements and how students should navigate them. This free Game Plan for the Enhanced ACT webinar was presented live as part of the Tests and the Rest Seminar Series.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How is the ACT changing?
- How does the Enhanced ACT compare to the Legacy test?
- What is the difference between the ACT and SAT?
- Which tests should students take?
- When should students test?
LINKS
Game Plan for the Enhanced ACT Video
2025 ACT Enhancements–First Looks
ACT Enhancement Content Rebalancing
Enhanced ACT English Prompts
RELATED EPISODES
ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS
A TEST TAKER’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENHANCED ACT
THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
To err is human, which makes adolescence a particularly intense expression of the human condition. Yes, we all make mistakes, but some are more glaring and likely to impact acceptance than others. But which ones? Amy and Mike invited student advocates Susan Stone and Kristina Supler to clarify how past poor decisions can affect college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What kinds of past poor decisions might hurt admissions chances?
- Can criminal charges prevent someone from getting into college?
- How can social misconduct impact college acceptance?
- What steps can applicants take to address past disciplinary actions or lapses in judgment?
- Should a student speak to past poor decisions in the college essay?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Susan Stone is co-chair of KJK’s Student & Athlete Defense/Title IX Practice Group, dedicated to supporting students in crisis and addressing their legal needs. Recognizing the importance of legal advocacy for students, professors, and individuals with disabilities, she handles a wide range of matters, including special education issues, student disciplinary cases, and Title IX investigations. With extensive experience in due process complaints, 504 Plans, and Individualized Education Programs, Susan is well-equipped to navigate complex educational and legal challenges. She also represents students in cases involving hazing, bullying, and social media issues.
Kristina Supler is co-chair of KJK’s Student & Athlete Defense/Title IX Practice Group. She has extensive experience handling complex cases involving allegations of sexual assault and has served on national defense teams representing students and executives facing prosecution both in the United States and internationally. Additionally, Kristina is extremely adept at working with families and defending juveniles, particularly those with physical or mental disabilities, who are facing legal challenges. Kristina has achieved great success protecting students and professors in campus Title IX proceedings, which has garnered her a national reputation.
Find Kristina and Susan at https://studentdefense.kjk.com/.
LINKS
CHADD: Helping College Students With ADHD Avoid Risky Behaviors
RELATED EPISODES
ADMISSIONS LESSONS FROM ADMISSIONS REPS
BUILD A WINNING BRAND TO ACE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
COLLEGE ADVISING FOR B STUDENTS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
In a process with as many steps as choosing, applying to, and being accepted at a target higher education institution, small improvements in efficiency at any point can compound dramatically for both applicants and admissions offices. Amy and Mike invited ed tech entrepreneur Sam Bernstein to explore the current state of AI and the college admissions process.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How is AI changing the way students search for colleges and navigate the application process?
- How should students and parents be using AI in the college process—and where should they draw the line?
- What AI-powered tools should parents, counselors, and IECs be aware of?
- How can counselors use AI to manage caseloads more efficiently while maintaining a personal touch?
- What does a student-first future look like in an AI-driven college admissions landscape?
MEET OUR GUEST
Sam Bernstein is the co-founder of Loper, a free mobile app designed to help students explore and discover their best educational opportunities after high school. The inspiration for Loper came out of the pandemic, where “life on pause” led to two college friends (Sam and his co-founder Eric) spending long nights discussing their shared passion: education. Fast forward two years, and they quit their jobs to launch Loper, which has now helped nearly 200,000 students find best-fit opportunities after high school.
Since founding Loper, Sam has spoken at nearly a dozen industry conferences, and he always loves the opportunity to present to both students and parents on college and career readiness. Sam lives in Chicago, loves to bike, and (so far) has kept up with his 2025 resolution to read more fiction. His favorite podcast is “Revolutions” by Mike Duncan.
Sam has previously appeared on the podcast in episode 360 to discuss FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT.
The best place to connect with Sam is on LinkedIn. If you have questions about Loper or are interested in either a virtual or live presentation to your students, you can reach him at sam@getloper.com.
LINKS
AI Is Taking Over College Admissions
Incorporating AI into the Admissions Process
Loper
ESAI
CollegeCraft.Ai
TurboLearn AI
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
ADMISSIONS LESSONS FROM ADMISSIONS REPS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How was the IECA Conference in Detroit?
- Was our presentation on Scaling Your Practice well received?
- What projects are Mike and Amy working on?
- Who should attend the Game Plan for the Enhanced ACT seminar?
- What does the next month hold for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
2025 NTPA National Conference
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2024
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The last thing anybody wants to do is sit for a meaningless test. Entrance exams like the SAT & ACT should be able to inform both test takers and target institutions about the likelihood of success at the next level. So do they? Amy and Mike invited educator David Blobaum to explore the predictive validity of test scores in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Research says that SAT/ACT scores are better predictors of success at Ivy-plus colleges than are high school grades–why?
- Have any other colleges beyond the Ivy-plus colleges made similar statements?
- Why have colleges not gone back to requiring test scores then if they're so predictive?
- Do test-optional colleges value SAT/ACT scores?
- Are test-blind colleges blind to all tests?
MEET OUR GUEST
David Blobaum graduated from the University of Chicago with honors both from the college and in his major. In college, he took seriously the University of Chicago’s aim of a “Renaissance” or well-rounded education and took courses in 17 different disciplines, ranging from Statistics and Economics to Philosophy and Art History. Since then, he has devoted himself to helping students reach their potential on the SAT and ACT and, more broadly, to help them succeed through education.
To that end, in 2013, he founded Summit Prep with a former UChicago classmate. They now have two tutoring centers in New Jersey, and their team of SAT/ACT experts privately tutors over 500 students per year. David is a consultant to schools on SAT/ACT best practices, personally trains each Summit Prep tutor one-on-one, and tutors a select few students himself. David not only teaches students the necessary subject matter but also motivates them to continually strive towards their potential.
David first appeared on the podcast in episode 79 to discuss Why The SAT And ACT Are Awesome, in episode 582 to discuss The Need For Testing Sites In California, and in episode 421 for a Sponsor Spotlight.
Find David at https://summitprep.com/.
LINKS
Common Data Set
AP Exam Scores Are Important For College Admissions
The Rumors Are... True. Testing is Coming Back.
SAT And ACT Scores Are More Predictive Than Grades?
RELATED EPISODES
HOW GRADING POLICIES INFLUENCE GRADE INFLATION
WHO LOSES WHEN WE ABOLISH ENTRANCE EXAMS?
WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
WHY UC WAS WRONG TO STOP USING THE SAT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Not everyone assumes that life after high school automatically entails immediate enrollment in college. Many teens graduate ready to pursue a more practical education. Amy and Mike invited education market researcher Brady Colby to explain the implications of enrolling in a trade school.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is a trade school?
- What are recent trends for trade schools?
- Why might trade schools be getting more popular?
- How should parents or guidance advisors incorporate trades into post-high school planning?
- Are the rise of trade schools a threat to so-called traditional higher ed schools and opportunities?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brady Colby is the head of market research at Validated Insights, which is a higher education marketing firm. Brady was the founder of Thirty Two EDU, which was acquired by Validated Insights in 2023.
Brady and his team of higher education experts publish monthly reports on different sectors affecting higher education including quarterly OPM market reports, and quarterly trade school market reports. They have also recently published reports on the MBA Market.
Brady can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradycolby/.
LINKS
Trade School Market Insights
Trade School Enrollment Surges Post-Pandemic, Outpacing Traditional Universities
Gallup-Lumina State of Higher Education
Why These Gen Zers Are Ditching College Degrees For Blue-Collar Careers
RELATED EPISODES
PATHWAY PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
HOW TO GUARANTEE CAREER SUCCESS AFTER COLLEGE
TRACKING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
One should not take on what is potentially the biggest expense of a lifetime lightly. Motivated students can absolutely make sure college pays off academically, socially, and emotionally; financially, though, can be a big question mark. Amy and Mike invited educator Gage Mersereau to define the concept of true college ROI.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does ROI mean in the context of college?
- What are the major factors to determine your true college investment?
- Why should plans after graduation factor into college plans?
- Why should ROI factors be understood before submitting college applications?
- Why doesn’t net price apply to all applicants?
MEET OUR GUEST
Gage Mersereau is the CEO and Founder of GradBetter, a company focused on simplifying college planning and affordability for counselors and families. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Gage has dedicated his career to helping families find their college fit. Prior to founding GradBetter, he built ConnectSports, a youth sports recruiting platform that empowered 100,000 high school athletes to discover, connect with, and commit to their college of choice. Gage began his career on Wall Street, working as an M&A banker and in private equity.
Find Gage at https://www.gradbetter.com/.
LINKS
Free college ROI calculator
How the flawed earnings information in the College Scorecard misleads students (opinion)
Tuition Discount Rates at Private Colleges and Universities Top 50 Percent
RELATED EPISODES
RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN COLLEGE
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
CONSIDERING COLLEGE FINANCIAL FIT FIRST
WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What have Amy and Mike been up to in the last month?
- How is Amy using ChatGPT?
- What is College Eagle?
- What updates will we be making for the ACT curriculum for the enhanced ACT?
- What are Mike and Amy doing at IECA in May?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
College Eagle
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The ACT has been a remarkably stable exam, administered in roughly the same way for decades. However, a new version is on the horizon, and some intrepid souls have braved the uncertainty of the field test to experience it. Amy and Mike invited someone who sat for the April 2025 Enhanced ACT to share the test taker’s perspective.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What were your general impressions about the enhanced ACT test experience in the digital format?
- What did you find to be the same on the enhanced ACT?
- What did you find to be different on the enhanced ACT?
- What recommendations would you have for a student taking the new Enhanced ACT?
- What should tutors know about tutoring for the new Enhanced ACT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Our guest today has her master's degree in higher education and has worked in multiple areas of college administration. She has been a professional SAT and ACT tutor for the last 10 years and works with students across the US for several test prep companies. She understands the preparation necessary to do well on standardized tests, especially the ACT. She prides herself on the scores she has earned on officially administered ACTs in recent years, earning consistent 36 composites. Most importantly, she recently took the first digital enhanced ACT on April 5, 2025.
LINKS
ACT Test Enhancements
ACT Enhancement Content Rebalancing
RELATED EPISODES
ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS
CHOOSING BETWEEN THE DIGITAL SAT AND THE ACT
COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Economics is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Michael Rodriguez to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Economics exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the Macro vs Micro AP Economics exam?
- How do students score points on the AP Economics exam?
- What are the highest priority topics on the tests?
- How should students prepare for the AP Economics exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Economics?
MEET OUR GUEST
Michael Rodriguez is a national champion speaker and debater. While he was competing, he claimed the title of national champion in Parliamentary Debate from Phi Rho Pi in 2009. Michael completed his undergraduate degree in economics at Cal State Fullerton in 2012. While in school he helped perform research on the long term implications of training students to become financially and economically literate. After college he worked as an economic consultant to law firms.
For the past 10 years, Michael has worked as a teacher at Modern Brain Academy in Irvine California and as a private tutor in AP economics. When students learn from coach Michael, they learn how to think like an economist.
Find Michael at michael@modernbrain.com.
LINKS
AP Microeconomics – AP Students | College Board
AP Macroeconomics – AP Students | College Board
5 Steps to a 5 500 Must-Know AP Microeconomics/Macroeconomics Questions
Jacob Clifford - YouTube
RELATED EPISODES
BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Precalculus is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Joey Lin to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Precalculus exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Precalculus exam?
- How do students score points on the AP Precalculus exam?
- What are the highest priority topics on the test?
- How should students prepare for the AP Precalculus exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Precalculus?
MEET OUR GUEST
Joey Lin’s journey in test preparation and college admissions began in 2005 when he landed a job with Kaplan. From that moment, he was hooked on helping students navigate the pre-college process. Over the years, he has worked with a range of institutions, including Preply, PrepExpert, Northwestern University’s Office of Admissions, and the University of California Office of Admissions.
At Thinque Prep, Joey has dedicated himself to delivering comprehensive and results-driven programs. Whether guiding students through the SAT and ACT, leading AP exam prep courses, or providing strategic college counseling, his mission remains the same: to equip students with the skills and confidence they need to succeed.
Although his career has expanded in many directions, Joey still finds joy in teaching AP content—especially math and physics, the subjects he loved most as a high schooler. Beyond test prep, Joey is deeply committed to mentorship and education reform. He frequently hosts webinars, workshops, and live sessions, providing students and parents with the knowledge they need to navigate the competitive admissions landscape successfully.
Find Joey at http://www.thinqueprep.com.
LINKS
AP Precalculus – AP Students | College Board
AP Precalculus Activities - Bryan Passwater • Collection
AP Precalculus - Mr. Sindel
RELATED EPISODES
BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CALCULUS AB OR BC EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and the various AP World Language and Culture exams are no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Milton Alan Turner to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for AP World Language exams.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on AP World Language and Culture exams?
- How do students score points on AP Language exams?
- What are the highest priority topics on AP Language exams?
- How should students prepare for AP Language exams?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Language exams?
MEET OUR GUEST
Milton Alan Turner has taught French, Spanish, and now AP African American Studies at Saint Ignatius High School since 1987. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in French and Linguistics from Georgetown University and master’s degrees from Cleveland State University in Educational Technology and in Global Interactions.
Alan currently serves on the Board of Directors at ACTFL as its President, on the Shaker Heights Public Library Board of Trustees, on the AATF Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, is a member of La Maison Française de Cleveland’s Board of Directors and is an NAACP Silver Life member. He has participated in two Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad in Morocco & Tunisia and Thailand & Vietnam and in three National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminars and Institutes studying world literature, Arabic language & culture, and US foreign policy.
Alan has served as a Reader, Table Leader, and Question Leader at the AP French Reading and is an AP Workshop consultant. He has been a member of the SAT French Development Committee, the AATF Standards Task Force, the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy Expert Advisory Group, co-chair of the Ohio World Languages Standards Revision Advisory Committee, and president of the Ohio Foreign Language Association. He was awarded a 2000 MBNA Excellence in Education Grant, named a 2011 Microsoft US Innovative Educator, chosen the 2014 Ohio World Language Teacher of the Year, listed in the 2017 Who’s Who in Black Cleveland, and won the Saint Ignatius High School Trailblazer Award in 2020. This summer, he will be one of 14 educators selected to participate in the AATF Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad to Côte d’Ivoire to study West African storytelling traditions.
Since 2021, Alan has hosted the podcast Milton Alan Turner: Worldviews.
Find Milton at maturner@me.com.
LINKS
AP French Language and Culture
AP German Language and Culture
AP Italian Language and Culture
AP Spanish Language and Culture
RELATED EPISODES
Big Changes to AP Tests in 2025
Getting Ready For The AP Literature Exam
Getting Ready For The AP Language Exam
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
AKA Not Just Your Tutoring Software–It’s Your Tech Team
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Wise?
- How does Wise work?
- Who currently uses Wise?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about Wise know about it?
ABOUT WISE
Founded by a former test prep tutor, Wise is a feature-packed tutor management platform built for both online and in-person tutoring, supporting one-on-one and group tutoring formats. Backed by the founders of Teachable, Plaid, Rippling, and others, it is trusted by over 1,000 tutoring businesses and solo tutors. Businesses like Boston based Break Debate have used Wise to scale from $70,000 to $1,000,000 in revenue within a year.
Wise’s standout feature is its AI-generated student progress reports. These reports are automatically created by analyzing session transcripts, tutor feedback, assignment and test performance, as well as student attentiveness and punctuality. The result is a clear, professional summary neatly organized into sections, including the following:
- Topics Covered
- Areas of Strength
- Areas for Improvement
- Next Steps
These highly customisable reports keep parents engaged, boost retention, and drive up to 3x more referrals.
To learn more about Wise and use it as a completely white label solution, reach out to the founder at mubeen@wiseapp.live.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Mental math trains working memory, boosts confidence, supports faster problem-solving, enhances number sense, and facilitates everyday calculations. So why do so many teachers deemphasize this valuable academic and life skill? Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to explore the value of mental math and automaticity.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why do you need mental math if you have a calculator?
- What does automaticity mean and why is it important?
- What are some examples of higher-level problem types that depend upon automatic math skills?
- What is math debt?
- Why is mental math important in everyday life?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mike McGibbon started tutoring at Kaplan while he was a student at UC Berkeley. After graduating in 2002, he moved to NYC to study music and play the trumpet professionally.
During this time, Mike also worked for several NYC tutoring agencies, and eventually transitioned to a full-time tutoring career. He now runs his own solo tutoring practice, focusing on the ACT, SAT, and ISEE. He is also CEO and co-founder of Mathchops.com and Grammarchops.com, adaptive math and grammar practice tools.
Today, Mike teaches in Westchester County, where he lives with his wife and three kids. He also provides free advice through articles and videos on www.nyctestprepadvice.com and the Mathchops YouTube channel.
Mike previously appeared on this podcast in episode 165 to discuss Differences Between SAT and ACT Math, episode 372 to explain Making Learning Science Work For You, episode 332 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Mathchops, episode 480 to discuss How Standardization Can Benefit Education, and in episode 532 to discuss All About Digital SAT Math.
Mike can be reached at mike@mathchops.com.
LINKS
The Top Six Reasons Why Mental Math is Important and Useful
Math Debt
RELATED EPISODES
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS
HIGH IMPACT STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN MATH
HOW TESTS AID MEMORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A test platform by tutors and for tutors
Better SAT and ACT Tests, Smarter Analytics with educators Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind ScoreSmart?
- Which tests does ScoreSmart support?
- Who currently uses ScoreSmart?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about ScoreSmart know about it?
ABOUT SCORESMART
ScoreSmart is the brainchild of Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer. ScoreSmart is dedicated to giving discerning tutors tests they can trust, scores calibrated to the real thing, and meaningful insights into student behaviors. ScoreSmart was built by tutors, for tutors and is the practice test engine of choice for many of the top tutors and tutoring companies in the world.
ScoreSmart offers 20 DSAT tests, including three "extra spicy" tests for top scorers, 4 Enhanced ACTs with another two on the way, and three ISEEs with another ten on the way. All tests are validated with actual user data and are regularly reviewed to ensure accuracy.
The ScoreSmart platform is available in a white label format so the entire student experience can be skinned with your company branding. There is no charge for adding students, so tutors can add an unlimited number of students to the platform and all student are automatically given access to a free SAT, a free current and Enhanced ACT, and the ability to upload results for Bluebook tests 1-10 and get performance analysis and branded score reports for each. Students can take full tests or single-subject tests. Tutors only pay for the tests that their students actually use.
If you'd like to learn more about ScoreSmart or try out some tests, reach out to neill@testperformanceanalytics.com or sonya@testperformanceanalytics.com for a tour of the system and some free tests to test.
LINKS
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: ScoreSmart with educators Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS with educators Neill Seltzer and Sonya Muthalia
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING with educator Sonya Muthalia
AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS with educator Neill Seltzer
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
You can’t please everyone, nor should you seek to, because then you won’t please anyone, least of all yourself. When actor Dylan Moran dispensed that bit of wisdom, he probably wasn’t aware of how aptly it applied to highly selective admissions. Amy and Mike invited education consultant Feiyang Liu to highlight the troubling college pleasing epidemic.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is college pleasing, and where does it originate from?
- How can students, parents, and educators spot signs of college pleasing?
- What are the hidden costs of college pleasing, both in the admissions process and in students' long-term development?
- How does people-pleasing in general contribute to the college-pleasing mindset, and how can students learn to prioritize their own needs?
- How can students shift their mindset from what colleges want to what actually excites and fulfills me?
MEET OUR GUEST
As a naturally introverted high school student, Feiyang Liu felt immense pressure to adopt a bubbly, inauthentic persona for his college applications. This led to a lack of fulfillment and a realization that pretending to be someone he wasn’t came with significant consequences. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and from USC with a Master's in Education (Enrollment Management and Policy), he grappled with people-pleasing while working in admissions and student services at UC Berkeley from 2019 to 2023. The burnout from constantly putting others' expectations above his own led to a pivotal moment of self-reflection.
In 2023, Feiyang relocated to New York, where he finally had the space to rethink my identity and values. This journey of self-discovery ignited a passion for genuine mentoring and ultimately led him to found Your Epic Consulting. His mission is to help students avoid the trap of "college pleasing" and instead showcase their true selves in their applications.
Feiyang combined his personal experiences and professional expertise to guide students toward holistic success. At Your Epic Consulting, they don’t coach you to say what 'sounds good' for college admissions. Instead, they empower you to express your authentic self, ensuring that self-acceptance and college acceptance go hand in hand.
Feiyang previously appeared on this podcast in episode 609 for an IEC Profile.
Find Feiyang at https://www.instagram.com/yourepic.consulting/.
LINKS
College Pleasing Series part 1: Origins
College Pleasing Series part 2: Hidden Costs of College Pleasing
College Pleasing Series part 3: Intersection w/ People Pleasing
Summary of "The Disease to Please"
RELATED EPISODES
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
BUILD A WINNING BRAND TO ACE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Learn everything you need to ace the AP U.S and World History Exams in One Day
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps?
- How do Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps work?
- Do you need to live in Atlanta to attend Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps know about it?
ABOUT AP HISTORY BOOT CAMPS
Every April, Edison Prep offers AP US and World History Bootcamps in preparation for the May AP exams. These bootcamps incorporate multiple learning activities that use actual past AP exams, effective writing strategies, and activities that keep students engaged while learning test-taking techniques. The history content portions are interspersed between the strategy and essay-writing portions of the bootcamp to maintain a lively atmosphere and to utilize real examples during the pedagogical portions.
Greg Hudson and Kelsey Hudson have been teaching AP US History and AP World History, respectively, for decades. In addition to being College Board-approved AP Readers (graders), they have authored AP history questions. Greg has also served as a senior trainer for other AP History essay readers due to the depth of his grading experience.
Greg and Kelsey are both scholars of the test, dissecting each year’s exams for the benefit of their future students. The students in their AP classes have done very well; over 90% of his students have passed the exam with over 2/3 having received a score of 4 or 5 on the exam.
DATES: 4/26/25 or 4/27/25 (same content each day, two date options)
LOCATION: Live In person (Atlanta) or remote (nationwide)
To learn more, please contact edisonprep.com/aphistory
LINKS
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM with educator Greg Hudson
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Many student athletes (or at least their parents) dream of earning a full ride to the college of their dreams. What most applicants find is that having sports on their resumes yields different but still substantial advantages. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Matt Arant to demystify Division III and Ivy League athletic recruitment.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Who is an athletic/admission liaison and what do they do?
- How does the recruitment process differ between Division III and Ivy/Patriot League schools and Division I and Division II schools?
- Can Division III athletes be awarded athletic scholarships?
- Do athletes typically apply earlier than non-athletes?
- How should I approach my application as a prospective DIII athlete?
- What are the test score requirements for DIII athletes?
MEET OUR GUEST
Matt Arant is the founder of Arant Academic Planning, LLC. Prior to becoming an independent counselor, Matt worked as an admission representative at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At F&M, Matt was the primary athletics liaison for the Office of Admission, working closely with over two dozen intercollegiate sports throughout the entire application cycle.
Matt has been invited to present on college athletic recruitment and the admissions process to public and private schools all across the country and is an active member of both the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and Texas Association for College Admission Counseling (TACAC). He is also a current associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), based in Metro Austin, Texas.
Find Matt at https://www.arantacademicplanning.com/.
LINKS
NCAA Eligibility Center
Division I and II Recruitment Calendars
Division Recruiting Fact Sheet
Ivy League Recruit Information
NESCAC Admission Statement
RELATED EPISODES
MYTHS ABOUT TESTING AND COLLEGE SPORTS
LOOKING FOR A FULL RIDE
HOW TENNIS AND TEST PREP ARE SIMILAR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What happened with the March SAT?
- How can test takers mitigate the impact of test cancellations?
- What are our thoughts on The Ohio State University turning to test-required admissions?
- What did Amy and Mike work on over the last month?
- What’s coming up for Amy and Mike?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
What Happens When a Test Goes Wrong?
Always Have a Testing Plan B
OACAC
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2024
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Traits like cognitive flexibility and impulse control strongly influence student grades and test scores to such an extent that they may be best learned in an academic context. Amy and Mike invited educator Ariel Lieberman to explore the relationship between the three core executive functions and test prep.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the core executive functions and why are they important?
- How do weak EF skills get in the way of a student’s test prep?
- Why is executive function best learned in a relevant academic context?
- What are ideal strategies to build EF skills within the framework of test prep?
- Does remote instruction influence the effectiveness of EF coaching?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ariel Akselrad Lieberman is the founder of Your Best Prep, a tutoring company based in Westchester County, NY that helps high school students, both neurotypical and those with learning differences, master the standardized test prep process and achieve their academic goals.
Prior to founding Your Best Prep, Ariel wrote SAT and AP curriculum for Ivy Consulting Group in New York City, where she also worked as a GED tutor for young adults in the criminal justice system as a member of the Ivy League Tutors Foundation.
Ariel has an M.Ed from Manhattanville College School of Education, where she studied Secondary Special Education and was a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Innovative Teaching, and a B.A. in history from SUNY-Purchase College, from which she graduated summa cum laude.
Ariel holds a Professional Certificate in Learning Differences (LD) and Neurodiversity with a Specialization in Executive Function through the Landmark College Institute for Research & Training.
Ariel previously appeared on this podcast in episode 194 for a Test Prep Profile.
Find Ariel at http://www.yourbestprep.com/.
LINKS
Executive Function: What It Is, How To Improve & Types
The False Promise of EF Coaching
RELATED EPISODES
HOW EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING PROCESSES IMPACT LEARNING
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS AND TEST PREP
POST PANDEMIC LEARNING LOSS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Expanding your tutoring business with MentoMind with educators Amit Jain and Jeremy Bryant
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind MentoMind?
- How does MentoMind work to help with student outcomes?
- How does MentoMind work to help educators attract students?
- Who currently uses MentoMind?
- How is MentoMind helping educators transition to an AI future?
ABOUT MENTOMIND
MentoMind is a revolutionary SAT/ACT prep platform designed to support students and help tutoring and test prep businesses thrive.
It helps tutors attract and engage students through free diagnostic tests, practice questions, fun quizzes, and video courses. With robust white-label capabilities, freemium features, and payment gateway integration, tutors can launch their own branded platform to offer free content and sell digital subscriptions or self-paced programs. By using automated drip emails and parent communication, tutors can nurture a community of students and become their go-to choice the moment students need additional support in the form of full tutoring services.
MentoMind uses AI-powered insights, adaptive learning technology, and high-quality test prep content to deliver personalized practice and strengthen student outcomes. The platform offers more than 3,500 expert-created practice questions, full-length tests, and real-time performance tracking, making it a well-rounded resource for standardized test preparation.
For tutors, MentoMind streamlines time-consuming tasks such as grading, quiz creation, and student progress tracking. Its centralized dashboard lets instructors assign practice tests, monitor performance, and provide personalized feedback. It also integrates parent communication tools to support transparency and engagement. With AI-powered features, tutors can create or upload their own learning and practice materials, allowing them to focus more on teaching and student growth.
One noteworthy feature of MentoMind is its AI-powered learning assistant, which offers 24/7 support to students. It provides hints and step-by-step guidance when they encounter difficulties, while keeping tutors informed of their conversations and progress. This interactive tool adapts to individual learning needs, making study sessions more engaging and effective.
Beyond test preparation, MentoMind provides a holistic environment for both learners and educators. Whether you’re an independent tutor, a test prep center, or a school, MentoMind delivers the tools, insights, and automation needed to enhance student success while streamlining workflows and supporting business growth. With advanced AI capabilities, automation, and white-label flexibility, MentoMind is a forward-thinking solution for college test preparation.
Amit first appeared on the podcast in episode 539 to discuss How Can Tutors Use AI?
To learn more about MentoMind, please visit mentomind.ai or reach out to amit.jain@mentomind.com or jeremy.bryant@mentomind.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
So much of the college search and application process looks forward, focusing on the destination. Where a student is coming from matters quite a bit though. Amy and Mike invited educational consultants Aly Beaumont and Meg Joyce to explain the significance of the high school class profile.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the high school class profile?
- What information do school profiles contain and why does it matter?
- Do all high schools have a school profile?
- What can be done to overcome the deficiencies of a school profile or the lack of one?
- Why should every applicant look at their high school profile?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Aly Beaumont is the founder of Admissions Village, a family focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is a Professional member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 212 to discuss PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, in episode 341 to discuss COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS, in episode 406 to discuss WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS?, in episode 537 to discuss WHAT DO TRULY TEST OPTIONAL COLLEGES FOCUS ON?, and was the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 264.
Meg Joyce works with Aly at Admissions Village, helping students and their parents navigate every step of the college search and application process. A self-professed research and detail geek, her favorite part of her job is watching students grow in skills and confidence as they work their way through high school and eventually, college applications. Meg wants every student to feel supported and heard, and most of all - special - because when students feel that, it comes through not just in their applications but in everything they do.
Meg is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied Finance and English and worked in the Alumni Office, spending hours talking to alums and learning about their time on campus. She also volunteered for many years as an alumni interviewer. Meg is the mother of four grown children, each of whom had different educational journeys. One has a masters degree in foreign service, another has a masters in creative writing, a third was a college athlete, and another has been working full time while attending community college. She is also an identical twin, so if you see her and she doesn’t say hi, she’s not being rude, it’s just her twin! Meg is an Associate member of IECA and has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Find Aly and Meg at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
LINKS
Have You Seen Your High School Profile?
RELATED EPISODES
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
CRAFTING YOUR COLLEGE RESUME
THE PROBLEM WITH GRADES
IMPLICATIONS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT DASHBOARD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A year ago, an innovative new digital adaptive SAT came to the United States–a year after its first appearance internationally. This is the perfect time to find out how College Board feels about both the obstacles and opportunities encountered over this historic transition. Amy and Mike invited Vice President of SAT Suite Program Maureen Forman to talk all about the digital SAT: how it started and how it’s going.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Looking back, what were the most substantial challenges in transforming the SAT to a digital adaptive test?
- What were the most positive outcomes from the digital transition?
- What is the current and projected state of the Bluebook practice tests and question bank?
- What is the role of Khan Academy as College Board’s Official Digital SAT Prep Partner?
- What can students and educators expect from College Board through 2025?
MEET OUR GUEST
Maureen Forman is the Vice President, SAT Suite Program and Innovation for College Board. Like many of our listeners, Maureen considers herself an educator first and began her career as a high school teacher in the School District of Philadelphia with the New Teacher Project. She earned her Masters in Education from Eastern University before moving into her work with education technology almost 15 years ago.
Maureen’s earliest experiences in product management and edtech implementation consulting were with Naviance, a popular college and career readiness application designed to support high school counselors and students’ college, career, and life readiness. Maureen joined College Board in 2018 and in partnership with hundreds of dedicated College Board employees, helped to lead the digital transformation of the SAT Suite of assessments which culminated with the final delivery of the world’s last paper-based SAT in December 2023.
Learn more about the SAT at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/.
LINKS
SAT Suite of Assessments
Khanmigo
RELATED EPISODES
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
HOW THE DIGITAL SAT IS SCORED
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While we generally profess to celebrate all interests and contributions, the clubs and activities that mean the most to some high schoolers fail to earn the respect that other extracurriculars do, even when students receive recognition on a state or national level. Do colleges at least care? Amy and Mike invited educator Vida John to explore the admissions implications of academic competitions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are academic competitions, and what are some examples?
- Why should students consider participating in academic competitions?
- What do colleges think of them?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of participating in these activities?
- What can we learn from the example of American Mathematics Competitions?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vida John is a math coach and tutor, specializing in students who are preparing for math contests and studying curriculum published by Art of Problem Solving. Vida grew up in Iowa where she was a high school mathlete before studying at the Stanford School of Engineering and UCSF School of Medicine. After working in Silicon Valley for a medical start up, she homeschooled her two daughters with the intent of providing an excellent education especially in math and science.
She coached homeschooled math teams for 10 years, and with both daughters now attending Stanford, she continues to help students prepare for MathCounts, AMC, and other contests while building their problem solving skills. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and runs workshops on using math contests to prepare for college level work.
Vida previously appeared on this podcast in episode 255 to discuss Competitive Math And Testing and in episode 536 to discuss All About the American Math Competition.
Find Vida at vidajohntutoring.com.
LINKS
American Mathematics Competitions
MATHCOUNTS Foundation
Art of Problem Solving
RELATED EPISODES
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS
HIGH IMPACT STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN MATH
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Where did Amy and Mike go last month?
- What is keeping Mike and Amy busy professionally these days?
- How does Amy like the SAT/ACT TestBright Curriculum System?
- What is the Words We Love 2025 Substack Carnival?
- What does the next month hold for your fearless hosts?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
TestBright SAT/ACT Curriculum System
Words We Love 2025
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2024
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2024
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
During a period of American education history where most standardized tests fell at least momentarily out of favor, one series of exams seems to be growing in popularity with no end in sight. Amy and Mike invited educator Rob Franek to explore the explosive rise of Advanced Placement testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What has inspired the recent increase in AP tests and testing?
- What is College Board’s strategy with the Advanced Placement program?
- Will AP tests replace the need for SAT and ACT in admission considerations?
- Where do these developments leave students without access to AP programs?
- Will digital APs be cause for applause?
MEET OUR GUEST
A national expert on colleges and higher education, Rob Franek is a publisher, editor, lecturer, media contributor, and author as well as a former college admissions administrator.
As Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, he oversees the company’s 150+ Princeton Review books distributed by Penguin Random House. He also directs the company's annual surveys of students, parents, and school administrators. The survey findings are reported at dozens of education conferences and by hundreds of media each year.
Over his 33-year career, Rob has visited more than 1,200 high schools and more than 1,000 colleges and graduate schools. It is his interactions with students, parents, and counselors that he cites as his most inspiring professional experiences. He gives more than 100 talks a year to audiences of students, parents, educators, counselors, and advisors. He has chaired panels and presented keynotes at many National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) conferences and delivered commencement addresses at three universities.
Rob is author of four books: The Best 390 Colleges; The Best Value Colleges; College Admission 101; and Colleges That Create Futures. He also spearheaded the publications of The Ultimate Guide to HBCUs and The College Wellness Guide .
As director of The Princeton Review's surveys, Rob has polled millions of college and graduate school students for the company’s school rankings which are based on student ratings of their schools and tallied in dozens of categories. Rob also oversees the company’s annual College Hopes & Worries Survey of thousands of college applicants and their parents as well as its annual College Administrator Summer Survey .
Rob has hosted 140+ videos on The Princeton Review's YouTube channel . which collectively have received more than a million views. Among them: The New SAT: 15 Must-Know Answers About the Test , The ACT is Changing: 5 Things to Know , and Key Concepts for Spring 2024 AP Exams .
Sourced by the AP, Voice of America, New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education , and other media, Rob has also appeared on hundreds of broadcasts including more than 30 appearances on NBC TODAY. Hoda Kotb, the show's co-anchor, has introduced him saying “ He talks. We listen!” Rob has also appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NPR, PBS, and NHK (Japan) as well as the Emmy-award winning show Teen Kids News.
Rob earned his B.A. at Drew University (NJ) and serves on its Board of Trustees. Prior to joining The Princeton Review in 1999, he was a college admissions administrator at Wagner College (NY) for six years.
A resident of Manhattan, Rob is a New York history buff and an avid runner.
Rob can be reached at robert.franek@review.com.
LINKS
Advanced Placement - College Board
AP Test Prep - The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review Reports Findings of Its 2024 College Administrator Summer Survey
RELATED EPISODES
BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
CONTROVERSIES AROUND NEW AP PROGRAMS
THE FUTURE OF AP EXAMS
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Big life changes hit all of us differently, which is to say that not every teen is equally prepared for the dramatic academic, social, and emotional shift that comes with moving away from home. Amy and Mike invited counselor Katie Burchenal to discuss college transitions and distress tolerance.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is Distress Tolerance?
- What issues elevate Distress Tolerance?
- What are some strategies to manage Distress Tolerance and what is DBT?
- How can parents, educators, and counselors support students through big life changes?
- What are self-care strategies for parents, educators, and counselors?
MEET OUR GUEST
Katie Burchenal is a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the owner of Katie Burchenal Counseling. Her private practice specializes in counseling for teens, individuals, and couples. Known for her empathetic approach, warmth, and humor, Katie connects deeply with her clients. She is dedicated to empowering individuals to pursue self-growth beyond therapy by offering solution-focused homework and practical strategies for daily life.
Katie Burchenal Counseling also provides coaching services for teens, parents, and individuals nationwide. She assists teens and young adults with issues such as academic stress, social relationships, divorce, self-discovery, confidence, anxiety, communication challenges, and transitions to high school, college, and post-college life. Additionally, Katie has a strong passion for supporting student-athletes aiming for college competition. She guides them through the recruitment process, effective communication with coaches, self-marketing, and the transition to college athletics.
Outside of her professional life, Katie enjoys a blended family with her husband and their eight children.
Katie can be reached at https://www.katieburchenalcounseling.com/.
LINKS
The Secret to Surviving Stressful Transitions
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Distress Tolerance Skills for College Students: A Pilot Investigation of a Brief DBT
Group Skills Training Program
Dialectical behavior therapy for college students: A randomized clinical trial
RELATED EPISODES
THE W-CURVE MODEL AND NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS
THE PARENT TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE
HOW PREPARATION AND MINDFULNESS GO TOGETHER
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The entire edifice of higher education and industry depends on a steady flow of students coming in and qualified graduates flowing out. What happens to the system when the crucial input of applicants drops dramatically? Amy and Mike invited journalist Jon Marcus to answer that very question, because the dreaded demographic cliff is here.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is a demographic cliff?
- What have colleges done to prepare for a decline in applicants?
- Which schools are most and least threatened by the demographic cliff?
- How does the demographic pattern benefit applicants?
- How will this shift in population impact schools and society?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jon Marcus is higher-education editor at The Hechinger Report and also writes for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired, NPR, and other magazines, newspapers, and websites. Jon holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Bates College, and attended Oxford University. He teaches journalism at Boston College and Northeastern University.
Jon previously appeared on this podcast in episode 201 to discuss How College Board and ACT are Changing.
Find Jon at jmarcus@hechingerreport.org or on Bluesky/X at @jonmarcusboston.
LINKS
The number of 18-year-olds is about to drop sharply, packing a wallop for colleges — and the economy
A looming 'demographic cliff': Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates
Despite public perception, and for the first time in decades, college acceptance rates are going up
Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica
RELATED EPISODES
DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS AND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST
PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A widely held belief about brain function is that very little is truly understood in modern science. Unfortunately, most people probably know even less than they think! Amy and Mike invited education professional Gretchen Wegner to explore and debunk the most common neuromyths.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What exactly is a neuromyth?
-
Is there one neuromyth that stands out over all the others?
-
What are some other common neuromyths?
-
Why is it so destructive to believe and teach neuromyths?
-
How do we eliminate neuromyths in education and instruction?
MEET OUR GUEST
Gretchen Wegner is the founder of the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, where educators obsess over discovering the best science-backed study skills and executive function strategies every student needs to thrive.
A former classroom teacher and academic coach, she now specializes in consolidating the science of learning into fun, digestible, actionable, executive function-friendly nuggets for educators and their students.
Gretchen is also a tireless learner, consistently and transparently modeling the Anti-Boring Study Skills Toolkit in her speaking presentations and throughout her courses and community.
Gretchen previously appeared on this podcast in episode 34 to discuss How to Teach Students to Study Effectively and in a spotlight in episode 542 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Anti-Boring Learning Lab.
Find Gretchen at www.antiboringlearninglab.com.
LINKS
Neuromyths: What Science to Ditch (or Defend?!) When Coaching Students
Expand your academic coaching toolkit
The Role of Meta-Analysis in Scientific Studies
RELATED EPISODES
DEBUNKING LEARNING STYLES
DOES GROWTH MINDSET MATTER?
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The opacity and complexity of elements of the college application process inspire endless speculation about what really matters. In many cases, though, the best place to find answers is with the colleges themselves. Amy and Mike invited educator John Durante to review admissions lessons learned from admissions representatives.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What can admissions reps share about the college admissions process that you won't find elsewhere?
- What are some of the things you do control in the college admissions process?
- What aspects of the college admissions process are out of an applicant's control?
- What common mistakes do students or families make when focusing on the things they can control?
- Why does today's admission process require so much knowledge and experience?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. John Durante, a Stony Brook University alum, has been the principal of Syosset High School for 13 years. In 2016 he was named Best Principal on Long Island from the Bethpage Federal Credit Union and is also a recipient of the PTA Founders Day Award and Jenkins Award. John started his career at Syosset High School in 1994 as a teacher of world languages and he prides himself on helping others. After helping his daughters through the college admissions process, he came up with the idea of interviewing college admissions representatives to provide students and parents with insight and advice, straight from the people who ultimately make the admissions decisions. So, he launched “The College Admissions Process Podcast” in February 2022 and has released nearly 300 episodes, while currently averaging over 10,000 downloads each month.
John is the author of Straight From The Admissions Office: Insider Strategies for College Applications.
John previously appeared on this podcast in episode 493 to discuss How To Speak To A College Admissions Rep.
Find John at collegeadmissionstalk@gmail.com.
LINKS
Straight From The Admissions Office: Insider Strategies for College Applications
The College Admissions Process Podcast
The College Admissions Process Alphabetical List with links
John Durante on LinkedIn
RELATED EPISODES
MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE VISITS
HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLLEGES
DEMONSTRATING INTEREST DURING VIRTUAL COLLEGE TOURS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A new year brings new excitement. The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How were Amy and Mike’s holidays?
- What are our one word mantras for 2025?
- How are Amy and Mike starting the new year?
- What trips do Amy and Mike have coming up?
- Why is Mike so excited about his newest Substack?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
College Road Newsletter
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2024
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2024
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2024
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Considering how prevalent the topic of AI has become in business, leisure, and education, it was only a matter of time before college students would choose to focus on its study. Amy and Mike invited college dean Jennifer Stephan to explore what you need to know about artificial intelligence as an undergraduate major.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What do students study when they major in AI? What are some focus areas within an AI degree?
- Is an AI major a replacement or improvement over a CS major?
- Are there non-technical pathways to contribute to AI?
- What majors besides AI and CS can prepare you for a career in AI?
- What important questions should students interested in studying AI be able to answer?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Jennifer Stephan has held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jennifer is currently the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Prior to joining Tufts in 2016, she spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of Computer Science at Wellesley College, where she collaborated with colleagues at MIT, Olin College of Engineering, and Babson College to support students pursuing engineering. While at Wellesley, Jennifer served on the College’s Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating approximately one hundred transfer applications each year.
Jennifer also is the founder of Lantern College Counseling, a robust college counseling practice where she regularly employs insights from her experiences leading in higher education to help students develop their college lists and shape competitive, authentic applications. Jennifer specializes in STEM, computer science, engineering, undecided and transfer students
She is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
Jennifer first appeared on our podcast in episode 541 to discuss NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADMISSIONS and in episode 559 for a Test Prep Profile.
Find Jennifer at jennifer@lanterncollege.com or https://www.lanterncollegecounseling.com.
LINKS
Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an Undergraduate Major: What You Need to Know
Navigating the Competitive Landscape of Computer Science Admissions: An Expert’s Approach — Lantern College Counseling
RELATED EPISODES
STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME
COMPARING MOST POPULAR AND MOST LUCRATIVE COLLEGE MAJORS
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The global onset of the coronavirus shut down schools, which interrupted the educational process for millions of students. The expectation was that deficits in fundamental areas would be made up once the world opened up again. Did that happen though? Amy and Mike invited education professional Nancy Weinstein to explore post-pandemic learning loss.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Are students really performing differently since the pandemic?
- Does learning loss differ based on age or gender?
- Were students in all parts of the United States equally impacted by the pandemic?
- How can students begin to repair pandemic learning gaps?
- What can parents, educators, and coaches do to repair pandemic learning loss?
MEET OUR GUEST
Nancy Weinstein founded Mindprint Learning with the perspectives of both a parent and an innovator. Realizing a need to address a common challenge for parents and educators, she drew upon her background in science and business to create Mindprint, the first ever valid at-home cognitive assessment supported with next-step strategies for growth. Nancy has an extensive background in business, including work at Goldman Sachs, The Walt Disney Company Corporate Strategic Planning, Bristol Myers Squibb, and several smaller Internet companies. Nancy has an MBA from Harvard Business School with first year honors and a BS/BSE summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton School of Management and Technology Program, Bioengineering and Finance. As a mother of two, Nancy recognizes the challenges parents face today, from helping with homework, to navigating the ever-changing pace of education and technology.
Nancy previously appeared on this podcast in episode 132 to discuss The Science of Memory.
Find Nancy at https://mindprintlearning.com/.
LINKS
MindPrint Research Brief - Post Pandemic Brain Changes: Results from 35K Students
Study Finds COVID Harmed Cognitive Skills of Students — and Teachers – The 74
RELATED EPISODES
COVID LEARNING LOSS
THE GROWING IMPACT OF CHEATING DURING COVID
HOW TESTS AID MEMORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Finding your best fit school requires a lot of smart research, so don’t overlook one of the best sources of institutional information available. Amy and Mike invited independent counselor Jane Gabin to discuss how the common data set can help interpret what colleges tell you.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Common Data Set?
- How can studying the CDS help with judging the value of a school?
- What does a school’s graduation rate tell us about the school?
- How can the CDS be accessed and can anyone look at it?
- Are there schools that try to hide their data?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jane S. Gabin has been publishing articles on colleges’ over-hiring of adjunct faculty since 2015, when she wrote about the problem in “Ask the College Counselor,” her regular column for InsideSchools.com. Her writing on this subject has also appeared in Inside Higher Ed (June 24, 2019), the Academe Blog (July 2, 2019 and May 21, 2020), and The College Prep Guide (college-prep-guide.com).
A member of NACAC, SACAC, and the International ACAC, as well as the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), she currently works as an independent counselor, addressing groups such as the local NAACP Youth Council about educational opportunities, and speaking to parents and students at local public libraries.
Dr. Gabin has over 20 years in the college admissions profession. She worked for 10 years for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was in charge of all international admissions and counselor relations. She followed this with 11 years in college advising at independent schools in the NYC area, primarily at the United Nations International School (UNIS).
She gave a talk at the SACAC 2020 conference on “Another Way of Looking at What Makes a College ‘Good’” when she addressed this issue (in addition to suggesting a close look at colleges’ admission rate, retention rate, class size, and graduation rate).
Additionally, she has given or led sessions (primarily on the essay process) at the New Jersey ACAC, the New York State ACAC, NACAC, and for KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) in NYC.
She received a Ph.D. in English at UNC-Chapel Hill and has published one novel and is working on another. As an independent scholar, she is currently researching the lives of women artists in the 19th century.
Jane previously appeared on this podcast in episode 328 to discuss Concerns About College Staffing Trends.
Find Jane at janesgabin@yahoo.com.
LINKS
Common Data Set
The Shortest Guide to College Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
HOW IMPORTANT IS GPA IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS?
HOW ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR MORALE IS CHANGING ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Wanting to pursue higher education is not exactly the same as being ready for higher education and all that its pursuit entails, as too many students learn to their detriment. Amy and Mike invited educator Carey Dukes to explore just how prepared and ready most teens are for college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Are students typically prepared for both the academic and emotional challenges of college?
- What critical skills should students develop to enhance their readiness for college life and beyond?
- Why does approaching college in terms of semesters make sense?
- Why should student persistence be a priority for colleges?
- What role do parents and educators play in fostering college readiness among teens?
MEET OUR GUEST
Carey Dukes brings a unique blend of expertise in business management and academic leadership, honed over three decades in both the corporate and educational sectors. Currently an Assistant Professor of Management at North Greenville University, Carey has a distinguished career that spans from managing large-scale transportation operations to pioneering new approaches in student retention and academic success.
With a Doctorate in Business Administration and extensive experience as a CEO in multiple companies, Carey has a deep understanding of business process improvement, change management, and organizational development. His work in the trucking and logistics industry, where he specialized in fixing broken processes and leading innovation, has equipped him with practical insights into managing complex systems and driving efficiency.
In academia, Carey’s focus has shifted towards addressing one of higher education's most pressing challenges: student retention. Drawing from his own experiences as a first-generation college student, Carey authored a book and developed a model aimed at improving student readiness and retention, particularly in the critical first year of college. His research identifies key variable components that predict student success, offering actionable strategies for institutions to retain more students and reduce the high dropout rates that plague universities.
Find Carey at carey@therci.net.
LINKS
The Readiness for Change Institute
https://www.youtube.com/@HigherEdReady
College Readiness Benchmarks
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO PERSIST TO COLLEGE GRADUATION
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
COLLEGE READINESS ADVICE FROM A COLLEGE PROFESSOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Once in a while, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How was the NTPA Winter Workshop?
- How did Amy celebrate the end of Mike’s term as NTPA President?
- How will Amy and Mike be celebrating the holidays?
- Where is the newest place you can find Tests and the Rest?
- What are our goals for the new year?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
https://www.youtube.com/@TestsAndTheRest
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2024
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2024
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL TEST PREP ASSOCIATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
How odd is it that one of the most effective ways to learn about college applicants tends to be among the least frequent steps in the process. How valuable is direct conversation for evaluating prospective members of an educational community and what might the future hold? Amy and Mike invited college admissions expert Parke Muth to explore the importance of college interviews.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is typically meant by a college interview?
- How common and impactful are interviews in the current admissions process?
- What are the best ways to prepare for college interviews?
- Why should interviews be used more often?
- What are some of the downsides of requiring more interviews?
MEET OUR GUEST
Parke Muth has worked in education for over 35 years. Most of the time he served as a Dean at the University of Virginia in the admission office and in the English Department. He now works with companies, schools, families, and students across the world but mostly focusing on Asia where he spends about 1/2 of the year.
While at Virginia, Parke was, among other things, Director of Selection and Recruitment of Honors Scholars, Director of Application Assessment Training, and Director of International Admission. He’s been serving for over 25 years as a member of the Jefferson Scholars selection committee. This four-year, full scholarship is among the most elite programs in the United States. Parke also serves as an advisor for the Ron Brown Scholars Program, an elite scholars program that provides financial support and leadership training, networking, and career services for underprivileged black students.
Because of his experiences in admissions, Parke is a highly sought-after speaker He has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg, Associated Press, NBC, etc. He has had over 6 million people read his responses on the website Quora.com. He also has a blog with over 4,000 pages of content, all free, no ads or promotions: https://onlyconnectparke.blogspot.com/
Parke previously appeared on this podcast in episode 81 to discuss You Can't Handle the Truth: Secrets of College Admissions and in episode 148 to discuss Stop Making $en$e: The International Student Problem and in episode 292 for an IEC Profile.
Find Parke at parkemuth@gmail.com.
LINKS
Glimpse by InitialView
Can You Answer These 10 College Interview Questions?
Askwith Education Forum Details Impact of Wealth on College Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW
POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
HOW TO SPEAK TO A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REP
WHY OPTIONAL STATEMENTS AREN’T OPTIONAL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Just about anyone can become an educator or coach, but can anyone become great at it? Amy and Mike invited educator Dan Lerman to enumerate the qualities of great educators and coaches.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the foundational qualities of a great tutor or coach?
- What can be taught to tutors and how?
- How do you know if you are not a great tutor or coach?
- Beyond a test, what does a great tutor teach?
- What is the current state of tutor training?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dan Lerman is a professor of Cognitive Science at Columbia University. He is passionate about using Cognitive Science to optimize learning, and his specialty is in creative problem-solving. Dan has previously taught at St. Paul's School in London, Saint Ann's in Brooklyn, and Oxford University, and he has founded three companies in the tutoring space. He is passionate about social skills, personal growth, and combating the loneliness epidemic, which has spawned the Backyard Comedy Series. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, daughter, and dog.
Find Dan at dml2183@tc.columbia.edu or at danlerman.com.
LINKS
Advanced Tutoring Techniques | Programs | TC Academy
Rogers Three Characteristics/Attributes Needed for Client-Therapist Relationship
How to Assess Tutors and Test Prep Providers
RELATED EPISODES
THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE IN TEACHERS
HOW TO BE AN INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR
WHY YOU WANT TO WORK WITH A CAREER TUTOR
TUTORING TREASURES: TIPS FOR TEACHING TEENS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alison Merzel. Alison Merzel is the founder of AHM Advising LLC, an independent educational consulting practice focused on helping high school students and families find their best-fit post-secondary educational options. Prior to launching her business in 2019, Alison was at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business for 15 years, most recently as the Senior Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions.
Alison holds a BS from Northwestern University in Communications and Spanish and a Master of Labor and Human Resources from The Ohio State University. She has a certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from the UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education. She is a Wow Writing Workshop Certified College Essay Coach and completed the Gap Year Association’s 2022 Counselor Institute. Alison is awaiting the results of her CEP assessment (Certified Educational Planner) and upon approval, will become just the 6th education professional in the state of Ohio to hold this designation.
Alison is a professional member of IECA, the Independent Educational Consultants Association, where she serves as co-chair of the Jewish IEC Affinity Group and as a member of the College Tour subcommittee. She is also a member of NACAC, OACAC, and OASFAA and serves as an Advisory Board Member for College Planner Pro, software that is designed exclusively for IECs.
Locally, Alison is a member of the Bexley Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Board of Trustees of Congregation Tifereth Israel where she serves as the Co-Chair of the synagogue’s Personnel Committee.
Alison and her husband, Jeff, have lived in Bexley for 17 years and have three children (17, 15, and 10) The Merzel family is not complete without mention of Marvin, an Australian Labradoodle, and Toby, a Cavapoo.
Find Alison at www.ahmadvising.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Julie Spak. Since 1985, Julie has been connecting students to their futures in her work as a College Admissions Officer, Financial Aid Officer and Honors Program Counselor at the University of New Hampshire, where she received her M.Ed in Counseling and BA in Communication and English. Julie also worked as a School Counselor, so she knows how to help students and families from "both sides of the desk." She is a Past President of New Hampshire School Counselors Association and is currently a member of the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association and National College Advocacy Group (NCAG). Julie is Birkman certified.
Julie's coaching produces a stand-out college application and also accelerates the career search during college and beyond. Working as a Career Coach & Educational Consultant combines all of her passions of helping students learn about their strengths and finding the best fit college major and institution while keeping finances in mind.
Julie lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband and two active boys, where there is truly never a dull moment!
Julie previously appeared in episode 479 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: National College Affordability Group.
Find Julie at juliespak@leaprogram.com or https://www.juliespakconsulting.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Stef Mauler, founder of the Mauler Institute™ and author of The Complete Candidate™. She began working in Ivy League admissions over 30 years ago. She met thousands of high school students and their families as they went through the mysterious Ivy League admissions process. Discovering that the majority of applicants had the academic record, but were not accepted, she set out to find patterns in what differentiated the students who were accepted from those who weren’t. Stef holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a Graduate Certificate in College Counseling from the University of California, San Diego. Stef is a Certified Educational Planner and a professional member of IECA, HECA, AICEP and NACAC.
Find Stef at https://www.themaulerinstitute.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Michelle Siddons. Michelle is an Associate Member of IECA, a new member of NTPA, and has her Masters in Education from Seton Hall and undergraduate degree from Colgate University. Michelle has been helping high school students for over twenty five years with test prep and the past five years with college counseling. She completed her certificate in college counseling from UCLA. She and her husband live in Mountain Lakes New Jersey, have three young daughters and she serves as a volunteer with many local organizations including the Mountain Lakes Swim and Dive Association, the local travel soccer club and serves on the board of a program called Project Readiness which seeks to level the playing field for all of New Jersey’s children – regardless of economic background – through school supply drives, and free counseling services for students seeking financial assistance for college. In her free time, Michelle can be found on local platform tennis courts as she is a self-professed “paddle junkie”.
Find Michelle at msedsvcs20@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Feiyang Liu. As a naturally introverted high school student, Feiyang felt immense pressure to adopt a bubbly, inauthentic persona for my college applications. This led to a lack of fulfillment and a realization that pretending to be someone he wasn’t came with significant consequences. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and from USC with a Master's in Education (Enrollment Management and Policy), he grappled with people-pleasing while working in admissions and student services at UC Berkeley from 2019 to 2023. The burnout from constantly putting others' expectations above his own led to a pivotal moment of self-reflection.
In 2023, Feiyang relocated to New York, where he finally had the space to rethink my identity and values. This journey of self-discovery ignited a passion for genuine mentoring and ultimately led him to found Your Epic Consulting. His mission is to help students avoid the trap of "college pleasing" and instead showcase their true selves in their applications.
Feiyang combined his personal experiences and professional expertise to guide students toward holistic success. At Your Epic Consulting, they don’t coach you to say what 'sounds good' for college admissions. Instead, they empower you to express your authentic self, ensuring that self-acceptance and college acceptance go hand in hand.
Find Feiyang at https://www.instagram.com/yourepic.consulting/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The successful outcome of preparing for the SAT & ACT can yield a massive return on investment, but the real value lies in the process itself. Amy and Mike invited educator Rob Pollak to explore how test prep prepares you for college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is test prep all about tips and tricks?
- How is standardized test prep more than just preparation for one isolated exam?
- In what way does test prep challenge students to think more strategically about their learning and approach to studying?
- How do the skills students develop during test prep translate to real-world applications beyond college?
- How can test prep be a tool for teaching students to manage stress and perform under pressure?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rob Pollak is an expert SAT and ACT tutor with a passion for helping high school students and their families navigate the standardized testing process. In 2012, Rob founded Pollak Tutors, a private tutoring company that helps students in NJ, NY, and CT prepare for and achieve their goals on college entrance exams.
Rob is a graduate of Hamilton College, Fordham University School of Law, and the ACT Certified Educator program.
Rob first appeared on the podcast in episode 155 in a Test Prep Profile and in episode 397 to discuss How And Why To Manage Your Proctor.
Find Rob at support@pollaktutors.com, 201-472-5050, or www.pollaktutors.com
LINKS
College Readiness Benchmarks
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE READINESS ADVICE FROM A COLLEGE PROFESSOR
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
TRACKING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Teens on the road to college tend to encounter a variety of counselors positioned to support them on their journeys. However, not every one of these counselors has the same job. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Margaret Rothe to define the different roles of school and private counselors.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- In what ways are school and private college counselors the same?
- Do you have to be a high school counselor to be a private college counselor?
- What is something high school counselors do that IECs don’t or can’t do?
- What is something an IEC does that school counselors don’t or can’t do?
- What resources support all counselors supporting college applications?
MEET OUR GUEST
Margaret Rothe is a leading authority in higher education and student affairs policy. With over 20 years of experience, Margaret has been a driving force behind shaping institutional policies that deeply impact student communities. She was instrumental in pioneering the nation’s first live/learn communities, creating powerful connections between faculty and staff that enrich the student experience, earning both campus and national recognition for her efforts.
Her expertise spans from first-year programming to balancing enrollment goals, even stepping into public safety roles when needed. After leaving university administration, Margaret brought this extensive experience into private college counseling, where she recognized a significant gap in college readiness that contributed to student attrition. There was no standard for guiding students on how to choose the right school or how to prepare academically and personally. Moreover, no software existed that was truly counselor-centric—most were built for government reporting or data extraction.
This realization led her to co-create CounselMore Educational Services Management Software, a platform that combines both the art and science of college counseling to reduce counselor burnout and better serve students. CounselMore now supports over 1,000 private college counselors and has earned two EdTech Digest awards for education innovation and she was honored in 2023 with the Innovation Visionary award.
Margaret can be reached at support@counselmore.com.
LINKS
The Role of the School Counselor
FAQs on the Independent Educational Consulting Profession
RELATED EPISODES
HOW SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNSELORS CAN WORK TOGETHER
OVERWORKED SCHOOL COUNSELORS
HOW TO CHOOSE A COLLEGE COUNSELOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The fact that students are earning higher grades than ever without any appreciable increase in other assessments of academic ability should be well-known by now. Less understood are the root causes of this increasing phenomenon. Amy and Mike invited researchers Maia Goodman Young and Dan Goldhaber to dig into the data on how grading policies influence grade inflation.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the purpose of grading?
- How did state policy around grading in Washington change during the pandemic?
- What does the research show about changes in grades throughout the pandemic?
- What is the current connection between grades and test scores?
- How does weaker rigor in grading influence student interest in academic support?
- Are there differences in grading in different subjects or socioeconomic status?
- What other grading policies might impact grade inflation?
- What can we make of the weaker connection between grades and test scores? Is it bad or good?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Dr. Maia Goodman Young is a researcher at the Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington and an instructor in the UW's secondary teacher education program where she teaches courses in English Language Arts methods and assessment. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher who taught for nine years in California and Washington. Maia's experience as a classroom teacher informs her research, as she worked to better understand questions of grading policies and practices, teacher preparation, and the teacher labor market.
Maia can be reached at maiag@uw.edu.
Dr. Dan Goldhaber is the Director of the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER, caldercenter.org) at the American Institutes for Research and the Director of the Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR, cedr.us(link is external)) at the University of Washington. Both CALDER and CEDR are focused on using state administrative data to do research that informs decisions about policy and practice.
Dan’s work focuses on issues of educational productivity and reform at the K-12 level, the broad array of human capital policies that influence the composition, distribution, and quality of teachers in the workforce, and connections between students' K-12 experiences and postsecondary outcomes. Topics of published work in this area include studies of the stability of value-added measures of teachers, the effects of teacher qualifications and quality on student achievement, and the impact of teacher pay structure and licensure on the teacher labor market.
Dan’s research has been regularly published in leading peer-reviewed economic and education journals such as: American Economic Review, Journal of Human Resources, Journal of Policy and Management, Economics of Education Review, Education Finance and Policy, and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. The findings from these articles have been covered in more widely accessible media outlets such as National Public Radio, the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and Education Week. Dan previously served as president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy (2006-2017), an elected member of the Alexandria City School Board from 1997-2002, and as co-editor of Education Finance and Policy.
Dan can be reached at dgoldhab@uw.edu.
LINKS
Every teacher grades differently, which isn’t fair
Are SAT & ACT Scores More Predictive Than GPA?
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management: Vol 43, No 4
The Unintended Consequences of Academic Leniency
Grade inflation: Why it matters and how to stop it
Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms
RELATED EPISODES
THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION
WHY GRADE INFLATION IS HARMFUL
THE PROBLEM WITH GRADES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Once in a while, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What new piece of curriculum did Mike create recently?
- What is Mike’s background in birding?
- What were Amy’s big takeaways from the College Board National Forum?
- What have we learned about college admissions?
- When and where will the NTPA Winter Workshop be?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Roots2Words Teachers Pay Teachers Store
2024 National Test Prep Association Winter Workshop
10,000 Birds
RELATED EPISODES
EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2024
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF TEST PREP: AMY SEELEY’S ORIGIN STORY
SAT & ACT TESTING TIMELINES: MIKE BERGIN’S ORIGIN STORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The ACT has been remarkably stable since the last time the exam was “enhanced” in 1989. However, significant changes are coming more quickly than you might think to this influential college admissions exam. Amy and Mike invited ACT representative Catherine Hofmann to share all the details about the ACT Test Enhancements.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How is the ACT changing?
- What aspects of the ACT are staying the same?
- What is the motivation for these enhancements?
- Will the Enhanced ACT be linear or adaptive?
- What is the timeline for the Enhanced ACT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Catherine Hofmann serves as the Senior Vice President of Government and Public Relations at ACT, where she has held a leadership role since 2014. Prior to joining ACT, she worked in Oklahoma as a teacher and assistant principal, at the Oklahoma Department of Education, and then at College Board overseeing state strategy.
Growing up in a fifth-generation rural farming family and as a first-generation college student, Catherine understands the value of a college education and strives to use her voice and professional experience to advocate for underserved students. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and a master’s degree in School Administration.
Catherine lives on the family farm established in 1860 outside Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, her four children, and her beloved rescue cats and rescue dog, Cash. And the family is growing—she regularly fosters rescue animals and engages in a range of other community volunteer services.
Learn about the coming changes and sign up for updates at the ACT Test Enhancements page.
LINKS
ACT Test Enhancements
The Upcoming Changes to the Enhanced ACT
RELATED EPISODES
WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
WHY THE SAT AND ACT ARE AWESOME
WHEN SHOULD YOU TAKE THE SAT OR ACT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
You don’t need to be a future business major to bring some marketing acumen to your application to higher education. Amy and Mike invited marketing professional Stacey Ross Cohen to review how to build a winning brand to ace college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How are college admissions and personal branding related?
- Why is personal branding/digital leadership critical for college-bound students?
- What are essential steps teens should take to build a strong personal brand?
- How can college-bound students use social media to their advantage?
- What other essential life skills are important for high school teens to navigate the college process?
MEET OUR GUEST
An award-winning marketing professional who earned her stripes on Madison Avenue and at major television networks, Stacey Ross Cohen excels at taking brands to market and leveraging each client's unique voice for impactful campaigns.
In 1998, Stacey founded Co-Communications, a marketing communications agency serving clients in education, healthcare, real estate, hospitality, economic development, professional services, and nonprofits. Her accolades include Forbes Enterprise, PRSA Practitioner of the Year, City & State NY/Power100, and Crain's New York Business' Notable Leader in Advertising, Marketing, and PR (2023). Stacey recently made her debut on the TED stage, is a contributor at Entrepreneur and The Huffington Post, and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, USA Today, Newsweek, and more.
She holds a BS from Syracuse University, an MBA from Fordham University, and a certificate in Media, Entertainment, & Technology from NYU Leonard Stern School of Business. Stacey is a sought-after speaker and author in the realm of PR, Marketing, and Branding and has delivered talks at Fortune 500 companies and global education institutes. She is a newly appointed adjunct marketing professor at Fordham University. An entrepreneur at heart, Stacey started her first business when she was just 14 years old and is now a member of a prominent angel investor group.
Stacey's best-selling book Brand Up: The Ultimate Playbook for College & Career Success (Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster) is a game changer for teens to stand out and achieve success in our increasingly connected, cluttered, and competitive world. It's packed with exercises, tools, and tips essential to establish a positive narrative and social media presence that can open doors to desired colleges and coveted first jobs. Endorsed by Barbara Corcoran, who calls the book a must-read "to excel at networking, entrepreneurship, in the classroom and the boardroom," Brand Up is available at Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, and Amazon.
Stacey can be reached at https://branduplife.com/ or LinkedIn.
LINKS
Brand Up: The Ultimate Playbook for College & Career Success
Brand Up Life
RELATED EPISODES
FITTING IN AND STANDING OUT
AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The current college admissions dynamic where selective schools routinely receive 10, 15, or even 20 times as many applications as they have available seats has been a tremendous source of stress for applicants and their families. But how are the professionals who have to manage these applications holding up? Amy and Mike invited author Teege Mettille to explore how admissions counselor morale is changing admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is admissions counselor malaise?
- How have changes on college campuses impacted the admissions process?
- What are the implications of this malaise in admissions for applicants?
- What are the implications of this malaise in admissions for educators and counselors?
- What can be done in the short term to improve this situation?
- Is there a world where colleges and universities shift their perspective?
MEET OUR GUEST
Teege Mettille is a nationally-recognized leader in college admissions, with a career that spans leadership roles at four different institutions, serving as President of the Wisconsin Association for College Admission Counseling, and a three-year term as a member of the President's Council for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. He recently wrote The Admissions Counselor Malaise, a thorough assessment of the changes in college and university management that has been zapping the joy out of the profession. He joins us today to discuss that concept, and how it is impacting not just admissions counselors, but school counselors, independent educational consultants, and students.
Teege can be reached at teegemettille@gmail.com.
LINKS
The Admissions Counselor Malaise: Addressing the staff morale crisis in college admissions
Addressing The Staff Morale Crisis In Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO SPEAK TO A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REP
DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS AND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Once in a while, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. We hope you enjoy this first episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What massive step did Amy take in her test prep business?
- How many educational projects exactly has Mike been working on?
- What were the major developments in education and admissions last month?
- Where will you find us and what should you pay attention to over the next month?
- What are this month’s hot takes?
We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!
LINKS
Seeley Test Pros
LEAP
Chariot Learning
Roots2Words
TestBright SAT/ACT Curriculum System
Tutor: The Newsletter
National Test Prep Association
ACT Instructional Mastery
RELATED EPISODES
CELEBRATING OUR 600TH EPISODE
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF TEST PREP: AMY SEELEY’S ORIGIN STORY
SAT & ACT TESTING TIMELINES: MIKE BERGIN’S ORIGIN STORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
After 599 episodes devoted to amazing conversations about testing, admissions, education, and learning, it’s time for something completely different. Amy and Mike invited educator Susan Powers to help celebrate our 600th episode. Get ready to hear from the ghosts of podcasts past, present, and future along with a modified Colbert questionnaire!
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the biggest things Amy and Mike learned since the beginning of the podcast?
- What were some of our favorite episodes?
- What will our podcast tombstones say?
- What are Mike, Amy, and Susan’s favorite test passages?
- What does the future hold for testing, learning, and this podcast?
MEET OUR GUEST
Susan Powers is the founder and CEO of Woodlands Test Prep, a tutoring company based in the Houston area that improves students’ scores, supports students’ academic success, and helps families navigate the college admissions testing process with much less stress.
Susan started teaching SAT and GMAT classes for Kaplan in 1994 as a hobby while an executive for a large oil and gas equipment company, doing strategy and acquisitions. The arrival of children put hobbies on hiatus, and she was able to return to tutoring in 2011, founding Woodlands Test Prep. The company has grown from a solopreneur to a larger company with multiple tutors. Susan delights in all aspects of the business from tutoring to curriculum and resource development to process improvement to hiring those few rare gems and teaching them how to help students too!
Susan was a National Merit Scholar and has a B.A. in French and a B.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on entrepreneurship. She lives in the country with her partner, Joe, and three dogs, a cat, and a parrot named Monkey. Her two children now live adventurous lives in the mountainous West. She loves to travel around the world, play day-long board games, sing, write poetry, garden, and read a couple of books at a time.
Susan is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. She first appeared on the podcast in episode 231 in a Test Prep Profile and in episode 534 Choosing Between the Digital SAT and the ACT.
Susan can be reached at www.woodlandstestprep.com.
LINKS
The Highlands Ability Battery: What Are Mike and Amy's Results?
RELATED EPISODES
CELEBRATING OUR 500TH EPISODE
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF TEST PREP: AMY SEELEY’S ORIGIN STORY
SAT & ACT TESTING TIMELINES: MIKE BERGIN’S ORIGIN STORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Sara Kohn, who was raised in South Florida and attended Florida State University, where she obtained a degree in marketing. She later pursued a master's degree in exercise science. About two decades ago, She began tutoring about 20 years ago and eventually established her own company, Ready Set Prep - now called Advanced Test Prep, focusing on high level preparation, particularly for National Merit and the PSAT/NMSQT. She has conducted successful programs across South Florida, contributing to around 10% of all semifinalists in the state annually. Expanding on her passion for education and helping students achieve their academic goals, Sara’s journey in the field of tutoring and test preparation has been both fulfilling and rewarding. Through her company, Advanced Test Prep, she has been able to make a significant impact on the educational landscape of South Florida.
Sara has had the privilege of assisting educators and school districts nationwide in establishing their test preparation programs, aiding them in seamlessly incorporating test preparation into their existing curriculum. Additionally, she has collaborated with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army, and the FIU Upward Bound Program. This enables her to offer elite private school services to individuals who may not have access to them otherwise.
Find Sara at www.advancedtestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Reema Chitalia, a dedicated test prep expert passionate about shaping the futures of students pursuing education abroad. After earning her Master's degree in the United States and working as a consultant at Deloitte, she recognized gaps in global education systems and utilized technology to tackle these challenges. Before long, she established Edufit, an innovative online test prep platform that offers bite-sized lessons designed for Gen Z, ensuring thorough understanding and lasting retention. Having trained over 5,000 students, she is committed to transforming the way we approach standardized testing. As an international educator, she specializes in SAT and ACT preparation, while also having extensive experience with AP exams, Olympiads, GRE, GMAT, IBDP Bridge Courses, extended essays, and much more. Currently, she is in an exciting phase of expansion, actively seeking collaborations with international schools around the world for mutually beneficial partnerships.
In addition to her entrepreneurial pursuits, she is a TEDx speaker and motivational speaker, engaging with teenagers on essential topics such as success, character building, and resilience.
Find Reema at rchitalia@edufittestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Dan Cozzens. Dan has worked at Bespoke Education for almost twenty years: first as a Tutoring Associate, then Operations Director and now COO and Head of Tutoring. Building on individual subject tutoring mastery (including the standardized tests, Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Humanities, Executive Function Coaching and Homework Help), his experience now extends to most facets of the tutoring world: hiring, training and managing tutors; building relationships with families and schools; developing curriculum and materials; practice testing; and spokesmanship: sharing Bespoke's institutional expertise both internally and externally to support our tutors, families, and other partners in their educational goals.
At Philadelphia’s Germantown Friends School, Dan won a National Merit Scholarship and the Senior Award. At Harvard he received his B.A. cum laude in Biological Anthropology, served as President of the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, and won the Louise Donovan Award for outstanding contributions in the arts. He is a proud resident of Brooklyn and even prouder father of two great kids.
Find Dan at dan@bespokeeducation.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Mary Bassey, a multi-passionate professional whose education and experience has spanned multiple subjects and standardized test types in the tutoring industry, in traditional education, in presenting literature from neuroscience spaces, and in music. After 15 years as a tutor, she founded Tutoring With Mary in 2022, a business that offers academic support in STEM and English-Language Arts school subjects, test prep support, college essay coaching, and scholarship essay coaching. When she is not tutoring, you can find her playing the flute and piccolo with the Los Angeles Symphonic Winds, the LLS Orchestra, and other music groups throughout Southern California. Mary loves to curl up with a good book, dance, sing, write, and snuggle with her cats Bo and Persephone.
Find Mary at tutoringwithmaryonline@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Kate Fisher, who grew up in Englewood, NJ, and graduated cum laude from Horace Mann School, where she remains an active part of the community and is a member of the Alumni Council. Private tutoring is not Kate's side hustle; rather, she deliberately chose to pursue it as a full-time career because she loves teaching and values cultivating genuine and impactful relationships with her students and their families beyond the boundaries so often required by traditional academic and classroom environments. Kate is an energetic and patient tutor (and cheerleader!) who is able to quickly and effectively accommodate her students’ needs. Her tutoring is creative and adaptive, providing her students with the support and skills they need to achieve their goals.
Kate has worked with thousands of students during her career as a full-time tutor, which she began as an undergraduate in 2008. As a part-time teacher at Kaplan Test Prep, she taught ACT, SAT, and SHSAT in both in-person and online classrooms. By 2010, Kate expanded her tutoring repertoire to include both the ISEE and SSAT, as well as various AP exams, SAT Subject Tests, and high school and college admissions consulting. She spent 2013 as a full-time instructor, teaching classes and tutoring students throughout the tristate area. In addition to training part-time tutors and developing teaching materials, Kate taught and tutored low-income students through her involvement in partnerships with the NYC Department of Education. In 2014, Kate was promoted to manager of content and curriculum, spearheading product and course revisions for the 2015 PSAT and 2016 SAT test changes.
After returning to tutoring full-time, Kate joined an elite, boutique firm in 2016 and quickly became one of their most requested tutors. From 2020 to 2022, Kate joined the company full-time and was not only the top-grossing tutor but also served as Director of School Partnerships and trained other tutors to work with neurodiverse students. Kate also singlehandedly wrote the company's e-book on Executive Function during this period.
Kate is well positioned to help students with a wide variety of learning differences. In addition to her extensive experience as a tutor, she is a lifelong activist for the Autism community, and has been volunteering with children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder since her childhood. Kate holds a Professional Certificate in Learning Differences (LD) and Neurodiversity with a Specialization in Executive Function through the Landmark College Institute for Research & Training.
In early 2023, Kate recruited an elite team of like minded tutors and founded Kate Fisher Tutoring (KFT) because she believes that one-on-one tutoring can transform students’ lives and their relationships with learning. KFT focuses on effectively connecting families to top private educators who help their children efficiently meet—and exceed—their goals. KFT prides itself on organic growth generated through word-of-mouth referrals based on the success of the work Kate and her team do whether EF coaching, test prep, or academic support and enrichment.
Find Kate at katefishertutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Sara Kohn, who was raised in South Florida and attended Florida State University, where she obtained a degree in marketing. She later pursued a master's degree in exercise science. About two decades ago, She began tutoring about 20 years ago and eventually established her own company, Ready Set Prep - now called Advanced Test Prep, focusing on high level preparation, particularly for National Merit and the PSAT/NMSQT. She has conducted successful programs across South Florida, contributing to around 10% of all semifinalists in the state annually. Expanding on her passion for education and helping students achieve their academic goals, Sara’s journey in the field of tutoring and test preparation has been both fulfilling and rewarding. Through her company, Advanced Test Prep, she has been able to make a significant impact on the educational landscape of South Florida.
Sara has had the privilege of assisting educators and school districts nationwide in establishing their test preparation programs, aiding them in seamlessly incorporating test preparation into their existing curriculum. Additionally, she has collaborated with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army, and the FIU Upward Bound Program. This enables her to offer elite private school services to individuals who may not have access to them otherwise.
Find Sara at www.advancedtestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Many young adults grapple with the decision to either pursue undergraduate education or enter a branch of the U.S. military. Why choose when doing both can pay off in so many different and meaningful ways? Amy and Mike invited college counselor Phil Black to explore answers to the question, “Is ROTC for you?”
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is ROTC and why is it getting so popular?
- What type of students should consider ROTC?
- Does an ROTC commitment improve admissions outcomes?
- How much money do ROTC scholarships offer?
- What’s the commitment like as an ROTC student during and after college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Phil Black is the creator of PrepWell Academy and ServeWell Academy, an unconventional approach to preparing high school students (and their parents) for the rigors of the college admissions process. His unique program is delivered online and focuses on the early preparation of students (freshman and sophomore year) interested in attending highly-selective colleges (e.g. Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, etc.), military service academies (e.g. Naval Academy, West Point, etc.), and those seeking athletic or ROTC scholarships.
Over the years, Phil has built a record of unique accomplishments including: Division I college athlete, Navy SEAL Officer, Goldman Sachs Investment Banker, bootstrap entrepreneur, 2X Shark Tank contestant, firefighter, husband and father of four sons. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Phil has previously appeared on this podcast in episode 162 High School Course Selection and Academic Rigor and for an IEC profile in episode 261 IEC PROFILE: Phil Black.
Find Phil at servewellacademy.com.
LINKS
ROTC Scholarships | U.S. Army
Scholarships | U.S. Air Force ROTC
Naval Reserve Officer Training (NROTC) | Navy.com
Officer candidate school
RELATED EPISODES
ALL ABOUT THE ROTC SCHOLARSHIP
ATTENDING A MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMY
APPLYING TO A MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We all know that getting into and paying for college represent two very different challenges. But what if you could focus on factors that improve your odds of accomplishing both at the same time? For a surprising number of schools, you can! Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to explain the role of test scores in college merit aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's the difference between need-based aid and merit aid? Can people with incomes too high for need-based aid still qualify?
- What are merit aid grids? How have they evolved over the last 20 years?
- How much merit aid can students earn based on ACT, SAT, or PSAT scores?
- Does every college offer merit aid based on test scores?
- How can students maximize the chances of merit aid?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA) and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU’s Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University’s Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28), SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131), and SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WRITING TEST? (#271) TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025 (#432) and STATE OF TEST OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS IN 2024 (#550). He hosted the show CELEBRATING OUR 500TH EPISODE and facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com.
LINKS
meritaidgrids.com
RELATED EPISODES
PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP
FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
FLORIDA BRIGHT FUTURES SCHOLARSHIPS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
As short as college application essays have to be, they still contribute heavily to holistic admissions decisions. Don’t waste a single word! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Sheree Gravely to discuss how to make your college essays count.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- When should students start the college essay writing process?
- How can students find great ideas to write about?
- How are the common app essay topics different from supplemental essays?
- Should parents participate in the writing process?
- What topics should students avoid writing about?
MEET OUR GUEST
Sheree Gravely is the founder of Gravely Group College Advising and an IEC since 2014. Before becoming an IEC, she worked in marketing for Kraft Foods, HJ Heinz, and Arthur Anderson & Co. Sheree has a passion for helping students discover their interests and to use that to find great college options. Years of experience in private industry, education, and as a parent make her ideal as an independent college counselor.
A 1986 graduate of the University of Virginia, she was heavily involved in counseling undergrads as a Resident Assistant and Dorm Resident Manager in UVA's Residential Life program. She attended Northwestern University’s Evening Managers Program and holds a Certificate in College Admissions Counseling from UC - Riverside.
Sheree is co-chair of the Midwest College Advisors Virtual Group, which includes over 40 members from OH, MI, IN, KY, and Western PA. The group meets with college admissions offices throughout the year. She is a member of the premier association of college advisors, IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association), constantly attends higher-ed training opportunities, and is always visiting college campuses to gather the most up-to-date information for her students and families.
Sheree is passionate about education. She volunteered for Chagrin Falls Unite for Education election campaign and worked on the Chagrin Falls School District’s 5-year strategic plan, as well as was a member of the committee on Instructional Practices, Resources, Curriculum, and Professional Development. She served as a member of the local advisory board for Hackett Catholic Prep HS (MI) which consulted on matters of school governance, including curriculum, marketing, and extra-curricular programming. She worked on a project for the principal to rebuild Hackett’s college counseling curriculum. During her children’s school years, Sheree volunteered in a variety of capacities including instructor and coordinator for Global Reading competitions, Writing Workshops, and Junior Achievement. As a member of the American Woman’s Club of Oakville (Canada), she researched and authored a curriculum comparison between US and Canadian education standards that was used by families and companies to evaluate education decisions for ex-pat students.
She has lived in a variety of cities in the US and Canada and is married to Alan. They have a daughter and two sons. Sheree loves to play Mahjong and read as well as to travel, scuba dive, ski and be active!
Sheree previously appeared on the podcast in episode 353 for an IEC Profile.
Sheree can be reached at https://www.gravelygroupcollegeadvising.com.
LINKS
7 Steps to a Terrible College Essay
RELATED EPISODES
WHY THIS COLLEGE, WHY THIS MAJOR?
UTILIZING A REFLECTION JOURNAL TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ESSAY
WRITING RHETORICALLY IN ADMISSIONS ESSAYS
TABOO ESSAY TOPICS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every year, the conventional wisdom about getting into college gives way to painful, new truths and exciting, new opportunities. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2025.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How are colleges and students using AI and AI detectors in college admissions and college essays?
- Are more colleges requiring test scores this application cycle? If so, why?
- Why is there a dearth of SAT centers despite more colleges requiring tests, and what can students do about it?
- How will AP’s recalibration of scores influence admissions decisions?
- Will the FAFSA be a disaster like it was for the Class of 2024?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, founder of Orlowski College Consulting, has worked in education for 35 years and has worked as an Independent Educational Consultant for 10+ years. She has a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, a BA in Communicative Disorders from San Diego State, and two active teaching credentials. She taught deaf, LD, and 2E students for four years and was a college counselor at a small private school for 3 years. Rebecca specializes in gifted/2E, STEM, creative, homeschooled, and transfer students.
Rebecca first appeared on the podcast in episode 369 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE CLASS OF 2023 and in episode 526 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024.
Rebecca can be reached at r.orlowski.consulting@gmail.com.
LINKS
U.S. Department of Education Announces Schedule and New Process to Launch 2025-26 FAFSA Form
Is next year’s FAFSA already off the rails?
Incorporating AI into the Admissions Process
Testing Policies in the Spotlight
I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT?
Colleges are using AI in admissions. How can they do it right?
RELATED EPISODES
HOW STUDENTS USE GENERATIVE AI
WHAT DO TRULY TEST OPTIONAL COLLEGES FOCUS ON?
BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE BETTER FAFSA
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every October, the PSAT is administered in high schools. Even though the test has no bearing on admissions, college-bound students should still take–and prepare–for it. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Stewart to explore how to prepare for the digital PSAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How has the PSAT changed over the past couple of years?
- What are some resources students can use for PSAT preparation?
- Besides "test prep," how can students improve their PSAT readiness?
- What are some of the most common mistakes high-achieving students make on the PSAT?
- Why is familiarity with the format so important on the PSAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
At the end of his first year teaching Social Studies at Dublin Jerome High School, company founder Brian Stewart thought it would make sense to do some part-time tutoring work over the summer. After all, he had done quite well on standardized tests when he was in high school and really enjoyed coming up with creative ways to explain challenging concepts to students. Other companies charged a fortune and didn’t seem to have a high-quality product.
As Brian worked with more students, word spread about the quality of his tutoring services. He started to offer ACT and SAT test prep group classes, and worked with students from all over Central Ohio. In 2011, Brian left his day job to run BWS Education Consulting full time with his wife Caitlin. Applying the expertise from her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Caitlin has ensured that our teaching materials and methods make high-quality test preparation accessible to students of all backgrounds and ability levels.
In 2012, Barron’s Educational Series contacted Brian about submitting samples of his writing as they conducted a national search for their next ACT book author. Brian was chosen to write Barron's ACT, and has gone on to write several ACT, SAT, and PSAT books with Barron's Educational Series. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
In 2014, BWS Education expanded to have associate tutors who teach not only the ACT and SAT, but tutor students in math, science, and writing. Brian and Caitlin personally interview and train every tutor on our staff to ensure they are the best in the business. BWS is a team of committed educators who relentlessly look for the best way to deliver educational enrichment to our clients, whether it’s test prep, academic help, or college admission counseling.
Brian appeared on the podcast in episode #33 to discuss PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship, in episode #383 to discuss Should You Prepare for the PSAT, and in episode # 507 to discuss The New Digital PSAT.
Find Brian at https://www.bwseducationconsulting.com.
LINKS
Brian’s PSAT Book: Barron's PSAT/NMSQT 1520
Why take the PSAT?
PSAT and Scholarships
PSAT/NMSQT Study Guide, 2023: 4 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (Barron's Test Prep)
Colleges that offer Full-Rides for National Merit
Information on the New Digital PSAT
RELATED EPISODES
RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT READING & WRITING
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When learners work with teachers, tutors, consultants, and coaches, developing domain mastery and a strategic plan is an obvious component of success. Less obvious, however, is the instrumental roles personality and chemistry play in the learning process. Amy and Mike invited Jagmohan Durganandan to explore the role of rapport in educational relationships.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does rapport mean in an educational or coaching context?
- Why does rapport matter?
- How can educators and coaches cultivate effective rapport?
- What is the role of students in building rapport?
- In what instances can rapport be harder to establish?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jag Durganandan, a civil engineer turned educator, found his true calling in teaching after a brief stint in construction. From 2012 to 2016, he explored entrepreneurship, launching ventures from subscription-based meal services to FMCG distribution. In 2017, he joined EdisonOS, progressing from Sales to Marketing. As the host of "The Knowledge Entrepreneurs Show," Jag shares insights from diverse educational thought leaders. Passionate about education, he continues to teach Math and Physics to high school students worldwide, engaging young minds with his dynamic approach.
Jag can be reached at jagmohandurganandan.online or on LinkedIn.
LINKS
Tutor: Caring Improves Coaching - TestBright
NLP Rapport | 5+ Ways To Build A Great Connection
Building Rapport with Students - 10 Strategies
RELATED EPISODES
TUTORING TREASURES: TIPS FOR TEACHING TEENS
WHY STUDENTS SHOULD GET TO KNOW THEIR TEACHERS
SELF-ADVOCACY IN EDUCATION AND ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Advanced Placement courses have set the standard for accelerated subject studies in many high schools, but next year’s offerings may look very different from what teachers and students are used to. Amy and Mike invited educator John Moscatiello to explain the big changes–both in testing platforms and course options–in AP tests in 2025.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why did the College Board revise the scoring of AP tests?
- How has the College Board recalibrated AP test scores?
- What new AP tests will be available in the 2024-2025 school year?
- How is digital testing affecting AP testing? Which tests?
- What potential changes could be on the horizon for the AP program?
John Moscatiello has been a leader in the education space for the past two decades. His career began at the Princeton Review, where he taught the SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, AP Exams, ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT Verbal, and TOEFL. At the Princeton Review, John went on to train hundreds of teachers, write content for 13 test preparation books, and work as a college admissions consultant. In his capacity as the National Director of Tutoring from 2007 and 2009, John managed thousands of teachers and tutors, supporting them with online professional development and the creation of an online community. From 2015 to 2016, John starred in more than 200 educational videos for the Princeton Review’s SAT, ACT, and GRE self-paced courses.
John’s academic career began as a Spanish major at New York University, where he realized the value of the AP Program by using credits to graduate a full year early. He then pursued graduate degrees in history from Fordham University and the University of Notre Dame, where he won awards for his undergraduate teaching. He was a Fulbright scholar to Spain in 2012 and worked at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Madrid. John’s academic research has been published in both English and Spanish. He currently teaches part-time at a private high school in Princeton, New Jersey.
John has supported thousands of students by building and implementing programs for underserved communities through the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, TEAK Fellowship, NYC Service, Corporate and Social Responsibility at Proskauer Rose LLP, and the Aga Khan Development Network. John’s tutoring and NGO work has taken him to more than 10 states and 25 countries around the world, especially in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Africa. In 2018, John founded Marco Learning in order to address the lack of high-quality AP resources and to better support AP teachers and their students.
John previously appeared on this podcast in episode 241 to discuss The Future Of AP Exams and episode 448 to discuss Controversies Around New AP Programs.
Find John at https://marcolearning.com.
LINKS
Advanced Placement Program
AP Score Changes: 2024
The Great Recalibration of AP Exams
RELATED EPISODES
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
HOW IMPORTANT IS GPA IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
SHOULD I APPLY EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION?
When applying to highly selective schools, every advantage makes a difference. Why, then, would a student pass up one of the biggest multipliers in acceptance rate? Amy and Mike invited education consultant David Parker to explore the existential college admissions question: should I apply Early Decision or Early Action?
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are all of the ways to apply early and why do colleges offer so many options?
- What are the differences between early decision and early action?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks to applying early?
- How should a student know what is right for them?
- By when should students have their target test scores for ED/EA applications?
MEET OUR GUEST
David Parker received his BA degree at Furman University and finished his MA and PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, all in English.
With twenty years of teaching in the English Department at Gardner-Webb University and ending as a department chair, he learned volumes about the college admissions process by visiting and talking to prospective students and their parents.
David served for years on scholarship committees where he combed through applicants’ files, read their essays, and eventually interviewed the highest-ranking applicants. He attended “behind closed doors” meetings where decisions were made about six-figure scholarship packages. After all those years of sitting on scholarship committees, he knows what makes one student stand out from the crowd.
Most importantly, year after year, David got to know first-year students. Some had chosen the perfect school for themselves and spent four marvelous years at Gardner-Webb. Some chose poorly, or hastily, or out of convenience, and were deeply unhappy at a school that didn’t fit. These students usually left: some went to other schools, and some, frustrated, never finished college.
In 2017, David left Gardner-Webb and in 2019 established Parker Educational Consulting. After many years in academia, it was the students, much more than the subject matter, that became his passion. He cares about their intellectual and emotional development and their preparation for the world beyond graduation.
Parker Education Consulting’s purpose is to introduce the right schools to students and then present those students in the best light to schools. The goal is to find that "good fit match" that David saw throughout his teaching career.
David has a wife, Emily, and one son in college at SCAD and another who is a rising high school senior. He is not a bad guitar player and occasionally opens for traveling acts that come through Shelby, and plays at farmers' markets and private events
Find David at davidreedparker@gmail.com.
LINKS
Early Decision and Early Action – Counselors | College Board
Parker Educational Consulting
RELATED EPISODES
EARLY DECISION AND EARLY ACTION
POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
LETTERS OF CONTINUED INTEREST
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The standard high school education covers a broad and deep array of state-mandated subjects but doesn’t necessarily cultivate strong critical reasoning skills. That’s a shame, because those skills are essential to success in higher education. Amy and Mike invited college dean Louis Newman to explore what thinking critically in college means.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Do teens typically arrive at college with sufficient critical thinking skills?
- What does critical thinking mean in an academic context?
- What kinds of critical thinking do college professors expect students to do in their courses?
- How can parents best support their students in college?
- How can learners improve their critical thinking skills?
MEET OUR GUEST
Louis E. Newman is the former Dean of Academic Advising and Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. His responsibilities at Stanford included overseeing an extensive residential advising program, the pre-law and pre-med advising programs, transfer and co-term student advising, new student orientation programs, a summer bridge program, and the university's academic progress review system. At Stanford, he grew the advising program, promoted a holistic approach to academic advising, and advocated for liberal education.
He is also the John M. and Elizabeth W. Musser Professor of Religious Studies, Emeritus, at Carleton College, where he taught for thirty-three years. During his tenure at Carleton, he also served as an Associate Dean of the College, which included expanding the advisor training program and launching new programs to support advisors. He served for a term as Director of the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching, which sponsored weekly programs for faculty and staff on all aspects of pedagogy, academic policy, and trends in higher education. In this role he functioned as the informal mentor to the faculty at Carleton, which is consistently rated by US News & World Report as #1 for undergraduate teaching.
He is also an internationally recognized scholar in the field of Jewish ethics and has written and co-edited several books in that field, as well as dozens of articles. He was the first president of the Society of Jewish Ethics and the co-founder of its journal.
Louis Newman completed his B.A. in Hebrew and Philosophy and his M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, and received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown University.
Throughout his career, hundreds of students and colleagues have attested to the profound impact he had on their learning and their lives as a gifted teacher and as a trusted advisor and mentor.
Find Louis at info@thinkingcritically.us.
LINKS
Thinking Critically in College: The Essential Handbook for Student Success
Collegiate Learning Assessment
College Success Coaching
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE READINESS ADVICE FROM A COLLEGE PROFESSOR
HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Some people embrace practice and coaching in order to be ready for a certain moment, while others train to be fully present in any moment. When it comes to the most important moments, why not both? Amy and Mike invited educators Claire Russell and Aproteem Choudhury to explore how preparation and mindfulness go together.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How do test prep tutoring and mindfulness coaching overlap?
- What are the primary reasons a student would benefit from mindfulness preparation in test prep?
- How does mindfulness help students achieve in high-stakes events?
- How can we help students be more receptive to mind-body strategies?
- What is one mindfulness tip anyone can implement now?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Claire Russell is the founder of Russell Tutoring, a boutique, K-college tutoring, test prep, and mindfulness coaching company. Claire has been an educator for 30 years, and she first became interested in mindfulness strategies when she saw students achieve far lower on test day than in their practice work. RTC’s Mindfulness Programs have evolved from there, and a third of RTC’s tutors are certified mindfulness coaches. RTC invests in mindfulness coaching both because anxiety has become so rampant in our students nationwide, and because Claire has become passionate about self-care as a skill students need for life. Claire is an avid gardener and forever suffers being a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs.
Aproteem Choudhury is a Mindfulness Coach for Russell Tutoring. Apro brings a degree in Neuroscience and extensive clinical and healthcare systems experience to the teaching of mind-body science at RTC. More importantly, he is the Director of the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative at the Institute for Spirituality and Health. At GHHC, he integrates mind-body medicine to promote community health through innovative public health initiatives that are trauma-informed and community-led. At Russell Tutoring, Apro also applies his wealth of experience to empower students, equipping them with stress management skills and resilience-building techniques to optimize their test-taking potential.
Claire previously appeared in episode 374 HOW TO BREATHE DURING STRESSFUL ACADEMIC SITUATIONS.
Claire and Apro can be reached at https://russelltutoringandconsulting.com.
LINKS
4-5-3 Breathing - A Mindfulness Technique for Test Anxiety!
RELATED EPISODES
MENTAL TECHNIQUES FOR PEAK TEST PERFORMANCE
HOW PROCTORS CAN REDUCE TEST ANXIETY
USING MINDFULNESS FOR TEST AND SCHOOL SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Powerful graphing calculators can provide potent math problem solving advantages for students that know how to use–and can afford–them. What is the impact, then, when everyone has free access to leading edge calculation tools? Amy and Mike invited educator Kyle Terracciano to explore using the Desmos calculator in digital testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Desmos calculator, and what can it do?
- How is Desmos integrated into college admissions testing?
- What are the best resources to learn Desmos for the Digital SAT?
- When is it best to utilize Desmos on the Digital SAT?
- In what kind of test problems are calculators less useful?
MEET OUR GUEST
Kyle Terracciano is the founder of the company Tutorllini, the math test prep YouTube channel Tutorllini Test Prep, and the Facebook group Digital SAT Prep. Since 2019, he has been on a mission to empower students to dominate their college admissions tests and bring much-needed clarity to the confusing world of academic math.
Kyle’s journey as an educator began in his college years while working as a competitive swimming coach, sparking his passion for mentoring others. After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 2018, he couldn't resist the call of teaching. Kyle went on to earn a Master's Degree in Mathematics Education from Rutgers University in 2020, and then through Tutorllini, dedicated himself fully to his goal of empowering students everywhere with not just a deeper understanding of math, but more confidence as well.
But Kyle doesn’t stop there. Determined to make a global impact, Kyle runs one of the fastest growing YouTube channels and Facebook groups focused on the Digital SAT, all completely free to anyone who is ready to learn. By using the most modern tech and impactful visuals with a dose of humor and his trademark relatable personality, Kyle helps students unlock their full potential.
Kyle previously appeared on the podcast in episode 476 to discuss The New Digital SAT Experience: A Student Perspective and in episode 470 to discuss Getting Ready For The AP Statistics Exam.
Find Kyle at tutorllini.com.
LINKS
Desmos Graphing Calculator
Desmos (Digital PSAT, NMSQT, and SAT Version)
Kyle’s Free Digital SAT Math Desmos Course
Learn Desmos Playlist
Desmos User Guide
Mastering Desmos for the Digital SAT
App or Scrap? (ep 8): Digital SAT Strategy Guide
RELATED EPISODES
RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH
CALCULATOR USAGE ON THE SAT AND ACT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters, he may not have had higher education in mind. That said, applicants often overlook what really matters on the road to college. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Arthur Smith to explore the intrinsic value of the college admissions process.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does the college admissions process entail in general?
- What is actually involved when you focus on “the process” instead of the outcome?
- How can focusing on “the process” lead to more satisfying outcomes in the admissions process?
- What roles do ambition and authenticity play in the college admissions process?
- In what ways does learning how to focus on the process set students up with a valuable life lesson that goes beyond the college applications?
MEET OUR GUEST
With 25 years of experience working with students and their parents at Cornell and Duke Universities as an advising dean, admissions chair, and Division I head coach, Dr. Arthur Smith is intimately familiar with what it takes to be successful in the selective admissions process.
Dr. Smith, known as Artie to his colleagues and students, studied history and Africana Studies as an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude and with distinction in all subjects. He continued his education at Duke University, where he earned his MA and Ph.D. in history. Returning to Cornell, Artie served as an assistant director of admissions in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and was the athletics liaison between the seven different admissions offices at Cornell and the university’s 36 varsity teams. He then spent nine years as an admissions and advising dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, where he chaired admissions committees and guided hundreds of students through the college’s curriculum. His unique journey in higher education has also been defined by a highly successful 23 years of coaching track and field and cross country at the Division I level. A nationally recognized distance coach who worked with 19 All-Americans, 31 Ivy League champions, and 12 Eastern champions while coaching 19 Ivy League Championship teams, Artie was Cornell’s head women’s track and field and cross country coach.
During his time in the Ivy League, Artie chaired admissions committees and evaluated over 20,000 applications, served as a faculty advisor and advising dean, managed the TransAtlantic Series, an Exchange between Cornell University and Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the United Kingdom, and mentored hundreds of student-athletes.
Artie’s teams and athletes were outstanding in the classroom, with six of his students earning CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, two students earning NCAA Elite 89/90 honors, and three going on to win Marshall and Goldwater Scholarships. Notably, every student he coached who applied for medical school, veterinary school, or law school gained admission.
Artie is here to listen and work with each student’s goals. His two decades of mentoring experiences contribute to his firm belief that success in college—and beyond—comes from a person’s creativity, authenticity, and concern for others. He can help you tell your story.
Artie can be reached at https://www.arthursmithadvising.com.
LINKS
RELATED EPISODES
POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
California is the most populous American state with a veritable cornucopia of exceptional and reasonably well-funded high schools. Why, then, do Californian teens need to travel hundreds–and sometimes thousands–of miles to sit for the SAT or ACT? Amy and Mike invited student Sebastian Gillmore and educator David Blobaum to discuss the need for testing sites in California.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the problem with SAT & ACT testing locations in California?
- Why are testing locations so scarce?
- Why is access to testing so critically important for students?
- What has been done so far to address this problem?
- What else can and should be done to expand testing access in California?
MEET OUR GUEST
David Blobaum is the director of outreach for the National Test Prep Association, which works to support the appropriate use of testing in admissions. He is a co-founder of Summit Prep, which opened its doors in 2013 to help empower students through education to succeed in life.
Sebastian Gillmore is a rising Senior at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California just North of San Francisco. He’s a hardworking student with a passion for mathematics, and he’s on a mission to make college entrance exams, like the SAT and ACT, more accessible for California high school students. He recently authored an Op-Ed in the LA Times titled, “I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT?”
David first appeared on the podcast in episode 79 to discuss Why The SAT And ACT Are Awesome and in episode 421 for a Sponsor Spotlight.
David can be reached at www.summitprep.com.
LINKS
I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT?
It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Take the SAT and ACT
https://testaccess.org/
RELATED EPISODES
TESTING POLICIES AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY REVISITED
WHY UC WAS WRONG TO STOP USING THE SAT
WHO LOSES WHEN WE ABOLISH ENTRANCE EXAMS?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The bespoke nature of homeschooling can be a great advantage for tailoring education to a student’s individual needs. However, those differentiated programs present challenges when the time comes to apply to college. Amy and Mike invited education consultants Michele Evard and Holly Ramsey to review the intricacies of college documentation for homeschoolers.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What do stakeholders in the admission process need to know about homeschool documentation?
- What are some best practices for homeschool documentation?
- How do homeschoolers show the depth & breadth of their studies?
- Who writes recommendations for homeschooled students, and do colleges believe them?
- Should homeschoolers claim credit for every potential learning experience?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Dr. Michele Evard is an independent educational consultant who assists homeschooling families with planning & documenting K-12 education as well as the college application process; she specializes in assisting families of gifted and 2E young people.
She is an active member of multiple professional organizations including IECA, NACAC, SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) and the Digital Learning Collaborative.
While homeschooling her three children and mentoring others, Dr. Evard co-founded Many Rivers Unschoolers and served as president of Voyagers Homeschool Cooperative and Resource Center.
Michele can be reached at https://evardconsulting.com.
Holly Ramsey is an independent educational consultant specializing in working with homeschoolers and their parents to create clear, concise, and compelling college applications and counselor documents.
She is a professional member of Independent Educational Consultants Association, where she served in a variety of roles and is a recipient of IECA’s Making a Difference Award. Ms. Ramsey is also a member of the Texas Association for College Admission Counseling.
In addition to homeschooling her own five children over 20+ years, Holly taught writing to hundreds of homeschoolers through Brave Writer™ and mentored new Brave Writer instructors.
Holly can be reached at https://thoughtfulhomeschooling.com.
Dr. Michele Evard and Holly Ramsey are co-authors of College UnMazed: Your Guide to Design & Document Your Homeschool. This book provides guidance for any professionals helping homeschoolers in the college admission process.
Tests and the Rest listeners can use the coupon code HOMESCHOOL10 for 10% off this book AND anything else on the College UnMazed site.
LINKS
College UnMazed: Your Guide to Design & Document Your Homeschool
How to Create Your School Profile As A Homeschooler
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: GOOD VS. GREAT
CRAFTING YOUR COLLEGE RESUME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We focus so much on our teens getting through high school and into college yet spend little time looking at the space between or how everyone involved needs to change and adapt for success. Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Andrea Malkin Brenner to discuss the parent transition from high school to college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What role can parents play to support their students as they become self-reliant and college-ready?
- What are the major differences between being a high school parent and a college parent?
- How can parents help students prepare for the academic, practical, and social responsibilities that come with independence?
- When should conversations about college transitions ideally begin?
- What are scenarios parents of college students might not expect but should be ready for?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Andrea Malkin Brenner is the creator of the Talking College™ card decks and co-author of How to College: What to Know Before You Go (and When You’re There), a leading guide for college-bound students and their parents/guardians. Andrea brings 25 years of experience as a college professor and university administrator at American University in Washington, DC to her presentations with high school and college audiences. See her website for her articles, podcast recordings, and upcoming talks and webinars.
Find Andrea at www.talkingcollege.com.
LINKS
Talking College card decks
How to College: What to Know Before You Go (and When You’re There)
RELATED EPISODES
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS
ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS
THE W-CURVE MODEL AND NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When the most important exams in our lives tend to be meticulously crafted instruments based research, statistics, and standards, a sloppy and spontaneous approach just won’t cut it. Amy and Mike invited educator Russ Hanush to outline a scientific approach to test-taking.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is general knowledge an irreplaceable foundation for test takers?
- What’s the best way to create study aids?
- What test-taking strategies do most students fail on?
- How can you leverage the odds on multiple choice?
- What physical preparation is necessary for a successful testing experience?
MEET OUR GUEST
Inspired by the rings of Saturn at 8 years old, fascinated by San Francisco's Exploratorium at 14, and motivated to make a difference in education when he witnessed a mother unable to help her child with their homework, Russ Hanush has always been about learning. After a research career in nuclear physics and chemical kinetics spanning decades at America's national laboratories and inventing The Periodic Table of Dimensions, Russ opened Physics Phor Phun Tutoring in 2007.
Over the years the name has changed, Physics Phor Phun Tutoring is now Acclaimed Tutoring, and they've grown from a single tutor driving around the dusty vineyards of Templeton and Paso Robles, CA to helping students from Beverly Hills to Portland, OR, and Honolulu to Paris, France. Acclaimed Tutoring has helped hundreds of students become successful scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, vets, teachers, professional athletes, and entertainers.
Besides inventing The Periodic Table of Dimensions, Russ is also the author of over a dozen technical publications as well as two books: The Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Tutor and Harnessing Your Seven Senses.
Helping students navigate their education, and their life after high school is Russ' passion. With one-on-one tutoring available for most math and science classes from middle school through college, college, and career counseling, and standardized test preparation, Russ' promise is to help students become happier, more confident, and more successful, guaranteed.
Russ can be reached at 805-610-1725 or russ@acclaimedtutoring.com.
LINKS
Harnessing Your Seven Senses: Help Your Child Become A Happier, More Confident, More Successful Student by Harnessing Their Seven Senses (A Scientific Approach to Study Skills)
The Periodic Table of Dimensions
PhysicsPhorPhun AP Resources
RELATED EPISODES
EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS FOR TEST PREPARATION
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
HOW TO BECOME A RIDICULOUSLY EFFECTIVE STUDENT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While choosing a college feels like one of the biggest decisions of your life, choosing to leave one may be even more difficult. That said, swapping the wrong school for the right one can do wonders for your grades, mental health, and future prospects. Amy and Mike invited college advisor Jaime Smith to explore what you should know about transferring.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How common is college transfer?
- How has the rise of credible online programs impacted transfers?
- What are the best and worst reasons to transfer?
- What are the main transfer pathways?
- Can a student transfer at any time?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jaime Smith, M.A., MS.Ed., is a Certified Educational Planner with 25 years of experience in the field of education. After many years of teaching English at the middle, high school, and college levels, Jaime turned to online education and founded a virtual K-12 supplementary education program, Online G3, where she continues to teach gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooled students. As a college advisor, Jaime specializes in transfer admissions, application essays, homeschoolers, neurodiverse learners, and other non-traditional applicants. In 2023, she completed a Post-Master's Certificate in Transfer Leadership and Practice at the University of North Georgia in collaboration with the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students.
A California native, Jaime now lives in Oregon with her husband and pet bunny. She has one daughter, a former homeschooler turned transfer student who just started grad school.
Learn more about Jaime at TransferSavvy.com and follow her on Linkedin.
LINKS
Common App for transfer
https://www.transferology.com
https://www.assist.org
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN
WHAT TO DO WHEN A STUDENT STRUGGLES IN COLLEGE
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alex Pint, the owner and founder of Pathway Prep in Kansas City! Alex attended Kansas State University, where he received a BS/MS in Architectural Engineering. To earn some extra money during college, he got a campus job tutoring math and physics, and thus the seed of being an educator was planted. After graduating in 2015, Alex started working at a KC consulting engineering firm but soon began a test prep side hustle. Alex continued working in engineering for 5 years, earning his Professional Engineer’s license along the way, before deciding to pursue test prep full-time in February 2021.
Alex works with high schoolers in the KC area, focusing almost exclusively on ACT prep through individual and small group formats. He enjoys experimenting with insights from psychology and business in his test prep process.
In his free time, Alex enjoys spending time with his wife (high school sweetheart), enjoying his season tickets for Sporting KC, and reading new books. He is also an avid runner and completes multiple half-marathons and/or marathons per year.
Find Alex at https://pathwayprepkc.com/ alex@pathwayprepkc.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Remy Zaken Andersen. Remy is a graduate of Columbia University, where she majored in Psychology with a focus on social cognition and emotion. A former professional actress, she serves as a strong role model for students striving for academic excellence while balancing extracurricular and career interests. She scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT and SAT, and also received perfect scores of 5 on the AP exams in Biology and US History.
Tutoring professionally since 2013, she is a skilled instructor who has found students connect well to her warm, engaging, and energetic personality. She is passionate about teaching important study and organizational skills, while working with her students to manage test anxiety so they can reach their full potential on these exams and in their future academic careers. She has tutored Lower, Middle, and Upper-level students on the SSAT and ISEE and has seen at least 100 point increases in both the verbal and math sections for SSAT and 3 stanines on the ISEE. Every single one of her SHSAT students who started tutoring in April and completed their homework has been accepted to a specialized high school. She's also had students accepted to Hunter College High School. There are many more success stories upon request!
Find Remy at https://www.and-ed.com and remy@and-ed.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jason Hankins, who graduated in the year 2000 from Milwaukee School of Engineering with a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering and a minor in Business Administration. Jason works full time as a Software Engineer and part-time as a test prep tutor. He has a love of math and teaching others how to understand it. In 2004 he started his tutoring business, J. Digital Tutoring Services. He specialized in tutoring mathematics courses, math sections of standardized tests, Business courses as well as computer programming courses. Tests that he has helped students with include the NCLEX, TEAS, CLEP, ASVAB, GMAT, ACT, and SAT. With his business minor has been able to help students with accounting, finance, microeconomics, and managerial science courses.
Jason is the founder and moderator of the SAT Exam Prep & Discussion and ACT Exam Prep & Discussion Facebook groups.
Jason has been involved with math tutoring for a long time. His first tutoring job was in college working in the college’s Learning Resource Center. Since then, Jason has produced math instructional DVDs, worked as a math tutor at a local college (15 years), ran a tutoring program at a local church, maintained a math education YouTube channel, managed ACT and SAT Facebook groups, and is currently running his own private tutoring business. When he is not solving math problems Jason enjoys watching the stock market, looking for the next great stock, and watching professional sports.
Find Jason at http://www.j-digital.net.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Loni Lebanoff founded CogniTutor with a simple mission: help millions of students Learn to Learn. She is an international teacher who, to name a few, has worked with doctors in Vietnam, taught English to Italian children, and conducted piano lessons in Canada. Loni conducts and studies the latest research on memory, learning, and cognition. She demonstrates her belief in life-long learning through her dance, art, musical instruments, and other varied pursuits. Through her research, learning, and travels, Loni continually improves her and CogniTutor’s effective and original methods of teaching. Some of these methods are the same methods that she used throughout her schooling and that helped her receive a perfect score on the ACT. “CogniTutor instructors are enthusiastic and care about their students. No one ever stops learning. By helping students learn to learn, our tutors aid students in their academic careers and the rest of their lives.”
Find Loni at https://www.cognitutor.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Mike Settele, the founder of Settele Tutoring, an SAT prep company that specializes in creating user-friendly SAT resources. Mike has published thousands of hours of SAT lessons on his YouTube channel, which are watched every day by students around the world.
Mike began his SAT career while an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied political science and philosophy. He started as a Writing section tutor for Capital Educators, a test prep company that runs courses in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. After graduating, Mike became a full-time program director for Capital Educators, but he eventually found his true passion helping to create their curriculum for the new SAT in 2016.
Once the new test was released, Mike moved to Los Angeles and founded Settele Tutoring, shifting his focus to private tutoring so that he would have time to create new SAT materials. He has since published the “SAT Packets” study guides for both the Reading and Math sections of the exam, with new editions coming soon for the digital SAT. In fact, when he’s not tutoring, Mike can often be found sitting on Santa Monica Beach, writing SAT questions.
Find Mike at https://setteletutoring.com/ or his YouTube SAT channel.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
An undergraduate education should never be mistaken for a job training program. That said, gainful employment is usually the obvious expectation after graduation. Amy and Mike invited educator Bill Coplin for thoughts on how to guarantee career success after college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is coursework alone not enough to explore and get jobs?
- Is there academic coursework that would help build skills, experience, and networks?
- How should students increase their chances of getting internships and/or part-time jobs?
- Are some colleges better than others to help students gain skills through experience and build networks?
- What steps are essential for students who don’t know what they want to do after graduation?
MEET OUR GUEST
Based on his experience mentoring 2,000 alumni over the past 50 years, Bill Coplin knows how undergraduates can be ready for the next step after graduating college with or without going to graduate school. Success is not guaranteed by the brand of the University, the degree program chosen, or the GPA. Employers want students to demonstrate skills that include taking responsibility, communicating effectively, interacting with people, and developing computer and analytical skills. To do this, students should see undergraduate programs as a Skills Gymnasium where they practice these skills in the classroom and outside the classroom, while they are building their networks through student activities, jobs, internships, and community service.
Bill can be reached at https://billcoplin.com.
LINKS
Five Steps for Success After Graduating From College
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COLLEGE DECLASSIFIED: WHAT HIGH SCHOOLERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL
HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIPS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN
MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Now that we’re moving back to more of a test-required college admissions paradigm, the pressing question for most students regards which test to take. In some cases, the answer is not as binary as you might expect. Amy and Mike invited counselor Becky Priest to explore who should take the CLT?
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a classical education?
- What is the Classic Learning Test?
- What schools currently accept the CLT as an admissions test?
- What kind of student does well on the CLT?
- What are the best ways to prepare for the CLT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Becky Priest is the founding College Counselor at The Cambridge School, a Pre-K-thru 12th grade Christian classical school, in San Diego, California. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, she attended Washington University where her college work study job was in the Financial Aid Office. She was later employed full-time in the FAO, processing financial aid awards for incoming freshmen. Now, as a high school counselor at a classical school, her students were test-takers for the very first public administration of the Classic Learning Test and, over the years, several have earned scholarship money as a result. She has served on the CLT Academic Board of Advisors.
Becky can be reached on LinkedIn.
LINKS
The Classic Learning Test (CLT)
SAT/ACT/CLT Concordance
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WHAT IS THE CLT?
WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
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ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
For many teachers, tutors, counselors, and coaches, the actual delivery of insight, expertise, and service comes easy. Creating and maintaining business structure and processes, on the other hand, can be an ongoing challenge. Amy and Mike invited educator Danny Pernik to explore tools and tips to build your educational practice.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What qualifies as an educational practice in a discussion like this?
- What considerations make sense for anyone building an educational practice?
- Why are websites so valuable for educational businesses?
- What tools or tips would you recommend specifically for teachers and tutors?
- Are relationships or results more important in building a strong practice serving students?
MEET OUR GUEST
Danny Pernik is the owner of Open Path Tutoring, which specializes in personalized SAT & ACT prep, and cofounder of CreatorsWeb.Co, which develops elegant custom websites for small businesses. Through prior ventures, he envisioned and helped launch a digital currency minted by social action and sought to simplify the process by which an average person could build a team and bring a new idea to life. This wide variety of experiences and expertise has brought Danny a wealth of insights and resources that he happily shares with students, parents, tutors, and small business owners.
Danny can be reached at https://openpathtutoring.com/.
LINKS
The National Test Prep Association
Workflowy
OnePageCRM
RELATED EPISODES
HOW STANDARDIZATION CAN BENEFIT EDUCATION
GAME-BASED LEARNING
USING AND CREATING EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Getting into your best fit school usually feels like the prize at the end of a long and grueling journey, but the next step in the undergraduate adventure has really just begun. Will you emerge victorious, degree in hand? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Beth Howland to share insights into how to persist to college graduation.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the difference between retention and persistence and how is each related to graduation rates?
- What are the most common reasons students leave college?
- How should families think about college readiness?
- What can families do before a student leaves for college to increase their persistence?
- What can families do if their student is talking about leaving college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Prior to founding College Navigators LLC, Beth A. Howland spent 25 years advising and mentoring undergraduate students at several institutions. Most recently, Beth worked for 14 years at Cornell University in both direct service and leadership roles in student development within the College of Engineering, the Hotel School, and the Office of Undergraduate Biology. Beth graduated with honors from Ithaca College and is a two-time NCAA National Champion, Academic All-American, and Hall of Fame inductee in women’s soccer. After earning her undergraduate degree in psychology, she worked for five years as a Family Caseworker for Family and Children’s Service in Ithaca. She then completed an advanced degree in health and human performance with a concentration in sports psychology.
Over the course of her career, Beth served as a pre-major mentor, major advisor, and faculty advisor at both Duke University and Cornell University; and as a Crisis Manager and Residential House Fellow at Cornell University. She provided advising and support for thousands of students, including those who identify as BIPOC, first-generation, pre-health, under-prepared, and high-achieving, as well as Division I student-athletes and students who were managing a variety of challenges or disruptions throughout their college experience. During her career Beth founded and directed comprehensive academic advising, career development, and community engagement programs for Division-I student-athletes at Cornell University, Tulane University and Duke University. Beth transitioned out of athletics in 2005. Prior to returning to Cornell Beth worked as the inaugural Assistant Director of Student Development for the Robertson Scholars Program, a multi-campus, cohort-based, collaborative leadership development program with Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Throughout her career in higher ed, Beth prioritized advocating for university policies, procedures and opportunities to be more inclusive, equitable, transparent, and visible. During the pandemic Beth confirmed that she is most energized by coaching individual students as they discover themselves, negotiate life’s ups and downs, and prepare for their careers. Beth’s passion for working intensively one-on-one with students and extensive understanding of and ability to assist students navigate the complexities of institutions within higher ed, led her to start College Navigators LLC and invest full-time in college student success coaching…decision to degree.
Beth previously appeared on this podcast in episode # 455 to discuss What To Do When A Student Struggles In College.
Find Beth at beth@college-navigators.com.
LINKS
Persistence and Retention
How America Completes College
Student Persistence vs. Retention in Higher Education
Student survey gauges importance of a college degree
RELATED EPISODES
THE W-CURVE MODEL AND NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS
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THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The artificial intelligence genie is out of the bottle, and there’s no way to put it back in. All we can do is learn to live with AI as productively as possible. No surprise, today’s youth are leading the charge from middle school to college. Amy and Mike invited ed tech expert Annie Chechitelli to describe how students use generative AI.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How are students using generative AI?
- What are positive and productive ways to use generative AI?
- What are less-productive ways to use generative AI?
- Are current detection tools keeping up with AI-generated work?
- How can educators promote positive adoption and use of AI tools?
MEET OUR GUEST
Annie Chechitelli has spent the past two decades innovating with educators to expand access to education, meet the quickly changing needs of learners, and empower students to do their best, original work. As the Chief Product Officer at Turnitin, Annie oversees the Turnitin suite of applications which includes academic integrity, grading and feedback, and assessment capabilities.
Prior to joining Turnitin, Annie spent over five years at Amazon where she led Kindle Content for School, Work, and Government and launched the AWS EdTech Growth Advisory team, advising education technology companies on how to grow their product and go-to-market strategies with AWS. Annie began her career in EdTech at Wimba where she launched a live collaboration platform for education which was ultimately acquired by Blackboard in 2010. At Blackboard she led platform management, focused on transitioning Blackboard Learn to the cloud. Annie holds a B.S. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. and M.S. from Claremont Graduate University. She resides near Indianapolis, Indiana with her youngest child and husband, with two children attending college on the East Coast.
Annie can be reached at LinkedIn.
LINKS
What is ChatGPT, DALL-E, and generative AI?
How To Promote Academic Integrity In Your Classroom
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
HOW CAN TUTORS USE AI?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Computer Science is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Edward Lee to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Computer Science A exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Computer Science A exam?
- How do AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles differ?
- What are the highest priority topics on the test?
- How should students prepare for the AP Computer Science A exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Computer Science A?
MEET OUR GUEST
Edward Lee is the owner and founder of Lee Tutoring, which he built from the ground up to make online test prep and academic tutoring as engaging and valuable as possible for digital natives. He has nearly a decade of experience in test prep and a bit more than a decade with computer science tutoring. While he originally intended to earn a degree in Computer Science, his love for teaching won out and he earned his degree in Philosophy instead, which he completed alongside a thesis on Samuel Beckett's novels and learning as overcoming "good sense." He's been tutoring full-time ever since!
Edward's life mission is to reconcile his interest in both the cutting-edge field of computer science with his interest in classical education. In 6th grade, his father packed a copy of The Iliad into his backpack for some "light reading," but it hardly fit next to the Arduino project Edward had constructed for his physics class. His commitment to a socratic approach is symbolized by the Ionic column motif in Lee Tutoring's logo and his approach to technology is evident in the source code he writes to keep his business running!
Edward and his team at Lee Tutoring have helped well over a thousand students achieve their goals on the SAT and ACT. Edward has personally helped dozens of students prepare for the AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Calculus AB/BC exams.
Edward can be reached at leetutoring.com.
LINKS
AP Computer Science A
CodingBat
AP CSA Java Course — AP CSAwesome
Albert.io
AP Computer Science A Premium, 2024: 6 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (Barron's AP Prep)
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GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
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GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Literature exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Literature exam?
- What are the different approaches required by each essay?
- What strategies lead to higher scores on the AP Literature exam?
- How should students practice and prepare for the AP Literature exam?
- How has AI impacted student readiness for the AP Lit exam?
MEET OUR GUEST
Christy Shriver is an educator from Memphis, TN. Currently, she produces the How to Love Lit Podcast, a tool to support IB and AP students in preparation for their exams. She has been teaching both AP and IB in public and private schools in the Memphis area for the last 20 years.
Christy graduated from the Escola Americana de Belo Horizonte as an IB student and has lived much of her life internationally, primarily in the country of Brazil. Although she is a strong advocate of the IB program, she is currently an AP Language teacher and AP reader.
Christy first appeared on this podcast in episode 199 to discuss Choosing Between AP and IB Programs and episode 472 to discuss Getting Ready For The AP Language Exam.
Find Christy at christy@howtolovelitpodcast.com.
LINKS
AP English Language and Composition Exam – AP Central | College Board
AP English Language and Composition Exam
What is the Test Format of the AP® English Language Exam?
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Shayda Moshirvaziri to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Calculus AB or BC exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Calculus exam?
- How important is a calculator on the AP Calculus exam?
- What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Calculus?
- How should students prepare for the AP Calculus?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shayda Moshirvaziri is the founder of Pivot Tutors. Shayda graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering in 2003. She was accepted at MIT, John Hopkins University, Stanford, and UCSD for Ph.D. programs in Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering on full fellowship. She chose to attend UCSD for graduate school and received her Masters and Doctorate in Bioengineering in 2007 and 2010, respectively.
Shayda has over 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience with all levels of mathematics and science for middle school, high school, and college-level students. She has a passion for teaching young students and has taught undergraduate courses at UCSD, including Introduction to Bioengineering, Human Physiology, and Computer Science. Before starting Pivot Tutors in 2012, she developed an ACT boot camp course for a private high school in San Diego and taught as a premier level ACT and SAT instructor for different test prep centers. After recently selling Pivot Tutors, she has returned to tutoring students across the country.
Shayda first appeared on this podcast in episode #303 as the subject of a Test Prep Profile.
Shayda can be reached at shaydamoshirvaziri@gmail.com.
LINKS
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
Test Preparation Books - GET 800
AP Calculus AB/BC designed to help Students get a Perfect Score Chung, Dr. John
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Dan Corrigan to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP United States Government and Politics exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Government and Politics exam?
- What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
- How should students prepare for the AP Government?
- What are the best prep materials for the AP Government exam?
- Is there anything distinctive about the AP Government exam?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dan Corrigan graduated from Princeton University in 1982 with a degree in History. He received his Masters in Teaching from Marygrove College. He has been a teacher at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio for 40 years, where he has taught AP US Government and Politics for 30 years and also AP European History.
LINKS
AP United States Government and Politics
AP U.S. Government and Politics | C-Span
AP®︎ US Government & Politics (College-level) | Khan Academy
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Physics 1 is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educators Jennifer Boughton and John D’Alessandro to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Physics 1 exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Physics 1 exam and how does it differ from the other physics APs?
- How important is a calculator on the AP Physics exam?
- What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Physics?
- How should students prepare for the AP Physics?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Jennifer Boughton is an enthusiastic educator fascinated by the studies of physics and mathematics. She received bachelor’s degrees in Physics, Physics Education and Mathematics Education along with a master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Bowling Green State University.
After spending a few years teaching high school, Jennifer accepted a position with the federal government supervising an operational team and serving as an adjunct instructor for training programs across the United States working with the CIA, DoD, FBI, and JCITA for more than 12 years.
Jennifer returned to public school teaching in 2016 and currently works in the Cincinnati, Ohio area as a Physics instructor at Saint Xavier High School, an adjunct instructor of Physics, Mathematics and Robotics at The University of Cincinnati for the Upward Bound Program and a Physics, Mathematics, ACT and SAT tutor for LEAP-Test Prep and College Counseling.
Jennifer can be reached at info@leaprogram.com.
John D’Alessandro teaches multiple levels of physics at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, OH. He received a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Michigan. While he was pursuing a doctorate in astrophysics at the University of Kentucky, he was exposed to modern tools to teach physics at the high school level, and that changed the course of his life. He realized teaching was what thrilled him. He left UK with a master’s degree in physics and then received a master’s of science in secondary school science education from Columbia University’s Teachers College.
John is a National Board Certified Teacher in physics, is trained as an instructional coach, and has more than thirty years of experience teaching physics. He also coaches a FIRST FTC competitive robotics team.
John can be reached at jdalessandro@stxavier.org.
LINKS
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
AP®︎/College Physics 1 | Science | Khan Academy
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Theories that standardized testing impeded equity in admissions decisions drove the pandemic-era test optional movement. With a few years of real-world data, we can now examine the accuracy of those theories. Amy and Mike invited student advocate Dr. Yoon Choi to revisit the review of testing policies and educational equity.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What does the research say about testing and equity?
-
How do standardized tests help predict college readiness?
-
Why do many states and school districts in the U.S. use the SAT and ACT tests as part of their high school graduation requirements, accountability and evaluation systems?
-
What might surprise people about the research on testing?
-
Instead of casting blame on the tests themselves, what should those who want to improve education and equity focus on?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Yoon S. Choi is CEO of CollegeSpring, a national nonprofit that helps schools and teachers provide free SAT and ACT prep to students from low-income backgrounds. She has over a decade of leadership, management, and fundraising experience, primarily with organizations serving underrepresented youth. In 2020, she was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the program led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She has published articles about testing and college access in Inside Higher Ed, The Hechinger Report, and EdSource. Yoon earned her doctorate in anthropology from the University of California at Irvine, as well as a master’s degree from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Scripps College.
Yoon previously appeared on this podcast in episode # 111 to discuss Do Test Optional Policies Drive Equity.
Reach Yoon at https://collegespring.org.
LINKS
Standardized tests can be great predictors of college success and should not be seen as a cause of inequity
Words Matter: Don’t Go Test Optional, and If You Do, Call it Something Else
Test Optional Won’t Level the College Admissions Playing Field,
RELATED EPISODES
WHO BENEFITS MOST FROM TEST OPTIONAL POLICIES?
WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
BENEFITS OF SCHOOL DAY TESTING
COVID LEARNING LOSS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Students and their families anxiously awaiting acceptance letters often feel helpless throughout the college admissions process. Little do they realize how quickly the advantage can shift in their favor. Amy and Mike invited educator Debra Landesberg to explore the concept of power dynamics in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
Why are power dynamics worth considering in the admissions process?
-
Who holds the most power before applications are submitted?
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Who holds the most power once applications are submitted?
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Who holds the most power once acceptance letters are sent?
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How can applicants remain balanced throughout the admissions process?
MEET OUR GUEST
Debra Landesberg has a M.S. in Continuing Education with an emphasis in Counseling/Psychology & Certificate in College Counseling. Debra has guided students through secondary education to college and beyond for over two decades. As a nationally known and highly respected figure in the college counseling community, she is considered a veteran expert in college admissions. She has served on national and regional boards and maintains membership in HECA, NACAC, and SACAC. She has worked hands-on with multiple family members who have achieved acceptance to more than 200 colleges & universities across the United States & globally.
Debra can be reached at mycollegeresource.net.
LINKS
Reframing power relationships between undergraduates and academics in the current university climate
Does Anyone Win When Colleges Compete?
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO SPEAK TO A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REP
DO COLLEGES CARE ABOUT THEIR APPLICANTS?
LETTERS OF CONTINUED INTEREST
WHAT DO COLLEGES KNOW ABOUT APPLICANTS?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Some rumors about the costs of college are true. For example, some colleges this year will establish record highs in tuition and fees. But does that mean you can trust everything you’ve heard? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Garcia to bust some pervasive myths about how to pay for college.
What are five myths that are busted in this episode?
Myth #1: We're not poor and our student isn't an athlete, so we're stuck paying full price for college.
Myth #2: I have a 4.6 GPA so I will get merit scholarships wherever I apply.
Myth #3: My Student Aid Index/EFC is what it will cost me to go to college.
Myth #4: Full pay students shouldn’t bother filing the FAFSA.
Myth #5: We shouldn't save for college because we will get more financial aid if we don't.
MEET OUR GUEST
Ann Garcia has helped thousands of families save millions of dollars on college. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed "How to Pay for College" and a sought-after media guest who's been quoted in the New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, and Money magazine, to name a few. Ann recently launched an interactive online course to help parents (and their advisors) affordably build savings for college and apply for aid into their broader financial plan. As a parent whose twins just graduated debt-free from college, Ann's expertise expands beyond FAFSAs and 529s — she understands the emotional components of helping your child set and achieve goals for their future. Outside of financial planning, Ann is an avid runner, skier, and fan of middle school rock concerts.
Ann can be reached at howtopayforcollege.com.
LINKS
How to Pay for College: A complete financial plan for funding your child's education
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE
FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Dr. Jennifer Stephan. Jennifer has held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jennifer is currently the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Prior to joining Tufts in 2016, she spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of Computer Science at Wellesley College, where she collaborated with colleagues at MIT, Olin College of Engineering, and Babson College to support students pursuing engineering. While at Wellesley, Jennifer served on the College’s Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating approximately one hundred transfer applications each year.
Jennifer also is the founder of Lantern College Counseling, a robust college counseling practice where she regularly employs insights from her experiences leading in higher education to help students develop their college lists and shape competitive, authentic applications. She is the author of the online course "How to Write a Standout Computer Science College Application." Jennifer specializes in STEM, computer science, engineering, undecided and transfer students
She is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
Jennifer first appeared on our podcast in episode 541 to discuss NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADMISSIONS..
Find Jennifer at jennifer@lanterncollege.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Hanna Stotland, who flunked out of high school, got a G.E.D., and went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Since 1999, she has been an independent admissions consultant specializing in educational crisis management, including Title IX, substance abuse and mental illness. Her recent professional presentations include conferences of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the Higher Education Consultants Association, nine regional ACACs, and Families Advocating for Campus Equality. She has also been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, CBS News, PBS, and WNYC.
Find Hanna at https://hannastotland.com or hanna@hannastotland.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Carolyn P. Mulligan, who attended Bucknell University, where she graduated with a degree in English Literature. She has been proud to have been a counselor for many years at the Bucknell College Admissions Summer Workshop. She worked in public relations in NYC. She helped to open the Museum of Holography in Soho and worked for the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Carolyn is also a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) and the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). She is a member of CH.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder), and the LDA, the Learning Disability Association. She is also a proud member of the Character Collaborative. She has served on Admission Advisory Boards at several institutions including the University of Arizona, Drexel University and Roger Williams University.
Insiders Network to College owner Carolyn Mulligan believes every student has a select few best fit colleges. She guides them towards those target colleges, creating a balanced and tailored list of prospective schools based on their unique strengths, abilities, and goals. She has specialized knowledge in learning disabilities and ADD/ADHD. She goes the extra mile to know each student and determine what kind of environment they will need to be successful in class and on campus. Her commitment to her business is reflected in her visits to over 400 campuses, continuing leadership and engagement in professional associations. She's built personal relationships with college admissions professionals. This gives her a unique insight into higher education. Carolyn has successfully seen hundreds of students through the search process over the last 18 years, with admission letters received from over 200 different colleges and universities.
Carolyn is married and has three children, and three grandchildren, the joy of her life. When her children were younger, Carolyn advocated for them by spending 14 years coordinating the Special Education Parent Advisory Board for the Summit, NJ Board of Education. She was instrumental in bringing speakers like Jonathan Mooney, the late Mel Levene and Rick Lavoie to Summit.udent. She helps direct a team of 13 counselors to deliver the best, always, to their clients.
Find Carolyn at https://insidersnetwork.org or call at 908-277-3754.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alyson Campbell, a member of Estrela Consulting, a boutique college planning firm in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. She has worked in various aspects of higher education and consulting over the past decade including college athletics and college admission (Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH), application review (The Ohio State University), and now as an IEC with Estrela.
Alyson likens her current experience as an IEC to her experience as a former college basketball athlete and coach - she loves seeing people win! Whether it is helping create a more balanced and accessible college list, helping a student refine and perfect their application materials, or easing the burdens and stresses for students and families, Alyson is ready to take on the challenge.
Find Alyson at alyson@estrelaconsulting.com
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Tracy Sullivan. Tracy, co-founder of College 101 Admissions Consultants, lives in Wrentham, MA with her husband Jim, who is a scientist (very helpful during COVID-19!). A graduate of Providence College, Tracy built a successful career in both sales and as a serial entrepreneur. A mom of two college graduates, Tracy continues to cheer her kids on as they pursue their own professional dreams. Her daughter Rachel is building a very successful career with a technology company in Boston, while her son Shane is a first year law student at Boston College Law School.
For Tracy, college is personal. A firm believer that college literally changed her life and therefore could be life-changing for others, Tracy has worked for the last 8 years to assist friends and family through the admissions process. This struck a bigger vision that set her on her course to turning her passion into her profession as a certified admissions consultant. In her own words, Tracy says, “I love being part of the process. I'm a total college-nerd at heart, so visiting campuses and talking with students about where they're going to school or what their experiences have been like - it's just fun for me!”
From Tracy’s perspective, a college education is an investment that will pay off for years to come, and it's important as young adults know the value they have given their future selves. The right fit can lead to a transformational experience.
As a board and council member with The Providence College National Alumni Association Council (NAAC) for 8 years, Tracy considers her passion for higher-education a deeply ingrained and valuable piece of who she is today. In turn, a valuable way to give back to her alma mater. When she’s not in the office, you’ll find Tracy hiking, taking in a motivational thought leadership piece, or just watching a good old-fashioned Hallmark mystery movie.
Find Tracy at tracy@mycollege101.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Applicants often look at the requirements and selectivity of a school as standard for every one of its courses of study, only to find that certain programs are WAY harder to get into than others. Amy and Mike invited educator Lisa Marker-Robbins to explain how colleges admit by major.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does it mean to apply to a school by major?
- What factors need to be taken into account when considering certain majors?
- What can families do to know if a college admits by major?
- How does a college determine if your teen is a fit for a specific major?
- What advice do you have for a student who is unsure of their major?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lisa Marker Robbins is an entrepreneur in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her passion and purpose throughout her career has been to serve high school students and young adults on launching into their future. With that greater purpose, she has been a classroom teacher, 23 years ago started her company LEAP, a test prep, tutoring and independent college counseling organization that has helped thousands, and in 2021, started Flourish Coaching to guide students and young adults through her 5 part framework towards getting career clarity for what comes after graduation.
Lisa first appeared on episode #119 to discuss how HOW TEST PREP PROS AND FINANCIAL PLANNERS CAN WORK TOGETHER, in episode #227 to discuss STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME and in episode #363 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Launch College & Career Clarity Course.
Find Lisa at https://flourishcoachingco.com.
LINKS
The Untold Truth About College Major-Specific Admissions
5 Essential Questions to Ask Colleges Before Submitting Applications
RELATED EPISODES
WHY THIS COLLEGE, WHY THIS MAJOR?
COMPARING MOST POPULAR AND MOST LUCRATIVE COLLEGE MAJORS
DO COLLEGE MAJORS MATTER?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The GRE General Test may be the world’s most widely used admissions test for graduate & professional school, which makes the assessment important to anyone considering graduate, business, or law school. Amy and Mike invited educator Vince Kotchian to share details on what to know about the GRE in 2024.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does the GRE test and how has it changed over the years?
- What should students, tutors, and counselors know about the shorter GRE?
- What should test takers know about the computer-based format of the GRE?
- What kinds of programs accept the GRE?
- When should students prepare for and take the GRE?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vince Kotchian grew up in small-town Connecticut and completed the honors program at Boston College, graduating with a B.A. in English Literature. He moved to San Diego in 2007 and has been working full-time as a test-prep tutor ever since. Vince has scored a perfect 170 in verbal (twice) and a 167 in quant on the GRE. He is the founder of both Vince Kotchian Test Prep and GRE Verbal Precision.
Over the years, Vince has written some test-prep books and courses, but still enjoys GRE tutoring: “When a student texts me that she aced the test or got into her reach program, I still literally jump up and down and grin.”
In his spare time, Vince likes traveling using miles and points (Japan is his favorite country to visit), reading (favorite authors include Haruki Murakami, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and Philip Pullman), watching The Great British Bake-Off (and sometimes actually baking things), hiking and camping, and rooting for the Red Sox and Patriots.
Vince previously appeared on this podcast in episode # 197 to discuss All About The GRE and in episode # 209 in a TEST PREP PROFILE.
Find Vince at Vince Kotchian Test Prep.
LINKS
About the GRE General Test
RELATED EPISODES
THE INNER GAME OF TESTING
GETTING INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL
HOW DOES REMOTE PROCTORING ACTUALLY WORK?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A new test creates new opportunities and requires new study aids. Now that the SAT has gone digital, where should students and educators be looking for prep and practice material? Amy and Mike invited educator Laura Whitmore to explore the options for resources for the digital SAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What materials do you recommend that your students use for the Digital SAT?
-
When and how should you use the official Blue Book practice tests?
-
What have your students tried already and what did they think?
-
Should you trust 3rd party scoring algorithms?
-
What are the best free materials to use?
MEET OUR GUEST
Laura Whitmore is the Founder and CEO of Strategic Test Prep, a leading SAT prep service. With extensive experience and expertise, Laura has been helping students achieve remarkable score improvements since 2007. As a former high school Valedictorian and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Laura's educational background sets a strong foundation for her coaching. Trained by a former College Board question writer, she possesses insider knowledge that enables her to outsmart the SAT and ACT tests. Over the years, Laura has refined these strategies and collaborated with her students to develop additional effective techniques. Laura currently scores a 1570 on the SAT (800 Math, 770 English).
Laura's dedication and positive approach have resulted in exceptional outcomes. Her students have achieved grade improvements and remarkable score gains of up to 400 points on the SAT. From local to international levels, Laura's influence has expanded, working with students in various states across the United States, as well as countries such as Finland, Azerbaijan, India, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and Chile.
In addition to personalized coaching, Laura extends her expertise through her popular YouTube channel, Strategic Test Prep, where she shares free test prep information with students worldwide. Recognizing the need for accessible resources, Laura has also developed asynchronous online SAT courses and a Digital SAT prep app called Preptly, available on the App Store and Google Play. With degrees in psychology and a dual degree in mathematics and adolescent education, Laura's qualifications and dedication make her a trusted source for successful SAT preparation.
Laura can be reached at Strategic Test Prep.
LINKS
Download the Bluebook Digital Testing App | College Board
Official Digital SAT® Prep | Khan Academy
Mathchops
Roots2Words
Desmos
Digital SAT Math - Desmos Lesson #1 Solve any Equation!
RELATED EPISODES
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH
ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT READING & WRITING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Considering how exponentially complex the college admissions process has become in the last decade, the decision to work with an independent college counselor makes sense. The bigger question is, “Which one?” Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Julie Kim to explore considerations on how to choose a college counselor.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
How do you know if you need a college counselor?
-
What are some of the most important traits to look for in an IEC?
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What can a small or solo practice provide that big box solutions cannot? (accountability and consistency)
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Is specialization desirable or even necessary in an IEC?
-
What do students and families need to bring to make college counseling successful?
MEET OUR GUEST
Immigrating from Korea in her youth, Julie Kim is a graduate of USC and Harvard (Ed.M). She founded Passion Prep after years of working in larger consulting firms, hoping to establish a new way of approaching college admissions. Julie offers a unique perspective as the first in her family to navigate the American college admissions process, and works with students of similar backgrounds to develop their own stand-out factor among thousands of other Ivy League applicants.
Julie is the host of the "Demystifying College Admissions" podcast and the "Conquer College Admissions" YouTube channel.
Julie previously appeared on this podcast in episode #196 to discuss Creating a Passion Project and in episode #262 in an IEC PROFILE.
Find Julie at passionprep.com.
LINKS
IEC Profile Playlist
RELATED EPISODES
OVERWORKED SCHOOL COUNSELORS
HOW SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNSELORS CAN WORK TOGETHER
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
In the wake of the 2020 global pandemic, every U.S college and university announced test-optional or test-blind admissions, leading some pundits to predict that the influence of standardized test scores in admissions decisions was over. Based on recent announcements from a suite of public and private schools, nothing could be further from the truth. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to share the state of test-optional admissions in 2024.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- As of early 2024, what is the state of test-optional admissions?
- What is the interplay between grade inflation and post-pandemic admissions policies?
- How do students know whether to submit scores or not?
- What does the term 'miswithholding' mean?
- Will more schools follow Dartmouth and MIT to test mandatory admissions?
MEET OUR HOST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA) and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU’s Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University’s Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28), SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131), SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WRITING TEST? (#271), TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025 (#432), and CELEBRATING OUR 500TH EPISODE
(#500). He also facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com.
LINKS
Truth About Test Optional
What Does Test-Optional Mean?
RELATED EPISODES
TEST SCORES: TO SUBMIT OR NOT
DO TEST OPTIONAL POLICIES DRIVE EQUITY?
WHAT DO TRULY TEST-OPTIONAL COLLEGES FOCUS ON?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jeffrey Dalton, who graduated from New York University in 2006 with a Bachelor's in Linguistics and Languages. After college, he taught English in Lahore, Pakistan for 4 years where he helped middle school students develop their literacy in English. After returning to the USA, Jeffrey worked for 2 years as a Math and Verbal tutor for SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT in New York and New Jersey for a leading international test prep company before making the shift to Dubai in 2015. A passionate educator, Jeffrey recently finished his Master's in Education in Instructional Design through Purdue University. He uses his knowledge as an educator to capably and efficiently guide his students to achieve their target scores on standardized tests. In fact, one of his students scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT.
Find Jeffrey at jrdalton258@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Anna Moss, the founder of Mind the Test LLC, a tutoring company that empowers learners by teaching test prep and academics paired with lifelong research-based study skills. After earning a BA in Linguistics from the University of Chicago and a certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, she taught English and SAT/ACT prep all around the world for five years, spending summers as a cognitive psychology teaching assistant at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth.
She followed her passion for the science of learning to the University of Cambridge, where her MPhil thesis research focused on improving educational equity via linguistic dialect-sensitivity on the SAT.
When not teaching, Anna can be found reading about sociolinguistics, baking interesting desserts, and traveling. She lives in South Jersey with her husband, dog, and little four-month-old baby.
Find Anna at anna@mindthetest.com.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Ari Freuman, the Founder and Lead Tutor at Ivy Tutor. He began his tutoring career in 2013, serving students in New York City and Northern New Jersey. As a tutor, Ari recognized how difficult it was for parents to find effective SAT and ACT tutors like himself. To address this need, Ari assembled and trained a team of dynamic and inspiring tutors, creating what is today, Ivy Tutor.
Ari is obsessed with delivering results. He adheres to an evidence-based ethos to develop and refine Ivy Tutor's strategies. His mission is to ensure that each student receives the most effective instruction possible from him and his team.
Find Ari at https://ivytutor.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Nikki Rooks, a lifelong learner with a love for helping students build confidence and achieve their academic goals! After changing majors a few times, she graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with undergraduate degrees in mathematics and computer science. Nikki worked in the IT field for 5 years before deciding to pursue her passion for education and becoming a full-time tutor.
Nikki primarily works with middle and high school students in the Nashville area, offering individual support in K-12 math and ACT/SAT/ISEE prep. She takes joy in connecting mathematical concepts and demonstrating that math can make sense!
In her free time, Nikki enjoys playing with her dog, cheering on the Nashville Predators, and trying new recipes. She is also an avid ballet dancer and is a company member of Ignite Dance.
Find Nikki at nikkirooks7@gmail.com or www.nikkirooks.com
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Paul Oberman, who has been involved with education since 1989 as a teacher, principal, and head of school. He has been at boarding schools and day schools, Catholic schools and Jewish schools and non-denominational schools, single gender schools and coed schools, progressive schools and conservative schools. He has coached all of the mainstream sports: springboard diving, Ultimate Frisbee, and water polo.
In the summer of 2023, Paul started his own tutoring company, Oberman Tutoring, which helps students prepare for the ACT/SAT and supports students in math classes from middle school through high school. Paul also loves playing Ultimate Frisbee and performing stand-up comedy.
Find Paul at https://www.drpauloberman.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The most massive revision ever to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid burst into the new year like a brick through a window–everyone is talking about it, but nobody is happy. Amy and Mike invited financial aid advisor Ed Recker to review the latest news and timelines to date along with our first impressions of the better FAFSA.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How has the “soft launch” of the Better FAFSA® gone?
- What has been the feedback about the user experience on the FAFSA®?
- How have college professionals reacted to the FAFSA rollout?
- Will the FAFSA delays impact the traditional May 1st admission decision deadline?
- What recommended action steps and advice should those involved in the financial aid process take to heart?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ed Recker is a Director of High School Relationship Management with Sallie Mae, serving high schools, states, and professional organizations throughout the U.S. He joined Sallie Mae in 2019, and has over 20 years’ experience in the financial aid and enrollment industry. Prior to joining Sallie Mae, Ed was a Senior Consultant within the Enrollment Division of Ruffalo Noel Levitz, held the position of Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Findlay, and held various financial aid positions at the University of Findlay, Terra State Community College, and Bowling Green State University. Ed holds a M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of Toledo, and resides in Ottawa, OH with his wife Kate and daughter Evelyn.
Ed appeared on the podcast in episode #492 to discuss The Better FAFSA For New And Previous Filers, which provides essential background information for this episode.
Find Ed at Edward.Recker@salliemae.com.
LINKS
FAFSA® 2023: How to Apply for Financial Aid | Sallie Mae
FAFSA Simplification: A Better FAFSA Process Means a Better Future for Borrowers | Federal Student Aid - Financial Aid Toolkit
2024-25 FAFSA Student Aid Index Update and Timeline
RELATED EPISODES
The Better FAFSA For New And Previous Filers
UNDERSTANDING YOUR COLLEGE TUITION BILL
WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Too many students think that getting into a college implies a guarantee that they’ll be successfully getting out with a degree. Reality suggests otherwise, but teens can tilt the odds in their favor even while still in high school. Amy and Mike invited educator Michael Ermann to share college readiness advice from a college professor.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does readiness mean in the context of college?
- What is one of the most important traits in a college-ready student?
- What is the link between SAT & ACT scores and college readiness?
- What can students do right now in high school to be more successful in college?
- What are three things a student can do for success once enrolled in college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Michael Ermann is the creator of Olive Book, an SAT and ACT animated prep course with 6,000 enrolled; 10,000 per month visit his Olive Book blog. He is a tenured full professor at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture, where he has taught since 2001 and served as architecture program chairman from 2007 to 2011. His work has earned him the American Institute of Architects’ top regional design award, an international design award, the top state research award (twice), and a top state award for lifetime achievement, as well as the school’s top research award, and the school’s top teaching award (twice). Professor Ermann is a registered architect, the author of Architectural Acoustics Illustrated (Wiley, 2015, five stars on Amazon), and the creator of the animated video course Amber Book, which prepares candidates for the exams that will make them a licensed architect and has enrolled more than 40,000. His YouTube channel has over seven million views and more than 35,000 subscribers.
Professor Ermann has a math degree from Tulane University and a master’s in architecture from the University of Florida. His lifelong love of teaching math has never waned, having tutored students in the subject for more than 30 years. He believes everyone is a visual learner and has created in Olive Book a way to teach math, grammar, reading comprehension, and science in the graphic language of architecture. That course is instructive, comprehensive in preparing high school students for the tests, and engaging. To watch a short video demonstrating the Olive Book, click here.
Find Michael at info@olive-book.com.
LINKS
College Readiness Benchmarks
RELATED EPISODES
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
TRACKING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE READY FOR COLLEGE?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Anti-Boring Learning Lab
The community of educators obsessed with sharing the science-backed study skills and executive function strategies every student needs to thrive with educator Gretchen Wegner.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind the Anti-Boring Learning Lab?
- How does the Anti-Boring Learning Lab work?
- Who are the ideal clients for the Anti-Boring Learning Lab?
- What kinds of outcomes do clients experience?
- What should someone curious about the Anti-Boring Learning Lab know about it?
ABOUT ANTI-BORING LEARNING LAB
The Anti-Boring Learning Lab is a community of educators who obsess over sharing the science-backed study skills and executive function strategies every student needs to thrive.
It’s a one-stop shop where you’ll learn the tools and the brain science students need to shift from unmotivated, bored, and struggling students into independent, motivated, self-starting learners.
Most importantly, you’ll join a community of passionate educators to ask questions, share ideas, and rethink learning and schools together. As one newly minted Anti-Boring academic coach gushed, “I came for the curriculum but stayed for the community.”
Not only will you receive your choice of micro-credentials that represent “the least you need to know” about study skills, note-taking, executive functions, how to be an academic coach and more, but you’ll also have access to community calls, book clubs, co-working sessions, and special interest chats.
Whether you are (or want to become) an academic coach, executive function coach, ADHD coach, or life coach; whether you are a classroom teacher, special ed teacher, school counselor, or are in other quirky corners of education -- there is something for you and your students at the Anti-Boring Learning Lab.
What we all have in common is a hunger to help our students succeed and a longing to connect with other educators as passionate as we are.
Find out more at www.antiboringlearninglab.com and download our free resources at www.antiboringlearninglab.com/library.
The Anti-Boring Learning Lab is founded by Gretchen Wegner. A master teacher and an academic life coach for over 15 years, she specializes in consolidating the science of learning into fun, digestible, actionable, executive function-friendly nuggets for both students and educators. Gretchen is also a tireless learner, consistently and transparently modeling the tools she teaches in her coaching, courses, and community. Download her free coaching resources at www.antiboringlearninglab.com/library.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The various flavors of computer science and engineering majors tend to be among the most popular and potentially lucrative for incoming students. No wonder they’ve also become some of the most selective programs to get into! Amy and Mike invited college dean Jennifer Stephan for guidance in navigating the competitive landscape of computer science and engineering admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How competitive are Computer Science (CS) and engineering admissions?
- How can students position themselves with the strength to apply to schools as a CS and engineering major?
- What makes a CS and engineering program a good fit?
- What does a balanced college list look like for CS and engineering majors?
- What are CS and engineering-related majors for students to consider?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Jennifer Stephan has held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jennifer is currently the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Before joining Tufts in 2016, she spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of Computer Science at Wellesley College, where she collaborated with colleagues at MIT, Olin College of Engineering, and Babson College to support students pursuing engineering. While at Wellesley, Jennifer served on the College’s Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating approximately one hundred transfer applications each year.
Jennifer also is the founder of Lantern College Counseling, a robust college counseling practice where she regularly employs insights from her experiences leading in higher education to help students develop their college lists and shape competitive, authentic applications. Jennifer specializes in STEM, computer science, engineering, undecided and transfer students
She is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
Take advantage of Jennifer’s powerful “How to Write a Standout Computer Science College Application” course and use the savings code: TESTS_AND_THE_REST for a 20% discount. This offer is available through Sunday 1/28/24 11:30 pm EST.
Find Jennifer at jennifer@lanterncollege.com or https://www.lanterncollegecounseling.com/.
LINKS
Illuminating Your Path to an Engineering Major and Career
How to Write a Standout Computer Science College Application
RELATED EPISODES
STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME
COMPARING MOST POPULAR AND MOST LUCRATIVE COLLEGE MAJORS
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
GALLUP ALUMNI SURVEY AND THE SIX COLLEGE EXPERIENCES THAT DRIVE SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Billie Jean King described tennis as a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility. In a lot of ways, taking a high-stakes exam feels the same way. Amy and Mike invited educator Scott Greenspan to explore how tennis and test prep are similar.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What makes tennis such a perfect analogy for testing?
-
What can aspiring test takers learn from tennis?
-
In what ways are tennis players and test takers alike?
-
What is the role of practice in academic and athletic success?
-
What is the role of coaching in academic and athletic success?
MEET OUR GUEST
Scott Greenspan is the founder/president of Span Test Prep in Glenview IL, which is located in the north suburbs of Chicago. For well over 25 years, Scott has helped over 4000 students reach their goals on the ACT and SAT. He especially enjoys working with his students on motivation, mindfulness, and mastery of the content. He and his staff also do academic tutoring and college admissions coaching.
Scott is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in math, and he earned an MA in teaching from North Park University. His hobbies include tennis, skiing, and hiking.
Scott previously appeared on this podcast in episode 191 for a Test Prep Profile.
Scott can be reached at sgreenspan@spantestprep.com or https://www.spantestprep.com/.
LINKS
Looking for a Good Test Strategy? Think Sports!
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TEST PREP AND SPORTS ARE SIMILAR
THE INNER GAME OF TESTING
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
WHAT TO DO WHEN A TEST SCORE DISAPPOINTS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every innovation in technology eventually impacts education, yet artificial intelligence already seems poised to transform the way people learn and teach at every level. Amy and Mike invited technology expert Amit Jain to explore how tutors can use AI.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How have Large Language Models (LLMs) solved the decades-old problem of Natural Language Processing (NLP)?
- How is AI helping curate and personalize content for individual students?
- How is AI enhancing comprehension and engagement, and bridging cultural and linguistic gaps for students?
- What ethical considerations should be taken into account when using AI in education?
- How can tutors and test prep professionals get started with AI ?
MEET OUR GUEST
Amit Jain is the CEO and Co-founder of MentoMind, a learning platform company on a mission to boost student outcomes in education. Amit's journey began with a deep passion for computer science, leading him to first earn an engineering degree with a gold medal and then impart knowledge in the same field as a lecturer at an engineering college in India. His career then progressed through various leadership roles in several global software and technology companies. The Covid pandemic reignited Amit's interest in education, inspiring him and his friends to develop MentoMind. This AI-powered learning platform, originally launched for college preparation in India, has successfully garnered an active user base of over 30,000 students. Expanding its reach, Amit recently introduced MentoMind in the United States, targeting college-bound students preparing for the digital SAT.
Amit can be reached at amit.jain@mentomind.com.
LINKS
AI as Personal Tutor
Khanmigo Education AI Guide
RELATED EPISODES
TUTORING IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The digital SAT may look like the future of standardized admissions tests, but the exam continues a long tradition of verbal priorities. The more things change, the more they stay the same! Amy and Mike invited educator Lori Goldstein to talk all about digital SAT Reading & Writing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How is the SAT Reading & Writing section structured?
- How important are vocabulary skills on the test?
- What makes SAT Reading questions so difficult?
- What makes SAT Writing questions so difficult?
- What can students do to excel in SAT Reading & Writing?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lori Goldstein grew up in NY and NJ and attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a degree in Communications. She worked in television for a while (behind the scenes) and then took a job in Florida. Eventually, Lori started selling sailboats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, which provided her the opportunity to go sailing every chance she had.
After raising her family, Lori decided to become a math teacher. She enrolled to get the credits needed to re-learn all the high school math that she had forgotten. This was actually fun for her, allowing her inner nerd to come out. She started tutoring kids in math. Eventually, one parent asked if she could help their daughter with the SAT. “Why not?” she said. The rest is history.
Lori previously appeared on this podcast in episode 235 for a Test Prep Profile.
Lori can be reached at circletestprep.com.
LINKS
Meet The Digital SAT: READING AND WRITING
RELATED EPISODES
HOW THE DIGITAL SAT IS SCORED
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Admissions factors in college applications often boil down to grades plus tests and then the rest. What happens when the influence of standardized scores is minimized or entirely excluded? Amy and Mike asked U of R Vice Provost and Dean of Enrollment Management Robert Alexander and educational consultant Aly Beaumont the million-dollar question: what do truly test-optional colleges focus on?
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How do you know if a school is truly test-optional?
- What are the components of the application review process?
- What aspects of high school grades are most important?
- How can applicants communicate character through their applications?
- What is the benefit of submitting test scores to a truly test-optional school?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Dr. Robert J. Alexander serves as the vice provost and university dean of enrollment at the University of Rochester, with responsibility for more than 90 staff members across the offices of admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management, an operating budget of $9.4 million, and distribution of over $330 million in student aid. As a first-generation college graduate, his twenty-year professional career is animated by a passion for higher education’s transformational impact on a diverse array of students.
Alexander received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, conducting dissertation research focused on higher education leadership and governance. He previously graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Paul Tulane College and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Management from Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and served on the Tulane Alumni Association Board of Directors. Originally from New York, Alexander serves as class fund chairman for his alma mater, Regis High School.
Alexander is active with the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the American Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO), the College Board, the Association of Governing Boards (AGB), and the American Marketing Association (AMA), speaking at national meetings regarding enrollment management and marketing strategies. His work has been published in national publications, including the Association of Governing Board's Trusteeship Magazine.
Before the University of Rochester, Alexander held senior administrative and teaching roles at various institutions across the United States. As vice president for enrollment and communications at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, his work increased undergraduate net revenue per student, doubled the representation of domestic students of color and the proportion of international students. As an academic leader and instructor of management, Alexander helped develop Millsaps’ nonprofit management program, and taught courses combining Liberal Arts and Business concepts to provide skills for graduates to positively impact their communities.
While serving as the associate provost for enrollment at University of the Pacific in northern California, Dr. Alexander coordinated strategic plans that dramatically increased prospective student interest, increased university-wide enrollment to record levels, while simultaneously improving academic quality and financial metrics. As assistant vice president for enrollment management at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, Alexander’s efforts during and following Hurricane Katrina successfully restored enrollment and improved the institution’s reputation and impact on its surrounding community.
Find Robert at ralexander@rochester.ed
Aly Beaumont is the founder of Admissions Village, a family focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is an Associate member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 406 to discuss WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS, in episode 341 to discuss COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS, in episode 212 to discuss PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS and was the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 264.
Find Aly at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
LINKS
University of Rochester Testing Policies
Character Collaborative
RELATED EPISODES
TEST SCORES: TO SUBMIT OR NOT
THE MAKING CARING COMMON PROJECT
WHO BENEFITS FROM TEST-OPTIONAL POLICIES?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Mathematics is one of the fundamental tools for understanding the universe, nothing less than the science and study of quality, structure, space, and change. That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t make a contest of it, especially if doing so can uncover a generation’s brightest math minds. Amy and Mike invited Vida John to explain all about the American Math Competition.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What is the American Math Competition, and who runs it?
-
How is the AMC scored and what is a good score?
-
Have there been test security issues with the AMC?
-
Who should take the AMC and why?
-
How can students prepare for the AMC?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vida John is a math coach and tutor, specializing in students who are preparing for math contests and studying curriculum published by Art of Problem Solving. Vida grew up in Iowa where she was a high school mathlete before studying at the Stanford School of Engineering and UCSF School of Medicine. After working in Silicon Valley for a medical start-up, she homeschooled her 2 daughters with the intent of providing an excellent education, especially in math and science.
She coached homeschooled math teams for 10 years, and with both daughters now attending Stanford, she continues to help students prepare for MathCounts, AMC, and other contests while building their problem-solving skills. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and runs workshops on using math contests to prepare for college-level work.
Vida previously appeared on this podcast in episode 255 to discuss Competitive Math And Testing.
Find Vida at vidajohntutoring.com.
LINKS
American Mathematics Competitions
MATHCOUNTS Foundation
Art of Problem Solving
RELATED EPISODES
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS
HIGH IMPACT STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN MATH
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Bill Watterson observed that there is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do. With the right scheduling habits, though, maybe there can be. Amy and Mike invited educator Rebecca Rauscher to share best practices for making time visible.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does it really mean (concretely) to “Make Time Visible”?
- Why is this such a big issue for students more so today than ever before?
- What are some strategies and ideas for making time visible?
- Is there an ideal day or time to create calendars and checklists?
- Are there instances where MTV is unhelpful or detrimental?
MEET OUR GUEST
With over 30 years of experience as an educator and the founder of Focal-Point Consulting, Rebecca Rauscher, MS Ed. understands the importance of developing and fostering both executive function skills and study techniques with clients of all ages and abilities. As an educator in the public schools, she shared her love of learning with her students, colleagues, and the families with whom she worked. She brings a genuine passion for learning and enthusiasm to her work with students from high school through grad school, as well as with individuals who need to build or strengthen their executive function skills. Rebecca has consistently fostered and built relationships with not only her students, but their parents and caregivers as well. Her unique, creative approach to learning truly helps her clients with academic success and the development of skills necessary for learning and life. Rebecca is passionate about helping others gain the techniques and strategies that allow her clients to fulfill their unique ambitions, goals, and dreams—to foster their own sense of purpose and creativity with greater success and outcomes.
Rebecca earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester with a double major in Spanish and Political Science. She went on to obtain her master’s degree in education from SUNY Brockport with an extension in bilingual education. In addition to her work as an educational consultant, Rebecca currently teaches as an adjunct instructor at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Academic Success Center in Rochester, New York.
Rebecca can be reached at https://www.focal-pointconsulting.com.
LINKS
Sunday Night Overhaul (SNO)
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy
RELATED EPISODES
FEEDBACK-DRIVEN METACOGNITION
HELPING TEENS GET THE SLEEP THEY NEED
EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS FOR TEST PREPARATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Now that college admissions is moving back into a test-preferred environment, students don’t have to struggle with the choice of whether or not to take a college entrance exam but rather which one. Amy and Mike invited educator Susan Powers to weigh the important factors in choosing between the digital SAT and the ACT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why should students give thought to which test they want to take?
- How are the ACT and digital SAT different?
- How does the ACT Science section play into a decision about which test to take?
- Should you prepare for both the ACT and digital SAT?
- Are there any general rules for what types of students are better suited to either test?
MEET OUR GUEST
Susan Powers is the founder and CEO of Woodlands Test Prep, a tutoring company based in the Houston area that improves students’ scores, supports students’ academic success, and helps families navigate the college admissions testing process with much less stress.
Susan started teaching SAT and GMAT classes for Kaplan in 1994 as a hobby while an executive for a large oil and gas equipment company, doing strategy and acquisitions. The arrival of children put hobbies on hiatus, and she was able to return to tutoring in 2011, founding Woodlands Test Prep. The company has grown from a solopreneur to a larger company with multiple tutors. Susan delights in all aspects of the business from tutoring to curriculum and resource development to process improvement to hiring those few rare gems and teaching them how to help students too!
Susan was a National Merit Scholar and has a B.A. in French and a B.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on entrepreneurship. She lives in the country with her partner, Joe, and three dogs, a cat, and a parrot named Monkey. Her two children now live adventurous lives in the mountainous West. She loves to travel around the world, play day-long board games, sing, write poetry, garden, and read a couple of books at a time.
Susan is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. She first appeared on the podcast in episode 231 in a Test Prep Profile.
Susan can be reached at www.woodlandstestprep.com.
LINKS
Meet the Digital SAT
RELATED EPISODES
WHY PRACTICE TESTS MATTER SO MUCH
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We all know that the first and most influential item in a college application is the academic record, right? But, at a time when everything else in the calculations of selective colleges seems uncertain, can we be so sure the role of grades hasn’t changed as well? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Susie Watts to explore just how important GPA is in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Will a low high school GPA keep you out of college?
- Will a high GPA guarantee you get into a selective college?
- How does a rising or falling GPA factor into a college admissions decision?
- How do institutional priorities take precedence over criteria like a GPA?
- How does test-optional matter if you have a high GPA?
MEET OUR GUEST
Susie Watts is the founder of College Direction. She has 30 years experience in college admission counseling. Her goal is to make the college selection, application and admission process as stress-free for families as possible. She helps students stay organized, assist in researching potential colleges, support them with their college applications and essays and show them ways to become a successful college applicant. Together, they can find colleges that match a student’s academic, personal and financial needs. Susie is the recent author of Beyond the GPA: How to Give Your Student an Edge with College Admissions.
Susie can be reached at https://collegedirection.org.
LINKS
NYS Higher Education Services Corporation - Do Grades Matter
Beyond the GPA: How to Give Your Student an Edge with College Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION
WHY GRADE INFLATION IS HARMFUL
THE PROBLEM WITH GRADES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Since its inception, the SAT has challenged math conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. What, if anything, has changed on the new digital adaptive test? Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to talk all about digital SAT Math
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What aspect of the new test will affect preparation and performance the most?
- How much will Desmos and other aspects of the digital delivery system matter?
- How does the digital SAT's math content compare to the current SAT's math content?
- What makes the hard module of the digital SAT so hard?
- How can educators and students use existing resources?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mike McGibbon started tutoring at Kaplan while he was a student at UC Berkeley. After graduating in 2002, he moved to NYC to study music and play the trumpet professionally.
During this time, Mike also worked for several NYC tutoring agencies and eventually transitioned to a full-time tutoring career. He now runs his own solo tutoring practice, focusing on the ACT, SAT, and ISEE. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Mathchops.com, an adaptive math practice tool.
Today, Mike teaches in Westchester County, where he lives with his wife and three kids. He also provides free advice through articles and videos on www.nyctestprepadvice.com and the Mathchops YouTube channel.
Mike previously appeared on this podcast in episode 165 to discuss Differences Between SAT and ACT Math, episode 372 to explain Making Learning Science Work For You, episode 332 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Mathchops, and episode 480 to discuss How Standardization Can Benefit Education.
Mike can be reached at mike@mathchops.com.
LINKS
https://mathchops.substack.com/t/digital-sat
What can the first four SATs from 2015 tell us about the four Bluebook digital SATs?
Meet The Digital SAT: MATH
RELATED EPISODES
HOW THE DIGITAL SAT IS SCORED
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Earning valuable college credit while fulfilling high school requirements sounds too good to be true, and yet many teens do exactly this every year. Why don’t more? Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Amanda Sterk to explore when dual enrollment is a good option.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly does dual enrollment mean?
- What are the benefits of dual enrollment?
- Do many students pursue dual enrollment opportunities?
- Are dual enrollment credits always transferable?
- What if your school doesn't offer a dual enrollment track?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Amanda Sterk is the Director of College and Career Advising at Method Learning. Dr. Sterk has guided thousands of students through academic planning, career exploration, and applying and succeeding in college admissions and scholarships. She is co-author of the nationally recognized college admissions workbook, College UnMazed: Your Guide to Navigate the High School to College Maze. Dr. Sterk graduated with her Bachelors in Education from the University of Northern Iowa, Masters in Counseling from Drake University, and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Creighton University.
Originally from Iowa, Dr. Sterk has worked in high-performing schools throughout Africa and Latin America, settling in Cape Coral, Florida. Dr. Sterk enjoys the SW Florida sunshine through many outdoor activities such as paddleboarding and bike riding with her husband, Heath, and two teenage daughters, Eden and Rilah.
Amanda can be reached at amanda@methodlearning.com.
LINKS
The Power of Dual Enrollment: The Equitable Expansion of College Access and Success
RELATED EPISODES
ADVANTAGES OF DUAL ENROLLMENT
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
EARNING ADVANCE COLLEGE CREDIT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We often hear that internships are a smart option for teens whether they have clear career aspirations or not. What we don’t hear are all the details about where, when, how, and why. Amy and Mike invited business development consultant Robert Khoury to review everything you need to know about high school internships.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
How valuable is an internship to a high school student?
-
What makes an internship significant?
-
What are the best ways for high schoolers today to find internships?
-
What are some helpful resources in finding an internship?
-
What are some opportunities you have seen that may be available for a high school student?
-
What else should high school students do for future college and career success?
MEET OUR GUEST
Robert J. Khoury is the founder and CEO of Agile Rainmakers, a high-impact business development consulting and advisory firm based in Chicago’s Gold Coast. His 20+year career in the financial industry has seen him in many roles: an equity derivatives trader, portfolio manager, corporate strategist, chief operating officer, recruiter, hedge fund executive, and private equity investor. Rob earned a BSE in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University and his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He takes great pleasure in supporting college students and recent graduates in making career and life choices that support the fulfillment of their life’s goals.
As a member of the Princeton Club of Chicago, for over a decade he has organized intern luncheons for Princeton students eager to find opportunities in Chicago. He has hired interns over the years and has a passion for ensuring their success. Rob led personal and professional development seminars for Landmark Worldwide for several years; enjoys volunteering, philanthropy, and family vacations; and lives with his wife, Mary – a freshwater ecologist – and their two children in a downtown Chicago condo overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan. This book is the first in a series on internships.
Robert can be reached at robert@agilerainmakers.com.
LINKS
How to Intern Successfully: Insights & Actions to Optimize Your Experience
https://www.robertjkhoury.com/newsletter
Robert J. Khoury ’90 and John Selby ’68 Offer Advice on the Intern Experience | Princeton Alumni Weekly
PAWcast: Rob Khoury ’90 on Designing Better Internships
RELATED EPISODES
STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME
HELPING TEENS FIND THEIR VALUES AND PURPOSE
WHAT HIGH SCHOOLERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
That old truism about needing to have money to make money wasn’t necessarily coined with college in mind, but unlocking the long-term economic benefits of higher education definitely involves an investment upfront. Amy and Mike invited college finance experts Dave Peterson and Dan Cieniewicz to share insights on how to pay for college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What sources do you recommend utilizing to pay for college?
- What do the changes to the FAFSA mean for parents and students?
- What's the worst advice you have seen regarding scholarships?
- Does a student need to have perfect grades, test scores, or be a star athlete to win scholarships?
- Where do you find scholarships?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dave Peterson, The Scholarship Coach, is the father of a rising college junior who, to date, has won over $80,000 in scholarships. Because of his son's success with scholarships, people started asking him for advice on how their children could win scholarships. These questions prompted Dave to write the book DEBT-FREE COLLEGE: Proven Strategies for Winning Scholarships and Other Tools to Help You Avoid Student Loan Debt. Dave shares a new scholarship opportunity every day on his podcast and Substack called "Your Daily Scholarship." He provides one-on-one coaching for students and families to help them find and win scholarships to achieve their debt-free college dreams.
Dave previously appeared on this podcast in episode 496 to share 12 MUST-SEE SCHOLARSHIPS.
Find Dave at dave@nodebtcollege.com.
Dan Cieniewicz works with parents of teenage children as they find themselves in a position to strategize to pay for college while also staying on track for retirement. Dan’s goal when working with clients is to explain the complexities of the financial aid & college application process and to strategize to make sure that both parents and children are set up for long-term success.
Dan was born & raised in Berks County. He attended Albright College, majoring in Economics & Political Science and played on the football team. Dan has obtained the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.
Find Dan at www.thecollegedude.com.
LINKS
Mastering the New FAFSA Webinar
Education Tax Credits--AOTC and LLC
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGES THAT OFFER THE BEST SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID
FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
THE BETTER FAFSA FOR NEW & PREVIOUS FILERS
Check out our full Paying for College Playlist
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Students, parents, and even teachers sometimes fall prey to the misconception that academic improvement follows a perfectly linear path with each performance a marked improvement over the last. If only! Amy and Mike invited educator Shahar Link to explore strategies for breaking through test score plateaus.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How can you tell the difference between a score ceiling and a plateau?
- What are the most reliable ways to break through score plateaus?
- What are the most common score levels where students hit plateaus?
- Are there situations in which it doesn't make sense to keep trying to break through a plateau?
- What are a few strategies to break through plateaus on either Reading and Writing or Math?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shahar Link, the CEO and founder of Mindspire Tutoring and Test Prep, has been at the forefront of the test preparation and academic excellence arena for over a decade. With a career spanning 25 years, Shahar has honed his expertise in high school teaching and tutoring standardized tests, including the SAT and ACT. Holding a Master’s degree in History from Stanford University, where he delved into the history of IQ testing, Shahar founded Mindspire driven by the deep reward in empowering students to exceed their own expectations and achieve remarkable success in even the most formidable academic and mental endeavors.
Shahar’s exceptional contributions have not gone unnoticed. He has been featured as a quoted expert in the renowned US News & World Report and has been invited as a keynote speaker at numerous educational institutions, captivating audiences with his innovative approaches to learning. Through Mindspire Tutoring and Test Prep, Shahar has transformed the lives of countless students, providing them with invaluable strategies and guidance to conquer academic challenges and unleash their true potential.
Shahar can be reached at https://www.mindspire.com.
LINKS
Standardized Test Preparation Checklist
Disappointing Results? Press On!
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT TO DO WHEN A TEST SCORE DISAPPOINTS
BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS
WHY YOU WANT TO WORK WITH A CAREER TUTOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Few concepts in education and performance psychology are as universally accepted as that of the power of a growth mindset. Does that mean the research is conclusive and settled? Not exactly. Amy and Mike invited journalist Jill Barshay to dig into an unexpectedly controversial question–does growth mindset matter?
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What is growth mindset?
-
How new is the concept of growth mindset?
-
What is the research evidence for growth mindset?
-
Is the science behind growth mindset universally accepted?
-
Should growth mindset be taught?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jill Barshay writes the weekly “Proof Points” column about education research and data, covering a range of topics from early childhood to higher education. She taught algebra to ninth-graders for the 2013-14 school year. Previously, Barshay was the New York bureau chief for Marketplace, a national business show on public radio stations. She has also written for Congressional Quarterly, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Financial Times, and appeared on CNN and ABC News. She was a 2016-17 Spencer Fellow in Education Reporting. In 2019 she received the American Educational Research Association's award for excellence in media reporting on education research. A graduate of Brown University, Barshay holds master's degrees from the London School of Economics and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Follow Jill by subscribing to the Proof Points newsletter at https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/.
LINKS
Does growth mindset matter? The debate heats up
Should taxpayers and schools invest in ‘growth mindset’ programs?
Growth mindset guru Carol Dweck says teachers and parents often use her research incorrectly Praise strategies and results, not effort alone, she says
Thriving under pressure: The effects of stress-related wise interventions on affect, sleep, and exam performance for college students from disadvantaged backgrounds
RELATED EPISODES
BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS
HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE
HOW TO BECOME A RIDICULOUSLY EFFECTIVE STUDENT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every year, timeless verities related to getting into college–or even what colleges a student can get into–give way to painful, new truths and exciting, new opportunities. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2024.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does it truly mean to build a balanced college list?
- What's a good way to help manage expectations for students who are applying to highly selective colleges?
- How optional are test scores in the current admissions cycle?
- What other majors might a Computer Science student consider in light of admissions challenges for those increasingly popular programs?
- What should students know about the University of California admissions and what are some alternative ideas for colleges?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, founder of Orlowski College Consulting, has worked in education for 35 years and has worked as an Independent Educational Consultant for 10+ years. She has a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, a BA in Communicative Disorders from San Diego State, and two active teaching credentials. She taught deaf, LD, and 2E students for four years and was a college counselor at a small private school for 3 years. Rebecca specializes in gifted/2E, STEM, creative, homeschooled, and transfer students.
Rebecca first appeared on the podcast in episode 369 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE CLASS OF 2023.
Rebecca can be reached at r.orlowski.consulting@gmail.com.
LINKS
What Are Your Expectations?
Admissions Trends for the HS Class of 2023
College Kickstart
How many reach, match, and safety schools should be on your college list?
Should Today's Students Take the SAT & ACT?
Should You Apply Early Decision?
RELATED EPISODES
LONG-TERM PLANNING FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every aspect of being or raising a teenager is complicated by the emotional, irrational, and idiosyncratic responses inherent to all of us. Luckily, psychologists have been piecing together some strategies for bringing order to our typical chaos. Amy and Mike invited counselor Samantha Straub to explore using brain science to help your teen navigate the college process.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What distinguishes the teen brain from the adult brain?
- What are the implications that adolescent brain development has on the college process?
- What do all kids need from their adults during adolescence?
- What do parents do to make the college process turn south?
- What can parents do to make the college process go well?
MEET OUR GUEST
Samantha Straub is a licensed clinical professional counselor who treats adolescents and their parents and the owner of Teen Savvy Coaching, where she provides individual and group coaching for parents of teens and tweens. As a parenting coach, Sam helps parents of teens and tweens step into their parenting role with calm and confidence during a time of big transitions–for their kids but also for the parents! In her coaching role, she blends her training as a clinical counselor with her 26 years of experience as a classroom teacher, administrator, and school counselor to help parents tame household chaos and strengthen the parent-child connection while also maintaining healthy boundaries. She lives outside of Annapolis with her husband and two kids ages 17 and 19. She has walked one kid through the college process and is in the midst of going through it again with the second.
Find Sam at https://teensavvycoaching.com.
LINKS
One way to increase teen motivation
Talk to Me First (Deborah Roffman)
RELATED EPISODES
HAPPY AND RELAXED TEENS OMNIBUS
HOW DO I MOTIVATE MY STUDENT?
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE READY FOR COLLEGE?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Grades 9 through 12 represent one of the most influential periods in a person’s life, a time of dramatic change and growth during which many teens determine the trajectories of their lives. Amy and Mike invited educator Flo Brett to share what parents, educators, and counselors should know about how to be successful in high school.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What difficulties do students typically experience in their transitions into high school?
- What are the keys to a strong start in the freshmen year?
- What skills do students need to be successful in their first steps in their high school experience?
- What are the red flags that could indicate a student failing in their high school experience?
- What can parents and professionals do to assist in these transitions?
MEET OUR GUEST
Flo Brett is the Founder and Executive Director of Effective Leadership Academy. Since serving as a LEAD ICU Nurse Manager, Training and Development Lead, and Clinical Governance Manager at a hospital in the United Kingdom, Flo has been guided by her education with degrees in Nursing and Leadership Development.
Flo has built a reputation for her work around managing complex cultural change, mergers, and acquisitions and has driven quality initiatives across large organizations. She has developed and implemented leadership and development programs in many diverse settings from corporate to nonprofit organizations, from board to operational level, university-level teaching, prison environments, and teaching within many Pre K-12 establishments. She became a disruptor in the Leadership Training Agenda having the opportunity to blend her two passions and founded The Effective Leadership Academy in 2008, impacting over 42,000 students to develop their most valuable assets – themselves. Flo strongly believes that your thoughts, values, and beliefs, create your reality... They form the attitudes that drive your behavior. If you want better results, you have to change the behavior that drives them.
Find Flo at flo@effectivela.org.
LINKS
Learn how to be smarter with this one stupid trick
Ever Failed, Try Again, Succeed Better: Results from a Randomized Educational Intervention on Grit
Effective Leadership Academy
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO BECOME A RIDICULOUSLY EFFECTIVE STUDENT
WHAT IS SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING?
ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
With all the focus on the primary personal statement, we often overlook the importance of supplemental essays in the college application. Amy and Mike invited IEC Jodi Rosenshein Atkin to explain the best ways to answer the matched questions, “Why this college, why this major?”
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
Why are supplemental essays so important in college applications?
-
Why is the "Why this college?" supplemental important?
-
Why is the "Why this major?" supplemental important?
-
What kind of research should applicants do for these supplements?
-
What extra follow-up really makes them stand out?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jodi Rosenshein Atkin is an independent educational consultant in private practice. She holds a BA and MA from the University of Rochester in Psychology, and has over 20 years of experience in educational and clinical settings. Her first career focused on working with individuals and families living with learning challenges. She is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, as well as a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, New York State Association of College Admissions Counselors, and Higher Education Consultants Association. Her practice is entering its seventh season. During that time, she has visited almost 200 college campuses in 15 different states!
Jodi is committed to finding a “best fit” school for every student, considering academic, financial, social and cultural factors. It’s about more than the mascot and the sweatshirt; it’s about finding the places that each student can thrive and grow, making the most of their higher education investment. Finding the right school is a journey, not a race to some imaginary finish line.
Jodi is a frequent guest speaker at libraries, schools, podcasts and webinars. Her insights have been featured in publications nationally, including the Wall Street Journal, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Teen Vogue, Rochester Business Journal, and The Deseret News (Utah). She has also presented to professional groups, including the NYS Association of College Admissions Counselors. She and her husband, Louis, have four adult children and live in Rochester, NY with their golden doodle, Dustin.
Jodi has appeared on this podcast in episode 32 to discuss Making the Most of College Visits and in episode 160 to discuss Demonstrating Interest During Virtual College Tours.
Find Jodi at www.jodiratkin.com.
LINKS
Why This College Essay Guide + Examples
RELATED EPISODES
WHY OPTIONAL STATEMENTS AREN’T OPTIONAL
STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME
DO COLLEGE MAJORS MATTER?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every time a sophisticated educational assessment changes, every aspect has to be reconsidered and possibly changed. The digital adaptive SAT is no exception, and one particular aspect of that test has transformed substantially. Amy and Mike invited educator Brenna O’Neill to explain how the digital SAT is scored.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How does multistage adaptive scoring work on the digital SAT?
- Does every question count the same on the dSAT?
- What is Item Response Theory (IRT) and how does it apply on the dSAT?
- What are the advantages and challenges of using IRT in test design and scoring?
- How does the way the test is scored inform test-taking strategies?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brenna O'Neill is the President of Test Innovators. Brenna brings an intimate knowledge of private schools, standardized tests, and the admissions process. Her experience in math, English, and test prep education helps to improve student learning and inform product development at Test Innovators. Brenna is excited to ensure every student’s success through building excellent educational content, resources, programs, and tools.
Brenna appeared on the podcast in episode #266 to discuss What is the ISEE?
Find Brenna at brenna@testinnovators.com.
LINKS
Digital SAT Suite of Assessments
Item response theory
RELATED EPISODES
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
THE NEW DIGITAL PSAT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Keith Brown, Ph.D. With a strong foundation in standardized tests such as ACT, SAT, and PSAT, Keith is committed to guiding students toward academic excellence. His teaching journey commenced at CalTech, where he earned an MS and Ph.D. in Biology, amassing extensive tutoring experience exceeding 4000 hours. Having served as a Teaching Assistant, he has mastered the art of instilling self-assurance and motivation in students, nurturing their autonomy in learning. Keith holds degrees from Grambling State University and CalTech, equipping him to mentor students across diverse subjects, encompassing Biology, Genetics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. His unwavering enthusiasm for facilitating student achievements is evident as he witnesses their conquest of challenges and assimilation of novel concepts.
Find Keith at keith@onlinetestpreptutors.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Maria Harmon. With an MIT degree and love of all things STEM, Maria knows the value of curiosity and its power inside and outside the classroom. She attended a vocational high school, studying under electricians for 4 years. Her Environmental Engineering degree led her to visit farmers in India, get dirty with waste-pickers in Nicaragua, and chase volcanic smog around Hawai’i. Yet every experience has built her passion for unlocking student potential. Since 2011, she has continually tutored, first for work-study, then the Americorps program City Year, then as a full-time career.
Maria has a passion for unlocking potential not only in grades and conceptual understanding, but also in self-esteem and the joy of learning. She loves to help students combine vulnerability and effort to invigorate their academic lives as well as their emotional, social, and/or faith lives.
In any given tutoring session, you may find Maria:
– becoming overly enthusiastic about percents and fractions,
– convincing skeptics that tests are fun, or
– sharing openly about life lessons she wished had been taught in school.
Fun Facts: Maria is a jack of all trades. She is quite handy around the house, makes chocolate board games, and loves singing a cappella. She is very involved in her church, especially helping to run a homeless and refugee resettlement ministry.
Find Maria at mariaftw@alum.mit.edu.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of outstanding test prep teachers, tutors, and innovators on our Test Prep Profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Kartik Sarda. At 25, Kartik's journey is a promising one, marked by an intriguing blend of entrepreneurship, education, and creativity. It all began at Streamline Learning, where Kartik spent three years juggling roles, from tutoring to handling their digital marketing and product development.
His entrepreneurial spirit then led him to found two startups: Saathi Global Education Network and Seven Square Learning. Saathi GEN was an ambitious venture aimed at creating a global networking platform for schools. Although it was eventually closed due to pandemic-induced financial challenges, the experience added a significant chapter to Kartik's story. On the other hand, Seven Square Learning, a test-prep company, focuses on tutoring American high school students for SAT/ACT while emphasizing their mental health.
Currently, Kartik is pouring his energies into creating a comprehensive SaaS platform for tutoring companies, a tool that will streamline operations, invoicing, CRM, schedule management, and automatic grading and test reports. His first-hand experience with tutoring gives him a unique perspective in building a product that directly addresses the needs of the industry.
Traveling and cricket are two of his passions outside work. Having lived independently in five cities since he was 16, Kartik's travel experiences have enriched his perspective and equipped him to adapt quickly to new environments. And when he's not working or traveling, you'll likely find him engrossed in a cricket match or exploring the intricacies of virtual reality. In all, Kartik's journey is one of constant learning, adaptability, and exploration. And it's only just begun.
Find Kartik at kartik@sevensquarelearning.com.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of outstanding test prep teachers, tutors, and innovators on our Test Prep Profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Josh Kutchai, a private SAT/ACT and curriculum tutor. Josh teaches all sections of the SAT and ACT as well as curriculum mathematics up to and including calculus BC. Josh grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he spent a lot of time playing basketball and piano. He then moved to New Jersey to attend Princeton University, where he majored in mathematics and minored in music. After struggling to become a famous rock ‘n’ roll star, Josh decided that his temperament was better suited for education! He obtained a masters degree in mathematics from Rutgers University, worked as a mathematics professor for a few years, and ultimately became a professional tutor in the year 1999. He fell madly in love with the profession and has never looked back.
Josh still loves music and has recorded multiple albums during the course of his career. He also passionately follows college and pro basketball. He is tired of all the flopping!
Find Josh at Josh.Kutchai@gmail.com.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of outstanding test prep teachers, tutors, and innovators on our Test Prep Profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The promise and potential of higher education remain popular in good economic times and bad. Even more popular is the prospect of not paying full price for a degree! Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Kuni Beasley to reveal some colleges that offer the best scholarships and financial aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why does college cost so much and what are the best ways to lower out-of-pocket costs?
- How can families find low-cost colleges?
- Which colleges offer the best financial aid?
- Which colleges offer automatic, easily accessible scholarships?
- How can one earn institutional scholarships regardless of family income?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Kuni Michael Beasley, the founder of Beasley College Prep, has a BS from Texas Christian University (GO Frogs!), an MBA from Oklahoma City University, a Doctor of Ministry in Greek and Hebrew from Tyndale Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has been helping students prepare for college for over 40 years. Dr. Beasley has helped students enroll in the top colleges in the country including Harvard, West Point, Stanford, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Pepperdine, and MIT, with many on full scholarships.
Dr. Beasley has an eclectic background. After earning his undergraduate degree, he served on active duty with the Army where he was the youngest commander in Europe in charge of a nuclear Field Artillery unit. When he returned to the US, he oversaw Officer Training and developed several novel training strategies that won him a medal for his efforts. While on active duty, Dr. Beasley earned his master’s degree in fifty weeks by attending classes at night. He left active duty to take a position with the Federal Reserve Bank where he was a Training Specialist, Management Systems Coordinator, and Strategic Planner. While there, he worked on the new currency and applied creative ideas to operations and check processing. From there, Dr. Beasley was the International Management Consultant for Caltex Petroleum overseeing executive development and strategic training for executives in 55 countries.
Dr. Beasley left corporate America to pursue a personal passion to coach football. In his first year as a high school football coach, Coach Beasley’s team won the 1994 Texas AAA state championship. He returned to coaching in 2021 and led his team to the state championship game again.
Seeing that many students were under-challenged, in 1996, Dr. Beasley started his own school in a rented Sunday School room at the First Baptist Church in Duncanville, Texas, with seven students. By 2009, there were 22 schools from Springfield, Massachusetts to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Palm Springs, California. He initiated a College Readiness business taking his unique preparation process to the public and private school students. His SAT and ACT prep programs were used in public schools in nine states.
Dr. Beasley taught college for sixteen years at several institutions to include Northwood University, Dallas Baptist University, University of Texas at Arlington, and thirteen years at LeTourneau University. He is credentialed to teach at the graduate level in 14 subject areas to include Business, Political Science, Public Administration, Urban Studies, Economics, Psychology, Geography, and Military History. His Ph.D. is in Urban and Public Administration where he wrote his dissertation on the transition of the Federal Reserve in the late 80’s. He earned his Doctor of Ministry in Greek and Hebrew studies concurrently with his Ph.D. Very few can bring a portfolio with military command, championship coaching, academic achievement, college teaching, school administration, and the innovative entrepreneurship to build a nationwide business.
Kuni first appeared on this podcast in episode 415 for a TEST PREP PROFILE.
You can find Kuni at info@beasleycollegeprep.com.
LINKS
Best Affordable Colleges 2023-2024
RELATED EPISODES
INVESTING IN COLLEGE
CONSIDERING COLLEGE FINANCIAL FIT FIRST
MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT MERIT AID
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
At every level of education, teachers serve irreplaceable roles as purveyors of knowledge, curators of culture, and gatekeepers to priceless opportunities and understandings. So why do students seem to so desperately avoid their instructors? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Dale Troy to enumerate the compelling reasons why students should get to know their teachers.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How does knowing your teachers–and having them know you–open up opportunities?
- What are the best ways for students to get to know their teachers?
- Why should high schoolers build strong, positive relationships with teachers?
- Do students report having better college experiences if they’ve developed a relationship with professors?
- What life skills are strengthened when a student gets to know their professors?
- What are other benefits of having a professor as a mentor?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dale Troy is a College Success Coach and Certified Health Coach. Parents hire her to help their children transition successfully from high school to college.
Dale's experience in helping college students started with her own three daughters. All three of her daughters graduated from Yale College, and she is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School. Dale helps students get good grades, make great friends, and stay healthy, both physically and mentally.
The freshman dropout rate is currently 30%. Dale's College Success Formula program protects parents' college investment by setting their children up for success from the start of freshman year. The program helps students, at any point in their college career, implement the habits and skills they need for academic and social success, as well as physical and emotional health.
Find Dale at daletroy@crushcollegestress.com or talkwithdale.com.
LINKS
Getting Along With Your Teachers (for Teens)
A Parent's Guide to College: Six Keys to Ensure Your Child Graduates on Time
RELATED EPISODES
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
GALLUP ALUMNI SURVEY AND THE SIX COLLEGE EXPERIENCES THAT DRIVE SUCCESS
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: GOOD VS. GREAT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
In many ways, higher education can be considered one of the top U.S. exports, especially when you consider just how long the line of prospective international students is. Amy and Mike invited visa expert Ben Arterburn to share top tips to pass your study visa interview.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Who needs a visa to study in the United States?
- What is the main reason someone is denied a visa?
- What is the biggest mistake visa applicants make?
- How can a visa applicant best prepare for the visa interview?
- What advice would you give to someone who has already been refused?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ben Arterburn is the Director of Argo Visa. He served as a U.S. diplomat for 6 years, adjudicating over 60,000 visa applications in China and Colombia. Having worked on immigrant visas, nonimmigrant visas, and fraud prevention, he is an expert on all aspects of the visa application and interview process. Before leaving the State Department, Ben served as the press secretary and spokesperson for the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, China. While serving as a visa officer, Ben saw that visa applicants had very little access to accurate, authoritative information about what happens in a visa interview, and many applicants were refused their visas unnecessarily. He became an immigration and visa consultant to help prevent that. Ben has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in contemporary Chinese studies from Columbia University. He speaks English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.
Find Ben at barterburn@argovisa.com.
LINKS
Argo Visa - YouTube
RELATED EPISODES
WHY STUDENTS SHOULD STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES
WHAT IS THE TOEFL?
WHAT IS THE IELTS?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The U.S. media has been delivering heavy doses of news and commentary about the state of our higher education system for years. Interestingly, the topic draws a lot of attention internationally as well as domestically. Amy and Mike invited educator Kathryn Suwa to make the case to students around the world about why students should study in the United States.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are some of the key benefits of pursuing higher education in the United States?
- What opportunities and resources are available to students in the U.S. that contribute to their personal and professional growth?
- How does a U.S. education help students develop a strong network of professional connections and open doors to career opportunities?
- What role does the flexibility and interdisciplinary approach of the U.S. education system play in shaping well-rounded graduates?
- Are there specific programs or initiatives in U.S. universities that support students' career readiness and employability skills development?
MEET OUR GUEST
Kathryn B. Suwa (M.S.Ed.), an Education Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, has played a pivotal role in promoting international education and facilitating connections between
Nigerian students and U.S. institutions over the last decade. Her achievements include increased awareness of educational and scholarship opportunities in the United States through outreach programs and workshops, and establishing collaborations between education stakeholders in international education.
Kathryn's expertise has guided applicants, parents, and institutions through the college application process, resulting in improved success rates for hundreds of Nigerian students. She has also conducted training sessions and developed resources to enhance the skills of high school counselors and teachers, promoting capacity building in the field of education.
Additionally, Kathryn has fostered cultural understanding and appreciation of U.S. culture among Nigerians through thematic events and high school competitions highlighting U.S. culture and history. Through her regional engagement and mentoring of new EducationUSA advisers, Kathryn contributes to knowledge sharing and support for students seeking educational opportunities from the sub-Saharan region. Her dedication and commitment to promoting quality education have made a significant impact on the lives of Nigerian students and families, empowering them to pursue educational pathways and contribute to societal advancement. She is a student affairs professional with a Masters degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from the University of Wisconsin, La-Crosse (USA).
You can find Kathryn at ksuwa@educationusa.org.
LINKS
EducationUSA
Invitational video to international students
Video on diversity in U.S higher education
How The SAT & ACT Can Make Us Proud of America
RELATED EPISODES
MATCHING TYPES OF STUDENTS TO TYPES OF SCHOOLS
HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN
STOP MAKING $EN$E: THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROBLEM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The written portions of applications to selective colleges have always evoked a lot of stress to say all the right things under limited word counts. How much more pressure are students crafting their essays under in light of the ruling against affirmative action in higher education? Amy and Mike invited educator Dominique Padurano to discuss the latest insights into diversity and the college essay.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the expected influence of the recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action on future college applications?
- What is the general role of the personal statement?
- Should students consider writing an essay that signals their racial or ethnic background?
- What factors should students who do want to write about their ethnic or racial background consider?
- How can optional and supplemental essays be used strategically to communicate to admissions offices?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dominique Padurano, M.S., Ed., Ph.D. – aka “Dr. P.” – loves helping students of all ages fulfill their academic and personal goals. President and Founder of Crimson Coaching, Dr. P. herself personally tutors students in History, English, Spanish, French, Math, and study, time management, and organizational skills; prepares them for tests like the SAT, ACT, and GRE; and coaches them through the college application process. Essays that students have written under Dr. P.’s guidance have earned them admission to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and other top universities, as well as scholarships totaling more than $1million. She loves helping guide students through the process of reflecting on their lives and believes that writing a college essay can be a valuable conduit to growing into the adult that a teen wants to become. Also an adjunct professor of U.S. history at the City University of New York and a published author, Dr. P. is currently writing a memoir of her time as an undergraduate at Harvard. Read more about her work at www.crimsoncoaching.com and on Google, straight from the hearts and minds of Crimson Coaching’s parents and students.
Dominique appeared on the podcast in episode #373 to discuss Small Group Classes Vs 1-1 Tutoring for SAT & ACT Prep.
Find Dominique at Facebook, LinkedIn, and info@crimsoncoaching.com.
LINKS
What Does the SCOTUS Decision Mean For Your Child?
With Supreme Court Decision, College Admissions Could Become Even More Subjective
Prompting Discussion or Tempting Litigation
How will the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling affect college admissions?
How to Write the Diversity Essay (Guide + Examples)
RELATED EPISODES
WHY OPTIONAL STATEMENTS AREN’T OPTIONAL
TABOO ESSAY TOPICS
WRITING RHETORICALLY IN ADMISSIONS ESSAYS
(Be sure to explore our full College Essay Playlist)
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Success in college depends on more than just finding the right academic fit–you have to find an environment where you can be yourself in all the ways that are important to you. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Robert Powers to share insights into navigating college and admissions as an LGBTQ+ student.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are important factors to consider when trying to find the right fit as an LGBTQ+ student?
- What are the different campus organizations that support the social and emotional identity of LGBTQ+ students?
- Is it important or necessary to disclose LGBTQ+ status in the college application?
- What should students and families be asking when on campus to ensure a safe environment?
- What are good resources to use to identify colleges that support LGBTQ+ students?
MEET OUR GUEST
Robert Powers is an expert on the LGBTQ+ college search and a national advocate for LGBTQ+ students. He is currently writing the chapter on LGBTQ+ students for the upcoming sixth edition of NACAC's textbook Fundamentals of College Admission Counseling. He owns his own college counseling firm, College Torch, where he guides LGBTQ+ students through the college search and application process. He is also the co-founder of IECs for Human Rights, the only grassroots advocacy organization for IECs.
Find Robert at robert@collegetorch.com or Follow Robert on LinkedIn
LINKS
10 College Campus Red Flags for LGBTQ+ Students
Campus Pride
Join IECs for Human Rights
Anti-LGBTQ+ policies
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT EDUCATORS SHOULD UNDERSTAND ABOUT GENDER
FITTING IN AND STANDING OUT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The difficulty of individual multiple-choice questions depends on far more than just the questions themselves, as any test taker who has struggled to differentiate between several tempting choices can attest. Amy and Mike invited educator Vinny Madera to share his research on answer traps on standardized tests.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is an answer trap, and why do they exist?
- What is a distractor answer choice?
- What are common types of math distractor choices on standardized tests?
- What are common types of verbal distractor choices on standardized tests?
- How does knowledge of trap choices help students?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vinny Madera is the guy who shapes Test Prep Wizards and helps the team determine the most effective and efficient ways to get the results students need. Tutoring in some capacity since college, Vinny decided in 2007 to become a full-time tutor and works directly with over 800 students per year through his classes and individual students. Aiding numerous school districts, private institutions, and tutoring companies, Vinny has developed all Test Prep Wizards’ reporting software and has written the company’s SAT and ACT manuals, which have been licensed by many school districts as an efficient, low-cost means of helping their students.
Vinny is a huge nerd fan of data and statistics, moonlighting as a math enthusiast at Fairfield University where he teaches a variety of math courses and freshman experience workshops. He brings this love of numbers and trends to Test Prep Wizards in the form of its state-of-the-art analysis programming. Vinny is the author of Demystifying the Calculator: A Guide to Using the TI-84 PLUS CE on the ACT.
Vinny appeared on the podcast in episode #141 to discuss Tracking Test Score Data, in episode #225 to discuss Calculator Usage On The SAT And ACT, and in episode #340 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting.
Find Vinny at testprepwizards.com or vinny@testprepwizards.com.
LINKS
The Position of Distractors in Multiple-Choice Test Items: The Strongest Precede the Weakest
A Comparison of the Two-Option Versus the Four-Option Multiple-Choice Item: A Case for Fewer Distractors
Three Options Are Optimal for Multiple‐Choice Items: A Meta‐Analysis of 80 Years of Research
Knowledge-Driven Distractor Generation for Cloze-Style Multiple Choice Questions
Multiple-Choice Item Distractor Development Using Topic Modeling Approaches
Advanced Answer Elimination Strategies
RELATED EPISODES
COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
WHY PRACTICE TESTS MATTER SO MUCH
USING STUDENT SELF-ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
New college students invariably arrive on campus flush with optimism for all the good times, academic successes, and healthy relationships ahead. If only life proceeded that smoothly… Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Lee Norwood to explain the W-Curve Model and new college students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the W-Curve Model?
- How do the five stages of the W-Curve Model map levels of student comfort at school?
- Why should new college students be prepared for culture shock?
- How can having this W-curve map in advance facilitate adjustment to college life?
- Can parents be too reactive to their student's struggles?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lee Norwood is a successful entrepreneur and a published author with two bachelor’s degrees in Business/Marketing and English from Elon University. Her energy, connections, humor, knowledge, and talents are expanding our reach and bringing amazing partners to the Annapolis College Consulting family.
Lee excels at connecting with students and bringing out the best in them, including helping them find their authentic voice and craft meaningful essays that resonate with college admissions offices. She creates opportunities for growth that matches their interests (non-profit and business internships, local and state connections, creative opportunities) and builds consistency within their application.
Described as “a stick of dynamite, in a good way” Lee maintains a strong social media presence, sharing knowledge with anyone who follows her. She keeps everyone laughing throughout the process and the ACC Instagram Stories and Reels are a wonderful example of staying relevant with a dose of humor. You can hear her voice on many podcasts as she is an evangelist for families and students finding the right fit for college at the right price.
Lee’s motto ”a rising tide lifts all ships” has her advocating for many of the newest technologies to reach students and peers.
Lee was the subject of an IEC Profile in episode 312.
Find Lee at https://annapoliscollegeconsulting.com.
LINKS
W-Curve Model and college students
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT TO DO WHEN A STUDENT STRUGGLES IN COLLEGE
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE READY FOR COLLEGE?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Admissions decisions for selective educational programs require as much useful data about applicants as possible, particularly regarding academic skills and ability. Is it possible that opponents of standardized testing seek something other than a fair and transparent selection process? Amy and Mike invited educator Daniel Buck to explore who loses when we abolish entrance exams.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How widespread has the elimination of entrance exams been?
- What is the history of standardized tests as entrance exams?
- What factors have replaced the data provided by standardized tests?
- How do objective test scores help disadvantaged students stand out?
- Who wins when we abolish entrance exams?
MEET OUR GUEST
Daniel Buck is an Editorial and Policy Associate at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. He is the author of What Is Wrong with Our Schools? and taught English and English as a second language at the middle and high school levels. He earned his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, along with bachelor’s degrees in English literature and the Spanish language. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, National Affairs, National Review, the New York Post, First Things, and many other publications.
Find Daniel at dbuck@fordhaminstitute.org or on Twitter @mrdanielbuck.
LINKS
Who loses when we abolish entrance exams
Where Did The Test Come From? - A Brief History Of The SAT
RELATED EPISODES
WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We accept as bedrock truth that every important test should be studied for. How often, though, do we explore what studying actually entails? Amy and Mike invited educators Anna Solomon and Kailey Ossanna to share effective study skills for test preparation.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What makes studying a skill?
-
What does a lack of effective study skills look like?
-
What study skills are essential for students preparing for important exams?
-
Why are study skills best learned as interactive conversations?
-
Why is self-advocacy considered a study skill?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Anna Solomon grew up in Florida and graduated with a B.A. in History from New College of Florida. She lived in Asheville (NC) and Richmond (VA), and now lives in Salisbury (MD). She worked for Huntington Learning Center, Tutor Doctor, and other private tutoring and test prep companies before beginning her own company, Flamingo Tutoring. She now focuses on one-on-one tutoring for the SAT and ACT.
Anna is thrilled to be part of the NTPA and co-founder of the NTPA Book Club and Women of NTPA. When Anna isn’t hanging out with colleagues (virtually) or working with students (virtually), she is out exploring with her four-year-old.
Anna previously appeared in a Test Prep Profile in episode 250.
Find Anna at testprep@flamingotutoring.com.
Kailey Ossanna is the proud owner of KO Tutoring, the test prep company she founded in August 2020. She is a graduate of Campbell University, receiving her BS in Biology. Kailey's path to KO Tutoring has had many interesting stops. From her time as an officer in the United States Army to overseeing quality control of the production of vital medical supplies to teaching math and science in Appalachia, Kailey has brought professionalism and passion to everything she has done. She is now using her experiences and love for education and education policy to provide excellent service to her clients and work towards uplifting all students by working within the professional tutoring community and local communities.
Kailey previously appeared in a Test Prep Profile in episode 416 and a Sponsor Spotlight in episode 446.
Find Kailey at https://www.kotutoring.com.
LINKS
Study Skills: Planner and Curriculum
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
FAST AND SLOW LEARNERS
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most years, the PSAT feels inconsequential for all but the highest-scoring students. The October 2023 exam, however, will put everyone–students, schools, and College Board itself–to the test as the first U.S. administration of a very new version of an old exam. Amy and Mike invited educator and author Brian Stewart to share essential information about the new digital PSAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How is the PSAT changing in Fall 2023?
- Will the scoring on the digital PSAT be different from past tests?
- What do we know about how the National Merit selection process will be affected by the Digital PSAT?
- How should students prepare for the digital PSAT?
- Can paper resources effectively prepare students for a digital exam?
MEET OUR GUEST
At the end of his first year teaching Social Studies at Dublin Jerome High School, company founder Brian Stewart thought it would make sense to do some part-time tutoring work over the summer. After all, he had done quite well on standardized tests when he was in high school and really enjoyed coming up with creative ways to explain challenging concepts to students. Other companies charged a fortune and didn’t seem to have a high-quality product.
As Brian worked with more students, word spread about the quality of his tutoring services. He started to offer ACT and SAT test prep group classes, and worked with students from all over Central Ohio. In 2011, Brian left his day job to run BWS Education Consulting full time with his wife Caitlin. Applying the expertise from her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Caitlin has ensured that our teaching materials and methods make high-quality test preparation accessible to students of all backgrounds and ability levels.
In 2012, Barron’s Educational Series contacted Brian about submitting samples of his writing as they conducted a national search for their next ACT book author. Brian was chosen to write Barron's ACT, and has gone on to write several ACT, SAT, and PSAT books with Barron's Educational Series. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
In 2014, BWS Education expanded to have associate tutors who teach not only the ACT and SAT, but tutor students in math, science, and writing. Brian and Caitlin personally interview and train every tutor on our staff to ensure they are the best in the business. BWS is a team of committed educators who relentlessly look for the best way to deliver educational enrichment to our clients, whether it’s test prep, academic help, or college admission counseling.
Brian appeared on the podcast in episode #33 to discuss PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship and in episode #383 to discuss Should You Prepare for the PSAT.
Find Brian at https://www.bwseducationconsulting.com.
LINKS
Brian’s PSAT Book: Barron's PSAT/NMSQT 1520
Why take the PSAT?
PSAT and Scholarships
PSAT/NMSQT Study Guide, 2023: 4 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (Barron's Test Prep)
Colleges that offer Full-Rides for National Merit
Sample Alternate Entry Form for National Merit
Information on the New Digital PSAT
RELATED EPISODES
THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Supreme Court’s ruling outlawing race-conscious admissions seems, on its face, to be a blow against diversity in higher education. But how authentically diverse were selective schools in the first place? Amy and Mike invited college advisor and author Andy Lockwood to explore the meaning of real diversity in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the rationale for promoting diversity on college campuses?
- How effective have colleges been in bringing together diverse student bodies?
- How will the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action impact diversity on college campuses?
- What would real–as opposed to visual–diversity on campus look like?
- What steps can schools take to promote real diversity?
MEET OUR GUEST
Andy Lockwood is a best-selling author of four books, including How to Negotiate Your Crappy Financial Aid and Merit Aid Award and How to Get Into Your Dream College Without Lying, Bribing or Photoshopping, and an outspoken and controversial critic of runaway college costs and the institutions that perpetuate them. He focuses on identifying admissions and financial aid strategies for college-bound teens and their families, including business owners, divorced parents, and student-athletes. He received his BA from Wesleyan University–where he was on (not "played for") the basketball team–and his J.D. from St. John's Law School.
Find Andy at ceo@lockwoodcollegeprep.com, lockwoodcollegeprep.com, or call 516-882-5464
LINKS
20-1199 Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (06/29/2023)
What the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action means for colleges
The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education
Race-conscious admissions is out. Here are my predictions for colleges in the post-SCOTUS landscape.
RELATED EPISODES
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
WOULD ELIMINATING TESTS MAKE EDUCATION MORE EQUITABLE
SHAPING AN ADMISSIONS CLASS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Deborah Davis Groves. “Mrs. G” as her clients call her, is an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC), Certified Educational Planner located in Austin, Texas. Mrs. G first became familiar with independent college counseling when she hired a consultant to work with her three children and Mrs. G ended up doing all the work. After 28 years of working for non-profit organizations in and around the Austin area, Mrs. G completely reinvented herself by going back to school to become an IEC. She is one of five Certified Educational Planners in Austin and one of 14 in the state of Texas.
She launched her business, Davis Groves Educational Services, in December 2011. Deb is a professional member of IECA, a member of NACAC, TACAC, and AICEP. She currently serves on the IECA Nominating Committee and has worked on a variety of committees planning college tours, encouraging and mentoring members as well as being involved in community service in her numerous organizations. She also recently served on the Common Application Outreach Committee for three years. Deb started the Austin IEC Network in 2012 and bridged it into the Austin IECA Regional Group in 2018. This group of consultants grew from the original 9-member organization to over 35 members when she stepped down as the Founding Chair in December 2021. Deb was honored with the IECA’s Making A Difference Award in November 2022 which recognizes those IECA members “for their selfless volunteer efforts benefiting the association’s 2,300 plus members”.
Her daughter, Aubrey Groves, also an IECA professional member, joined Davis Groves Educational Services in 2015. Aubrey graduated from Davidson College in 2006 where she majored in English and minored in Chinese. She has lived in China, Japan, and England. She received her Master’s in Eastern Asian Studies at Duke University and went on to become a Mandarin Chinese language teacher to high school students at two different boarding schools on the east coast before joining her mom as an IEC. Aubrey is the Vice Chair of the Austin IECA Regional group that now serves IEC’s from Waco to San Marcos, Texas. Aubrey also serves as the Co-Chair of the TACAC IEC SIG Committee and is a member of the IECA College Tours Committee.
Mrs. G and Aubrey’s clients/families refer to them as “the mother-daughter dynamic duo.” Davis Groves Educational Services has grown into a well-known and respected professional IEC company in the Austin, Texas community and beyond. Davis Groves Educational Services works so hard to empower their students! Managing expectations is probably the hardest part of their job because everyone wants the very best. Mrs. G and Aubrey firmly believe that there is a college for every student! Regardless of the selectivity of the college, success requires hard work wherever a student lands. They want each of their clients to flourish at the colleges that they are called to attend!
Deb/Mrs. G and Aubrey have a heart for their clients and have realized that serving as their Independent Educational Consultants goes far beyond just finding the “right college fit.” In many cases it is about changing lives – both Mrs. G and Aubrey’s as well as the students!
Find Deb at deb@davisgrovesedu.com.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of exceptional independent educational consultants on our IEC profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jenny Buyens, an independent educational consultant who enjoys assisting phenomenal young people in dreaming BIG! She helps families steer through the college admissions process with a minimum of stress and a maximum of fun. Jenny asks tough questions, challenges perceptions, while always listening and tailoring the journey for each individual student. She helps direct a team of 13 counselors to deliver the best, always, to their clients.
Find Jenny at jenny@collegeconnectors.com.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of exceptional independent educational consultants on our IEC profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Tonica Johnson. Her experiences as a first-generation college student and high school teacher of seven years are what led Tonica to create Cardinal College Planning to help students and their families in the college selection process. College is one of the largest investments a family will make, so the stress of making the right decision is understandable! She eases the anxiety and makes this process enjoyable for everyone involved through efficient and effective college planning services.
Tonica wants every student to end up at the school that is the best fit for them- academically, financially, and socially. Each student is unique, so she works to create a customized plan of action for success! From tackling the milestones along the way of standardized testing and analyzing financial aid packages to making the final college decision, she guides both students and families on the path to success. She is fueled by her commitment to excellence and goes the extra mile to ensure satisfaction.
Tonica holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Dayton. She is a member of several professional organizations, including sitting on the board for College Consultants of Colorado. She believes in maintaining a positive mindset, creating partnerships with a purpose, and always striving for significant outcomes.
Find Tonica at tjohnson@cardinalcollegeplanning.com.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of exceptional independent educational consultants on our IEC profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Growing up in suburban Minnesota, Jen Nelson made her way to the West Coast when she started college in Santa Cruz, CA. Majoring in English and psychology, Jen spent her early post-college years teaching high school English and drama. Her family moved between the West Coast and New Zealand for several years, so Jen chose to home-educate her kids.
Finally landing in Washougal, WA in 2013, Jen found herself ready to launch her second-half-of-life career. With extensive experience teaching essay writing to homeschool groups, as well as a decade of mentoring high school and college students, Jen decided to pursue a career in admissions coaching, receiving her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA. She currently volunteers with the AVID program at Washougal High School and is a full-time independent educational consultant. Jen loves working with both traditionally-educated and home-educated students in pursuit of their post-high school hopes and dreams.
In her free time, Jen loves to hike, travel, read, scrapbook, spend time with her teenage sons, and practice yoga.
Find Jen at jen@collegeadmissioncoach.com.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of exceptional independent educational consultants on our IEC profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Nancy Steenson, a graduate of Tufts University, owner of Steenson College Coaching, and member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association and the New England Association for College Admission Counseling. Nancy visits dozens of colleges per year, and founded, chairs and moderates a group of 40 independent counselors who meet weekly to share best practices. She believes that many students underestimate the college admissions process and helps to market them in their best light by sharing underutilized strategies in order to distinguish them amidst thousands of applicants.
Nancy enjoys working with young people enormously and takes great pride in helping them realize their full potential in the college application process. With her guidance, students have great success in finding and applying to colleges that are a wonderful academic, social and financial fit, and have been accepted to many varied institutions across the country. In addition to working one-on-one with students, she speaks extensively on the topic of college admissions in the corporate world as well as to parents and students, both locally and nationally.
Find Nancy at nancy@steensoncollegecoach.com.
PLAYLIST
Listen to all of our profiles of exceptional independent educational consultants on our IEC profile playlist.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The success of the Tests and the Rest podcast can be credited to our focus on fascinating guests with specific expertise and insight into admissions, testing, education, and learning. To celebrate our 500th episode, we’re throwing all that away to focus on ourselves! Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to guest host our first show devoted to listener questions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What were Mike and Amy’s favorite topics, most famous guests, and most popular episodes?
- How spontaneous are podcast conversations, and do we record the podcast intro every time?
- What is the connection between Tests and the Rest, Test Prep Tribe, and the NTPA?
- What are Mike and Amy’s tips for anyone starting a new podcast?
- What fascinating information came out during the speed round?
MEET OUR HOST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA), and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU’s Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University’s Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28), SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131), and SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WRITING TEST? (#271) and TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025 (#432). He also facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com.
LINKS
Meet Amy Seeley
Meet Mike Bergin
Test Prep Tribe
National Test Prep Association
New Tutor Podcast Playlist
RELATED EPISODES
SAT & ACT TESTING TIMELINES + Mike Bergin’s origin story
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF TESTING + Amy Seeley’s origin story
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL TEST PREP ASSOCIATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While a college education represents far more than just job training, a substantial return on that tuition investment certainly doesn’t hurt. Amy and Mike invited policy expert Michael Itzkowitz to compare the most popular and most lucrative college majors.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
Do college graduates tend to earn more than non-graduates?
-
How should we evaluate the return on investment of college?
-
Which college majors currently pay the most right out of school?
-
How does this list compare to the most popular college majors?
-
How do timeline and future education impact calculations of ROI?
MEET OUR GUEST
With 10 years of experience in federal education policy, Michael Itzkowitz has held senior roles inside and outside of government. His work and expertise are often cited by national news outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and NBC.
Prior to beginning the HEA Group, Michael worked as a Presidential Appointee in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Education, assuming a number of roles in K-12 and higher education. Most notably, he was the Director of the Administration's College Scorecard, an initiative focused on higher education transparency and accountability. The Scorecard, announced by the President in February 2013, is the largest release of higher education data ever by the Federal government.
Michael also served as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Postsecondary Education, where he helped oversee the policy and administrative functions of the office, which includes over 180 employees across three divisions that disburse approximately $2.5 billion in grants and establish policy for nearly $120 billion in Federal student aid every year. There, he led the office’s Organizational Performance team and directed policy initiatives on accreditation, minority-serving institutions, financial aid award letters, and data transparency.
Find Michael at https://www.theheagroup.com.
LINKS
Which College Majors Pay the Most?
Evaluating College ROI
College Scorecard
RELATED EPISODES
DO COLLEGE MAJORS MATTER?
STRATEGIES FOR SELECTING A COLLEGE MAJOR ON TIME
RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Entering the halls of higher education for the first time can feel momentous and exciting, which is true. What is also true is how challenging life can be at the next level of education, especially if you aren’t ready for what lies ahead. Amy and Mike invited educator Scott Lutostanski to share how to be a successful college freshman.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- In what critical way does life at college differ from the high school experience?
- What is the definition of success for a college freshman?
- Why is engagement so critical for new college students?
- What types of students tend to struggle in college?
- What strategies can lead to success in all dimensions of college life?
MEET OUR GUEST
Scott Lutostanski began his career as a Special Education teacher in Chicago Public Schools. While working in special education, Scott also earned a Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Argosy University and became a Licensed Professional Counselor. For six years, he worked at a private counseling practice in the suburbs of Chicago. He specialized in providing executive function coaching, academic coaching, and individual counseling for high-achieving, underperforming students.
Scott combines his unique expertise in special education, school administration, and therapeutic counseling to foster meaningful relationships with clients. His main goal is to help direct students along the path to self-directed learning, executive function skill sets, personal growth, and independence.
Find Scott at scott@statestreeteducation.com.
LINKS
Your First Year of College: 25 Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive in Your Freshman Year
RELATED EPISODES
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
WHAT TO DO WHEN A STUDENT STRUGGLES IN COLLEGE
GALLUP ALUMNI SURVEY AND THE SIX COLLEGE EXPERIENCES THAT DRIVE SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Graduation from high school may signal the natural time to enter the halls of higher education, but is that actually the right time? Amy and Mike invited psychologist Tamir Rotman to answer a question that should be asked more often: “How do you know if you are ready for college?”
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does it mean to be ready for college?
- What are the consequences when a student is not ready for college?
- What skills and traits should students possess before they arrive at college?
- What are some red flags to look for regarding college readiness?
- How can students who are not ready become college ready?
MEET OUR GUEST
Tamir Rotman is the Director of Change at Free Spirit Experience. He has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is a practicing psychologist, working both inside and outside of the therapy room with youth from various cultures, difficulties, and needs. Dr. Rotman has spent 20 summers at Camp Ojibwa in the Wisconsin North Woods, 2 years as the clinical director at “Lotan’s Way”, a not-for-profit specializing in desert-wilderness therapeutic expeditions for at-risk youth, and a milieu psychologist in residential care settings for troubled youth both in the U.S. and in Israel.
Find Tamir at tamir@freespiritexperience.org.
LINKS
We all agree that college isn’t for everyone. We should start acting like it
College Readiness Benchmarks
RELATED EPISODES
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
WHY TAKE A GAP YEAR
WHAT IS SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Everybody recognizes that four or more years of college costs a lot of money, but few know exactly how much will be required or where they’ll be finding that money. Even worse, far too few applicants realize how many scholarships are available to industrious students. Amy and Mike invited scholarship expert Dave Peterson to share 12 must-see scholarships.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What elements make a scholarship worth looking at?
- What makes replicability so valuable in the scholarship process?
- Which specific scholarships should all applicants consider?
- What connects all of these scholarships?
- What can future applicants do to prepare for scholarship success?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dave Peterson, The Scholarship Coach, is the father of a rising college junior who, to date, has won over $80,000 in scholarships. Because of his son's success with scholarships, people started asking him for advice on how their children could win scholarships. These questions prompted Dave to write the book DEBT-FREE COLLEGE: Proven Strategies for Winning Scholarships and Other Tools to Help You Avoid Student Loan Debt. Dave shares a new scholarship opportunity every day on his podcast and Substack called "Your Daily Scholarship." He provides one-on-one coaching for students and families to help them find and win scholarships to achieve their debt-free college dreams.
Find Dave at dave@nodebtcollege.com.
LINKS
Cameron Impact Scholarship
The Gates Scholarship
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
GE Reagan Foundation Scholarship
Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship
Chick-fil-A Community Scholars
Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program
Equitable Excellence Scholarship
Burger King Foundation Scholarship
Taco Bell Foundation Live Más Scholarship
Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarships
VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
COMMON MISTAKES IN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Believe it or not, you can go to college to learn to become a pilot or work in the airline industry. Just keep in mind how much there is to know if you’re hoping to get a career in aviation off the ground. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Malinda Schantz to share admissions considerations for aviation majors.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What are the different aviation majors?
-
What are some considerations to keep in mind when researching professional pilot programs?
-
How is the application process different for students who want to be pilots?
-
What are some current admissions trends for pilot programs?
-
What is the current job outlook for the different aviation majors?
MEET OUR GUEST
Malinda Schantz is an independent college consultant based in Raleigh, NC. She has a MS in library and information science from Simmons University, a MA in musicology from Rutgers University, and a BA in music from Meredith College. She also earned the Independent Educational Consultant Certificate from the University of California—Irvine and completed IECA’s Summer Training Institute.
Malinda established her consulting practice, Runways To College in 2020. She is a member of HECA, SACAC, NACAC and an associate member of IECA. Malinda has experience working in music education as well as the airline industry. She has a special interest in helping students pursue aviation. Her husband has his private pilot’s license and her son is a captain at PSA Airlines–American Eagle.
Find Malinda at Runways To College.
LINKS
AABI International list of accredited programs
FAA list of accredited schools for R-ATP
Experimental Aviation Association
Special Issuances AME Assisted - All Classes - Asthma
RELATED EPISODES
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
MATCHING TYPES OF STUDENTS TO TYPES OF SCHOOLS
ADMISSIONS CONSIDERATIONS FOR MUSICIANS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When the time comes to select courses of study and future career paths, we hope to align what we are interested in with what we excel at. The preference part may be easy, but determining our strengths and weaknesses often requires expert assessment. Amy and Mike educator Marcus Gray to explain the Highlands Ability Battery.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Highlands Ability Battery, and how does it help students discover their strengths and weaknesses?
- In what ways does the Highlands Ability Battery contribute to informed decisions about college major and career path?
- What differentiates the Highlands Ability Battery from other assessment tools?
- When is the ideal time for students to take the Highlands Ability Battery?
- How might parents, educators, or counselors incorporate the Highlands Ability Battery into their support of students?
MEET OUR GUEST
Marc Gray is the mastermind behind Odyssey College Prep. Marc uses advanced aptitude testing to demystify the college admissions journey for students and parents. As a Certified Highlands Consultant, he also serves as the Highlands Company’s Director of College Counseling Relations, helping fellow college counselors and test prep specialists level up their services with aptitude testing.
Find Marc at mgray@odysseycollegeprep.com.
LINKS
The Highlands Ability Battery: What Are Mike and Amy's Results?
What is the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) Assessment?
High School Aptitude Testing
Do You Want to Become a Highlands Consultant?
RELATED EPISODES
ARE IQ TESTS VALID
DO COLLEGE MAJORS MATTER?
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
As the primary ambassadors to prospective students throughout the application process, college admission representatives manage most communication on behalf of their institutions. So how should applicants communicate with them? Amy and Mike invited educator John Durante to share advice on how to speak to a college admissions rep.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What, in your experience, is the role of a college admissions representative?
-
What kind of questions should applicants ask admissions reps?
-
What kind of questions should applicants avoid asking admissions reps?
-
How can applicants best demonstrate authentic interest in their communications with reps?
-
How much influence, if any, do admissions reps have on which applicants get accepted?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. John Durante, a Stony Brook University alum, has been the principal of Syosset High School for 13 years. In 2016 he was named Best Principal on Long Island from the Bethpage Federal Credit Union and is also a recipient of the PTA Founders Day Award and Jenkins Award. Dr. Durante started his career at Syosset High School in 1994 as a teacher of world languages and he prides himself on helping others. After helping his daughters through the college admissions process, he came up with the idea of interviewing college admissions representatives to provide students and parents with insight and advice, straight from the people who ultimately make the admissions decisions. So, he launched “The College Admissions Process Podcast” in February 2022 and has released over 100 episodes, while currently averaging over 10,000 downloads each month.
Find John at collegeadmissionstalk@gmail.com.
LINKS
The College Admissions Process Podcast
The College Admissions Process Alphabetical List with links
John Durante on LinkedIn
RELATED EPISODES
MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE VISITS
HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLLEGES
DEMONSTRATING INTEREST DURING VIRTUAL COLLEGE TOURS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid has always been a crucial but complicated and challenging step in receiving financial aid for college or graduate school. What improvements does the future hold? Amy and Mike invited financial aid advisor Ed Recker to explain the impact of the Better FAFSA for both new and previous filers
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the major differences in the current FAFSA and Better FAFSA?
- How do these changes impact calculation of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)?
- Does this new FAFSA impact a college or university’s Net Price Calculator?
- What changes should families with multiple students in college be aware of?
- Will the Better FAFSA timeline have implications for Early Action/Early Decision applications or CSS profiles?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ed Recker is a Director of High School Relationship Management with Sallie Mae, serving high schools, states, and professional organizations throughout the U.S. He joined Sallie Mae in 2019, and has over 20 years’ experience in the financial aid and enrollment industry. Prior to joining Sallie Mae, Ed was a Senior Consultant within the Enrollment Division of Ruffalo Noel Levitz, held the position of Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Findlay, and held various financial aid positions at the University of Findlay, Terra State Community College, and Bowling Green State University. Ed holds a M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of Toledo, and resides in Ottawa, OH with his wife Kate and daughter Evelyn.
Find Ed at Edward.Recker@salliemae.com.
LINKS
FAFSA® 2023: How to Apply for Financial Aid | Sallie Mae
View your financial aid, savings, scholarships, and loans all in one place and build your bridge to college with Nitro Next.
Sallie Mae - YouTube
FAFSA Simplification: A Better FAFSA Process Means a Better Future for Borrowers | Federal Student Aid - Financial Aid Toolkit
https://salliemae.com/fafsa
https://nitrocollege.com/next
https://www.youtube.com/@salliemae
RELATED EPISODES
UNDERSTANDING YOUR COLLEGE TUITION BILL
WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Evaluating college fit encompasses so much more than finding the right academic programs. Many students also seek environments where they can continue to live and grow in the ways that are most important to them. Amy and Mike invited college advisor Dana Ponsky to explore navigating college and admissions as a Jewish student.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are important factors to consider when trying to find the right fit as a Jewish student?
- What are the different campus organizations that support the social, emotional, religious, and cultural identity of Jewish students?
- What should students and families be asking when on campus to ensure their student will be safe?
- What are good resources to use to identify colleges that have a strong Jewish life?
- If a Jewish student applying to or in college needs financial support, are there options beyond applying for financial aid via the government?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dana Ponsky began her career in education more than 20 years ago as a student at the University of Maryland where she earned a degree in American Studies, a graduate degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and a post-master’s certificate in Enrollment Management from the University of Miami. After working in student affairs at the university level, Dana transitioned to work as a school-based college counselor and has served as a high school director of college counseling in Miami, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, and Northern New Jersey.
Dana’s unique background in college admissions counseling, career counseling, and student development services, along with her entrepreneurial spirit, provides high school and college students with the tools and resources to have a great application to get into college and to ensure long-term success.
Dana previously appeared on this podcast as the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 427.
Find Dana at www.consultwithdana.com or https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishandcollege.
LINKS
Resources For Jewish Students
Top 60 Jewish Colleges
RELATED EPISODES
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
RED FLAGS IN COLLEGE SELECTION
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Mackenzie Lee, Mackenzie Lee operates a “solopreneur” online tutoring business (website) focused primarily on test prep for the SAT and ACT, though also catering to occasional academic subject tutoring and other standardized tests. He has worked in tutoring for 11 years, first starting in the chemistry tutoring center at the University of South Florida, where he earned a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and B.A. in German Studies. After college, Mackenzie started working with middle and high school students on test prep, and he has enjoyed the challenges and thrills of educational entrepreneurship ever since!
In addition to tutoring, Mackenzie also worked as a biomedical researcher for ten years. In this time, he co-authored ten original manuscripts, received a Fulbright Research fellowship (among other awards), and worked in a Nobel-prize winning laboratory in Göttingen, Germany. In 2020, he completed a master’s degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Neuroscience.
In his free time, Mackenzie enjoys cinematography, yoga, playing piano, brewing sake and beer, travel, and the great outdoors – in 2021, he solo bicycled 3,500 mi across the United States, tutoring online along the way!
Find Mackenzie at mackenzie@mleetutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Stefanie Toye, the Dean of Tutoring & Test Prep at Collegewise, a collective of admissions consultants and tutors. She has extensive leadership experience, of both full-time and part-time teams, and has helped individual offices, as well as million-dollar divisions, grow through her focus on marketing and streamlining operations. She has 2 decades of experience in the education management and academia sectors, after earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in education from Rutgers. She enjoys strategizing, researching current trends in higher education, and presenting her findings to colleagues and the public alike. Stefanie recently earned an Executive MBA with a focus on strategy and entrepreneurship. When not Zooming with colleagues or friends, Stefanie can be found walking her rescue dog, knitting, or eating out with her family.
Find Stefanie on LinkedIn.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Nick Rubin, who grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to graduate school for a Master’s in History and a PhD in Musicology. He taught high school and college courses in various disciplines for over twenty years and started Rubin Academics in 2019. He teaches in-person and on Zoom out of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Find Nick at rubinacademics@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Ingrid Moats, the founder of Tampa Bay Test Prep, who started the company as a way to give back to the community.
She worked as a math teacher and credit recovery specialist in the public school system for over 10 years and she started the company as a way to help students who were just one test away from getting their high school diploma. Through her services, she would be able to help them build up their math test skills, pass the test, and get their diplomas.
She soon realized that students at all levels, including honors students, had gaps in their math understanding and to really help students excel in math they needed to build up their foundations and strengthen their problem-solving skills.
Now she and her team of dedicated online teachers help students from first to twelfth grade. They love introducing students to Singapore Math methods and competition problems. She hopes to enrich their math experience and empower them with skills and knowledge to perform at their best.
Ingrid is a proud wife and mother of a Purdue engineering graduate who achieved a perfect score on the ACT test. In her free time, she can be found hanging out with her family, watching anime, and dreaming about her next visit to a pho shop or boba tea spot.
Find Ingrid at support@tampabaytestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jim Shaver, who has been working with and preparing students for the ACT for 11 years. He has followed a very non-traditional path to his current career in the test prep industry. After earning his bachelor’s degree in secondary education, Jim served as an officer in the U.S. Army for 25 years. He drew from his years of experience in training Soldiers and Cadets to develop his personal approach to test prep. Jim initially began his test prep career by working with students on a part-time basis. Then, in 2021, he founded Insight Test Prep and has since delivered instruction to hundreds of students across the state of Alabama. Jim is based out of Tuscaloosa, AL.
Find Jim at jshaver@insighttestprep.net.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Sometimes, the best way to ensure that everyone taking a test is compared fairly is to make sure that not everyone takes the test the exact same way. Testing accommodations are meant to level the playing field in the case of disability or differences. Amy and Mike invited accommodations expert Bailey Graham to describe common mistakes in applying for ACT accommodations.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What accommodations are available to test takers?
- What is the right timeline for requesting accommodations?
- How important is professional documentation in the application?
- What are common missteps in applications?
- What chronic or sudden medical issues may warrant accommodations?
MEET OUR GUEST
Bailey Graham is the Senior Accommodations Analyst at ACT, Inc. and has been there for three years. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a dual Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy from Adler University in Chicago. Bailey has had over a decade of experience working in the developmental disabilities field and has operated in several different roles ranging from direct service provision, case management, compliance, counseling, and program development & management. Prior to working at ACT, she served as a Disability Specialist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she helped hundreds of students with disabilities navigate the college experience. Bailey currently lives with her husband and one year old son in the Iowa City area. When she’s not working, Bailey can be found reading books curled up with her pets and cultivating her houseplant collection.
Send your questions about ACT accommodations to ACTaccom@act.org or 319-337-1332.
LINKS
ACT Accommodations
RELATED EPISODES
RECEIVING TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS
TEST PREP FOR STUDENTS WITH ACCOMMODATIONS
HOW TO READ A PSYCH-ED REPORT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While schools are recognized primarily as institutions of academic study and knowledge acquisition, students learn so much more there… especially when they are in the right frames of mind. This is where SEL comes in. Amy and Mike invited educator Andy Tucker to answer the common question, “What is social and emotional learning?”
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly does social and emotional learning (SEL) entail?
- Why is SEL so relevant in educational conversations?
- What is the educational benefit of SEL?
- Why is SEL important for post-secondary workforce readiness?
- How is SEL support delivered?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Andy Tucker works with state agencies and policymakers across the United States to understand the benefits of SEL for learners of all ages, including the many ways in which SEL can build supportive environments for learners to develop essential lifelong skills. As the leader of the Collaborating States Initiative, Andy thrives in creating collaborative environments in which state leaders can learn best and promising practices from one another to support the implementation of high-quality, evidence-based SEL programming in all learning environments.
Prior to joining CASEL, Andy served as the Director of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness at the Colorado Department of Education where he led programs that supported K-12 students to prepare effectively for their future. Andy has been an educator for over 25 years with roles including secondary Spanish teacher, high school counselor, and building- and district-level administrator. In his prior role as Director of Student Supports in Boulder Valley School District, Andy worked with all district stakeholders to implement comprehensive SEL curricula to support student success.
Andy spends free time in the mountains of Colorado, camping, biking, skiing, and enjoying nature with his wife, two boys, and spoiled dog.
Find Andy at atucker@casel.org.
LINKS
CASEL Program Guide
RELATED EPISODES
CULTIVATING TEEN SELF-ESTEEM
BUILDING HAPPIER TEENS
BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS’ LIVES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Teaching as a profession has largely avoided job loss incurred by technological innovation. Is it only a matter of time before we turn classrooms over to chatbots? Amy and Mike invited educator Blake Jensen to review the current state of tutoring in the age of artificial intelligence.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are Large Language Models, AIs, chatbots, and ChatGPT?
- What are the AI implications for tutoring and test prep?
- How good are Large Language Models at tutoring currently, and what is on the near horizon?
- What aspects of education can AI not replicate… yet?
- How can AI enhance live tutoring and test prep?
MEET OUR GUEST
Blake Jensen has been teaching and tutoring students since 2007, all over the United States as well as internationally. He uses his unique experiences teaching High School Precalculus and Chemistry, as well as playing Division 1 College Basketball to emphasize that mastering a challenging topic can be rewarding, but requires a commitment to learning from mistakes and honest assessment. He has used this approach to help students excel in all levels of math, from elementary school to college Calculus, high school Chemistry, and a wide range of standardized tests. Even though he did well in math in high school and college, his appreciation for math really matured after his BA where he continued taking so many college math courses that he could qualify for a math minor.
When he isn’t working with his students, he is still teaching in some form or another. He coaches his 10 year old son in basketball (and one crazy season in soccer), is a volunteer math teacher at his son’s school, and has co-developed two educational apps (Smart Puppy Kids Farm, and GRE Math Knight).
He loves to talk basketball to anyone who will listen, and thanks to his son, knows more about current video games and grade school slang than he would like to.
He started Jensen Test Prep in 2007 when he became frustrated with the limitations of the tutoring methods used by the company he worked for. He started off helping students with their high school math and chemistry classes, and expanded into test prep for the SAT, ACT, and GRE.
Find Blake at sdhigherscores@gmail.com.
LINKS
How Much Can Duolingo Teach Us?
Opinion | Can AI help teach children to learn?
Introducing… Khanmigo!
Wolfram|Alpha
RELATED EPISODES
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
HOW TO BE AN INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
One of the major selling points of the current wave of natural language processing tools driven by AI technology is assistance in composing essays. What, then, are the implications for any admissions process that depends heavily on authentic writing samples? Amy and Mike invited educator Barak Rosenbloom to consider the state of college essays in the age of artificial intelligence.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Can current AI really write as well as humans?
- What makes the act of writing an application essay intrinsically valuable?
- Are there ways to differentiate AI essays?
- How can AI help writers in a way that has integrity?
- What might the near future hold for college essay requirements?
MEET OUR GUEST
Barak Rosenbloom is the founder, owner, and Chief Essay Mentor of Essay Mentors, a Seattle-area company that specializes in college admissions essays. He’s mentored over 500 students in a comprehensive 1-to-1 program and has delivered training and workshops to thousands of students, parents, counselors, teachers, and admissions officers.
Barak is the lead designer of EssayQuest, an all-in-one system that helps schools, teachers, and counselors help their students write better college essays. Barak and his team developed EssayQuest over eight years, incorporating principles of neuroscience, linguistics, learning theory, and instructional design.
Barak started life-after-college as an English teacher; spent five years at the US Department of Labor; and for fifteen years was a leadership, organization development and communication consultant.
Barak can be reached at essaymentors.com or essayquest.com.
LINKS
The College Essay Is Dead
6 college admissions experts share their biggest predictions for 2023
Influential Counselor: AI Essays
RELATED EPISODES
TABOO ESSAY TOPICS
WRITING RHETORICALLY IN ADMISSIONS ESSAYS
UTILIZING A REFLECTION JOURNAL TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ESSAY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Response to stress manifests in a multitude of ways. Unfortunately, most of them are bad! Amy and Mike invited psychologist Ben Bernstein to explain how stress affects test performance.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the scientific relationship between stress and performance?
- How can stress be defined?
- What is the 3-legged-stool model for keeping stress at an optimal level?
- How can stress-reducing tools be integrated while studying and practicing for tests?
- What are some of the keys to assessing underperformance?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ben Bernstein is a senior psychologist and educator specializing in top performance. Known as the “Stress Doctor,” he is the author of four books on how stress affects performance: Test Success (2009), A Teen’s Guide to Success (2014); Stressed Out! for Parents (2015); and Crush Your Test Anxiety (2018). His two forthcoming books, What You Should Have Learned in School: Accept, Grow and Serve, and The Well-Trained Husband will be released in 2023. His monthly blog posts on the Psychology Today website regularly receive thousands of hits.
‘Dr. B’ is a performance coach for Academy Award, Tony Award, and Pulitzer Prize winners. His client list includes CEO’s, business owners, dentists, athletes, attorneys, physicians, parents, opera singers and actors. He lectures worldwide, live and online, to audiences of business executives, professors, parents, and healthcare professionals as well as at conventions, corporations, universities, colleges and hospitals.
An award-winning honors graduate of Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine), Bernstein
received his doctorate in Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto (Ontario, Canada).
He also holds a master’s degree in Music Composition from Mills College (Oakland, California).
An educator for the last fifty years, Bernstein has taught at every level of the educational
system. Originally trained in London, he has received major grants from the American and Canadian governments for his work.
Paralleling his career in education and psychology, Bernstein has extensive involvement in the
performing arts. He created and publicly produced original films and plays with psychiatric patients in Australia and the US. As a result of this work, he was invited to be a resource artist at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute to collaborate with writers to realize their creative ideas.
He has directed theater at the Juilliard School (New York) and the National Academy for Dramatic Art (Sydney). An award-winning composer, a Master Coach at the San Francisco Opera, Bernstein is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Singer’s Gym, a non-profit training workshop for professional singers to have more vitality, spontaneity and connection in their work.
Bernstein’s wife, Suk Wah, is a novelist. The couple divide their time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Tamil Nadu in south India.
Ben can be reached at drb@drbyourbest.com.
LINKS
Yerkes–Dodson law
How to Breathe When Feeling Stressed
Bpi
https://www.drbyourbest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Bernstein_Performance_Inventory2.pdf
https://courses.drbyourbest.com/courses/crush-your-test-anxiety
RELATED EPISODES
MENTAL TECHNIQUES FOR PEAK TEST PERFORMANCE
USING MINDFULNESS FOR TEST AND SCHOOL SUCCESS
HOW TO BREATHE DURING STRESSFUL ACADEMIC SITUATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.481.
Standardization has been instrumental in facilitating groundbreaking and life-saving improvements in nearly every industry, process, and infrastructure on the planet. So why is this term a dirty word in education? Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to describe how standardization can benefit education
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Where do we see the power of standardization in everyday life?
- What lessons can we learn from the success of the intermodal shipping container?
- Is standardization possible, or even desirable, in education?
- What can John Snow and the London cholera outbreak of 1854 teach us about data, theory, and practice working together?
- What would an ideal implementation of standardization in education look like?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mike McGibbon started tutoring at Kaplan while he was a student at UC Berkeley. After graduating in 2002, he moved to NYC to study music and play the trumpet professionally.
During this time, Mike also worked for several NYC tutoring agencies, and eventually transitioned to a full-time tutoring career. He now runs his own solo tutoring practice, focusing on the ACT, SAT, and ISEE. He is also CEO and co-founder of Mathchops.com, an adaptive math practice tool.
Today, Mike teaches in Westchester County, where he lives with his wife and three kids. He also provides free advice through articles and videos on www.nyctestprepadvice.com and the Mathchops YouTube channel.
Mike previously appeared on this podcast in episode 165 to discuss Differences Between SAT and ACT Math, episode 372 to explain Making Learning Science Work For You, and episode 332 for a SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Mathchops.
Mike can be reached at mike@mathchops.com.
LINKS
Standardized Education - Discourses on Learning in Education
Standardized Tests: The Benefits and Impacts of Implementing Standardized Tests
Can Education be Standardized? Evidence from Kenya
RELATED EPISODES
THE UPSIDES OF RAPID CHANGES IN EDUCATION
WHERE MODERN EDUCATION FAILS
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Equipping college admissions and financial professionals with the knowledge to facilitate smart choices about higher education with college counselor Julie Spak.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is the National College Affordability Group (NCAG)?
- What is the history and mission of NCAG?
- What kind of professionals join NCAG?
- When is the NCAG National Conference, and what does that event entail?
- What should someone curious about NCAG know about it?
ABOUT NATIONAL COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY GROUP
The National College Affordability Group is a non-profit organization run by and for its members. NCAG provides education relevant to college admissions, financial aid and other subject matter appropriate for professionals working as financial planners and college admissions advisors.
NCAG fulfills a unique role among its sister organizations in that NCAG focuses on both college accessibility and affordability. With membership well-represented from both admissions counselors and financial professionals of all descriptions, NCAG provides a forum for conversation and collaboration. It is a tenet of NCAG that those working primarily (or exclusively) as IECs, and those working primarily (or exclusively) as in various financial services professions (CPA, CFP, CLU, RIA, etc.) must have a basic knowledge of both sides of college education (i.e. admissions and financial aid). NCAG uniquely offers timely and pertinent education to, and conversation among the full spectrum of professionals.
Furthermore, NCAG alone welcomes those just launching their professional practice. NCAG offers a foundational course (Certified College Advisor), interaction with seasoned professional and informal mentoring to assist those new to the field of college planning to establish themselves with the highest standards of practice, as well as practical education. NCAG was the vanguard organization for providing education with live webinars led by subject-matter experts. NCAG webinars are recorded and made available to all of its members.
NCAG seeks and exploits opportunities to advocate for an affordable and scholastically meritorious college education for students. NCAG welcomes opportunities to collaborate with sister organizations that advocate for similar objectives.
NCAG is committed to integrity and transparency in college planning and counseling. Specifically, we reject any subterfuge to sell financial products in the name of college planning, admissions counseling and financial aid assistance. NCAG urges its members to embrace unimpeachable ethical standards that always put the best interests of students and families first.
To learn more, please ncagonline.org.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
AC/DC famously established that it’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll, but even they probably had no idea how true that could be even when applying to music schools and programs. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Christine Gangelhoff to clarify admissions considerations for musicians.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are some important things to keep in mind when researching music programs?
- What are some important factors for determining school or program fit?
- How is the application process different for students majoring in music?
- How can you evaluate the selectivity of a given music program?
- What kind of prospects do music majors have?
MEET OUR GUEST
Christine Gangelhoff, DMA grew up in a large family on a small farm in rural Minnesota. As a first-generation college student with a passion for music, she forged her own path, finding innovative ways to fund her education and establish a successful career in the field of her dreams. She earned four degrees from colleges with renowned music programs – including Yale University, University of North Texas, and University of Minnesota – all funded through scholarships, grants, and student loans. Her career includes a diverse array of interests and achievements including work as a professor of music, performer, recording artist, arts administrator, published author and scholar, and educational and career consultant. She has a passion for helping young students to establish academic and career paths to achieve their musical goals and pursue their dreams.
Find Christine at mysoundpath.com.
LINKS
SoundPath Consulting
National Association of Schools of Music -- List of Accredited Institutions
Musical America -- 2022-23 GUIDE TO MUSIC SCHOOLS
Musical America -- 2023 GUIDE TO SUMMER CAMPS, INSTITUTES & PROGRAMS
The National Association for Music Education
The College Music Society -- resources for musicians' health
RELATED EPISODES
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
MATCHING TYPES OF STUDENTS TO TYPES OF SCHOOLS
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We all spend the majority of our youth chasing acceptable grades or coping with the ramifications of unacceptable ones. Isn’t it odd that we invest so much objective importance into such subjective measures? Amy and Mike invited professor and author Laura Link to clarify the problem with grades.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
How have grading philosophies and practices evolved in the 21st century?
-
Why has teacher autonomy remained such a central aspect of grading?
-
Does including both academic and behavioral factors in grading help or hurt?
-
What problems are caused by inconsistent grading standards?
-
How can academic grading be improved?
MEET OUR GUEST
Laura J. Link, Ed.D., is an Assistant Professor of Teaching & Leadership and Director of the Master of Science in Teaching & Leadership program at the University of North Dakota. She holds a doctorate in Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Memphis, and her research focuses on developing and supporting highly effective leaders and organizational cultures that prioritize effective grading practices, collaboration, and meaningful assessment. She is the co-author of Cornerstones of Strong Schools: Practices for Purposeful Leadership (with J. Zoul, 2007), and author of Leadership in Grading Reform in What We Know About Grading (Guskey, T. R., & Brookhart, S. M., Eds., 2019) as well as multiple book chapters and articles such as Is Standards-Based Grading Effective? (2022), Are Your Grading Policies Legally Sound? (2021), How Traditional Grading Contributes to Student Inequalities and How to Fix It (2019), and Teachers’ Perceptions of Grading Practices: How Pre-service Training Makes a Difference (2018). Dr. Link also leads K-12 assessment and grading academies and has led an array of other professional development efforts, classes, and initiatives over her career. Since 2002, Dr. Link has presented locally and nationally on the topics of high-impact leadership, K-12 grading, mastery learning, research-practice partnerships, teacher support, and more.
Before joining UND, Dr. Link served as Associate Dean of the College of Public Service at the University of Houston-Downtown in Texas. At UHD, she created the university’s first-ever Educational Leadership graduate programs, including a Foundations of Educational Leadership Certificate that is the only one of its kind in the state of Texas, and she facilitated an array of K-12 district partnerships. She also created the UHD’s first Urban Education Advisory Board, which involves superintendents and executive leaders from across the greater Houston region. Additionally, Dr. Link was an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Purdue University Fort Wayne in Indiana. At PFW, she was an active member of the CAEP Assessment Steering Committee, led various local K-12 assessment and grading academies, co-facilitated PFW’s University Leadership Academy, and directed the Professors in Partnership K-16 collaborative.
Prior to her higher education experience, Dr. Link served as Chief Academic Officer at Jackson-Madison County Schools in Jackson, TN, and was Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning as well as Chief of Talent Management in Shelby County Schools in Memphis, TN. She was 1 of 7 Transition Steering Committee members charged with leading the largest school district merger in United States’ history. Additionally, Dr. Link has served in an array of central office and school-based administrative roles (in both urban and suburban settings) and has taught elementary, middle, high school and college students over her 32 years in public and private education. Dr. Link also served as a long-standing state Board Member of Learning Forward Tennessee and President of Learning Forward Indiana, a professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in K-16 professional development.
Find Laura at und.edu.
LINKS
GradingRx
Every teacher grades differently, which isn't fair
RELATED EPISODES
THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION
WHY GRADE INFLATION IS HARMFUL
COVID LEARNING LOSS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The SAT has been through so many changes over nearly a century of assessment, but the current transition to a digital adaptive platform represents an ambitious departure from what test takers are used to. How did the first official international administration of the new test go, and what should students, educators, and administrators know for the future? Amy and Mike invited high schooler Fatema Taskin to share a student perspective on the new digital SAT experience.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What can students expect from the SAT testing environment?
- What is the role of the proctor for the digital SAT?
- Does everyone begin and end sections at the same time?
- What should students taking the digital SAT know in advance?
- What should educators administering the digital SAT know in advance?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Fatema Taskin and Kyle Terracciano, the founders of the Facebook group Digital SAT Prep, one of the fastest-growing SAT study groups on Facebook. Fatema and Kyle are on a mission to democratize test prep by providing free study materials, group classes, and important updates to thousands of students and educators around the world.
Fatema, a recent high school graduate, is currently applying to colleges so she can pursue an undergraduate degree. She is passionate about physics, drawing, and problem-solving. She also runs a studygram where she shares studying motivation and guidance with anyone that wishes to study abroad.
Kyle is a seasoned mathematics educator dedicated to reaching students from all walks of life. In addition to tutoring students through his company, Kyle teaches math test prep to anyone who is ready to learn via his YouTube channel. He previously appeared on the podcast in episode 470 to discuss Getting Ready For The AP Statistics Exam.
Find Fatema at instagram.com/lifeof_tas_.
Find Kyle at tutorllini.com.
LINKS
Digital SAT / Digital PSAT Preparation Group - Int'l Students Welcome :) | Facebook
Digital SAT Suite of Assessments
Always Know More Than The Proctor
RELATED EPISODES
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
FIRST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NEW DIGITAL SAT
TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2025
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every meaningful challenge can be prepared and practiced for, which tends to mean that challengers vie for the best outcomes. Whether you’re competing against yourself or others, you have to put in the effort. Amy and Mike invited educator Steven Menking to explore the importance of a competitive mindset in testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is mindset such a significant factor in test prep success?
- What is a competitive mindset, and how does it work?
- Who exactly are typical test takers competing with?
- Does this approach benefit students beyond just test prep?
- What are the biggest obstacles to having a proper mindset?
MEET OUR GUEST
Steven Menking is the Founder and CEO of Menking Tutoring. After graduating from Williams College in 2010 with degrees in Economics and Mathematics, Steven worked on Wall Street for several years before going into business for himself as a private tutor in NYC. Over the past decade Steven has worked with hundreds of students from around the world on standardized tests and academic subjects. He founded Menking Tutoring in 2020 to provide premium SAT and ACT courses in an online, on-demand format to students around the world.
Find Steven at https://menkingtutoring.com or steven@menkingtutoring.com.
LINKS
Grateful for an Opportunity to Compete
About That Perfect SAT Score You Expect…
RELATED EPISODES
MENTAL TECHNIQUES FOR PEAK TEST PERFORMANCE
THE INNER GAME OF TESTING
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Traditionally, the words “academics” and “intelligence” have always evoked a positive, mutually supportive relationship. Then AI improved! Amy and Mike invited writer Derek Newton to explain the escalating arms race between artificial intelligence and academic integrity.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How have advances in artificial intelligence changed how students work?
- How does AI threaten the integrity of assigned homework and papers?
- What other factors contribute to academic dishonesty?
- What have teachers and institutions done so far to combat this threat?
- What else can and should academia do to safeguard academic integrity?
MEET OUR GUEST
Derek Newton is a recognized expert in message development, media and public relations with more than 20 years experience selling people, ideas, and organizations worldwide. He is an education writer in New York City. He’s a contributing writer at Forbes and has published education bylines in outlets such as The Atlantic, the Washington Post and USA Today. For the past several years, Derek’s coverage focus has been on academic integrity – cheating. In addition to his regular education writing on higher education and education technology, he also writes a regular newsletter on academic misconduct called, “The Cheat Sheet.”
Derek can be reached at derek@novembergroup.net.
LINKS
The Cheat Sheet
RELATED EPISODES
THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ARMS RACE
CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM SOFTWARE
THE GROWING IMPACT OF CHEATING DURING COVID
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
You would presume that the reputation of an institution of higher education would be based on factors like academic rigor and postgraduate success, but that would be naive. Amy and Mike invited educator Christopher Sanderson to explain the meaning of the Flutie effect in admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Flutie Effect?
- What sporting events are most likely to trigger the Flutie Effect?
- How intensely does the Flutie Effect impact admissions chances?
- Can non-sporting events exert a Flutie Effect?
- What should applicants and counselors look for to manage a potential Flutie Effect?
MEET OUR GUEST
Christopher Sanderson is Sanderson Test Prep's Founder and President. In 2011, when starting STP, Chris established a company and elite teaching team that cater to academically competitive students who are serious about success.
Chris was born in Miami, FL and attended the University of Notre Dame. Prior to founding Sanderson Test Prep, Chris taught for Kaplan where he was responsible for hiring and training new teachers and was twice named Teacher of the Year. He now lives in San Antonio with his wife and their 3 dogs.
Chris specializes in a wide variety of academic subject areas and standardized tests.
Chris first appeared on the podcast in episode 161 for Making Online Tutoring Matter More and in episode 193 for a test prep profile.
Find Christopher at https://sandersontestprep.com or 305-878-TEST.
LINKS
The Flutie Effect: How Athletic Success Boosts College Applications
Who is Doug Flutie?
RELATED EPISODES
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
MATCHING TYPES OF STUDENTS TO TYPES OF SCHOOLS
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Language and Composition exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Language and Composition exam?
- How do students score points on the AP Language exam?
- What are the different approaches required by each essay?
- How should students prepare for the AP Language exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Language?
MEET OUR GUEST
Christy Shriver is an educator from Memphis, TN. Currently, she produces the How to Love Lit Podcast, a tool to support IB and AP students in preparation for their exams. She has been teaching both AP and IB in public and private schools in the Memphis area for the last 20 years.
Christy graduated from the Escola Americana de Belo Horizonte as an IB student and has lived much of her life internationally, primarily in the country of Brazil. Although she is a strong advocate of the IB program, she is currently an AP Language teacher and AP reader.
Christy first appeared on this podcast in episode 199 to discuss Choosing Between AP and IB Programs.
Find Christy at christy@howtolovelitpodcast.com.
LINKS
AP English Language and Composition – AP Students
AP English Language and Composition Classroom Resources
One-Pagers Scoring Rubrics for AP Lang Essays 6 points
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
RELATED EPISODES
COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS
THE FUTURE OF AP EXAMS
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Greg Hudson to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP US History exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP US History exam?
- How do students score points on the AP US History exam?
- What are the highest priority topics on the test?
- How should students prepare for the AP US History exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP US History?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Greg Hudson, an AP United States History teacher at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He earned his Masters in Social Studies Education from Truman State University and has been teaching this AP History for 17 years. He also teaches as an adjunct instructor at Des Moines Area Community College.
He works with over 150 students everyday as a teacher, and since most of his students are AP History students, he is certainly familiar with test prep. In addition, Greg has helped students prepare for the ACT since 2009. Today, he teaches ACT and PSAT classes a couple of times a year. He also teaches AP History workshops. Greg has created both AP History and curriculum and test-prep materials over the years, working with big names in the realms of both AP History and ACT/SAT Prep.
Finally, with regards to the AP program, Greg has participated on the scoring end of DBQs, LEQs, and short answer questions for seven years. He has also served as a scoring leader as well, helping craft the standards by which these student writings are scored.
He currently lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, the best city in America.
Greg first appeared on this podcast in episode 439 for a test prep profile.
Find Greg at hudsong@wdmcs.org.
LINKS
AP United States History Classroom Resources
AP United States History – AP Students
AP United States History Course
Edison Prep - AP History Bootcamps
Heimler's History
RELATED EPISODES
COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS
THE FUTURE OF AP EXAMS
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Kyle Terracciano to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Statistics exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Statistics exam?
- How important is a calculator on the AP Statistics exam?
- What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Statistics?
- How should students prepare for the AP Statistics exam?
MEET OUR GUEST
Kyle Terracciano is the founder of the company Tutorllini, the math test prep YouTube channel Tutorllini Test Prep, and the Facebook group Digital SAT Prep. Since 2019, he has been on a mission to empower students to dominate their college admissions tests and bring much-needed clarity to the confusing world of academic math.
Kyle’s journey as an educator began in his college years while working as a competitive swimming coach, sparking his passion for mentoring others. After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 2018, he couldn't resist the call of teaching. Kyle went on to earn a Master's Degree in Mathematics Education from Rutgers University in 2020, and then through Tutorllini, dedicated himself fully to his goal of empowering students everywhere with not just a deeper understanding of math, but more confidence as well.
But Kyle doesn’t stop there. Determined to make a global impact, Kyle runs one of the fastest growing YouTube channels and Facebook groups focused on the Digital SAT, all completely free to anyone who is ready to learn. By using the most modern tech and impactful visuals with a dose of humor and his trademark relatable personality, Kyle helps students unlock their full potential.
Find Kyle at tutorllini.com.
LINKS
TI-84 Plus CE Color Graphing Calculator
The Practice of Statistics 6th Edition Updated
AP Statistics Handwritten Chapter Notes
Goldie’s Math Emporium Full Curriculum for AP Stats
Stats Medic Review Course
Khan Academy AP Statistics
Skew the Script
AP Statistics Free-Response Questions
The Super Six
AP Statistics YouTube channel
RELATED EPISODES
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS
THE FUTURE OF AP EXAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Garry Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Psychology exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Psychology exam?
- How is the AP Psychology test scored, and what is a good score?
- What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
- How should students prepare for the AP Psychology exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Psychology?
MEET OUR GUEST
Garry Shriver is an educator from Memphis, TN. Currently,he produces the How to Love Lit Podcast, a tool to support IB and AP students in preparation for their exams. He has been teaching both AP and IB in public and private schools in the Memphis area for the last 20 years.
Garry is a consultant for the College Board in AP psychology, serving as a question writer and member of the rubric team. Garry is a strong advocate of the AP program.
Garry first appeared on this podcast in episode 199 to discuss Choosing Between AP and IB Programs.
Find Garry at garry@howtolovelitpodcast.com.
LINKS
AP Psychology Course – AP Central | College Board
AP Psychology Classroom Resources
AP Psychology Premium, 2022-2023: Comprehensive Review with 6 Practice Tests + an Online Timed Test Option
RELATED EPISODES
COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS
THE FUTURE OF AP EXAMS
PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Tim Murphy to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Chemistry exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the AP Chemistry exam?
- How is the AP Chemistry test scored, and what is a good score?
- What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
- How should students prepare for the AP Chemistry exam?
- What are the best prep materials for AP Chemistry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Tim Murphy is the owner of Capital Test Prep in Morristown, NJ, offering in-person and virtual individual and small group tutoring. Tim attended Holy Cross for undergrad where he majored in chemistry and economics. He went on to Penn State for grad school to pursue a PhD in chemistry, but enjoyed teaching more than research so he switched over to the college of education to get his masters in curriculum and instruction. He has been doing test prep and teaching high school chemistry since 2009. After years of working for others, he hung his own shingle in 2015. He covers those tests with the capital letters, mainly SAT and ACT, and offers support for high school math and chemistry.
Find Tim at capitaltestprep.com.
LINKS
AP Chemistry - College Board
AP Chem Solutions
5 Steps to a 5: AP Chemistry 2023
Princeton Review AP Chemistry Premium Prep, 2023: 7 Practice Tests + Complete Content Review + Strategies & Techniques
RELATED EPISODES
COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS
THE FUTURE OF AP EXAMS
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A powerful digital classroom designed specifically for remote, in-person, or blended learning with ed tech developer Ayush Agarwal
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Pencil Spaces?
- How does Pencil Spaces work?
- Who currently uses Pencil Spaces?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about Pencil Spaces know about it?
ABOUT PENCIL SPACES
Pencil Spaces is designed by education experts from Stanford and a team of world-class engineers from Google and Microsoft, so you can trust that it is a high-quality platform that is both reliable and effective. With Pencil Spaces, you can deliver engaging and interactive test preparation sessions that will help your students stay motivated and focused. The platform's Active Presence Design highlights real-time hand gestures, cursor movement, and whiteboard activity, which can enhance engagement and help your students stay engaged and involved in the learning process. Pencil Spaces offers a wide range of tools and features to support your teaching practices, including HD video calls, an integrated whiteboard, a question library, and an AI assistant that can help you grade assignments and manage student data.
One of the most unique features of Pencil Spaces is its ability to bring any application into the classroom environment with the click of a button. This means that you can seamlessly integrate other test preparation tools and resources into your Pencil Spaces classroom, making it a one-stop-shop for all of your teaching needs. This can save you valuable time and make your test preparation sessions more efficient and effective.
With Pencil Spaces, you can also take advantage of advanced analytics that provide insights into attendance, student attention, and more. This can help you identify areas where your students may need additional support or where your teaching practices could be improved. Additionally, Pencil Spaces offers unlimited saved work, auto-transcription, and recording features that make it easy to review past conversations and identify moments of brilliance.
Large centers like C2 Education and test prep companies in 200 countries are moving to Pencil Spaces. With its user-friendly interface, advanced features, and support for a wide range of tools and workflows, Pencil Spaces is a must-have tool for any test preparation company looking to enhance their teaching practices and reach students in new and innovative ways. Whether you are working with individual students or large groups, Pencil Spaces has something to offer everyone, and we are confident that you will see a significant improvement in your students' test scores and overall academic performance. So why wait? Try Pencil Spaces today and see the results for yourself!
To learn more, please visit pencilspaces.com or contact Ayush at ayush@pencilspaces.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Shannon Bergeron, the Founder of Core College Consulting, based in Austin, Texas. Shannon is a highly experienced and compassionate counselor, skilled in helping students understand their own strengths and goals in order to develop a balanced and realistic college list. Her whole child college counseling™ approach focuses on synthesizing a holistic view of the self for the college application journey, helping students and families reduce stress throughout the process while also helping them come to terms with personal identity and various educational needs, making her highly in demand.
Shannon earned a BBA in marketing from the University of North Texas and an MEd in counselor education from the University of Maine. She is a member of NACAC, TACAC, IECA, and AICEP.
Shannon began her career as a school counselor in 2003 and started her IEC business part time in 2016. She transitioned to full time IEC in 2019 and has since doubled her business and added a full time consultant. She is also a Certified Educational Planner.
Most recently, she was the Lead Counselor at the Liberal Arts & Science Academy High School in Austin, Texas. In that role, Shannon worked with district officials to change policies to protect privacy issues related to gender. She led a Bootcamp for New Counselors for more than 30 new counselors and leader of the Summer Melt program. Additionally, she was a finalist for the Austin ISD “Counselor of the Year.”
As a volunteer with the Matchlighters Scholarship program, Shannon provides college counseling for high-achieving, low-income students. She also volunteers with Ally Parents, serving as a friendly and empathetic resource for transgender/nonbinary youth (and parents).
Shannon loves to travel and hike with her husband. In her spare time, she trains for and runs marathons.
Find Shannon at www.corecollegeconsulting.com or shannon@corecollegeconsulting.com..
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Chris Bell, a professional with a long history of helping students. Chris knows the college and university landscape and has a Masters of Science in Student Affairs in Higher Education where he was trained as a counselor. He served in college and university settings for more than 25 years and has had positions at the University of Colorado, Colorado College, Regis University, Colorado State University, and North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. His varied career includes high school and college teaching, college advising and counseling, software and courseware development, student activities, academic technology, and student support.
As an IEC, Chris has embraced professional development and service. He has earned the Certified Education Professional certificate from AICEP and currently serves on AICEP’s Commission on Credentialing. He is a professional member of IECA and HECA, an IEC member of NACAC and RMACAC, and earned the distinction of Certified College Advisor through NCAG.
He co-hosts a monthly roundtable of IECA Professional Members drawing 100+ participants per month, and has served on the faculty of the IECA Summer Training Institute for the past two summers. He has also presented sessions at the HECA national conference and is the former President of the College Consultants of Colorado professional group.
Chris lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, mother-in-law, one or both of his grown or near-grown kids when they are in town, and a Bernese Mountain Dog named Yodel.
Find Chris at bellcollegeconsulting.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Admissions Untangled owner Gerene Keesler utilizes three decades of experience in the university profession including work in Admissions, Residential Life, and Career Services. Gerene recently obtained her certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego (March, 2021) and holds a Masters Degree in Counseling. As a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, Gerene thoroughly researches and vets colleges, and regularly devotes time to visiting campuses to ensure she always has the most up-to-date information. She’ll ask the critical questions that are often overlooked by parents and students such as the school’s graduation rates, the average incoming GPA of other students, and the employment rate for graduates.
Admissions Untangled provides services in college coaching and searching, scholarship, and essay editing. mock interviewing, and admissions planning. We help you build a college list focused on your talents, goals, values and your interests. We are fully virtual and available on your timeline.
Find Gerene at gerene@admissionsuntangled.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Mike Hammer, a college admissions counselor with over 30 years experience in higher ed. Mike landed at Cornell University following stints in retail, non-profit, and IT consulting. Mike spent six years in Arts & Sciences where he was responsible for the undergrad admissions system, learning all the ins and outs of the admissions process and participating as an admissions reader. Moving to Engineering, he became involved in college- and university-level admissions policy while continuing to read applications “because it was so interesting.” Mike was heavily involved in campus organizations, including chairing one campus advisory group and acting as a longtime advisor/mentor for the McNair Scholars.
Since leaving Cornell, he has worked with over 250 US and international students both privately and with consulting companies. His view is that every hard-working student deserves the best advice and education they can get, finding it really does take a village to guide students to greatness. Mike now specializes in STEM students, seeing that STEM students might need to think about their path through high school and their undergrad college years differently than liberal arts students.
Find Mike on LinkedIn or at bigmikeh@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jessica Chermak is an Independent College Counselor with over a decade of experience in academia and helping students navigate the college admissions process. She also spent four years conducting research at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Behavioral Science, and the prior two years working as an Operations Research Analyst for the US Army at the TRADOC Analysis Center, in White Sands Missile Range, NM.
Jessica graduated from Chapman University with a BA in Psychology. At Chapman, she was a research assistant in the cognitive science laboratory, studying hemisphere differences for processing emotional language. She was also a founding member of the Honors Organizational Board of Students, and an active member in Mortarboard Honor Society and Hillel. Upon graduation, Jessica was awarded the SMART Scholarship (Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation) to attend the University of Denver for an MA in Forensic Psychology. She is a Certified Educational Planner (CEP), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). Jessica is also a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling (RMACAC), and serves on the board of the College Consultants of Colorado (CCC).
In addition to being an independent college counselor, Jessica also serves as a College & Career Counselor for Living Wisdom High School (based in Palo Alto, CA).
Find Jessica at jessica@virtualcollegecounselors.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Students tend to see exams as a means to evaluate learning, but expert educators recognize assessments as instrumental elements of the teaching process. Amy and Mike invited researcher Ayanna Thomas to explain how tests aid memory.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How can completing practice tests be a strategy for learning?
- What does “testing to criterion” entail?
- How does stress impair memory?
- How does taking regular practice tests aid students with their stress, especially for high-stakes tests?
- What factors should learners keep in mind when creating study schedules?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ayanna Thomas, Ph.D is a scientist, author, and cognitive researcher. She received her B.A. in African American studies and Psychology from Wesleyan University and went on to earn her PhD in Psychology from the University of Washington. Her research centers on the intersection of memory and aging, particularly as those fields relate to brain and cognitive science. Ayanna serves as Professor of Psychology and Dean of Research for Arts and Sciences at Tufts University. Ayanna also serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal Memory & Cognition.
Find Ayanna at ayanna.thomas@tufts.edu.
LINKS
Retrieval practice protects memory against acute stress
The science of studying: How students can put their brains to best use
Exercise in Repeatedly Recalling a Thing
RELATED EPISODES
FEEDBACK-DRIVEN METACOGNITION
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
WHY PRACTICE TESTS MATTER SO MUCH
USING SPACED REPETITION FOR STUDY SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
So much of the college admissions conversation seems to assume perfect grades and test scores along with ultra-selective ambitions. What about the other 99% of the applicant pool? Amy and Mike invited college advisors Katie Garrett and Melanie Talesnick to discuss college advising for B students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does it mean to be a regular kid in college admissions?
- Why are college rankings not the final word in academic fit?
- How do you create a college list that includes realistic choices while being open-minded to alternatives?
- How can students advantage themselves in admissions?
- Why does the term “dream killer” have no place in discussions of college fit?
MEET OUR GUESTS
For over twenty years, Katie Garrett has shared her passion for academics and education with students and their families. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with degrees in both Cognitive Studies and Psychology and has completed her graduate certificate in Independent Educational Consulting through The University of California-Irvine. Katie has been awarded the designation of Certified Educational Planner by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners, demonstrating the highest level of professional standards through extensive knowledge, expertise, and experience in the field of educational planning. She is a Professional Member of Independent Educational Consultant Association and serves as Chair of the Charlotte Regional Chapter. In addition, Katie has completed coursework in executive functioning through Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and is a Certified Parent Coach through the International Coaching Federation.
Katie has personally visited hundreds of college and boarding school campuses and meets with admissions personnel on a regular basis to ensure that she stays abreast of the ever-changing landscape of education and admissions.
Melanie Talesnick has spent her professional career in a variety of settings. After graduating from the University of Delaware with a double major in Marketing and Management, she worked for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Despite the perks of travel and working with professional athletes, she felt unfulfilled, except when working with grassroots organizations to develop recreational programs for kids. This experience led Melanie to pursue a career in teaching and athletic coaching. She ultimately earned her Master’s degree in Student Personnel Services from Montclair State University and a Certificate in College Counseling with Distinction from UCLA.
As a high school counselor for over 10 years, Melanie was always drawn to the college process. At the same time, utilizing her entrepreneurial nature, she founded Admit U Consulting to focus solely on working with students and families outside of the high school setting. She quickly emerged as a leader in the counseling office and ended her career at Morristown High School as the College Counselor. In 2015, she left public education to manage Admit U full-time.
Melanie is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and sits on the National Advisory Board for a private liberal arts university. Melanie is also a Certified Educational Planner (CEP), a distinction held by only a handful of consultants in the state of New Jersey. Melanie’s enthusiasm and passion for all things college is contagious!
For more information, contact Katie at katie@garretteducationalconsulting.com or Melanie at melanie@admituconsulting.com.
LINKS
IT'S NOT YOU, IT’S THEM
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS?
AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
WHAT IS A GOOD COLLEGE?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Everything you need to teach your class in one place with ed tech developer Cameron Stoker
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Speechcloud?
- How does Speechcloud work?
- Who currently uses Speechcloud?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about Speechcloud know about it?
ABOUT SPEECHCLOUD
Speechcloud is a classroom management software that helps professors create the best in-person learning experience for students, while providing the benefits of online learning. The platform captures and archives the class with our patented lecture capture technology, while providing the professor tools to engage students and make the classroom accessible. All the professor needs to do is show up, click a button, and teach. It's that easy.
So if you're tired of using multiple tools to teach your class and you want to give your students every chance to succeed, Speechcloud is the perfect solution. Try it for free!
To learn more about Speechcloud, please contact Cameron at camstoker@speechcloud.com or visit speechcloud.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The educational system in the United States bears a stark similarity to our political and economic structures, marked by both astonishing successes and painful failures. Amy and Mike invited professor Ashley Berner to examine pluralistic models and explore assumptions about public education.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the current framework for public education in America?
- How does US public education compare to models in other democracies?
- Can education be morally neutral?
- What is the case for educational pluralism vs uniformity?
- How can educational consistency be tracked in a pluralistic system?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ashley Berner is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Associate Professor of Education. She served previously as the Deputy Director of the CUNY Institute for Education Policy and as an administrator at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia. Palgrave MacMillan released Pluralism and American Public Education: No One Way to School (2017), and Harvard Education Press will publish her next book, Exposure v Indoctrination: Pluralism and American Democracy, in early 2024. Dr. Berner has published articles, book chapters, and op-eds on citizenship formation, academic outcomes, pluralism, and the political theories of education in different national contexts. She led the design of the Institute’s School Culture 360™ and ELA and Social Studies Knowledge Maps™. Her teaching experience took place in a Jewish pre-school, an Episcopal secondary school, and an open university in Louisiana; she currently advises doctoral students at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Berner represents the Institute’s work across the country and consults regularly with international, federal, and state-level agencies, non-governmental organizations, and school systems. She held a five-year fellowship at the Center for the Study of Law; Religion at Emory University School of Law and currently serves as an advisor to the Educating for American Democracy project, the Johns Hopkins Undergraduate Debate Program, and CivXNow!’s Research and Best Practices Affinity Group. Dr. Berner holds degrees from Davidson College (Honors A.B.) and from Oxford University (M.Litt. and D.Phil. in Modern History).
Find Ashley at Ashley.Berner@jhu.edu and @BernerEd.
LINKS
Will ESAs change America’s definition of “public education?
What if we Replaced Public School Districts with Less Rigid Systems
What American schools can learn from other countries about civic disagreement.
Education for the Common Good
No One Way to School: Educational Pluralism and Why it Matters (TEDxWilmington)
RELATED EPISODES
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
WHERE MODERN EDUCATION FAILS
WHY GIFTED PROGRAMS ARE UNDER ATTACK
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Teens–like people at every other stage of human development–need to feel confidence, satisfaction, and respect for themselves. Alas, that isn’t always easy. Amy and Mike invited life coach Nellie Harden to share insights into cultivating teen self-esteem.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the biggest needs teens have today?
- What kinds of self esteems are there?
- What makes cultivating self esteem so important?
- Do boys and girls cultivate self-esteem differently?
- What is the best way to build self-esteem?
MEET OUR GUEST
Nellie Harden is a Family Life & Leadership Coach who focuses on helping parents and their teen daughters go from HOPING they are doing all the “right things,” feeling lost and just surviving teen life to KNOWING they are doing the right things for their unique child and getting her set on a solid path to establishing her personal authority, owning her responsibilities and living in her joy so that she has a firm foundation to build the rest of her life on where she trusts herself, stays aligned in her values, and trades chasing worth for standing in her confidence every day in order to face anything and become the leader of her own life.
Nellie is a wife and mom to four teen daughters, author, speaker, podcaster, retired homeschooling parent, and adventure chaser. She has a degree in biology and psychology, years of personal and leadership training, and a diverse behavior background from humpback whales in the South Pacific to teens and parents in homes across the world. She believes in a life of intention, making dreams and goals realities and knows that the best way to change the world is through one living room at a time.
Find Nellie at https://www.nellieharden.com.
LINKS
How Can I Improve My Self-Esteem? (for Teens)
Daughter Decoder Parenting Workshop
RELATED EPISODES
BUILDING HAPPIER TEENS
HELPING TEENS FIND THEIR VALUES AND PURPOSE
BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS’ LIVES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When students have choices on how to access instructional material, they often engage and learn at a higher level. Anyone who runs closed captions or subtitles no matter what they’re watching knows exactly why! Amy and Mike invited educator Ginger Dewey to explain the uses and advancements in text-to-speech learning tools.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What is text-to-speech technology?
-
What makes seeing and hearing text at the same time so powerful?
-
How can students use this technology for their own use?
-
What is a page mask, and why is it beneficial?
-
How can teachers use this technology to improve education?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ginger Dewey taught for 38 years in K12 and higher ed, with most of her experience in higher ed. When she retired from higher ed, she started working for ReadSpeaker, doing what she loves - faculty training. She is married and has two adult children. Her daughter is a Civil Engineer, and her son is a Sergeant in the Marine Corps. She loves reading, crafting, and trying to keep up with her retired husband (which is quite a chore!)
Find Ginger at ginger.dewey@readspeaker.com.
LINKS
Text-to-Speech Basics: What Is TTS and Who Uses It?
Web Accessibility Regulations Are Poised to Be a Focal Point in Spring 2023
What you need to know about Text to Speech for Education
Universal Design for Learning: A Comprehensive Introduction - ReadSpeaker
RELATED EPISODES
TECHNOLOGY AS AN ENABLER IN EDUCATION
HOW TO BE AN INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR
WHAT EDUCATORS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GETTING TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Success in getting into a school does not guarantee success in staying there, and persistence should be an active concern for students, parents, and institutions alike. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Beth Howland to explore what to do when a student struggles in college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
How can you tell when a student who struggles at college needs help?
-
What can be done when a student struggles academically?
-
What can be done when a student struggles socially?
-
What can be done when a student struggles emotionally?
-
How can you assess in advance if a student might not be ready for college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Prior to founding College Navigators LLC, Beth A. Howland spent 25 years advising and mentoring undergraduate students at several institutions. Most recently, Beth worked for 14 years at Cornell University in both direct service and leadership roles in student development within the College of Engineering, the Hotel School, and the Office of Undergraduate Biology. Beth graduated with honors from Ithaca College and is a two-time NCAA National Champion, Academic All-American, and Hall of Fame inductee in women’s soccer. After earning her undergraduate degree in psychology, she worked for five years as a Family Caseworker for Family and Children’s Service in Ithaca. She then completed an advanced degree in health and human performance with a concentration in sports psychology.
Over the course of her career, Beth served as a pre-major mentor, major advisor, and faculty advisor at both Duke University and Cornell University; and as a Crisis Manager and Residential House Fellow at Cornell University. She provided advising and support for thousands of students, including those who identify as BIPOC, first-generation, pre-health, under-prepared, and high-achieving, as well as Division I student-athletes and students who were managing a variety of challenges or disruptions throughout their college experience. During her career Beth founded and directed comprehensive academic advising, career development, and community engagement programs for Division-I student-athletes at Cornell University, Tulane University and Duke University. Beth transitioned out of athletics in 2005. Prior to returning to Cornell Beth worked as the inaugural Assistant Director of Student Development for the Robertson Scholars Program, a multi-campus, cohort-based, collaborative leadership development program with Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Throughout her career in higher ed, Beth prioritized advocating for university policies, procedures, and opportunities to be more inclusive, equitable, transparent, and visible. During the pandemic Beth confirmed that she is most energized by coaching individual students as they discover themselves, negotiate life’s ups and downs, and prepare for their careers. Beth’s passion for working intensively one-on-one with students and extensive understanding of and ability to assist students navigate the complexities of institutions within higher ed, led her to start College Navigators LLC and invest full-time in college student success coaching…decision to degree.
Find Beth at beth@college-navigators.com.
LINKS
Transition to College: Here's What Students Have to Say About It
When Your College Student is Struggling or in Trouble
College/Off to College Archives
CollegiateParent
Preparing for College Emotionally, Not Just Academically
RELATED EPISODES
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While only one of the two exams includes a dedicated science section, both the SAT and ACT find ways to challenge science literacy. Amy and Mike invited educator Elizabeth Breau to share insights into reading science passages on the SAT and ACT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Do students need to be science experts to do well on science passages on the SAT and ACT?
- What kinds of science topics are usually included in SAT & ACT passages?
- How can test takers make sense of test science passages?
- How important is graphical literacy on the tests?
- What should students read in advance to be more comfortable with science passages?
MEET OUR GUEST
Elizabeth Breau, Ph.D., double-majored in history and English as an undergraduate at Rutgers University before completing her graduate work at Vanderbilt University. She has taught grades 7-12 as well as numerous college classes and has been in business as a private tutor since 2011. She was a co-recipient of the 2008 College Board Bob Costas Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing for her role in a student publication. She has published scholarly articles, book reviews, including many about history books, and lifestyle articles, one of which appears in Chicken Soup for the Divorced Soul. History According to SAT is her first book.
Find Elizabeth at https://www.historyaccordingtosat.com or elizabeth.breau@gmail.com.
LINKS
Graphs on SAT and ACT Reading
What is a Reading Passage?
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT IS ACT SCIENCE ALL ABOUT?
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT READING
TOP LESSONS FOR ACT SCIENCE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Jeanne Lucas was a remarkable educator and even better friend who impacted more lives than she knew. In recognition of Jeanne and her boundless love of language and literacy, the National Test Prep Association is offering a scholarship in her honor. Amy and Mike invited friends to share reminiscences and details about the Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship?
- Who was Jeanne Lucas?
- What is the prompt for the Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship?
- Who can and should apply for this scholarship?
- How much is the award and how many will be awarded?
MEET OUR GUEST
The National Test Prep Association is proud to commemorate the life and legacy of Jeanne Lucas, a founding member who lost her battle with cancer on February 8th, 2022. Jeanne (Supa J, Word Nerd, Tough Lil’ B, and every other goofy name she ever gave herself) was a gifted educator and mentor, known for her passion for literature and the English language. After teaching at Holy Name High School and the Sandusky Public School System, Jeanne became a highly sought-after tutor and mentor for students preparing for advanced prep school and college entrance examinations. She was hard-working, staunchly reliable, loved her job, and logged thousands of miles driving to the remotest locations all over Greater Cleveland to tutor.
Jeanne joined the Test Prep Tribe Facebook group when COVID hit, and it became her second family. She enthusiastically made many new friends, created deep connections with individuals, and became a signature member in the group, declaring “Power of the Tribe!” when working with others. She was everyone’s cheerleader, and the Tribe rallied behind her in her battle with cancer. Jeanne was the first member of the National Test Prep Association, and it became her second family.
Jeanne is deeply missed by her family, friends, and countless students whose lives she touched through her teachings and mentorship. The National Test Prep Association has established the Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship in memory of Jeanne’s commitment to education and her love of literature and the English language. This scholarship will provide financial assistance to students pursuing higher education.
Many thanks to David Blobaum, Becky Cimini, Pranoy Mohapatra, Paul Pscolka, and Kenny Tan for sharing their memories of Jeanne.
To find out more or apply for the scholarship, please visit the Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship page.
LINKS
Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship
Donate to the Jeanne Lucas Memorial Scholarship
TEST PREP PROFILE: Jeanne Lucas
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
COMMON MISTAKES IN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A Great Business Education Accessible For All with higher ed administrator Ian Mortimer
The awesome sponsor we want to spotlight today is Golisano Institute. Let’s meet our special guest Ian Mortimer. We’re thrilled to be speaking with you, Ian. Welcome!
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind The Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship?
- How does Golisano Institute work?
- Who are Golisano Institute’s ideal students?
- What kinds of outcomes will Golisano Institute students and graduates experience?
- What should someone curious about Golisano Institute know about it?
ABOUT GOLISANO INSTITUTE
The Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship is predicated on the belief that everyone can successfully participate in the job market and economy if given a chance. Through its 24-month, accelerated, curriculum, students can gain the knowledge and networks that make them immediately relevant and valued by employers. Embedded in the curriculum are courses on entrepreneurship, project management, computer coding, personal finance, and some of the other more common courses in areas such as finance, marketing, and accounting. However, the key curricular distinctiveness is highlighted by its integration with employers. An employer network of more than 50 organizations work in tandem with students and serve as mentors, recruiters, and inspirers.
The Institute is deeply committed to providing opportunity for all students, regardless of their means and resources. Via the generosity of Tom Golisano, businessman and philanthropist, students pay a low tuition of $8,900 per year (which includes all books, feels and technology) and financial assistance is available for those that require support.
If one can imagine an educational environment that is truly community-based, has faculty and staff that are great mentors as well as teachers, and is tightly connected to economic opportunities via a great business community, you will see the Institute in action at 150 Sawgrass Drive in Rochester, New York. The schedule is fixed so students can plan their lives and should accommodate students with various competing priorities.
There is not another educational opportunity in the United States that provides as much business education and mentorship for the price as the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship. Whether you are a graduating high school senior seeking a next step that allows you to pursue your dream of starting your own business, or an adult that wants to reestablish themselves in the job market, the Institute is eager to help all that are motivated and qualified.
For more information, please contact Maren Welch at mwelch@golisanoinstitute.org or visit https://golisanoinstitute.org.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
That major aspects of K-12 and higher education along with society at large are undergoing meaningful transformation much faster than usual cannot be argued. How, then, can we swim with the tide rather than be pulled under? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Cyndy McDonald to expand upon the upsides of rapid changes in education.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
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What aspects of education are changing rapidly?
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What are the downsides of such a dynamic and volatile environment?
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What are the upsides of rapid change for students?
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What are the upsides of rapid change for counselors and educators?
-
What advice do you have for handling rapid change?
MEET OUR GUEST
Cyndy McDonald is a recognized leader in both college counseling and business. She has over thirty years of experience as a college advisor. She has trained many advisors when they were starting college consulting firms. Currently, Cyndy teaches in the UCLA online college counseling certificate program. Cyndy is also the founder of Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), a professional membership organization for independent educational consultants. She currently serves as director of HECA's Professional Development Institute (PDI). She serves as an active member of several professional organizations: NCAG, AICEP, NACAC, IECA, WACAC, and HECA.
Find Cyndy at cyndy@cyndymcdonald.com.
LINKS
What AVID Is / College & Career Readiness
RELATED EPISODES
THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST
YIN AND YANG IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
WOULD ELIMINATING TESTS MAKE EDUCATION MORE EQUITABLE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Considering all the steps in the intricate dance of selecting, applying, and paying for college, it’s no surprise that applicants tend to get some of them wrong. Amy and Mike invited college counselor Shellee Howard to highlight common mistakes in college selection.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
How soon should the selection process start?
-
Who should take ownership of the process?
-
How important is pursuing volunteering and leadership opportunities?
-
Should students take the SAT or ACT if they plan to only apply to test-optional schools?
-
Should everyone complete the FAFSA?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shellee Howard is the CEO of College Ready and a Certified Education Consultant. For the last 15 years, she has helped families send their students to their best-fit college, debt free. In the last 2.5 years, her students earned over $20 million in scholarships and her mission is to help 1 million more families do the same.
Find Shellee at http://www.collegereadyplan.com.
LINKS
Insider Strategies & Secrets to Help Your Student Get Into College without Losing Your Mind or Your Money!
RELATED EPISODES
HELPING TEENS FIND THEIR VALUES AND PURPOSE
FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE
RED FLAGS IN COLLEGE SELECTION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Better SAT and ACT Tests, Smarter Analytics with educators Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind ScoreSmart?
- How does ScoreSmart work?
- Who is the ideal user for ScoreSmart?
- How will ScoreSmart benefit both students and tutors?
- What should someone curious about ScoreSmart know about it?
ABOUT SCORESMART
ScoreSmart is the brainchild of Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer. The testing engines were a logical extension of the ScoreSmart test scoring app, which allows students to use their phones as an electronic bubble sheet while taking released SATs or ACTs. By leveraging students' phones, ScoreSmart is able to capture time per question, even on a pencil and paper test, which offers opportunities for performance analysis that were never been possible before the app came out.
The two newest releases from the ScoreSmart team are their digital SAT and ACT test engines. The ACT engines provide students who will be taking the real ACT online with a perfectly authentic practice environment and full-length practice tests. The SAT engine is section-level adaptive and mimics the content, test format, and testing environment of the upcoming new digital SAT. Both engines provide students with ScoreSmart's patented cutting edge performance analytics, including scores, par-time analysis, speed vs accuracy analysis, and student prep priorities.
The ScoreSmart app is available to all students who will be taking the current pencil and paper SAT or ACT. The scoring engines are available online to all students and tutors; tutoring companies in need of additional practice tests for their students who are preparing for the online tests can also utilize ScoreSmart as a white-label plug-in.
To learn more about ScoreSmart, please visit https://score-smart.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Politicians rarely weigh in on what students are taught in school and usually act from a non-academic agenda when they do. The announcements of new AP African American Studies and Precalculus courses have attracted far more negative attention than honors classes typically do. Why? Amy and Mike invited educator John Moscatiello to unpack the controversies around new Advanced Placement programs.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
Why is the College Board introducing AP African American Studies and Precalculus courses?
-
Why hasn’t this announcement gone smoothly?
-
What is the controversy around the AP African American Studies course?
-
What is the controversy around the AP Precalculus course?
-
What should we expect for these courses in the near future?
MEET OUR GUEST
John Moscatiello has been a leader in the education space for the past two decades. His career began at the Princeton Review, where he taught the SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, AP Exams, ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT Verbal, and TOEFL. At the Princeton Review, John went on to train hundreds of teachers, write content for 13 test preparation books, and work as a college admissions consultant. In his capacity as the National Director of Tutoring from 2007 and 2009, John managed thousands of teachers and tutors, supporting them with online professional development and the creation of an online community. From 2015 to 2016, John starred in more than 200 educational videos for the Princeton Review’s SAT, ACT, and GRE self-paced courses.
John’s academic career began as a Spanish major at New York University, where he realized the value of the AP Program by using credits to graduate a full year early. He then pursued graduate degrees in history from Fordham University and the University of Notre Dame, where he won awards for his undergraduate teaching. He was a Fulbright scholar to Spain in 2012 and worked at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Madrid. John’s academic research has been published in both English and Spanish. He currently teaches part-time at a private high school in Princeton, New Jersey.
John has supported thousands of students by building and implementing programs for underserved communities through the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, TEAK Fellowship, NYC Service, Corporate and Social Responsibility at Proskauer Rose LLP, and the Aga Khan Development Network. John’s tutoring and NGO work has taken him to more than 10 states and 25 countries around the world, especially in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Africa. In 2018, John founded Marco Learning in order to address the lack of high-quality AP resources and to better support AP teachers and their students.
John previously appeared on this podcast in episode 241 to discuss The Future Of AP Exams.
Find John at https://marcolearning.com.
LINKS
Advanced Placement Program
Florida Officials Had Repeated Contact With College Board Over African American Studies
RELATED EPISODES
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
With all the focus on selectivity and compatibility–not to mention the delicate dance between potentially interested prospective partners, college admissions sounds a whole lot like dating. Amy and Mike invited tech entrepreneur Dave Hurwitt to share strategies for selecting your forever school.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What factors should you consider when selecting a college?
- What does fit really mean, and how do you know when you’ve found it?
- What role does new matching technology play in selecting a college today?
- How does your choice differ before and after acceptance?
- What should you do once you have a choice to make about where to accept?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dave Hurwitt is an innovator. Over the course of his career, he’s led the development and launch of new products and services – from toothpicks to wind turbines – that have generated well over $1 billion in sales. If you have a large, front loading washing machine in your house, that was Dave and his team at Whirlpool. They re-envisioned the traditional, small European washer for the US market and took front loaders from 1% of the market to over 50% today, saving billions of dollars in electricity and water consumption in the process.
Dave has lived and worked around the world, and is now based in Burlington, Vermont with his wife and two Golden Retrievers. Their 3 “kids” have now graduated from college, but it was his experience with them on their college journeys that started his innovator’s brain cranking on what became Troove. Having worked in admissions through grad school, he was amazed by how little technology and the internet had impacted the college search and admissions process. And even more, he was dismayed to discover how often students were transferring or dropping out altogether. In early 2020, this led directly to his founding Troove, a 2-sided, AI powered platform to help students discover their passions, people, and place based on the real experiences of recent alumni and current higher education students.
Find Dave at https://www.troove.me or david@troove.me.
LINKS
The Future Is Now: David Hurwitt Of TROOVE On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
RELATED EPISODES
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
RED FLAGS IN COLLEGE SELECTION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A modular, professional SAT & ACT curriculum that makes you a better teacher with educator Kailey Ossanna
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind the TestBright Curriculum System?
- How does the TestBright Curriculum System work?
- Who currently uses the TestBright Curriculum System?
- What kinds of outcomes do both students and teachers experience?
- What should someone curious about TestBright know about it?
ABOUT THE TESTBRIGHT CURRICULUM SYSTEM
The TestBright SAT & ACT Curriculum System is built on the same leading-edge pedagogical framework that powers Chariot Learning’s nationally acclaimed courses and tutoring programs and is revised every year–which many of the biggest retail prep companies don’t do–to reflect the realities of this year’s SAT & ACT.
The architect and lead trainer of the TestBright SAT & ACT curriculum system is Mike Bergin, one of the most nationally recognized and respected experts in this field. Before founding Chariot Learning in 2009, he spent nearly a decade creating all of Huntington Learning Center’s exam prep curriculum, operations manuals, and teacher training. Very few people in test prep have as rich a background in curriculum development, and nobody combines that experience with Mike’s prominence and leadership in our industry.
TestBright’s proven, research-supported SAT & ACT curriculum system has everything you need to either initiate or enhance your test prep programs.
To learn more, please visit https://gettestbright.com/curriculum.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Why do so many students who thrive in high school suddenly stumble once they attain the halls of higher education? Alas, the welcome packet rarely mentions that what gets you there might not be what keeps you there! Amy and Mike invited educator and author Jay Phelan to elucidate the unwritten rules of college success.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why does success in college often not follow a clear and linear path?
- Why is a certain amount of uncertainty or freedom at the outset beneficial?
- In what ways does the higher ed experience differ from that of high school?
- What specific factors should students focus on for success?
- How exactly can college success be defined?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jay Phelan has been on the faculty of the UCLA Life Sciences Core Program since 1997, specializing in evolutionary biology, human behavior, and genetics. He received a Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard, and master's and bachelor's degrees from Yale and UCLA. He is the author of the textbook What Is Life? A Guide to Biology with Physiology (Macmillan; now in its 5th edition), and co-author of the international bestseller Mean Genes: From Sex To Money To Food: Taming Our Primal Instincts and The Secret Syllabus: A Guide to the Unwritten Rules of College Success (Skills for Scholars) (Princeton University Press). He has written dozens of technical publications both in biology and science education. He has appeared on ABC's Nightline, CNN, the BBC, and National Public Radio. His work has also been featured in USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, a TEDx talk, and Elle magazine. He is the recipient of more than a dozen teaching awards, including UCLA's Distinguished Teaching Award.
Find Jay at jay@ucla.edu.
LINKS
The Secret Syllabus
The Secret Syllabus: A Guide to the Unwritten Rules of College Success (Skills for Scholars)
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE DECLASSIFIED: WHAT HIGH SCHOOLERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL
GALLUP ALUMNI SURVEY AND THE SIX COLLEGE EXPERIENCES THAT DRIVE SUCCESS
HOW TO BECOME A RIDICULOUSLY EFFECTIVE STUDENT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Parents, educators, and bloviators of every stripe have been given platforms to express their opinions on testing, admissions, and standards, but how often do we hear from those whose futures are directly impacted by this ongoing debate? Amy and Mike invited students from Eufaula HS and educator Olivia Jones to share student perspectives on why tests matter.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What do some school-based test prep programs look like?
- How do prep classes differ from other academic classes?
- What opportunities do high test scores create in 2023?
- How else does test prep help, apart from the opportunities unlocked by higher scores?
- What else should people know about testing and prep?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Olivia Jones, a native of Huntsville, AL who has lived in Eufaula, AL for the last ten years. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2011 with a degree in Secondary English Education. After teaching at Eufaula High School for five years, Olivia decided to further her education and, in 2019, graduated from Faulkner Law School. While awaiting her results from the Alabama State Bar Exam, Oliva was drawn back to teaching at Eufaula High School where the skills she learned applying for law school found a new application: test prep. She currently teaches ACT prep full-time at Eufaula High School and tutors other students privately through her company, Impact Tutoring Services.
Olivia appeared in episode 323 as the subject of a TEST PREP PROFILE.
Find Olivia at Olivia@impacttutoringservices.com.
LINKS
Tests As Equalizers And Predictors Of Success
What Does an SAT Score Mean in a Test-Optional World?
RELATED EPISODES
INCORPORATING TEST PREP INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM
WHY THE SAT AND ACT ARE AWESOME
TEST SCORES: TO SUBMIT OR NOT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
A relationship-rich school in the heart of the Finger Lakes with admissions counselor Melanie Sage
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Where are Hobart and William Smith Colleges located and what are its demographics?
- What types of students feel most at home at HWS?
- What are the strengths of Hobart and William Smith Colleges?
- Why does HWS have such an exceptional student retention rate?
- What is something most people don't know about Hobart and William Smith Colleges?
ABOUT HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in beautiful Geneva, NY, prepare students to lead lives of consequence:
- By helping them connect their talents and interests to meaningful, high-impact pursuits.
- By spurring cultural exploration and global citizenship.
- By offering opportunities to amplify knowledge through hands-on experience.
- By nurturing discovery and unlocking potential.
- By modeling values and points of view that equip them to author the world as it could be.
Originally founded as two separate colleges – Hobart College in 1822 and William Smith College in 1908 – Hobart and William Smith Colleges today enjoy a rich and unique history that spans 200 years on Seneca Lake.
To learn more about Hobart and William Smith Colleges, please visit hws.edu/admissions.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Josh D’Alemberte, a creative and energetic educator who pushes his clients to, ”Do your maximum!” He knew that he wanted to teach since his high school years. After teaching and coaching for 25 years in public and private schools, he left the traditional classroom to form WhoTutors.com. He believes in making learning fun by infusing the growth-mindset, dry wit, and an encouraging tone into his lessons.
Josh has spent over a decade developing Test Hacks for the SSAT, ISEE, and HSPT, which are private school admissions tests. These Hacks are active strategies to attack each section of these private school tests. The Hacks combine mnemonics, acronyms, and some colorful characters to help young test takers score higher.
A South Florida native, Josh values diversity and has put up his entire test prep class on the WhoTutors.com website for free in the hopes it will be utilized by families seeking to take advantage of scholarship funds at life-changing institutions around the nation.
Josh is a member of the IECA and NTPA. He has a master’s degree in Education and often visits local schools and also consults with families about which K-12 would be the best fit for their children in the Miami area.
Find Josh at whotutors.com or 786-309-3966.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Dr. Kelly Finn, who has a BS in Business and K-12 teaching license, a MS in math, and a Doctor of Learning and Teaching from the University of Iowa. She has helped students prepare for college for 15 years. Kelly and her team have helped students enroll in top colleges, with many on full scholarships.
Kelly is a first generation college student and enjoys helping kids achieve at high levels on tests. She began coaching the LSAT, GRE, and GMAT tests while working as a college math professor. Kelly left college teaching to pursue a personal passion for coaching middle and high school kids to achieve high scores on tests. In addition to coaching the ACT and the SAT, Kelly and her team tutor AP classes and provide enrichment sessions for gifted students.
The FinnPREP office is located 30 minutes from ACT's national office in Iowa City, Iowa. FinnPREP is the Iowa expert on ACT high scores. Kelly's ACT score system has helped multiple students to score a 35 on the ACT. Kelly is a test hack and a personal coach which helps students build confidence and decrease test anxiety.
Find Kelly at kelly@finnprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Samiya Cogmon, who founded Horizon Star Tutoring Co in 2019 with a mission to bring the joys of academic achievement to others… the confidence that you take into adulthood.
The vision was born long before the company was. Samiya tutored students throughout
high school because school was something she always took pride in. But it wasn’t until years later that everything fell into place. After graduating as Valedictorian of her high school and
getting the honor of Summa Cum Laude in college, Samiya wanted to continue to shift education for others. Horizon Star Tutoring is the result.
Now Horizon Star Tutoring accommodates students virtually as well. Making it possible for them to impact thousands of students across the nation, while still working in their home city, Las
Vegas. Whether in-person or online, Samiya takes pride in getting exceptional results for students and parents.
Find Samiya at https://www.horizonstartutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Greg Hudson, an AP United States History teacher at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He earned his Masters in Social Studies Education from Truman State University and has been teaching this AP History for 17 years. He also teaches as an adjunct instructor at Des Moines Area Community College.
He works with over 150 students every day as a teacher, and since most of his students are AP History students, he is certainly familiar with test prep. In addition, Greg has helped students prepare for the ACT since 2009. Today, he teaches ACT and PSAT classes a couple of times a year. He also teaches AP History workshops. Greg has created both AP History and curriculum and test-prep materials over the years, working with big names in the realms of both AP History and ACT/SAT Prep.
Finally, with regard to the AP program, Greg has participated on the scoring end of DBQs, LEQs, and short answer questions for seven years. He has also served as a scoring leader as well, helping craft the standards by which these student writings are scored.
He currently lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, the best city in America.
Find Greg at hudsong@wdmcs.org.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Stacey Howe-Lott, a 25-year teacher who now focuses exclusively on SAT and ACT test prep. She's been called the Dumbledore of SAT prep in the book The Perfect Score Project for creating customized score reports that can pinpoint students' weaknesses and help them achieve their goals. She currently works with students in the US and all over the world. She focuses on helping kids use what they already know to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
Find Stacey at https://www.stellarscores.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Education is serious business but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun! Amy and Mike invited educator Julie Post to share the latest tips and tools for game-based learning.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is game-based learning?
- What makes game-based learning effective?
- What are some examples of effective game-based learning?
- How can educators implement game-based principles into instruction?
- What are the limits of game-based learning?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Julie Post, the owner and primary instructor at Brain-Grow Education. As an undergrad, she attended Columbia University and designed the first Education major there, graduating summa cum laude. She then moved on to Harvard University where she earned her Ed.M in Education. Julie has been teaching full-time for 18 years. She is a firm believer in hard work, implementing effective strategies, and designing a curriculum that is engaging and rewarding.
Julie appeared in episode 325 as the subject of a Test Prep Profile.
Find Julie at julie@brain-grow.com.
LINKS
Educational Games for Students
Gamification Definition & Meaning
Mathchops
The Super Mario Effect - Tricking Your Brain into Learning More | Mark Rober | TEDxPenn
Beginner’s Mindset for Advanced Results
RELATED EPISODES
HOW DO I MOTIVATE MY STUDENT?
FEEDBACK-DRIVEN METACOGNITION
WINNING THE GAME OF SCHOOL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The foundations of higher education are shifting, often subtly but sometimes with seismic force. Case in point, a confluence of economic, societal, and demographic trends will almost assuredly lead to school closures. The big questions are “Which ones and when?” Amy and Mike invited educational analyst Gary Stocker to understand the complexities of assessing college financial viability.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does financial viability mean in the context of colleges?
- Are all schools equally viable?
- What is at risk when attending a school with viability concerns?
- What factors reveal a school's financial viability?
- Are many schools likely to close or combine in the next year?
MEET OUR GUEST
Gary Stocker has substantial business experience in health care and higher education with skills in sales and marketing, management, consulting, operations, and technology. From a small, central Illinois town, Stocker’s high school niche was in speech contests and serving as a student manager and athletic trainer for the football team. As a first-generation college student, he majored in medical technology at Eastern Illinois University. Stocker earned his tuition as a 3-year student manager of the university’s football team.
Since 2004, Stocker’s most notable success has been the creation of a university/corporate academic partnership model for a large Midwestern healthcare system. The dozen-plus programs he has developed have provided degree opportunities for hundreds who might otherwise not have had the opportunity. His business unit was nationally recognized as a leader in developing innovative academic partnership models that serve all employees in an organization.
His 2010 doctoral dissertation addressed the technological acceptance of electronic medical records by nurses. His colleagues have recognized him as a skilled teacher, facilitator, and motivator during the hundreds of management and leadership classes he has taught.
His work as a program director and full-time faculty at Lindenwood University included the development and implementation of a wide variety of data and analytical tools for course scheduling and course demand forecasting. He was also recognized for his skills in using educational technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of learning for his students. As the Chief-of-Staff to a small college president in Missouri, his first few months on the job introduced him to the fragile nature of college finances. Efforts to find potential merger partners led Stocker to ultimately develop an app that lets users compare the financial health and viability of colleges in the United States
Stocker uses his experience in developing new business models for higher education that allow for greater efficiency and long-term growth. Stocker says: "In the 21st century, geography is not a limiting factor to business growth in higher education. Colleges and universities should focus on technology infrastructure to leverage available technologies to create new and stronger business opportunities. His College Viability App provides consumers and higher education leaders with a resource to compare the financial health of American private colleges.
Stocker has stayed active as a basketball referee, baseball umpire, and pickleball pro.
Find Gary at gary@collegeviability.com.
LINKS
College Viability
College Viability YouTube channel
This Week in College Viability Podcasts
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
RELATED EPISODES
THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST
RED FLAGS IN COLLEGE SELECTION
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Conventional wisdom holds that if you don’t use it, you lose it, whatever “it” happens to be. But why do we forget information we’ve learned and how can we better retain it? Amy and Mike invited educational entrepreneur Tyler York to explain how to use spaced repetition for study success.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is spaced repetition?
- How does spaced repetition compare to traditional study methods?
- How does reviewing information you’ve already learned save time?
- What are the best use cases for spaced repetition, and what is it not good for?
- What are the best ways to implement spaced repetition?
MEET OUR GUEST
Tyler York is an entrepreneur and marketing professional with a proven track record as a problem solver and organizational leader. In his over 12 years of experience in startups, mobile gaming, and education, Tyler has brought dozens of products and services to market that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Tyler is inspired by connecting customers with products that they love and that help them reach their goals. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Achievable, a test prep company focused on opportunity-gating exams such as the GRE, FINRA exams, ACT, AMC, and USMLE.
Find Tyler at tyler@achievable.me.
LINKS
Study Right with Spaced Repetition
AnkiWeb
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO IMPROVE FUTURE MEMORY
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
FAST AND SLOW LEARNERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Aspiring college students tend to commit abundant time and resources to learning all about specific schools and programs, yet remain oblivious to their own motivations and needs. Amy and Mike invited author Tracy Badua to comment on finding your authentic self in the path to college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is the concept of authenticity so central to discussions about life after high school?
- In what ways does a high-pressure academic environment impact a high schooler?
- What makes being rejected by a dream school so difficult for teens?
- What lessons can you share for students who feel that they “owe” their parents success?
- What advice should every teen take to heart about high school, college, and life?
MEET OUR GUEST
Tracy Badua is a Filipino American author of books about young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. According to her grandmother, Tracy inherited this love of the written word from her great-grandfather, a school teacher in the Philippines. To Tracy, this means writing is in her blood, and she continues this family tradition by telling stories with her own spin in an accessible, heartfelt way. Tracy’s newest book is This is Not A Personal Statement?, released Jan 2023.
By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy and programs, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, and bites of her secret stash of candy. School and work brought her from California to Washington, DC, and back, and she now lives in San Diego, California, with her family.
Tracy served as an Article Editor for the California Real Property Journal, was a Round 8 mentor for Author Mentor Match and 2021 Pitch Wars mentor, and is actively involved in the Filipino American lawyer community. She was awarded the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators first Out from the Margins Award and a Conference Choice Award at the 2017 San Diego State University Writers’ Conference. She is represented by Natalie Lakosil of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency.
Find Tracy at https://tracybadua.com.
LINKS
This Is Not A Personal Statement
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY
WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS?
ADMISSIONS INSIGHTS FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The college search should ideally reflect a student’s distinct preferences for learning and living environments, which can be particularly important for teens on the autism spectrum. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Eric Endlich to detail college admissions considerations for autistic students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What specific aspects of autism might impact a traditional college experience?
- What accommodations might autistic students expect in college?
- Why are campus visits so important for autistic students?
- Are certain colleges better for students on the autism spectrum?
- What should autistic students work on in advance to facilitate a successful college transition?
MEET OUR GUEST
Eric Endlich, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and founder of Top College Consultants®, specializes in college admission for students on the autism spectrum. Dr. Endlich is on the Learning Differences/Neurodiversity and Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Committees of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and received a “Making a Difference” award from IECA for his list of autism-friendly colleges and other contributions to the field. Dr. Endlich writes and presents on college admissions frequently, and has been interviewed by various media including Forbes, Money magazine, College Confidential and U.S. News & World Report.
Find Eric at eric@topcollegeconsultants.com.
LINKS
College Autism Network
College programs for autism, ADHD, dyslexia, LD, ASD, neurodiversity, disabilities
College Readiness and Transition for Students on the Autism Spectrum
Autism and the Transition to College
What Questions Should I Ask the Student Disabilities Office?
Should You Disclose a Disability When Applying to College?
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FOR TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS
MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
TRANSITIONING YOUR IEP OR 504 PLAN TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Major transitions often result in major confusion for the unprepared. If you are–or support–a teen in the high school graduating class of 2025, the time to consider taking or skipping the new digital SAT is now! Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to strategize a testing game plan for the class of 2025.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- When will the digital PSAT and SAT be available in the United States?
- Should students worry about being among the first wave of digital test takers?
- How should high schoolers plan for the digital SAT?
- Will the ACT be changing at the same as the SAT?
- How can students try out the new digital SAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA) and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU’s Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University’s Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28), SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131), and SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WRITING TEST? (#271). He also facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com.
LINKS
When To Take The SAT or ACT
A New Digital SAT Is Coming!
Bluebook | College Board
RELATED EPISODES
NEW SAT TEST SPECIFICATIONS
FIRST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NEW DIGITAL SAT
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The only facts most college applicants know about scholarships for certain is that free money is awesome; everything else is subject to review. Amy and Mike invited scholarship expert Jocelyn Paonita Pearson to clarify four scholarship myths that keep students from winning awards.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- When is the best time to apply for scholarships?
- Do you need to be very special to earn a scholarship?
- What are the best scholarships when people think about awards?
- What are time savings opportunities to find scholarships?
- Where should a student who wants to earn scholarships start?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jocelyn Pearson founded The Scholarship System to share her own experience of graduating from college with ZERO student loans. When college looked unaffordable for Jocelyn, she sprang into action and secured over $126,000 in college scholarships, even receiving an overage check for expenses. It wasn't an easy process, however. It took her years to figure out exactly what to do to be selected for scholarships. Now she helps families learn how they can do the same by teaching them her 6-step System. Families have secured over $10.5 million in scholarships and growing! Jocelyn is from Charleston, South Carolina and has a beautiful little family with her husband, Donny, and daughter, Amelia.
Find Jocelyn at https://thescholarshipsystem.com/.
LINKS
6 Steps to Quickly Secure Scholarships for College
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
COMMON MISTAKES IN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We’ve long accepted that students tend to learn best through specific instructional channels based on their personal preferences. But do they really? Amy and Mike invited data scientist Stanislaw Pstrokonski to review the evidence on learning styles.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does personalization mean in the context of teaching and learning?
- What are the generally accepted learning styles?
- Does evidence support the validity of learning styles?
- What methods of personalizing instruction actually facilitate learning?
- Are learning styles effective during self-directed study?
MEET OUR GUEST
Stanislaw “Staś” Pstrokonski is a data scientist in the education technology industry. He currently works for Busuu, where his role is to use machine learning to increase the speed and effectiveness at which users learn a foreign language.
A former teacher and private tutor, Staś is also the host of Education Bookcast, a podcast which he has been running for over 5 years, in which he summarizes, reviews, critiques, and contextualizes books and articles relating to education. He is also the co-host of The Pedagogue Cast.
Staś first appeared on our podcast in episode 252 to discuss Are IQ Tests Valid?.
Find Staś at Education Bookcast.
LINKS
Learning Styles
The Pedagogue-cast: What kind of differences should I pay most attention to when personalizing instruction?
RELATED EPISODES
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
FEEDBACK-DRIVEN METACOGNITION
HOW TO BE AN INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Maria and Tom Geffers of Career and College Counselors. With over 30 years in the education field involving levels from secondary to university in both the public and private school systems, Maria created various educational programs in regular and gifted education. Maria has presented at state, national and international education conferences.
Maria has hands-on experience creating educational curricula that meet the academic needs of gifted and regular education students and AP students. Her work includes college planning, scholarship searching, career planning, administering personality inventories, learning style inventories, expression inventories, interest inventories, coordinating job shadow experiences, college entrance applications, test preparation, and resume writing.
Tom, a Certified College Funding Specialist, has over 30 year’s experience in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is a graduate of the City University of New York in Business Administration. He was a Commercial and Personal Lines Producer for Declaration Brokerage where he was Regional Vice-President.
As a past member of the Million Dollar Round Table, Tom has extensive experience in Life & Health Insurance. As a licensed member of College Planning Relief, Tom has access to the expertise and the many years of college financial planning. Member of PA Association of College Admissions Counselor, Member of the Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley Business Group, and Member of the Association for Certified College Funding Specialist.
Together, Tom and Maria have recently published a best-seller, A Degree of Success: The Right Career, the Right College, and the Financial Aid to Make it All Possible. Their podcast, “College and Financial Aid and Career Navigator” has interviewed college, career, and college aid experts to keep parents informed.
Find Maria at maria@careercollegecounselors.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Wendie Lubic, a professional who brings a wealth of experience to her educational consulting. She is a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) and a professional member of IECA, NACAC and PCACAC and has taken classes in Independent Educational Consulting at UC Irvine. Wendie has worked with parents and students since 1996, as a certified Parent Educator at the Parent Encouragement Program, and as a Professor of Graphic Design at American University.
Wendie became interested in educational consulting as she assisted her own children chart their courses into the world of college and beyond. Wendie is available as a parenting coach, and educational consultant through PEP. As a former journalist and editor, she has extensive experience editing college admissions essays, and her years in graphic design and as a professor, help her evaluate art portfolios as part of the application process. Wendie’s emphasis is on reducing the stress and anxiety that has become a part of the college application process. She believes that the student should be in charge of the application process, and consultants and parents can play an important role by supporting the student’s efforts, and broadening their horizons.
Find Wendie at wendie@thecollegelady.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Dana Ponsky, who began her career in education more than 20 years ago as a student at the University of Maryland where she earned a degree in American Studies, a graduate degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and a post-master's certificate in Enrollment Management from the University of Miami. After working in student affairs at the university level, Dana transitioned to work as a school-based college counselor and has served as a high school director of college counseling in Miami, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, and Northern New Jersey.
Dana's unique background in college admissions counseling, career counseling, and student development services, along with her entrepreneurial spirit, provides high school and college students with the tools and resources to have a great application to get into college and to ensure long-term success.
Find Dana at www.consultwithdana.com or https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishandcollege.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Kristin Cocquyt, a seasoned college admission expert with nearly 20 years of experience in the field - on both the college and high school sides of the desk. As an Assistant Director of College Counseling and Director of College Counseling at two private high schools, Kristin counseled over 600 students and families through the college search and application process and visited over 200 colleges! Kristin completed her undergraduate degree at Hamilton College and then pursued Columbia University’s Continuing Professional Studies, Teachers College Online College Advising Program. After many years of engagement with national professional organizations (i.e. Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools and National Association for College Admission Counseling), Kristin's current professional learning endeavor is as an Application Reader for Rochester Institute of Technology where she can stay current on application and admissions trends. Through Cocquyt College Consulting - based in Rochester, NY and on Zoom - Kristin joyfully collaborates with students and families to encourage and guide their college planning and enrollment. Kristin's student-centered, fit-focused philosophy honors each student’s identity and goals and empowers families to make informed choices throughout the search and application process to ultimately make a wise college choice and investment.
Find Kristin at www.cocquytcollegeconsulting.com or contact Kristin at cocquyt.kristin@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Happiness is elusive in this world, particularly for anyone going through massive growth and change. As we seek successful, stress-free lives of our own, we parents, educators, counselors, and everyone else who deal daily with adolescents should strive to be part of their solutions, not their troubles. Amy and Mike consulted a wide range of knowledgeable experts to share their insights into supporting happy and relaxed teens.
What are ten things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the main drivers of teen unhappiness?
- What behaviors do teens at the highest and lowest socioeconomic levels exhibit?
- What are the “passengers” that steer us wrong in stressful moments?
- Why do adults nag teens, and what they should be doing instead?
- What are helicopter, snowplow, curling, and absentee landlord parents?
- Why is it so important to teens as more than just students?
- How does sleep impact teen physical, mental, and emotional health?
- How can proper breathing regulate the nervous system?
- What are the differences between productive and unproductive success?
- What does balance mean for a high school student?
RELATED EPISODES
BUILDING HAPPIER TEENS
TEEN ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
USING MINDFULNESS FOR TEST AND SCHOOL SUCCESS
HELPING TEENS FIND MOTIVATION AND INSIGHT
HOW PARENTS CAN BEST SUPPORT STUDENTS IN TEST PREP
TUTORING TREASURES: TIPS FOR TEACHING TEENS
HELPING TEENS GET THE SLEEP THEY NEED
HOW TO BREATHE DURING STRESSFUL ACADEMIC SITUATIONS
BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS
BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS’ LIVES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
There are all kinds of colleges and universities in this wide world, which is lucky for all those different kinds of aspiring college students! Amy and Mike consulted a wide range of college admissions experts to share their counsel on which types of students thrive at different types of schools.
What are nine things you will learn in this episode?
- What type of student thrives in an urban college setting?
- What type of student thrives at a large public university?
- What type of student thrives in a small college environment?
- What type of student thrives at a liberal arts college?
- What type of student thrives at a historically black college or university?
- What type of student thrives at a women’s college?
- What type of student thrives at a Christian college?
- What type of student thrives at a Jesuit university?
- What type of student thrives at a military service academy?
RELATED EPISODES
ATTENDING COLLEGE IN A BIG CITY
ATTENDING A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
ATTENDING A SMALL COLLEGE
ATTENDING A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE
ATTENDING AN HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
ATTENDING A WOMEN’S COLLEGE
ATTENDING A CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
ATTENDING A JESUIT UNIVERSITY
ATTENDING A MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Applicants find themselves more confused than ever by current test-optional admissions policies; how do you know if “optional” really applies to you? Amy and Mike invited college counseling expert Judi Robinovitz to explore the complexities of whether to submit test scores or not.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the difference between test optional and test blind?
- What did test optional look like as a policy before COVID?
- What does test-optional mean presently in college admissions?
- What are the most important considerations in deciding to submit a score or not?
- What signals from schools can help applicants make wise score submission decisions?
MEET OUR GUEST
Judi Robinovitz is a Certified Educational Planner with more than thirty-five years of experience in college counseling and school placements. She is the author of numerous articles, books, and software products on educational planning and test preparation. Judi has been a featured speaker at national educational conferences, schools, and places of worship.
To keep pace with current educational trends, Judi continually travels across the country to visit dozens of college and boarding school campuses every year. She has acquired vast knowledge of the admissions process as well as the requirements and specialties of hundreds of educational institutions. Since 1980, she and her team have successfully guided more than 8,000 students – from those at the very top of their class to students experiencing significant academic struggles – and their families through the planning and application process for private school, college, and graduate school. Judi specializes in guiding students applying to prestigious double-degree BS-MD programs and the nation’s most selective universities as well as colleges that best serve mid-range students and those with learning disabilities.
During her 23-year tenure at Educational Testing Service, Judi served as technical liaison to the College Board. She designed and led the programming team to implement the College Board’s first SAT-prep software; she also wrote strategy chapters of their original SAT-prep books. Taking the SAT numerous times throughout her career, Judi has several perfect 800 scores on her record.
As a founding faculty member of two private schools in Boca Raton, Florida, Judi created their college guidance programs and served as Director of College Guidance to the first four graduating classes of each school. Judi founded Score At The Top Learning Centers & Schools in South Florida. Accredited by AdvancED and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the learning centers provide academic tutoring, SAT & ACT preparation, and courses for credit to over 1,000 students every year, both in person and via Skype. The accredited schools are home to more than 180 full-time students who thrive in intentionally small classes ranging in size from one to eight students.
Judi is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the Higher Education Consultants Association, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Secondary School Admissions Test Board, and the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Judi earned degrees in mathematics and computer science from the University of Connecticut and Rutgers University, both with highest honors. Her professional life has been devoted to helping students achieve academic success.
Judi first appeared on our podcast in episode 139 to discuss Building an A+ Extracurricular Resume and in episode 202 to discuss Crafting A College Resume.
Find Judi at judi@scoreatthetop.com.
LINKS
What Does Test-Optional Mean?
Truth About Test Optional
What Does an SAT Score Mean in a Test-Optional World?
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
RELATED EPISODES
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
WHY OPTIONAL STATEMENTS AREN’T OPTIONAL
WHO BENEFITS MOST FROM TEST OPTIONAL POLICIES?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Higher education might be the priciest purchase in a person’s life. So why are there still so many questions about when and how to put money aside for that specific expense? Amy and Mike invited financial planner John Skomski to share strategies for investing in college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is it reasonable for families to expect the full cost of college to be covered by scholarships and grants?
- How much should an average family set aside for college?
- When is the best time to begin saving for college?
- What are some optimal long-term saving strategies for college?
- What are some good strategies for investing when college is a year or two away?
MEET OUR GUEST
John Skomski has over a decade of experience helping people visualize and achieve their ideal futures. He’s worked alongside hundreds of families, assisting them in setting goals and removing obstacles to their success. He started his career right out of college as an academic coach, advising students and their families regarding the courses and cost structure of earning their degree.
He joined Best Times Financial in 2014, and began as the firm’s Paraplanner, where he focused on guiding clients through the trademarked Custom Wealth Architect process. He and Kevin Best also created Cash Flow Discovery, a financial planning process that provides clients with a straightforward guide along each step toward their financial independence. In 2017, John launched his own financial planning practice within Best Times, specializing in designing financial plans that provide clients with strategies for wealth creation and retirement. He works with a broad range of individuals, from retirees to working professionals, and advises them in the areas of cash flow, investments, insurance and education planning. He also leads the firm’s seminar program and teaches several courses in the community each year.
John has a Bachelor of Science in Business through Thomas Edison State University in NJ and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, the highest certification achievable in financial planning. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations, as well as all requisite state and insurance licenses required to implement financial plans. John resides in Rochester with his wife, Natalie, and 3 children. He enjoys spending time with them, keeping freshwater aquariums, football and home AV systems. They also enjoy volunteering with their church and at local community events.
Find John on LinkedIn or 585-504-3600.
LINKS
John Skomski’s personal page
Think. Live. Repeat. Podcast
RELATED EPISODES
UNDERSTANDING YOUR COLLEGE TUITION BILL
WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?
RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Empowering Students To Succeed In Life Through Private, Personalized Tutoring with educators Eva Addae and David Blobaum
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Summit Prep?
- What differentiates Summit Prep?
- What kinds of students work best with Summit Prep?
- What kinds of outcomes do Summit Prep students experience?
- What else should someone curious about Summit Prep know about it?
ABOUT SUMMIT PREP
Summit Prep is a premier tutoring company that specializes in private, personalized tutoring. We provide both in-person and online tutoring from our tutoring centers in Summit and Bernardsville, New Jersey. In order to provide students with the best possible education to help them succeed in life, we attract, train, and retain top talent. To do so, we offer full-time salaries and full benefits to get the best applicants and then hire only the best of the best. Each instructor then goes through over 160 hours of customized SAT and ACT training and must pass stringent post-training assessments before they can start teaching our students. And we rigorously track all results to ensure that our students get the best results. It is our privilege to work with students, and we hope you will give us the opportunity to show you how we can help your child succeed.
To learn more about Summit Prep, please visit summitprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Coaches often claim that we play like we practice. Unfortunately, we don’t always replicate our best practice results when it counts. Amy and Mike invited educator Brooke Hanson to discuss what to do when a test score disappoints.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How can test takers determine expectations for test score increases at the outset?
- What factors should be considered when scores don’t meet expectations?
- How should a student approach a second, third, or fourth retest?
- How can superscoring play a role in a retest decision?
- When should a student consider the testing process over?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brooke Hanson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and Kansas City, graduated from Stanford University with honors, and holds an MFA in Cinematic Arts Production from the University of Southern California. After spending over a decade juggling a career in Hollywood with her tutoring and test prep work, Brooke founded Supertutor Media to make college admissions and test prep more accessible and engaging. Her YouTube channel SupertutorTV now boasts over 20 million views and 230K subscribers. She’s been featured on CNN, US News and World Report, Teen Vogue, and Yahoo! Finance. Brooke has also written two ACT® math books and developed comprehensive online video-based prep courses for both the SAT and ACT.
Brooke previously appeared on this podcast in episode 213 to discuss Test Prep YouTube, episode 290 to discuss First Thoughts About The New Digital SAT, and episode 310 to discuss Letters Of Continued Interest.
Find Brooke at supertutortv.com or subscribe to her YouTube (youtube.com/supertutortv).
LINKS
Test Preparation Checklist
Disappointing Results? Press On!
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER
BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The college admissions process can provoke a lot of anxiety, not just in students but in every other person with a stake in uncertain outcomes. Does submitting applications have to be this hectic? Amy and Mike invited high school counselor Candace McMahon to share guidance on destressifying the college admissions process.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is overwhelming students today about the college admissions process?
- Why has college admissions become an academic arms race?
- Who is responsible for the college madness: students, parents, or colleges?
- How can those who support students bring balance into the process?
- What radical steps might high schools take to relieve admissions stress?
MEET OUR GUEST
Candace McMahon began her teaching career as a music educator in the Cadillac City School District after graduating from Western Michigan University in 1988. The following year, she began her career in the Olmsted Falls City School District, where she spent 9 years teaching vocal music at the intermediate and high school levels. After earning a Master’s in School Counseling in 1998, she began her school counseling career in the Rocky River City School District. This year marks her 24th year in the district-serving students under the academic, college/career, and social/emotional domains; she also holds an administrative license.
Throughout her tenure in education, she has facilitated, chaired or assisted in numerous educational ventures: The Blue Ribbon Team Writer and Editor, Outcome Accreditation Committee for Student Recognition, Welcome Back to School Committee, School Development Team, League Transition Committee, Grant Writing Committee, Faculty Council, the RRCSD Vision and Mission Human Resources Committee, Senior Project Coordinator, Curriculum Advisory Committee, and Student Recognition Alteration Committee.
In addition, she has served the greater-Community as a Levy Committee Member and Levy Campaign Community Speaker. As a member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Heroin Task Force, she was a Greater-Cleveland Community Speaker, in partnership with the U.S. District Attorney’s Office. She has also received the Ohio Department of Education’s Master Teacher designation twice.
LINKS
Effectively Balancing Academics With Extracurricular And Co-curricular Activities
The Mental Health Toll of Academic Pressure
The Case For SEL: How Academic Stress Affects Student Mental Health
School Stress Takes A Toll On Health, Teens And Parents Say
RELATED EPISODES
BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS’ LIVES
HOW PARENTS CAN BEST SUPPORT STUDENTS IN TEST PREP
FAMILY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Discover the power of Niagara University with Alison Boland and Kyle Schwindler
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Where is Niagara University located and what are its demographics?
- What types of students feel most at home at Niagara University?
- What is the energy or vibe like on campus?
- What are the strengths of Niagara University?
- What is something most people don't know about Niagara University?
ABOUT NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1856, Niagara University is a comprehensive institution, blending the best of a liberal arts and professional education that's grounded in a values-based, Vincentian tradition. With more than 80 majors, 60+ minors, six pre-professional options, and accelerated master’s programs, NU students are immersed in meaningful real-world learning opportunities to realize their confidence, clarity, and purpose from the moment they step foot on campus.
Niagara University’s dedication to quality and affordable academic experiences is well known. NU receives annual praise from U.S. News and World Report, Colleges of Distinction, and Money magazine for its ability to offer students an excellent return on their educational investment. Ninety-nine percent of incoming students receive financial aid.
Niagara’s five academic colleges offer programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral level, and have received the highest rankings from the top accreditation boards in their fields. In addition, the university offers a national award-winning academic program for students undecided about their study but ready to maintain their four-year schedule with major advantages.
A student-to-faculty ratio of 11-to-1 and an average class size of 18 allow for personal attention and classroom interaction. The faculty members at Niagara are internationally renowned for their abilities as researchers and teachers, helping students to accomplish their personal and professional goals.
To learn more about Niagara University, please visit niagara.edu.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Meredith Bagwill, the owner of Total College Prep, LLC. Meredith has 28 years of experience in education. Total College Prep, LLC. provides comprehensive tutoring services that enable students to improve test scores, navigate college admissions, and excel in academic coursework. SAT/ACT test prep courses and academic tutoring sessions are offered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and across the country virtually. Additionally, Total College Prep, LLC. partners with A-List Education to provide ACT & SAT professional development (in-person and online options available), classroom instruction, and content licensing to schools, organizations, and education-focused nonprofits across the country.
Find Meredith at 1-972-587-5005 or https://www.totalcollegeprep.net.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Kailey Ossanna, the proud owner of KO Tutoring, the test prep company she founded in August 2020. She is a graduate of Campbell University, receiving her BS in Biology. Kailey's path to KO Tutoring has had many interesting stops. From her time as an officer in the United States Army to overseeing quality control of the production of vital medical supplies to teaching math and science in Appalachia, Kailey has brought professionalism and passion to everything she has done. She is now using her experiences and love for education and education policy to provide excellent service to her clients and work towards uplifting all students by working within the professional tutoring community and local communities.
Find Kailey at https://www.kotutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Kuni Michael Beasley has a BS from Texas Christian University (GO Frogs!), an MBA from Oklahoma City University, a Doctor of Ministry in Greek and Hebrew from Tyndale Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has been helping students prepare for college for over 40 years. Dr. Beasley has helped students enroll in the top colleges in the country including Harvard, West Point, Stanford, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Pepperdine, and MIT, with many on full scholarships.
Dr. Beasley has an eclectic background. After earning his undergraduate degree, he served on active duty with the Army where he was the youngest commander in Europe in charge of a nuclear Field Artillery unit. When he returned to the US, he oversaw Officer Training and developed several novel training strategies that won him a medal for his efforts. While on active duty, Dr. Beasley earned his master’s degree in fifty weeks attending classes at night. He left active duty to take a position with the Federal Reserve Bank where he was a Training Specialist, Management Systems Coordinator, and the Strategic Planner. While there, he worked on the new currency and applied creative ideas to operations and check processing. From there, Dr. Beasley was the International Management Consultant for Caltex Petroleum overseeing executive development and strategic training for executives in 55 countries.
Dr. Beasley left corporate America to pursue a personal passion to coach football. In his first year as a high school football coach, Coach Beasley’s team won the 1994 Texas AAA state championship. He returned to coaching in 2021 and led his team to the state championship game again.
Seeing that many students were under-challenged, in 1996, Dr. Beasley started his own school in a rented Sunday School room at the First Baptist Church in Duncanville, Texas, with seven students. By 2009, there were 22 schools from Springfield, Massachusetts to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Palm Springs, California. He initiated a College Readiness business taking his unique preparation process to public and private school students. His SAT and ACT prep programs were used in public schools in nine states.
Dr. Beasley taught college for sixteen years at several institutions including Northwood University, Dallas Baptist University, University of Texas at Arlington, and thirteen years at LeTourneau University. He is credentialed to teach at the graduate level in 14 subject areas, including Business, Political Science, Public Administration, Urban Studies, Economics, Psychology, Geography, and Military History. His Ph.D. is in Urban and Public Administration where he wrote his dissertation on the transition of the Federal Reserve in the late 80s. He earned his Doctor of Ministry in Greek and Hebrew studies concurrently with his Ph.D. Very few can bring a portfolio with military command, championship coaching, academic achievement, college teaching, school administration, and innovative entrepreneurship to build a nationwide business.
You can find Kuni at info@beasleycollegeprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jeff Eisenberg, the founder of Long Island Test Prep, has been working as a test prep professional since 1991. He’s a lifelong resident of Long Island. Having just retired from the classroom after a 31-year career teaching Social Studies at East Meadow High School, he’s now working full-time to help students prepare for college by coaching them for all sections of the SAT, ACT, and GRE exams, and guiding them through the Admissions Essay process.
Having done the SUNY Tour, he has a BA in History from Binghamton University and an MA in American History from the University at Albany. He also enjoys working with students who ask for help preparing for Social Studies class.
In his free time, he revels in the joy of his family and friends, music and reading non-fiction. He also spends time being repeatedly disappointed by his favorite sports teams.
You can find Jeff at https://www.longislandtestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Huzefa Kapadia is the founder of Scalar Learning LLC, an education services company based in Los Angeles, CA. Moreover, he is a math video curriculum developer, math musician, and a private math tutor. His life is fully devoted to the art of teaching math, and all aspects of content creation are aimed towards helping students master mathematics for both school curriculums as well as standardized tests.
Prior to launching Scalar Learning LLC, Huzefa worked as a software developer for three years before attending law school at Northwestern University. He was then employed as a patent attorney for four years at two international law firms. After working as a software engineer and patent attorney, Huzefa entered the world of math education as an homage to his true passion: teaching mathematics.
Since founding Scalar Learning LLC, Huzefa has created hundreds of hours of digital content targeting math concepts for students across elementary, middle, and high school. He has produced and released 5 video courses on mathematics, 3 of which prepare students for the math portions of competitive standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, and ISEE. Additionally, he has written, recorded, and produced 17 math music videos, several of which have been featured on BuzzFeed, The Blaze, The Journal, and EdTech Digest.
Huzefa has also delivered a tremendous amount of hours of private math tutoring across the Los Angeles area. Additionally, he has spent over two years as a 6th-grade math teacher at Seven Arrows Elementary in the Pacific Palisades
Find Huzefa at tutoring@scalarlearning.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Learning and innovation, it is said, go hand in hand. Unfortunately, teachers don't always see how to bring the two together. Amy and Mike invited educator Barak Moore to describe how to be an innovative educator.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What makes innovation such an important cornerstone of education?
- What academic theories of innovation should teachers and tutors today be excited about?
- What do you mean when you say that you don't teach SAT, you teach ingenuity?
- Why is learning to transcend pattern-matching so important?
- What are the responsibilities of learners in an innovative educational environment?
MEET OUR GUEST
Barak Moore has been a professional SAT and ACT tutor for more than three decades. He is a graduate of Princeton University, and was formerly the Director of the Princeton Review of NJ. He has been a consultant to leading educational organizations such as McGraw-Hill, the United Nations, IBM, the New York City Board of Education, the Marine Corps, and the World Bank.
Barak previously appeared on this podcast in episode 296 to discuss Self-Advocacy In Education And Admissions.
Find Barak Moore at facebook.com/baraktutor.
LINKS
Purposeful innovation: Five lessons from Silicon Valley
Scamper: How to Use the Best Ideation Methods
RELATED EPISODES
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
NEW INSIGHTS INTO LITERACY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
So many important factors converge in the college selection process, yet one of the most critical ones is far too often ignored. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Chris Wills to make the case for considering college financial fit first.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- In what ways have the costs of college changed over the last few years?
- Why shouldn't students wait to consider costs until after they are accepted?
- What does prioritizing financial fit first look like?
- Why do different schools offer different levels of aid?
- At what point in the college process should applicants determine their budgets?
MEET OUR GUEST
As a college student, Chris Wills founded a company that helped millions of high school students transition to life after high school and has had a passion to help families with the college process ever since he and his parents made many mistakes and learned things the hard way.
Chris is now the President of College Inside Track, which helps families navigate the complicated college process, find the right fit and get the best price at the schools they are considering. Chris is a featured speaker at college admissions conferences around the country, and is a regular guest for major media outlets.
Find Chris at http://collegeinsidetrack.com.
LINKS
3 Tips For Having The College Money Talk
Schedule one hour of free college planning advice from College Inside Track
RELATED EPISODES
WHEN BORROWING FOR SCHOOL IS A BAD IDEA
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT MERIT AID
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Discussions about education tend to focus on those who do the teaching. Let’s not ignore, however, the abundant opportunities for improvement possible at the point of learning. Amy and Mike invited educator Patrice Bain to explain the importance of feedback-driven metacognition.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why doesn't study time always equate to commensurate learning?
- How can we discriminate between what we know and what we still need to learn?
- How are retrieval, spacing, and metacognition connected?
- Who is ultimately responsible for learning outcomes?
- How can teachers and learners both harness feedback-driven metacognition?
MEET OUR GUEST
Patrice M. Bain, Ed.S., is a veteran K–12 educator, speaker and author. As a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year and a Fulbright Scholar in Russia, she has been featured in national and international podcasts, webinars, presentations and popular press, including NOVA and Scientific American. In addition to Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning, she also co-authored an essential practice guide for educators, Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, in collaboration with the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
Bain’s latest book A Parent’s Guide to Powerful Teaching reinforces the “Teaching Triangle'' of student, parent, and teacher collaboration. Patrice was one of two U.S. teachers on the working task group: Neuromyths vs. Neurotruths, sponsored by (IES) and the National Commission of Educational Research (NCER). In addition, she was a contributor to the United Nations UNESCO ISEE (International Science and Evidence-based Education) Assessment, outlining the vision for world education by 2030.
Find Patrice at www.patricebain.com.
LINKS
Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning
A Parent’s Guide to Powerful Teaching
www.powerfulteaching.org
www.retrievalpractice.org
Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve
RELATED EPISODES
THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Test takers have more ways than ever to prepare for important exams. However, if the way you are learning doesn’t involve actually taking practice tests, does it even count as prep? Amy and Mike invited educator Paul Pscolka to explain why practice tests matter so much.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is it really test preparation if you don’t take practice tests?
- What can be learned from practice tests?
- Why is simulating official test conditions so critical?
- Are timed tests necessary?
- What kinds of tests provide the best practice?
MEET OUR GUEST
Paul Pscolka is the founder of Ivy Masters, an organization based out of New Jersey devoted to helping students improve their SAT and ACT scores and get accepted at their first-choice university.
Paul has taught SAT and ACT full-time since 2003. His students have scored perfect on SAT and ACT as well as countless others who have scored within 100 points of perfect on SAT and within 2 points of perfect on the ACT. Many of his students have received thousands in scholarship money as a direct result of their scores.
Paul was a Division 1 student-athlete at an Ivy League School. He earned his B.A. in Sociology and his M.S. Ed. at the University of Pennsylvania.
Paul first appeared on this podcast in a TEST PREP PROFILE in episode 296.
Find Paul at https://www.ivymasters.com or 732-485-6480.
LINKS
How to Take a Practice Test
Why Practice Tests Matter So Much
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Helping Tutoring Companies Grow Their Businesses with educator Matt McCorkle
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Clear Choice Prep?
- What makes Clear Choice Prep the clear choice?
- What kinds of organizations work best with Clear Choice Prep?
- What kinds of outcomes do Clear Choice Prep clients experience?
- What should someone curious about Clear Choice Prep know about it?
ABOUT CLEAR CHOICE PREP
Clear Choice provides a 100% custom-branded test prep solution that includes comprehensive student workbooks and the online portal, myPREPcoruse, which includes everything tutors need to deliver a highly efficient, fully personalized test prep experience.
Tutors use myPREPcourse to save time on lesson prep by quickly reviewing detailed analysis of full-length practice tests, workbook lessons, and skill builder worksheets. Students use myPREPcourse to complete work between sessions by submitting answers, watching video solutions (from more than 300 hrs of video), and flagging problems for review at the next session. And parents use myPREPcourse to stay in the loop by receiving email progress reports.
Clear Choice launched in Manhattan Beach, CA in 2005, when brothers, Bryan and Matt McCorkle, began creating a simple database of test prep worksheets to support their small team of in-home test prep tutors. In the nearly two decades since, that simple database has been completely reinvented as a 100% custom-branded, turn-key solution for tutoring companies that are ready to scale. To learn more, please contact Matt at matt@clearchoiceprep.com or book a software demo here.
To learn more about Clear Choice Prep, please visit https://www.clearchoiceprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most new college students say they don’t want a reprise of high school, but rather a brand new world of educational immersion and independent living. So why are so many teens not only unprepared for exactly that but unable to locate the resources put in place for their benefit? Amy and Mike invited educator Perry LaRoque to share strategies for making the most of college support systems.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- In what critical way does life at college differ from the high school experience?
- What kind of support resources do colleges typically offer?
- How often are existing resources utilized?
- What types of students should seek out or create support systems?
- How can we help students advocate more effectively for support?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Perry LaRoque is the founder and president of Mansfield Hall, an innovative residential college support program for diverse learners. He earned his doctorate in special education from the University of Wisconsin and has served in a variety of leadership roles serving at-risk youth and people with disabilities. Before returning for his doctoral work, Dr. LaRoque worked in an assisted-living care facility for adults with intellectual disabilities and taught special education in several public schools.
Upon returning for his doctoral studies, he continued his service in the field and served as a teacher and mental health specialist in a children’s residential psychiatric program at Meriter Hospital in Madison, WI. Dr. LaRoque is also the co-founder of the College STEPS Program, a non-profit with a mission of providing post-secondary education to students with developmental disabilities in various locations across the East Coast.
Dr. LaRoque has served as an Adjunct Professor at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and University of New Hampshire and as an Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Potsdam. He is published in several major education journals for his work on educating students with disabilities and has presented at numerous national and international conferences.
Dr. LaRoque also served on the Vermont Special Education Advisory Council, which is an appointed position by the Governor. Most recently, he was an Associate Professor and the Special Education Program Director at Johnson State College in Vermont, where he was instrumental in creating the first dual-certification Elementary Education program in Vermont and also started the Think College Program at Johnson State College.
For more information on Perry, please visit: https://perrylaroque.com/
LINKS
Taking Flight: The Guide to College for Diverse Learners and Non-Traditional Students
College Autism Network
RELATED EPISODES
HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE
TRANSITIONING YOUR IEP OR 504 PLAN TO COLLEGE
INCREASED COLLEGE COSTS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most of us understand the meaning of the term “hook” in the context of a catchy song or piece of writing, but when did we start using it for college applicants? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Aly Beaumont to explain what “unhooked” means in admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is a "hook" in college admissions parlance?
- Why do institutional priorities carry so much weight in admissions?
- Are hooks the same from one college to another?
- Is there really anything like a completely unhooked student?
- How can an unhooked applicant improve their odds of being accepted?
MEET OUR GUEST
Aly Beaumont is the founder of Admissions Village, a family focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is an Associate member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 212 to discuss PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, episode 341 to discuss COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS, and was the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 264.
Find Aly at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
LINKS
What Does it Mean to be a “Hooked” Applicant?
IT'S NOT YOU, IT’S THEM
Dream Crusher
Takeaways from 2022: What's Next in College Admissions?
RELATED EPISODES
FITTING IN AND STANDING OUT
CREATING A PASSION PROJECT
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We all value physicians, which means we all, by extension, value medical school. Like it or not, that must mean we all value that really challenging admissions exam all future doctors in the U.S. must excel on. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. to tell us all about the MCAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the MCAT?
- How is the MCAT scored, and what is a good score?
- What kinds of schools or programs use the MCAT for admissions?
- When should students prepare for and take the MCAT?
- When should students retake the MCAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. is the founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions and college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school and top colleges using his systematic and proprietary approach.
Shirag first appeared on this podcast in episode #215 to discuss GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Find Shirag at www.shemmassianconsulting.com.
LINKS
Taking the MCAT® Exam | Students & Residents
MCAT: The Ultimate Guide (2022) | Shemmassian Academic Consulting
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT EVERY PRE-MED MAJOR SHOULD KNOW
GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL
GETTING READY FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While college applicants are often offered all different sorts of financial aid, one type of aid stands head and shoulders above the rest. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Nancy Paul to answer the most common questions about merit aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is merit aid, and why is it more desirable than other forms of financial aid?
- What are the most common criteria for merit aid, and do test scores still matter?
- Can a student ever earn enough merit aid to cover all costs of college?
- How can applicants find out about merit aid?
- What are some common myths about merit aid and college costs?
MEET OUR GUEST
Nancy Paul believes that every family has a right to know how they can pay less for college…and empower students with confidence, life skills, and financial literacy in the process.
Nancy founded The Institute for Financial Literacy in College Planning to educate, collaborate and advocate around the importance of financial literacy as a solution to unnecessary college debt and missed opportunities.
Nancy helped her three daughters win $600,000 in merit scholarships – money for college based on student achievement. A professional speaker and consultant, she is also the author of the bestseller The Little Book about Scholarships.
She advises school districts, financial educators, credit unions, and financial advisors. Since 2011, Nancy has been creating custom strategies for families so their students can go to college without going into debt.
Find Nancy at nancy@nancypaul.com.
LINKS
The Little Book about Scholarships
How to Pay Less for College…Even if You Earn Too Much for Financial Aid
RELATED EPISODES
COMMON MISTAKES IN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While college applicants are often offered all different sorts of financial aid, one type of aid stands head and shoulders above the rest. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Nancy Paul to answer the most common questions about merit aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is merit aid, and why is it more desirable than other forms of financial aid?
- What are the most common criteria for merit aid, and do test scores still matter?
- Can a student ever earn enough merit aid to cover all costs of college?
- How can applicants find out about merit aid?
- What are some common myths about merit aid and college costs?
MEET OUR GUEST
Nancy Paul believes that every family has a right to know how they can pay less for college…and empower students with confidence, life skills, and financial literacy in the process.
Nancy founded The Institute for Financial Literacy in College Planning to educate, collaborate and advocate around the importance of financial literacy as a solution to unnecessary college debt and missed opportunities.
Nancy helped her three daughters win $600,000 in merit scholarships – money for college based on student achievement. A professional speaker and consultant, she is also the author of the bestseller The Little Book about Scholarships.
She advises school districts, financial educators, credit unions, and financial advisors. Since 2011, Nancy has been creating custom strategies for families so their students can go to college without going into debt.
Find Nancy at nancy@nancypaul.com.
LINKS
The Little Book about Scholarships
How to Pay Less for College…Even if You Earn Too Much for Financial Aid
RELATED EPISODES
COMMON MISTAKES IN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Generations of applicants have turned to the same metrics and authorities time and again to compare institutions of higher education. Should they? Amy and Mike invited professor Jed Macosko to explore which college rankings you can trust.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are college rankings so influential?
- What do traditional college rankings purport to tell us?
- What do the traditional rankings often tell us instead?
- Should applicants trust college rankings?
- How should applicants use rankings to evaluate schools?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jed Macosko is a Professor of Physics at Wake Forest University. In the past twenty years, he has focused his research on the biophysics of cancer, drug discovery, the mechanical properties of cells, and cellular transport. Macosko’s Ph.D. work at UC Berkeley was in the structure and function of the synaptic SNARE complex, influenza hemagglutinin, and HIV's Rev response element. He performed post-doctoral research under Drs. Carlos Bustamante the action of polymerases at the single-molecule level.
Macosko hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has spent time living in Minsk, Tashkent, Copenhagen, Strasbourg, and other international cities. He graduated with a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked with Nobel laureate Kary Mullis at a biotech start-up in Southern California. His lab has received millions of dollars in outside funding, and he is a contributing author of several books. His work has been cited thousands of times, and his patents have been developed in the biotech sector.
One of his most fulfilling intellectual projects so far has been to improve academic rankings with the team at AcademicInfluence.com.
Find Jed Macosko at jed@wfu.edu.
LINKS
Academic Influence
RELATED EPISODES
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT COLLEGE RANKINGS
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
RED FLAGS IN COLLEGE SELECTION
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Generations of applicants have turned to the same metrics and authorities time and again to compare institutions of higher education. Should they? Amy and Mike invited professor Jed Macosko to explore which college rankings you can trust.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are college rankings so influential?
- What do traditional college rankings purport to tell us?
- What do the traditional rankings often tell us instead?
- Should applicants trust college rankings?
- How should applicants use rankings to evaluate schools?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jed Macosko is a Professor of Physics at Wake Forest University. In the past twenty years, he has focused his research on the biophysics of cancer, drug discovery, the mechanical properties of cells, and cellular transport. Macosko’s Ph.D. work at UC Berkeley was in the structure and function of the synaptic SNARE complex, influenza hemagglutinin, and HIV's Rev response element. He performed post-doctoral research under Drs. Carlos Bustamante the action of polymerases at the single-molecule level.
Macosko hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has spent time living in Minsk, Tashkent, Copenhagen, Strasbourg, and other international cities. He graduated with a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked with Nobel laureate Kary Mullis at a biotech start-up in Southern California. His lab has received millions of dollars in outside funding, and he is a contributing author of several books. His work has been cited thousands of times, and his patents have been developed in the biotech sector.
One of his most fulfilling intellectual projects so far has been to improve academic rankings with the team at AcademicInfluence.com.
Find Jed Macosko at jed@wfu.edu.
LINKS
Academic Influence
RELATED EPISODES
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT COLLEGE RANKINGS
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
RED FLAGS IN COLLEGE SELECTION
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The ability to achieve incredible things usually results from the combination of two powerful ingredients: practice plus coaching. However, nobody can follow that painstaking path to success without a third, equally essential element. Amy and Mike invited educator Sean McCormick to answer the age-old question, “How do I motivate my student?”
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are executive function skills as important to focus on as math or reading skills?
- How can parents and educators support better executive function in students?
- What makes a breakdown in executive function the perfect opportunity for growth?
- How does motivational interviewing work?
- What are the ideal expected outcomes for motivational interviewing?
MEET OUR GUEST
Sean McCormick is the founder of Executive Function Specialists, an online coaching business which guides middle, high school, and college students in overcoming procrastination, disorganization and anxiety by teaching time management, prioritization and communication skills so they feel motivated, prepared, and empowered.
He has spoken about executive function skills at prominent conferences including the Association of Educational Therapists' National Conference, The Executive Function Online Summit, and the Love Tutoring Festival. Sean is also the host of the Earn More Tutoring Podcast with a mission to eradicate educator poverty.
Find Sean at sean@efspecialists.com.
LINKS
Motivational Interviewing For Students
5 Ways To Motivate Your Students
Turning some Ideas on their Head: Dr. Adele Diamond, TEDxWestVancouverED
Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding
RELATED EPISODES
HOW EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING PROCESSES IMPACT LEARNING
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ADD/ADHD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The ability to achieve incredible things usually results from the combination of two powerful ingredients: practice plus coaching. However, nobody can follow that painstaking path to success without a third, equally essential element. Amy and Mike invited educator Sean McCormick to answer the age-old question, “How do I motivate my student?”
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are executive function skills as important to focus on as math or reading skills?
- How can parents and educators support better executive function in students?
- What makes a breakdown in executive function the perfect opportunity for growth?
- How does motivational interviewing work?
- What are the ideal expected outcomes for motivational interviewing?
MEET OUR GUEST
Sean McCormick is the founder of Executive Function Specialists, an online coaching business which guides middle, high school, and college students in overcoming procrastination, disorganization and anxiety by teaching time management, prioritization and communication skills so they feel motivated, prepared, and empowered.
He has spoken about executive function skills at prominent conferences including the Association of Educational Therapists' National Conference, The Executive Function Online Summit, and the Love Tutoring Festival. Sean is also the host of the Earn More Tutoring Podcast with a mission to eradicate educator poverty.
Find Sean at sean@efspecialists.com.
LINKS
Motivational Interviewing For Students
5 Ways To Motivate Your Students
Turning some Ideas on their Head: Dr. Adele Diamond, TEDxWestVancouverED
Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding
RELATED EPISODES
HOW EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING PROCESSES IMPACT LEARNING
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ADD/ADHD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most conversations about memory tend to focus on familiar challenges with retention and retrieval of what we’ve previously learned and must know now. An overlooked but equally important area of concern should be what we need to remember later. Amy and Mike invited educator Andrew Watson to explain how to improve future memory.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is prospective memory?
- What makes remembering the future difficult?
- How can habits alleviate working memory overload?
- Does writing information down really help us remember important information?
- Can electronic devices replace paper and pen for offloading memory tasks?
MEET OUR GUEST
Andrew Watson has been teaching since 1988, studying brains since 2008, and combining those fields since 2012. As a consultant and conference speaker, he works with students and teachers to make learning easier and teaching more effective. Author of three books, he writes frequently on memory, attention, motivation, and skepticism.
Find Andrew at andrew@translatethebrain.com or Twitter @andrewwatsonttb.
LINKS
Have You Heard of..."Prospective Memory"? What It Is, Why Teachers Should Notice
The Goldilocks Map: A Teacher's Quest to Evaluate 'Brain-Based' Teaching Advice
Learning Begins: The Science of Working Memory and Attention for the Classroom Teacher
Learning Grows: The Science of Motivation for the Classroom Teacher
RELATED EPISODES
THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
MAKING LEARNING SCIENCE WORK FOR YOU
HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
In May 2020, the University of California Board of Regents eliminated standardized testing as part of its admissions considerations for at least five years. The move was alternately hailed or condemned, depending on your thoughts about education, standards, and opportunity. But what did the evidence suggest? Amy and Mike invited professor Donald Wittman to clarify why UC was wrong to stop using the SAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What led the University of California Regents to ban the use of the SAT and ACT for admissions?
- Was this decision supported by the findings of the UC faculty?
- Why were the Regents wrong to stop using the SAT?
- Is the SAT biased for or against socioeconomically disadvantaged students?
- What admissions policy would make more sense for the UC system?
MEET OUR GUEST
Donald Wittman is an emeritus professor in the Department of Economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He uses the tools of economics to explain a wide variety of subjects, including law, democratic politics, international relations, purely economic topics, and an assortment of unrelated topics (sports rules, theocracy, and family dynamics). He has 100 publications in professional outlets, including 2 sole-authored books and 4 edited books.
His most recent publication is Average Rank and Adjusted Rank are better Measures of College Success than is GPA, published in Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice. His present research is focused on two areas: (1) Why city council policy is more aligned with minority interests when there is at-large voting rather than when there is district voting even though minorities support the latter; and (2) Why the University of California Regents were wrong to abolish the use of the SAT in admissions.
Find Donald at wittman@ucsc.edu.
LINKS
A Foolish Decision on Testing
Critics will fight on despite faculty report urging University of California to keep SAT and ACT in admissions
The University of California Is Lying to Us
UC Officially Ditches All Tests for Undergraduate Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
APPLYING TO A COLLEGE IN THE UC SYSTEM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Unique Insights Into College Admissions, Costs, Academics, Reputations, and Rankings with Stuart Nachbar
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind The Good College?
- What experience is The Good College based on?
- Who was The Good College written for?
- What kinds of outcomes should readers experience?
- What should someone curious about The Good College know about it?
ABOUT THE GOOD COLLEGE
The Good College offers unique insights into college admissions, costs, academics and college reputations and rankings. It was written to help students and their families do their own research and visit campuses to make their college lists-and ultimately choose their Good College.
The author, Stuart Nachbar, is a Certified Educational Planner based in Central New Jersey. He is a college and graduate school admissions advisor who has visited and profiled over 200 colleges and universities over the past decade as publisher of Educated Quest.com. Prior to starting the Web site, he worked around higher education for over two decades as an urban economic development professional and software marketing executive.
Stuart joined us on the podcast in episode 78 to discuss WHAT EXACTLY IS A GOOD COLLEGE?
To learn more, please visit http://thegoodcollege.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
With nearly 3,000 four-year schools in the United States to choose from, prospective students need ways to tell them apart. But how exactly are institutions of higher education sorted? Amy and Mike invited journalist Sarah Wood to share some of the thinking behind US News & World Report college rankings.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the most significant metrics that US News uses in its ranking systems? 2. How have the college rankings changed over the last few years? 3. Do schools rise and fall substantially from one year to another? 4. What are some of the "Best" college categories in the rankings? 5. How should students factor these rankings into their college lists? MEET OUR GUEST
As an education reporter for U.S. News & World Report, Sarah Wood covers various K-12 and higher education topics, such as college admissions and financial aid. Prior to joining U.S. News in 2021, she wrote about higher education trends and campus initiatives for over two years at Diverse: Issues in Higher Education—a higher education magazine in Fairfax, Virginia. Wood is a graduate of Elon University in North Carolina, where she studied journalism and international studies, and currently resides in the Washington D.C. area.
Find Sarah Wood at swood@usnews.com.
LINKS
2022-2023 Best Colleges Rankings
US News Best Colleges Rankings
US News Rankings Methodology
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT EXACTLY IS A GOOD COLLEGE?
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
As if taking high-stakes exams wasn’t stressful enough, test takers today don’t just need to contend with fantastically challenging content and rigorous time constraints. Some days, even the parts of the test experience that you take for granted work against you. Amy and Mike invited educator Rob Pollak to explore how and why to manage your proctor.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is the role of a test proctor?
- How does the professionalism of the proctor influence performance?
- What happens when proctoring goes wrong?
- What can or should students do when a proctor compromises a test?
- Why are proctored practice tests so valuable in practicing ?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rob Pollak is an expert SAT and ACT tutor with a passion for helping high school students and their families navigate the standardized testing process. In 2012, Rob founded Pollak Tutors, a private tutoring company that helps students in NJ, NY, and CT prepare for and achieve their goals on college entrance exams.
Rob is a graduate of Hamilton College, Fordham University School of Law, and the ACT Instructional Mastery program.
Rob first appeared on this podcast in a TEST PREP PROFILE in episode 155.
Find Rob Pollak at rob@pollaktutors.com, 617.285.3210, or www.pollaktutors.com
LINKS
Always Know More Than The Proctor
How Not to Proctor a Test
RELATED EPISODES
TRACKING TIME ON STANDARDIZED TESTS
COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Parents, educators, and all the other adults in children’s lives focus on helping them become healthier, smarter, and better prepared for their futures. Sometimes, though, we forget about what’s ultimately most important. Amy and Mike invited pediatrician Hansa Bhargava to advise on building happier teens.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why do teens seem to be facing more pressure than ever?
- What are the main drivers of teen unhappiness?
- Why is building resilience essential for future success and happiness?
- What belongs in a teen’s mental wellness toolbox?
- Why should the concept of self-compassion extend to the adults in a teen’s life?
MEET OUR GUEST
As our children are struggling more and more with their mental well-being, parents are struggling too, as we try to support our teens. As a parent, it can be challenging to navigate the fast-paced life of screens and school, and to promote a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Bhargava, author of Building Happier Kids: Stress-busting Tools for Parents Paperback – March 15, 2022 published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, speaks to schools and communities about a mental well-being “toolkit” to help parents prevent mental health diseases, recognize warning signs, and promote resiliency in their kids.
As a physician, educator, and author for over 15 years, Dr. Hansa Bhargava is passionate about making a difference in families’ lives. A board-certified pediatrician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, former senior Medical Director at WebMD, and current Chief Medical Officer at Medscape Education, she is passionate about meeting families where they are, to provide them with tips and tools to help navigate stormy times.
A thought leader, writer, and speaker on mental health in families and healthcare workers, Dr. Bhargava has spoken at the American Academy of Pediatrics, the FDA, the Health Communication National Conference, and schools, and notably conducted a panel discussion with former First Lady Michelle Obama at UNICEF roundtables. She was a visiting professor at the University of Maryland Medical School and lectured on screens & media use in children and the challenges of being a parent. She produced the Medscape video series “The Doctor’s Dilemma of Overcoming Burnout”, and teaches a resiliency course at Emory University Medical School on Cognitive Based Compassion Training (CBCT). She is a regular contributor to Forbes and is frequently interviewed by major news outlets on issues of pediatric health and mental well-being. Dr. Bhargava is also a member of the executive committee for the Council on Communications and Media for the American Academy of Pediatrics and from a broader philanthropic lens, she is on the Advisory Board for the Christopher Wolfe Crusade for Prevention of Opioid Addiction.
Her favorite role, however, is being a mom to her two amazing teenagers.
Find Hansa at https://hansabhargavamd.com/.
LINKS
Building Happier Kids: Stress-busting Tools for Parents
RELATED EPISODES
BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS’ LIVES
BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS
HELPING TEENS FIND MOTIVATION AND INSIGHT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Colleges and graduate programs seek a broad range of attributes in applicants, only some of which are effectively measured in current entrance exams. Amy and Mike invited professor Robert Sternberg to explore advancements for improving admissions tests.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the theory of successful intelligence?
- How do we test for a broader range of contributors to success?
- What do assessments of creativity or wisdom look like?
- How predictive are tests like these of college success?
- What are the impediments to implementing better admissions tests?
MEET OUR GUEST
Robert J. Sternberg is Professor of Psychology in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University and Honorary Professor of Psychology at Heidelberg University, Germany. Previously, Sternberg served 8 ½ years in academic administration as a university dean, senior vice-president, and president. Before that, he was IBM Professor of Psychology and Education and Professor of Management at Yale and Director of the Yale Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise.
Sternberg is a Past President of the American Psychological Association, the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the Eastern Psychological Association, and the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology. Sternberg also has been president of four divisions of the American Psychological Association and Treasurer of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Sternberg’s BA is from Yale University summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, his PhD is from Stanford University, and he holds 13 honorary doctorates. Sternberg has won more than two dozen awards for his work, including the James McKeen Cattell Award (1999) and the William James Fellow Award (2017) from APS. He has won the E. Paul Torrance Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, 2006, and the Distinguished Scholar Award, also from the National Association for Gifted Children, 1985. He also is the winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Psychology (2018). He is the author of over 1800 publications.
He was cited in an APA Monitor on Psychology report as one of the top 100 psychologists of the 20th century and in a report in Archives of Scientific Psychology by Diener and colleagues as one of the top 200 psychologists of the modern era. He was cited by Griggs and Christopher in Teaching of Psychology as one of the top-cited scholars in introductory-psychology textbooks. According to Google Scholar, he has been cited over 200,000 times. He has authored textbooks in introductory psychology, cognitive psychology, and in communication in psychology. Sternberg is a member of the US National Academy of Education and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Find Robert at robert.sternberg@gmail.com.
LINKS
Intelligence — Robert J. Sternberg
Assessment of Creativity: Theories and Methods
Tufts and the Kaleidoscope Project
Assessment - Social Emotional Learning
RELATED EPISODES
ALTERNATIVES TO MULTIPLE CHOICE
ARE IQ TESTS VALID
FIVE MYTHS ABOUT ADMISSIONS TESTS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Erin Billy is the founder of Test Magic in San Francisco, California and the test prep forum Urch Forums. Since 1991, he has personally worked with thousands of students to help them get into great universities in the US, from the academic preparation in the early years to the tests and applications required to apply, both to under-graduate and graduate programs.
Erin worked in restaurants in Washington, D.C. during the 1980s and 1990s to support himself through college. He graduated from George Mason University with a degree in English Literature, after which he traveled for four years, spending a few months in Europe and three years in Rio de Janeiro. He is currently working on a Master's Degree in Education from San Francisco State University.
After working, and after preparing delicious, nutritious meals for his family, Erin is working on distilling his experiences running a business and helping students apply to college in books and websites
Find Erin at https://www.testmagic.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Emily Raphael is the mom in Testmom, the company she founded (she was very disappointed that the name Pro-Test was taken). She works primarily with high school students preparing for the SAT and ACT. She covers all sections of both tests. In past lives she has taught composition and loves talking and thinking about the writing process. She enjoys teaching and sharing "aha!" moments with students.
Emily has her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in English from NYU. She taught composition and literature at the University of Virginia and Queens College for a number of years. She lives on Long Island with her husband Steve and her dog, Malcolm, and has two grown children who refuse to move back home. She is involved in her community and was on the Board of Education in her town for two terms, with particular interest in the needs of children with disabilities.
In her free time (HAHAHAHAHA), Emily reads a lot of everything: heavy on fiction, especially if it’s depressing, with large, fortifying doses of poetry, political biography, history, disability studies, feminism, and anything else that looks interesting. She is partial to old movies, the oeuvre of Bob Odenkirk, and the Beatles. Sometimes she writes things but rarely shows them to people because her work is too avant-garde for you all to understand.
Find Emily at emilyaschulman@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Luis Smith-Rosario, owner and founder of Hartford County Connecticut-based Just Solve It Tutoring. Luis founded Just Solve It in 2009, and he has since expanded his business to employ a range of skilled STEM tutors and to provide tutoring for students taking STEM courses and standardized tests, offering coaching at all skill levels. Luis is an SAT mathematics tutor who works with middle school and high school age students to improve their SAT math scores for college applications. His students often achieve score improvements of 100+ points on the math portion of the SAT, with many students earning over 700 on this portion. Luis is also a member of the National Test Prep Association.
Luis graduated with a BS from Central Connecticut State University with a major in economics and a minor in mathematics. Luis gained his teaching certification through the Alternate Route to Certification (ARC) program and previously worked as a public high school math teacher in the Greater Hartford area for many years while tutoring privately on the side.
Although he has transitioned careers to one of a private tutor, he is still committed to his goal of improving math literacy for students and helping them find academic success. Luis has one daughter and many nieces and nephews in Connecticut who have received tutoring and achieved success in math using Just Solve It Tutoring.
Find Luis at www.justsolveittutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Patricia Brown, a native of the East Coast (New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Boston) who established Team Talent for SAT and ACT and ISEE test prep in the San Diego North County town of Rancho Santa Fe over 15 years ago, serving students from eight private schools and over a dozen public schools. Her word-of-mouth reputation gets clients who are friends of other clients and then who stay with her for all the siblings of the initial student. Her tutoring expertise is in all sections of all three tests.
When the opportunities present themselves, she loves using the test sections to impart life-long improvements in reading comprehension, to establish solid editing skills for student writing, and to improve operational math skills because she believes these are essential skills for college and careers. If she can plant the seeds to generate an interest in reading for pleasure (not easy to do nowadays) or if she can improve a student’s confidence in math to the point at which the student might tackle a more math-intensive major in college, that’s a source of extra job satisfaction!
Prior to her years of student test prep, she took a Liberal Arts degree in Psychology and (with the help of a high score on a standardized test taken during a job interview) parlayed that into a 25-year career in the Computer Industry serving Fortune 500 corporations, working as an Executive in Engineering, Client Consulting, and M&A for companies focused on database software, manufacturing application software, and neural network models.
Her early experience teaching corporate clients how to use novel computer software and her own personal work experience of having to learn new technologies and new job skills every few years have been very applicable to teaching high school students to reach their personal best on the SAT and ACT. Her analytical skills from years in the computer industry have been used evaluating curriculum alternatives for test prep and researching pedagogical strategies.
Her degree in psychology has been put to use each semester as she identifies and refers students for further neuropsychological testing. After working with a student several sessions, she can identify reading or math issues that are atypical and should be further investigated. These referrals have confirmed with a DSM-5 diagnosis learning disabilities that were not previously recognized by teachers. Given her underlying interest in psychology as it relates to learning, she has also reviewed the published research in memorization, reading comprehension, math pedagogy, and performance anxiety to establish methods and best advice to assist her students.
In her spare time, she is an avid non-fiction reader and Wondrium is her favorite streaming channel. After a long day of tutoring, she snuggles with her two Old English Sheepdogs. She enjoys hiking trips to Switzerland and sailing vacations with her husband who has taught her everything she knows about the outdoors since she would spend her time in a chair reading if he wasn’t around!
Find Patricia at patricia@teamtalent.biz.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Andre Kiss started Critical Point Test Prep nine years ago, after falling in love with helping students reach their potential on the SAT and ACT. He graduated from Ursinus College Summa Cum Laude and shortly thereafter spent 9 months in the Amazon region of Brazil on a Fulbright Scholarship from the US Department of State. He has a Border Collie named Harambe who loves to play frisbee!
Find Andre at andre@criticalpointprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
One of the great challenges of modern education is finding ways to teach students everything they should know along with everything they must know. Unfortunately, while understanding saving, spending, and investing falls into the latter category, most teens and young adults haven’t learned the basics. Amy and Mike invited educator Isabel De La Cruz to outline financial literacy essentials for students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is financial literacy so important for high school and college students? 400-850
- Where should young adults learn financial literacy? 1438
- What are common problems resulting from poor financial literacy?
- What should young adults know about personal finance?
- What should young adults invest in?
MEET OUR GUEST
After over seven years of tutoring Math, Science, and Spanish 1-on-1, Isabel De La Cruz decided to start a YouTube channel in March 2020 to provide free instruction to students all around the world. Her mission was to make Math and Science fun, simple, and applicable to everyday life. However, she realized that much of what she was teaching did not prepare students for one crucial aspect of their lives: finances!
Isabel had gone through a rough financial path herself and realized that the only reason she struggled with finances was that she too lacked financial education growing up. It took her years of hard work and hundreds of hours of educating herself to finally get to a financially comfortable place. Now, she wants to share everything she learned during her financial journey with the younger generation so that they can avoid the preventable mistakes she made. This is why she decided to focus her channel on Financial Literacy for teens. Not only because it is a necessary topic, but because it's something her High School students crave.
Since March of 2020, Isabel has released over 100 videos on her YouTube channel, created a Financial Literacy game, and started a free Financial Literacy for Teens Udemy course. Her ultimate goal is to make financial literacy available to every teen regardless of their current financial status.
Isabel can be reached at hello@isabelexplains.com.
LINKS
Isabel Explains
How to Adult: Personal Finance for the Real World
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/isabelexplains
Instagram: www.instagram.com/isabelexplains/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@isabelexplains
RELATED EPISODES
THE TRUTH ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT LOANS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We all expect K-12 schools to run smoothly, supportively, and safely while providing the highest levels of educational excellence. How much, though, do most of us know about the roles of principals and other administrators in accomplishing those noble goals? Amy and Mike invited educator Beth Plunkett to share insights and examples of effective school leadership.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How does an effective school leader deal with crises?
- How can a school leader keep her community emotionally and physically safe?
- What does productive teacher support look like?
- How do you cultivate effective teacher-parent communications?
- What is the role of a principal’s discretionary authority in shaping a school’s culture?
MEET OUR GUEST
Beth Plunkett began her career in 1970, teaching English and reading. She worked as a homebound tutor while raising her family. Eventually, she returned to the classroom as a full time English teacher She then worked at the Alternative Discipline Center as an option for high school students who had been suspended from their own schools.
In the fall of 1992, Beth opened Fern Ridge High School, Parkway’s fully accredited alternative option for students to earn their high school diplomas. She served as Principal at Fern Ridge until 1995 and then moved to Parkway West High School as the Longhorns’ Principal. After 15 years at West, she made a very difficult and emotional decision to retire in June of 2010.
Beth is passionate about public education, and she found the challenges of leadership within the system, while at times frustrating and indecipherable, to ultimately be a source of unexpected influence and personal growth. She is eager to share what she has learned in her book, Lessons That Endure: Reflections of A High School Principal.
Beth can be reached at https://bethplunkett.com or mebplunkett@gmail.com.
LINKS
Lessons That Endure: Reflections of A High School Principal
RELATED EPISODES
BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS’ LIVES
ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS
REINVENTING THE HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Integrated Acceleration System
The Ultimate Resource for Grade-Skipping, Subject Acceleration, and Early Entrance with researchers Susan Assouline and Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind the Integrated Acceleration System?
- How does the Integrated Acceleration System work?
- Who currently uses the Integrated Acceleration System?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about the Integrated Acceleration System know about it?
ABOUT THE INTEGRATED ACCELERATION SYSTEM
Determining whether or not to accelerate a child can feel overwhelming. Teachers or parents often have questions about whether their students need more challenges. They may wonder whether their student should skip a grade, start kindergarten or college early, or move ahead in a particular subject.
TheIntegrated Acceleration System, an online tool developed by leading researchers in gifted education, guides participants through the process of gathering and integrating information about acceleration. Informed by decades of research, the Integrated Acceleration System systematically accounts for the major factors to consider when making a decision and generates a report about whether acceleration is a good fit for a particular student. This report includes the recommendation plus extensive documentation of the information used in the decision.
During the process, a team of educators and parents collects pertinent data, such as test scores, grades, and indicators of the student’s psychosocial development. Teachers, parents, and the student contribute information that is entered into the online platform. The Team Meeting is the culminating step in the process, in which all data are reviewed, a report is produced, and the team discusses the decision and a potential transition plan. The Integrated Acceleration System guides you along every step of the process and gives you the power to make confident, research-driven decisions.
The authors of the Integrated Acceleration System are Dr. Susan Assouline and Dr. Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik; they are also co-authors of other relevant work, including the Iowa Acceleration Scale, A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students, Developing Academic Acceleration Policies, and Developing Math Talent. Mr. Brian Douglas is the Lead Developer. The team is affiliated with the University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center, a leading research center in gifted education and talent development.
Ann first appeared on this podcast in episode 136 to discuss THE IMPACT OF SKIPPING A GRADE ON STUDENTS.
To learn more about the Integrated Acceleration System, visit https://accelerationsystem.org or email acceleration@belinblank.org.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ivy League colleges and universities may share a certain level of selectivity and academic rigor, but they also differ in surprisingly significant ways. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Marlena Corcoran to explain how to tell the Ivies apart.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- In what ways are Ivy League schools similar?
- How do different Ivy League schools differ in size and structure?
- How do different Ivy League schools differ in culture and atmosphere?
- Can you send the same application to all of the Ivies? 1800
- Does your alumni experience differ based on which Ivy League school you attend?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Marlena Corcoran is the founder of Athena Mentor: International University Admissions Counseling (Munich and New York). Before starting Athena Mentor, Marlena held visiting research appointments at Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford and the CNRS Paris. For almost 20 years, she has helped young people discover who they are and what they really care about—and present themselves with confidence, enthusiasm and success to the most selective colleges and MBA programs in the world.
Marlena can be reached at athenamentor@me.com.
LINKS
How Not to Get Admitted to All 8 Ivies
How Much Do You Know About Applying to University?
RELATED EPISODES
PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
DOES COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT MATTER MORE THAN SELECTIVITY?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Reading, we’ve long understood, is fundamental. Where we lack consensus, however, seems to be on what the fundamentals of reading are. Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Linda Hirsch to share new insights into literacy.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is early literacy so foundational?
- What is the history of the "reading wars"?
- Why has pedagogy shifted to its current re-emphasis on phonics?
- How do decoding strategies and cultural knowledge interact in reading
- How do we encourage children to become readers?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Linda Hirsch is a professor in the English Department at Hostos Community College/CUNY and a literacy development expert. She is also the creator, producer, writer and host of EdCast, a TV program that examines pressing issues in education. EdCast airs on CUNY TV, WNYE and the web.
Since its inception, EdCast has received seven Telly awards for excellence in cable broadcasting. These include “How to Spot Fake News,” “Holocaust Education,” NYC Men Teach: Bringing Men of Color into the Classroom,” “A Conversation with André Aciman: Whose Text is it Anyway?” “Addressing Bullying,” “New Approaches to Stuttering” and “Children’s Emerging Literacy Development.”
Dr. Hirsch is the Director of the Liberal Arts Degree and Co-Coordinator of the Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) Program at Hostos. She holds a Ph.D. in English Education from NYU and is the author of numerous publications on literacy, English-language learners and WAC. She has taught graduate courses at Columbia University’s Teachers College, New York University, and the CUNY Graduate Center on literacy and linguistics and was a consultant for the PBS children’s literacy series, Ghostwriter.
Linda can be reached at LHIRSCH@hostos.cuny.edu.
LINKS
"EdCast" Playlist
A Brief History of 'The Reading Wars'
Casualties of the Reading Wars
RELATED EPISODES
IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 1)
IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 2)
SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION AND READING COMPREHENSION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
If you find the news that many high schools require admissions tests surprising, you’ll be even more shocked to learn just how many different exams there are! As part of our series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Kelly Frindell to explain the role and structure of the SSAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the purpose and structure of the SSAT? 325-1300~
- How is the SSAT scored?
- When should a child start preparing for the SSAT?
- What are some of the "best practices" for preparing for the SSAT?
- How important is vocabulary on the SSAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Kelly Frindell is an expert, effective test prep tutor with over 20 years of experience.
She has assisted students in achieving testing success and providing students with the tools to get into the schools of their dreams since 2001.
Kelly graduated with honors from Trinity University with a BA in psychology, then obtained her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Texas. She started tutoring at prestigious test prep companies such as Tutorial Resources and Toby Rose Prep, both in Miami, FL, the Princeton Review in San Antonio, and House of Tutors in Austin. After gaining invaluable experience at these institutions, she started InHouse Test Prep in 2007.
Dr. Kelly is an expert in test preparation styles, techniques and study material. Her specialties are the SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT, ACT, and GRE. Dr. Kelly’s love and passion for helping students exceed their expectations is the driving force behind her company and her success.
Kelly can be reached at InHouse Test Prep.
LINKS
Official SSAT Website
What's a "Good" SSAT or ISEE score?
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT IS THE ISEE?
WHAT IS THE HSPT?
WHAT IS THE SHSAT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The PSAT high schoolers take in October of 11th grade has no bearing on college admissions, but that doesn’t mean the test isn’t worth taking or prepping for. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Stewart to clarify if and when you should prepare for the PSAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Should students take the PSAT?
- Do you have to take the PSAT before you can take an SAT?
- How do you know if you have a good chance at National Merit recognition?
- What can students do to prepare for the PSAT?
- Can students qualify for the National Merit Scholarship without taking the PSAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
At the end of his first year teaching Social Studies at Dublin Jerome High School, Brian Stewart thought it would make sense to do some part-time tutoring work over the summer. After all, he had done quite well on standardized tests when he was in high school and really enjoyed coming up with creative ways to explain challenging concepts to students. Other companies charged a fortune and didn’t seem to have a high-quality product.
As Brian worked with more students, word spread about the quality of his tutoring services. He started to offer ACT and SAT test prep group classes, and worked with students from all over Central Ohio. In 2011, Brian left his day job to run BWS Education Consulting full time with his wife Caitlin. Applying the expertise from her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Caitlin has ensured that our teaching materials and methods make high-quality test preparation accessible to students of all backgrounds and ability levels.
In 2012, Barron’s Educational Series contacted Brian about submitting samples of his writing as they conducted a national search for their next ACT book author. Brian was chosen to write Barron’s ACT, and has gone on to write several ACT, SAT, and PSAT books with Barron’s Educational Series. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
In 2014, BWS Education expanded to have associate tutors who teach not only the ACT and SAT, but tutor students in math, science, and writing. Brian and Caitlin personally interview and train every tutor on our staff to ensure they are the best in the business. BWS is a team of committed educators who relentlessly look for the best way to deliver educational enrichment to our clients, whether it’s test prep, academic help, or college admission counseling.
Brian previously appeared on this podcast in episode 33 to discuss the PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS.
Brian can be reached at bwseducationconsulting.com.
LINKS
PSAT/NMSQT Study Guide, 2023: 4 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (Barron's Test Prep)
Colleges that offer Full-Rides for National Merit
Sample Alternate Entry Form for National Merit
Information on the New Digital PSAT
Why Take the PSAT?
RELATED EPISODES
HIGH-PRIORITY SAT AND ACT TOPICS
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE SAT AND ACT
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Kate Sonnenberg is the founder of KS College Success and a college admissions expert who has seen the application process from numerous vantage points. As a former application reader in the Princeton University Admissions Office she knows what it takes to have an application that stands out. She brings this experience, as well as her background teaching English and her lawyerly eye for detail, to help guide families and empower students on their journey to college admissions success. In addition to working with her private clients, Kate is the Executive Director of EdMom Scholars, a non-profit that provides free college application counseling to high achieving, low-income students in Northern New Jersey. She is also an instructor in the Independent Education Consultant Certificate Program at the University of California-Irvine.
Kate is a graduate of Princeton University and the Columbia University School of Law. To further her professional development, she attended the IECA Summer Training Institute, completed a Certificate in College Counseling from UC-Irvine, and is a WOW Certified Essay Coach. Kate is a Professional Member of the IECA, HECA, NACAC, NJACAC and NCAG.
Find Kate at kate@kscollegesuccess.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Kate Sonnenberg is the founder of KS College Success and a college admissions expert who has seen the application process from numerous vantage points. As a former application reader in the Princeton University Admissions Office she knows what it takes to have an application that stands out. She brings this experience, as well as her background teaching English and her lawyerly eye for detail, to help guide families and empower students on their journey to college admissions success. In addition to working with her private clients, Kate is the Executive Director of EdMom Scholars, a non-profit that provides free college application counseling to high achieving, low-income students in Northern New Jersey. She is also an instructor in the Independent Education Consultant Certificate Program at the University of California-Irvine.
Kate is a graduate of Princeton University and the Columbia University School of Law. To further her professional development, she attended the IECA Summer Training Institute, completed a Certificate in College Counseling from UC-Irvine, and is a WOW Certified Essay Coach. Kate is a Professional Member of the IECA, HECA, NACAC, NJACAC and NCAG.
Find Kate at kate@kscollegesuccess.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The fascinating independent educational consultant we want to profile today is Marcy Fischer. We’re so glad to be speaking with you today, Marcy. How are you doing?
What will you learn about our guest in this episode?
- Can you tell us a bit about where you are and what you do?
- How did you get your start in college consulting and what did you do before you moved to this career?
- What was your training like?
- How has your practice evolved?
- What are your favorite aspects of working in college consulting?
- What aspects of college consulting do you find frustrating or challenging?
- What insights would you like to share with current and future independent educational consultants?
- What is something most of your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you?
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Marcy Fischer attended the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. She spent several years at Bain & Company and went on to start her own interactive marketing agency. Subsequently, she earned an MBA with honors at Harvard Business School. After successful careers at Staples and Fidelity Investments, Marcy decided to pursue her passion - helping students find and gain acceptance to their best-fit colleges - and launched Collegiate Coach.
Marcy’s experience interviewing students for the University of Pennsylvania and serving as a college essay coach at Brookline High School provided her a launchpad in assisting students in identifying and achieving their admissions dreams. Leveraging her quantitative background and consulting experience, she utilizes a data-driven approach to identify the appropriate college list for her clients, and she works in a highly consultative way with each student. Marcy has visited over 40 colleges in the past few years, and has resumed visiting schools where COVID restrictions permit. As the mother of 2 daughters who were both accepted to their first choice highly-selective colleges, Marcy knows how to mentor and work with students to accomplish the many time-consuming admissions tasks, to position themselves for success, and ultimately gain acceptance to their top choice schools. She is happy to start working with students at any time between their freshman year of high school to the summer before senior year. Her expertise includes (but is not limited to!) high school course selection, standardized test timing and strategies, college list development, essay coaching, mock interviewing, and application strategies.
Marcy is an Associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, an indication of her education, expertise, ethics, and training, and also a testimony to her passion for staying current in the admissions consulting industry.
Find Marcy at marcy.fischer@collegiatecoach.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ibrahim Firat has been an IEC for 17 years. His recent positions include entrepreneurship instructor at Babson College, lead faculty for Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program, professor at Houston Community College, Head of School for Nexus Futbol Academy, an all boys' independent soccer school for 4th-8th graders, and chief business growth consultant for the Firat Group.
Firat holds an MBA and a BA in history from the University of St Thomas (TX) and a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from Babson College. He is a member of IECA, NACAC, TACAC, and IACAC.
For eight years, he has authored The Firat Guide for Private High School Admissions and The Firat Guide for Private School Admissions. He also appears regularly on local and national news outlets discussing matters related to education, college admissions, and testing.
Firat currently serves as the president of the IECA's board of directors and previously served as its secretary/treasurer, vice chair of College Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. In addition, he served as a board member and VP of the board of directors for the iWrite Literacy Organization.
Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Firat went through the college application process as an international student when he was 17 years old, and that process inspired the work he is doing now. Firat specializes in college consulting.
Find Ibrahim at ibrahim@firateducation.com or on LinkedIn.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Tara Niemi, founder of Plan College With Me. Tara is an Independent Educational Consultant helping students and their families in the college planning process. Tara is based in NJ and works with students both locally and nationally. Tara offers Comprehensive packages, Hourly Block Rates and free webinars. Tara believes in meeting the unique needs of each student and helping them discover their path.
Tara is an associate member of IECA, NACAC & NJACAC. She is a co-advisor for the IECA Consultants with Young Children Affinity Group. Tara is a 2021 graduate of the IECA Summer Training Institute.
Prior to becoming an IEC, Tara spent ten years as a high school counselor for a large public school district in NJ. She managed a caseload of 325 students in grades 9-12, and learned how the college application process is integrated into public schools.
Tara holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling from The College of New Jersey.
Tara lives with her husband and children in NJ. She enjoys journaling, exercising and spending time with her family.
Find Tara at Tniemi@plancollegewithme.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Tara Niemi, founder of Plan College With Me. Tara is an Independent Educational Consultant helping students and their families in the college planning process. Tara is based in NJ and works with students both locally and nationally. Tara offers Comprehensive packages, Hourly Block Rates and free webinars. Tara believes in meeting the unique needs of each student and helping them discover their path.
Tara is an associate member of IECA, NACAC & NJACAC. She is a co-advisor for the IECA Consultants with Young Children Affinity Group. Tara is a 2021 graduate of the IECA Summer Training Institute.
Prior to becoming an IEC, Tara spent ten years as a high school counselor for a large public school district in NJ. She managed a caseload of 325 students in grades 9-12, and learned how the college application process is integrated into public schools.
Tara holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling from The College of New Jersey.
Tara lives with her husband and children in NJ. She enjoys journaling, exercising and spending time with her family.
Find Tara at Tniemi@plancollegewithme.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Lisa Barrett, a former professor and administrator at Columbia University. Dr. Barrett has exceptional educational experience in the areas of English Education, College Admissions, and Career Counseling. She is a nationally recognized educational consultant committed to helping students of all backgrounds reach their potential. Her career in college admissions for Columbia University gives her a unique perspective on the admissions process at both regional and national levels. Dr. Barrett can provide the expert guidance needed in improving test scores, developing a list of target colleges, managing applications, writing college and scholarship essays, researching scholarship and financial aid resources, and preparing for college and career interviews.
Find Lisa at lisa@5pointsprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Learning does not just happen but represents, instead, a skill set that should be improved and refined by anyone seeking any kind of education. Amy and Mike invited author Brad Smith to explore how to become a ridiculously effective student.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why do many college students find themselves unprepared for higher education?
- What limiting beliefs and misconceptions hold students back?
- How does a study environment influence success at school?
- What kind of study system leads to better learning in less time?
- Why should students strive toward a balanced lifestyle?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brad Smith was born in Youngstown, Ohio where he has resided all his life. His current position is as VP of Finance and he is also a member of the board at Compco Industries in Columbiana, Ohio. Compco Industries is one of the leading manufacturers of tank heads in the United States and is currently in its 4th generation of family ownership. Brad officially joined the Compco team, just after graduating from college, in January of 2016. He took a passion in learning the ins and outs of the business to help him in his duties by working in every position in the company before ending up at his current title.
Brad graduated from Youngstown State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in accounting and finance. He was able to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA while being a member of the Youngstown State baseball team in all four years of his college career.
After graduating, Brad analyzed his time in college and identified a step-by-step studying process that resulted in his success. This process could be taught, replicated, and followed. He wanted to share this with the world to help the next generation of students thrive. He ended up writing a book and giving a TEDx talk on this subject. Both have been released and are available as of April 2022.
Brad can be reached at https://collegestresstosuccess.com.
LINKS
From College Stress to Success: Save time, simplify studying and ace your college experience
College Stress to College Success | Brad Smith | TEDxYoungstown
RELATED EPISODES
WINNING THE GAME OF SCHOOL
HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
FAST AND SLOW LEARNERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Learning does not just happen but represents, instead, a skill set that should be improved and refined by anyone seeking any kind of education. Amy and Mike invited author Brad Smith to explore how to become a ridiculously effective student.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why do many college students find themselves unprepared for higher education?
- What limiting beliefs and misconceptions hold students back?
- How does a study environment influence success at school?
- What kind of study system leads to better learning in less time?
- Why should students strive toward a balanced lifestyle?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brad Smith was born in Youngstown, Ohio where he has resided all his life. His current position is as VP of Finance and he is also a member of the board at Compco Industries in Columbiana, Ohio. Compco Industries is one of the leading manufacturers of tank heads in the United States and is currently in its 4th generation of family ownership. Brad officially joined the Compco team, just after graduating from college, in January of 2016. He took a passion in learning the ins and outs of the business to help him in his duties by working in every position in the company before ending up at his current title.
Brad graduated from Youngstown State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in accounting and finance. He was able to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA while being a member of the Youngstown State baseball team in all four years of his college career.
After graduating, Brad analyzed his time in college and identified a step-by-step studying process that resulted in his success. This process could be taught, replicated, and followed. He wanted to share this with the world to help the next generation of students thrive. He ended up writing a book and giving a TEDx talk on this subject. Both have been released and are available as of April 2022.
Brad can be reached at https://collegestresstosuccess.com.
LINKS
From College Stress to Success: Save time, simplify studying and ace your college experience
College Stress to College Success | Brad Smith | TEDxYoungstown
RELATED EPISODES
WINNING THE GAME OF SCHOOL
HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
FAST AND SLOW LEARNERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ever since a move to a new digital adaptive SAT was announced, College Board has provided admirable transparency at every step of the transition so far. What do we know about the big changes, and what are we still eager to learn? Amy and Mike invited educators Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer to analyze the new SAT test specifications.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How much do we know about the digital SAT and how much is left to learn?
- What are the biggest changes to the content and question format from the most recent release?
- What aspects of the SAT are staying the same?
- Will current tests, content, and books be useful for prep for the new SAT?
- Where will students and educators find full digital practice tests?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Sonya Muthalia is the Founder and CEO of Informed Decisions, a leading Mumbai-based test prep company that trains students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, and GRE. Over the last two decades Sonya, along with her faculty located in India and North America, has trained over 10,000 students across 33 countries. Sonya also contributes to articles in newspapers and is a speaker at various online and offline forums. Sonya is always looking for newer and better ways to help her students and enhance their experience.
Informed Decisions is one of the strongest proponents of the Mindprint Learning Assessment and holds marketing exclusivity for India. Sonya uses MindPrint to design bespoke tutoring plans for her students which has helped significantly improve teaching outcomes which have ultimately translated to optimal scores.
Sonya is also a passionate cook and particularly loves baking. Her newfound love for sourdough bread making is what helps her destress on the eve of test day or results day!
Find Sonya at sonya@testperformancenalytics.com.
Neill Seltzer is the TestPrep Director for Mindprint Learning. Neill is a long-time test prep veteran who got his start as an SAT tutor in Hong Kong in the early 90s. Since then he has run test prep and tutoring companies around the country and internationally including stints as the COO of Test Services Inc, Chief Product Officer at Inspirica, CEO of Noodle Pros, and the National Content Director at The Princeton Review.
Neill has written or contributed to over twenty books on standardized tests, built test prep apps, designed testing engines and score reports, trained hundreds of tutors, and tutored or taught thousands of students. He has a BA in English from Vassar and a Master of Architecture from Pratt. Now, as a father of three, Neill is navigating the world of standardized tests in a whole new, eye-opening role: parent.
Find Neill at neill@testperformancenalytics.com.
LINKS
Score Smart
Digital SAT Suite of Assessments
Early Testing Game Plan for the Class of 2025
RELATED EPISODES
FIRST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NEW DIGITAL SAT
COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: CSP Worx
How to create a more robust learning experience for students and the tutors who work with them with educator Sapneil Parikh and developer Ulani Fisher
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind CSP Worx?
- How does CSP Worx work?
- Who currently uses CSP Worx?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about CSP Worx know about it?
ABOUT CSP WORX
Our founder, Sapneil Parikh, graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a degree in Finance and Business Administration. After graduating in 2004, he returned to Miami-Dade County and enrolled as a post-baccalaureate student in pre-health sciences. His desire to be a life-long learner and his passion for the sciences earned him a position as research assistant at the Florida International University Robert Stempel College of Public Health in Miami, FL. His research areas included developing Type 2 Diabetes prevention programs and health promotion planning for the National Area Health Education Council.
In 2009, Sapneil graduated with his first Master's degree in Public Health from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. Subsequently, he would take an opportunity with the anatomy department at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, NY as a clinical anatomy fellow where he was responsible for delivering undergraduate anatomy education. In addition to his research, Sapneil also completed an accelerated research-based master's program and would earn a Master's of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Touro College.
Sapneil has just completed his highest academic achievement yet, in a testament to his motto "'education never stops!" In 2016, Sapneil received a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) From Lecom School of Dental Medicine and completed a two year general practice residency specializing in Oral Medicine and Surgery from Eastern Carolina University and Cornell University in 2020.
Ulani Fisher brings over five years of experience in the marketing and branding industry.
Her vast knowledge of business branding, marketing, and sales has been imperative in the growth of Sapneil Tutoring.
To learn more, please contact Sapneil at https://www.sapneiltutoring.com/about-us.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Public speaking, steep heights, and high stakes exams share at least one element in common: they really stress some people out! Luckily, response to all kinds of anxiety can be managed through easy, practicable techniques. Amy and Mike invited educators Claire Russell and Erin Brenneman to demonstrate how to breathe during stressful academic situations.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What happens physically when someone feels extreme anxiety?
- How can breathing regulate the nervous system?
- What is 4-5-3 breathing? (5-7 minutes)
- What changes when stressed individuals manage breathing?
- What other mind-body strategies have you found useful for students?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Claire Russell is the founder of Russell Tutoring, a boutique, K-college tutoring, test prep, and mindfulness coaching company. Claire has been an educator for 30 years, and she first became interested in mindfulness strategies when she saw students achieve far lower on test day than in their practice work. RTC’s Mindfulness Programs have evolved from there, and a third of RTC’s tutors are certified mindfulness coaches. RTC invests in mindfulness coaching both because anxiety has become so rampant in our students nationwide, and because Claire has become passionate about self-care as a skill students need for life. Claire is an avid gardener and forever suffers being a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs.
Erin Brenneman is the Director of Student Services and Mindfulness Programs at Russell Tutoring. Prior to joining RTC, she spent ten years working as a geoscientist. She has been an educator for over 20 years, and she advocates inquiry-based, hands-on science education. Erin is also a certified yoga teacher and has been teaching mindfulness to K-12 students and adults since 2018. Erin fell in love with teaching test prep at RTC, and her dual knowledge of test design and mind-body practices has made her an expert in helping test anxious students achieve on SAT and ACT. Erin loves making soaps and tinctures, and she’s a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan.
Claire and Erin can be reached at https://russelltutoringandconsulting.com/.
LINKS
4-5-3 Breathing - A Mindfulness Technique for Test Anxiety!
RELATED EPISODES
MENTAL TECHNIQUES FOR PEAK TEST PERFORMANCE
HOW PROCTORS CAN REDUCE TEST ANXIETY
USING MINDFULNESS FOR TEST AND SCHOOL SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
At every stage of education–including test preparation–highly individualized instruction presents both benefits and tradeoffs compared to learning in large or small groups. Amy and Mike invited educator Dominique Padurano to explore the pros and cons of small group classes vs 1-1 tutoring for SAT & ACT prep.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Are test prep classes or tutoring even necessary?
- Which is better for test prep: classes or tutoring?
- Which students should skip classes in favor of tutoring?
- What personality types work best for group instruction?
- Is test prep tutoring ever a worse option than a class?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. P. (Dominique Padurano, M.S., Ed., Ph.D.) founded Crimson Coaching in 2014 to address the educational and socio-emotional needs of students and families. A solopreneur, Dr. P. herself provides academic tutoring in many high school subjects; prepares students to take tests like the SAT, ACT, and APs; and counsels students and families through the college application process.
After teaching for ten years at New York high schools such as Horace Mann and Scarsdale and writing and scoring tests such as the SAT II in U.S. History and AP U.S. History, Dr. P. used her expertise in testing, deep understanding of how teens learn, and passion for a wide range of academic disciplines to serve students’ individualized academic needs.
Dr. P. earned her A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from Rutgers University. A native Long Islander, Dr. P. loves open water swimming in the summer, salsa dancing in New York City, and spending time with friends and family.
Dominique can be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn, and info@crimsoncoaching.com.
LINKS
What Kind of Test Prep is Right for My Teen?
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
TEST PREP FOR STUDENTS WITH ACCOMMODATIONS
WHY REMOTE TUTORING IS HERE TO STAY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
While education often feels like an art, a great deal of objective research and proven strategies support the technical craft of both teaching and learning. Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to explain how to make learning science work for you.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How does testing itself help you learn more quickly?
- Why do educators sometimes teach more by helping students less?
- What can golfers, chess players, and chunking theory teach you about how to practice?
- Why does the structure of your practice matter?
- How is your memory like Google search, and what does that have to do with cramming for a test?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mike McGibbon started tutoring at Kaplan while he was a student at UC Berkeley. After graduating in 2002, he moved to NYC to study music and play the trumpet professionally.
During this time, Mike also worked for several NYC tutoring agencies, and eventually transitioned to a full-time tutoring career. He now runs his own solo tutoring practice, focusing on the ACT, SAT, and ISEE. He is also CEO and co-founder of Mathchops.com, an adaptive math practice tool.
Today, Mike teaches in Westchester County, where he lives with his wife and three kids. He also provides free advice through articles and videos on www.nyctestprepadvice.com and the Mathchops YouTube channel.
Mike previously appeared on this podcast in episode 165 to discuss Differences Between SAT and ACT Math.
Mike can be reached at mike@mathchops.com.
LINKS
Testing IS Learning
Exercise in Repeatedly Recalling a Thing
How the Chunking Technique Can Help Improve Your Memory
The Power of Testing Memory: Basic Research and Implications for Educational Practice
Practice Makes Myelinated Perfect
Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
RELATED EPISODES
THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
ARE IQ TESTS VALID
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE LEVELS ON THE SAT AND ACT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
In 2022, the University of Pennsylvania reported that a third of their class of incoming freshmen had done research in high school. What makes research so important? Amy and Mike invited researcher Stephen Turban to discuss the trend of high school students doing independent research and how research impacts the admissions process.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why does research matter in the undergraduate admissions process? How do admission offices evaluate independent research projects?
- Does research need to be published to be impactful?
- How can students find research opportunities? What are the pathways?
- How do students use research papers in the admission process? Do they attach it to their application? Do they get recommendation letters?
- How do admission officers look at independent projects vs. summer programs vs. projects via curriculum programs like AP Capstone?
MEET OUR GUEST
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. Before starting Lumiere, Stephen was a PhD student at Harvard Business School, worked at McKinsey & Company, and studied at Harvard College where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Statistics. Stephen's research has been covered in The Economist, the Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, Freakonomics Radio, and the BBC.
Stephen can be reached at stephen.turban@lumiere.education.
LINKS
Lumiere Education
RELATED EPISODES
CREATING A PASSION PROJECT
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLLEGES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
How Students Can Differentiate Themselves To Stand Out To Prospective Schools and Employers with coach Dave Harris
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Dogstar Prep and how does it work?
- What kind of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about Dogstar Prep know about it?
- I see you are developing strategic partnerships to promote your services. Can you talk about that?
- What is the best way to reach you if our audience has questions about Dog Star Prep?
ABOUT DOGSTAR PREP
Dog Star Prep’s mission is to unleash the potential of high achieving students by providing one-of-a-kind customized leadership development coaching. The Become the Dog Star™ program teaches high school and college students how to differentiate themselves to stand out to prospective employers and academic institutions.
The program consists of three modules. Module 1 provides practical advice on how to build outstanding and long-lasting professional networks. Module 2 teaches students how to obtain the skills and knowledge employers seek. The final module provides helpful tips on how to maximize academic success.
Dave Harris, owner of Dog Star Prep, is a Certified Professional Coach. He has been coaching students about career strategies for over 30 years. His students have secured career opportunities at leading companies and organizations such as Intel and Microsoft and been admitted to leading universities such as Dartmouth College and the University of Washington.
To learn more, please contact Dave at dave@dogstarprep.com or 575-800-7133.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Over the last several years, timeless verities related to getting into college–or even what colleges a student can get into–have given way to painful, new truths. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to share admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2023.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Should students in the HS class of 2023 take the SAT or ACT?
- How many reach/match/likely schools should be on a student’s list?
- What is considered a match or likely school for the Class of 2023?
- Should students consider applying Early Decision?
- How should students and families manage expectations for this admissions cycle?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, founder of Orlowski College Consulting, has worked in education for 35 years and has worked as an Independent Educational Consultant for 10+ years. She has a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, a BA in Communicative Disorders from San Diego State, and two active teaching credentials. She taught deaf, LD, and 2E students for four years and was a college counselor at a small private school for 3 years. Rebecca specializes in gifted/2E, STEM, creative, homeschooled, and transfer students.
Rebecca can be reached at r.orlowski.consulting@gmail.com.
LINKS
What Are Your Expectations?
Admissions Trends for the HS Class of 2023
College Kickstart
How many reach, match, and safety schools should be on your college list?
Should Today's Students Take the SAT & ACT?
Should You Apply Early Decision?
RELATED EPISODES
LONG-TERM PLANNING FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Few documents are as influential in securing needed academic accommodations as the psychoeducational assessment. Moreover, few documents are as commonly misunderstood. Amy and Mike invited clinical psychologist Scott Hamilton to explain how to read a psych-ed report.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a psychoeducational assessment?
- How does one get a psych-ed report?
- What key information does a psych-ed report share?
- How is psych-ed report information used?
- Is there a stigma to a psychoeducational diagnosis?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Scott Hamilton is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Understanding Minds, PC in Atlanta. He has over 20 years of specialization providing comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations of children, adolescents, and young adults. Scott received his Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in Clinical Psychology from Indiana State University. He is board certified by the American Board of School Neuropsychology. Scott is a frequent presenter at regional and national workshops on a variety of topics related to the interface between education and neuroscience. In addition to a 20+ year clinical assessment practice, he has 18 years of experience in independent school leadership.
Scott has served as a Principal and Assistant Head of School for Academics for a K-12 independent school for students with language-based learning disabilities and learning differences, and as Learning Center Director at a college prep pre-K-12 independent school in Indianapolis. Currently, he serves as a consultant with Cliff Valley School and the Cliff Valley Institute. Scott is the parent of a wonderful son with autism. He is an avid amateur musician and home recording studio hobbyist, as well as a team owner in the same fantasy baseball league with friends since 1987.
Scott can be reached at scott@understandingmindsatl.com.
LINKS
Demystifying the Psycho-Educational Assessment Report
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
RELATED EPISODES
NAVIGATING AN IEP OR 504 PLAN
RECEIVING TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS
ARE IQ TESTS VALID
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Valerie Erde, founder of Greenwich Connecticut-based VeridianPrep. Valerie is an ACT/SAT/AP language arts tutor and one of only two tutors personally trained by Erica Meltzer, expert tutor and author of the highly acclaimed Critical Reader ACT & SAT books. As a
published writer and avid reader, herself, Valerie found she had a knack for helping teens find and tell compelling stories and added Common App. essay and supplement advising to Veridian’s tutoring and test prep practice. Each year, VeridianPrep students gain acceptance to a wide range of colleges, including the most selective schools in the U.S.
Prior to becoming a test prep professional and academic tutor, Valerie had a long career in the
publishing and media industry, first as a management consultant and later as a multimedia content developer at HarperCollins, Penguin Books, and EdTech Company Brainscape, where she was a managing editor for two adaptive digital flashcard study guides for AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government & Politics. Valerie holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and French Language from NYU and an MBA in Business Policy from CUNY’s Zicklin School of Business, including a semester studying applied economics at The Universite de Paris, Dauphine.
A recent empty nester (except for the dog!) Valerie lives with her husband in Old Greenwich. A continual learner herself, when she’s not tutoring or brainstorming college essay ideas, you might catch Valerie performing at a local open mic, paddleboarding on the Long Island Sound, or fueling her bubble tea and Asian food obsession.
Find Valerie at valerie@veridianprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rob Margolis is the founder and president of Stumptown Test Prep, LLC. He has been a professional tutor since 1997, beginning in the Washington, DC, area, then in Manhattan, and, since 2004, in Portland, Oregon. He has dedicated approximately 25,000 hours specifically to one-on-one standardized test preparation and has been featured in U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges, Newsweek, and Education Week. In addition, he has taught mathematics, history, and English to grades six through nine at public and private schools in Washington, DC; Santa Fe, NM; and Portland, OR.
Rob graduated from Yale University with a BA in History, and subsequently earned an MA in Liberal Arts from the Graduate Institute of St. John's College. He is an avid Crossfitter and wishes he had more time to read Cormac McCarthy.
Find Rob at rob@stumptowntestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rob Margolis is the founder and president of Stumptown Test Prep, LLC. He has been a professional tutor since 1997, beginning in the Washington, DC, area, then in Manhattan, and, since 2004, in Portland, Oregon. He has dedicated approximately 25,000 hours specifically to one-on-one standardized test preparation and has been featured in U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges, Newsweek, and Education Week. In addition, he has taught mathematics, history, and English to grades six through nine at public and private schools in Washington, DC; Santa Fe, NM; and Portland, OR.
Rob graduated from Yale University with a BA in History, and subsequently earned an MA in Liberal Arts from the Graduate Institute of St. John's College. He is an avid Crossfitter and wishes he had more time to read Cormac McCarthy.
Find Rob at rob@stumptowntestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Blaire Richter from Three Keys Learning Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. Blaire helps high schoolers get into college and college students get through their programs. She has been a tutor of high school and college-level math, writing, and test prep for over 23 years.
What Blaire loves most in life is her family, her great big goofy dog, and puzzles of all kinds.
There are puzzles everywhere. People are puzzles, math is puzzles, standardized test questions are puzzles, helping a person write their best story?-- also just an open box of a puzzle, waiting for the pieces to be put into the right places.
Integrating those puzzles together is key to academic success. Blaire weaves together her lifelong interests in behavior analysis and test-taking skills to coach students toward their successes.
Find Blaire at 513-484-4675 or threekeysstudio@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Michael ElDeiry. Since founding Broward Tutorial Services in 2004, Mike has worked with over 1,000 students. His students have achieved score improvements of 10+ points on the ACT and 500+ points on the SAT.
Mike has a BS in Biology from Tufts University and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has completed courses for an MA in Biology from Harvard University as well. When he’s not busy preparing students for their tests, Mike enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews, competing in Scrabble® Tournaments, and enjoying the South Florida sunshine. Find Michael at https://browardtutorial.com or michael.eldeiry@gmail.com
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
AKA Gain the Self-awareness, Tools, and Experiences Necessary to Flourish as an Adult with career counselor Lisa Marker-Robbins
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind the Launch College & Career Clarity Course?
- How does the Launch College & Career Clarity Course work?
- Who currently uses the Launch College & Career Clarity Course?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about the Launch College & Career Clarity Course know about it?
ABOUT LAUNCH COLLEGE & CAREER CLARITY
Flourish Coaching helps students identify their best fit college major and future career that is aligned to their individual hardwired personality, values, and aptitudes. Students are guided through the 3 pillars of successful planning so they can Know Themself, Know Careers, and then Know Their Path.
This trusted framework, cited by Forbes as a first step in increasing the return on the college investment, is taught inside the Launch Career Clarity course developed from Lisa’s previous 1:1 coaching model she started in 2010 and used with 3,000 individuals.
Private pay families as well as independent counselors, high schools, and nonprofits now use the Launch course to gain crucial insights. Thousands of students later, Lisa knows it is possible for students to make informed decisions on college majors and colleges, so they don’t eliminate or limit their options.
Lisa Marker Robbins has worked with teens for over 30 years and is a Master Birkman Method Certified Coach. To understand the college planning timeline and how college major and career identification fits into the process, grab Lisa’s College Planning Timeline.
Visit the Flourish Coaching site to learn more about the Launch College & Career Clarity Course.
To learn more, please contact Lisa at lmr@leaprogram.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The global pandemic may be behind us, but every sector of society–including education–still struggles from its aftereffects. Amy and Mike invited educator Pranoy Mohapatra to describe the extent of COVID learning loss.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How bad, exactly, has COVID learning loss been?
- What has the research uncovered regarding learning loss?
- Were all students impacted equally during the pandemic?
- What are the most effective interventions for students who suffered learning loss?
- What roles do mental health and self-concept play in learning?
MEET OUR GUEST
Pranoy Mohapatra began tutoring as a high school sophomore for a local company after finding joy in helping classmates at the Academy of Allied Health and Sciences study for tests. Pranoy found he learned by teaching and explaining concepts to reinforce them, and often viewed standardized tests as puzzles. He continued to tutor through college and his first year of medical school, before leaving medical school and officially starting his tutoring company PMTutoring LLC in 2015.
Pranoy’s approach to test prep focuses on in depth understanding and recognition of concepts, as he found the “memorize and regurgitate” methods taught in many classes frustrating. His objective is to provide the tools necessary for any student with goals the opportunity to reach them.
Pranoy is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He first appeared on this podcast in episode #36 to discuss Techniques to Motivate Unmotivated Students and was the subject of a TEST PREP PROFILE in episode #280.
Find Pranoy at www.PMTutoring.com.
LINKS
Have ACT Scores Declined During the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Examination of Fall State and District Testing Data
The Kids are Far, Far Behind in School
The pandemic has had devastating impacts on learning. What will it take to help students catch up?
RELATED EPISODES
WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS
WHY GRADE INFLATION IS HARMFUL
THE GROWING IMPACT OF CHEATING DURING COVID
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
More and more, it feels as if you need a doctorate in finance to fully comprehend the bill for a modern bachelor’s degree. If you’re not a financial expert, you should learn from one. Amy and Mike invited college funding advisor Liane Crane to share insights for understanding your college tuition bill.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What should parents know about reviewing the tuition bill?
- Why is the college portal so important to review before paying?
- What charges should students review carefully?
- How impactful is work study for covering the tuition bill?
- What do you need to know about federal vs. private loans?
MEET OUR GUEST
Liane Crane held a wide range of professional roles–including teacher, non-profit director, and paralegal–before becoming passionate about college finances. After 10+ years’ working for a college consulting company, she started her own company so she could focus solely on college finances. Her specialty is helping parents early on to truly understand their cost of college and how to pay for it. Many clients are recent graduates (or parents of) trying to understand their debt and how best to repay it. Her 11-point Tuition Bill Review for college freshmen is a best selling service!
Assisting her three children through the college journey has given her first-hand knowledge of what parents really want and need to know. As all three children are still in college, at the same time, the craziness, complications and excitement that surround finding and paying for college are well understood. She recommends yoga, long walks, and a large glass of wine during the process!
Liane is a member of HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) and NCAG (National College Advocacy Group). She is a certified College Funding and Student Loan Advisor.
Liane can be reached at liane@thecollegedollar.com.
LINKS
The College Dollar
11-point Tuition Bill Review Ebook
What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Decoding the Cost of College
Confused By Your College Financial Aid Letter? You're Not Alone
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT LOANS
WHEN BORROWING FOR SCHOOL IS A BAD IDEA
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Looking for the right school looks more and more these days like online dating, particularly in all the superficial and short-sighted ways these matches are made. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech entrepreneurs Eric Menna and Sam Bernstein to share tough love insights on finding your college fit.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How does personalized college guidance impact student success?
- How can counselors and students assess “fit”
- Is there such a thing as a college “soulmate”?
- Why are rankings flawed?
- Should students just work off of lists of best colleges?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Eric Menna and Sam Bernstein are the two co-founders of Loper, reconnecting in August of 2021 to found the company after both graduating together from Georgetown University in 2018. Eric comes from a family of educators and most recently spent 3 years working at Bain & Company as a management consultant, where he fueled his passion for education through working on a pro-bono case with a St. Louis charter school and externing at a Chicago non-profit offering free after-school music programming. Sam most recently spent 3 years working at Maverick Capital, a NYC-based equity hedge fund, where his time volunteering for Maverick's charitable foundation and his experiences seeing the COVID-19 pandemic highlight educational inequity both motivated him to quit his job and empower students through Loper.
Find Sam at sam@getloper.com and Eric at eric@getloper.com.
LINKS
Loper (mobile app download link)
Lord of the Rankings
RELATED EPISODES
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
HELPING TEENS FIND THEIR VALUES AND PURPOSE
WHAT EXACTLY IS A GOOD COLLEGE?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Academic and testing success depends not just on much you learn but also how quickly. Amy and Mike invited professor and author Barbara Oakley to provide guidance on teaching fast and slow learners.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a slow learner?
- How does consistency in building good habits help learning?
- What is the link between working memory and learning speed?
- How do students fool themselves into thinking they are learning?
- Why is rote learning being seen in a more favorable light these days?
MEET OUR GUEST
Barbara Oakley, Ph.D., PE is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan; Michigan’s Distinguished Professor of the Year; and Coursera’s inaugural “Innovation Instructor.” Her work focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior. Barb’s research has been described as “revolutionary” in the Wall Street Journal.
Barb is a New York Times best-selling author who has published in outlets as varied as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Her book A Mind for Numbers, on effective learning in STEM disciplines, has sold over a million copies worldwide. Dr. Oakley has won numerous teaching awards, including the American Society of Engineering Education’s Chester F. Carlson Award for technical innovation in engineering education and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers William E. Sayle II Award for Achievement in Education. Together with Terrence Sejnowski, the Francis Crick Professor at the Salk Institute, she co-teaches Coursera’s “Learning How to Learn,” one of the world’s most popular massive open online courses with over three million registered students, along with a number of other leading MOOCs.
Barb has adventured widely through her lifetime. She rose from the ranks of Private to Captain in the U.S. Army, during which time she was recognized as a Distinguished Military Scholar. She also worked as a communications expert at the South Pole Station in Antarctica, and has served as a Russian translator on board Soviet trawlers on the Bering Sea. Dr. Oakley is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Find Barbara at https://barbaraoakley.com.
LINKS
Uncommon Sense Teaching (MOOC 1 & MOOC 2)
The Importance of Working Memory Capacity
Faster versus slower thinking and intellectual humility
RELATED EPISODES
THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER?
ARE IQ TESTS VALID
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
All about Soflo Tutors: 1-on-1 SAT/ACT tutoring with over 1000 happy students annually and exploring exit opportunities with educational entrepreneur Adam Shlomi
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind SoFlo Tutors?
- How does SoFlo Tutors work?
- Who currently uses SoFlo Tutors?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about SoFlo Tutors know about it?
ABOUT SOFLO TUTORS
SoFlo Tutors provides private 1-on-1 tutoring to over 1000 students a year. The company has grown quickly by investing in hiring and training great tutors, building customized software to handle the scale of working with so many students, and creating a student-centered model that holds learners accountable and values homework. SoFlo is also a mission-driven company working to democratize education by leading free scholarship classes for over 250 students a year. SoFlo Tutors was founded by Adam Shlomi when he was forced to take time away from Georgetown University after an ankle surgery. Adam founded SoFlo as a project to learn how to build a business and the company grew through positive reviews and online advertising. Now that SoFlo is mature and has a manager in place to handle daily operations, Adam is considering exit opportunities and SoFlo pre-qualifies for SBA financing. Adam wants SoFlo in good hands and will only consider buyers with past test prep experience. To learn more, please contact adam@soflotutors.com
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
If you want college to represent some of the best years of your life, why wouldn’t you spend years putting all the necessary pieces in place? Amy and Mike invited educator and podcaster Ryan Tibbens to explain long-term planning for college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the best extracurricular involvements from an admissions perspective?
- Is there such a thing as too many activities?
- What should students do in the summer to support admissions?
- What can students do throughout middle and high school to help them write great college admissions essays senior year?
- How does planning over the long-term help clarify college choices?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ryan Tibbens is an award-winning high school English teacher, tutor, and podcast host in Northern Virginia. He strongly believes that a sense of purpose, paired with effective rhetoric skills, yields happier, more effective people, and he strives to instill those values and skills in his students, both through his work in an all-virtual distance learning school and through through Tibbens Education Services & Tutoring. In addition to hosting the ClassCast Podcast and participating in his local community and government, Ryan enjoys writing, reading, camping, hiking, attending concerts, and gardening with his wife and three young children.
Ryan first appeared on our podcast in episode #121 to discuss Writing Rhetorically in Admissions Essays.
Find Ryan at mrtibbens@yahoo.com.
LINKS
What Classes Should I Take Next Year?
RELATED EPISODES
UTILIZING A REFLECTION JOURNAL TO PREPARE FOR YOUR COLLEGE ESSAY
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We’ve long understood how fundamental skills related to executive function facilitate workplace success. Only recently, however, has the public grasped how these skills–or the lack thereof–influence academic success. Amy and Mike invited educator Natallia Kohut to explain how executive functioning processes impact learning.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are so many children now being identified with executive functioning difficulties?
- How do we promote resilience and reduce stress students are currently experiencing?
- What are some signs that a student is having trouble with executive functioning?
- At what age do executive functioning challenges become evident?
- How can we engage students to be open to using executive function strategies?
MEET OUR GUEST
Natallia Kohut is the owner of A Way to Learn CT, a premier academic coaching and tutoring company with an intense focus on executive functioning skills. In addition to coaching and tutoring, A Way to Learn offers test prep services and often works with students who require a specialized and individualized support to prepare for standardized tests. Natallia is originally from Eastern Europe where she attended elementary and middle school dreaming of becoming a teacher one day. She graduated high school in the states and went on to receive a Bachelor's degree in Special Education and Sociology. Having taught at both public and private schools for a few years, she has gained a broad perspective on schooling and through research and experience, have found effective ways to work with students who need help the most - those with learning disabilities, attention difficulties, autism and other challenges. Realizing the critical part executive functioning plays in the overall success of a student, she decided to focus entirely on coaching students and families to help them navigate academic challenges. Natallia resides with her husband and two young children in Wilton, CT.
Natallia can be reached at nkohut@awaytolearn.net.
LINKS
Does Improving Executive Function Cause Better Academic Achievement?
7 Executive Functioning Skills Your Child Should Have
RELATED EPISODES
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS AND TEST PREP
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ADHD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Laurie Kopp Weingarten attended The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies. She worked in marketing for several Fortune 500 corporations until she decided to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. After returning to New Jersey, Laurie and her partner, Elsie Koo, co-founded One-Stop.
In her role as Chief Educational Consultant, Laurie guides students through each stage of the college admissions process. She is passionate about helping students reach their full academic and extracurricular potential; there is nothing more rewarding than their look of elation upon acceptance to their top choice schools!
Laurie starts working with students as early as their freshman year of high school and acts as their personal guide and consultant until they select and commit to their ideal college! She covers all aspects of the admission process from high school course selection, standardized test choices, extracurricular activity enhancement, volunteer work, summer jobs/internships, essay topic selection, resume guidance, early decision/early action strategies and practically every other situation that arises during the high school years!
For over two decades, Laurie was an alumna interviewer for the University of Pennsylvania, meeting with hundreds of students from various areas of the country. She applies this experience by coaching our students on how to improve their interview skills, whether it’s for summer internships or college admission.
Laurie visits various colleges and universities regularly and speaks directly with admissions officers to remain up-to-date on current admissions policies and practices. Awarded the CEP by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP), Laurie has been recognized for achieving the highest level of competence in her field. She has been regularly featured in numerous newspapers and publications. Laurie is also a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and a member of the Higher Education Consultants Organization (HECA), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), and the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC). She is also a proud member of the Character Collaborative.
Laurie is married and has two children who, in the time it takes to blink, suddenly became young adults. One graduated from Princeton, and the other graduated (virtually, due to Covid) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Find Laurie at Laurie@one-stopcc.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Karan Shah, one of the co-founders of Ivy Experience. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors in Bioengineering and a minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship. Since graduation, Karan has worked with hundreds of students on SAT, ACT, and SAT II Subject Test Prep. Karan also works with students on their college and graduate school application essays across the country and around the world. When not working with students, Karan enjoys playing hockey, making divots on the golf course, and dealing with being a New York sports fan living in Philadelphia.
Find Karan at karan@myivyexperience.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Sheree Gravely, founder of Gravely Group College Advising and an IEC since 2014. Before becoming an IEC, she worked in marketing for Kraft Foods, HJ Heinz, and Arthur Anderson & Co. Sheree has a passion for helping students discover their interests and to use that to find great college options. Years of experience in private industry, education, and as a parent make her ideal as an independent college counselor.
A 1986 graduate of the University of Virginia, she was heavily involved in counseling undergrads as a Resident Assistant and Dorm Resident Manager in UVA's Residential Life program. She attended Northwestern University’s Evening Managers Program and holds a Certificate in College Admissions Counseling from UC - Riverside.
Sheree is co-chair of the Midwest College Advisors Virtual Group, which includes over 40 members from OH, MI, IN, KY, and Western PA. The group meets with college admissions offices throughout the year. She is a member of the premier association of college advisors, IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association), constantly attends higher-ed training opportunities, and is always visiting college campuses to gather the most up-to-date information for her students and families.
Sheree is passionate about education. She volunteered for Chagrin Falls Unite for Education election campaign and worked on the Chagrin Falls School District’s 5-year strategic plan, as well as was a member of the committee on Instructional Practices, Resources, Curriculum, and Professional Development. She served as a member of the local advisory board for Hackett Catholic Prep HS (MI) which consulted on matters of school governance, including curriculum, marketing, and extra-curricular programming. She worked on a project for the principal to rebuild Hackett’s college counseling curriculum. During her children’s school years, Sheree volunteered in a variety of capacities including instructor and coordinator for Global Reading competitions, Writing Workshops, and Junior Achievement. As a member of the American Woman’s Club of Oakville (Canada), she researched and authored a curriculum comparison between US and Canadian education standards that was used by families and companies to evaluate education decisions for ex-pat students.
She has lived in a variety of cities in the US and Canada and is married to Alan. They have a daughter and two sons. Sheree loves to play Mahjong and read as well as to travel, scuba dive, ski and be active!
Find Sheree at https://www.gravelygroupcollegeadvising.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
Meet Steve Gardner, a Harvard grad and an educator who has been there before and understands how frustrating the college admissions process can be. He helps teens successfully pursue the college of their dreams without sacrificing sleep, fun, or friends along the way. He believes the world needs every student to reach their full potential, and college admittance shouldn’t hold them back. Before becoming a teacher, Steve was a personal development and high-performance coach. He created the Ivy League Challenge to help parents and their students understand that the best way to get into a top college is to find your core values, pursue your interests with genuine curiosity, and make an impact in your community.
Find Steve at theivyleaguechallenge.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
Meet Marni Levine, an independent concierge educational consultant who has helped hundreds of families over the last 15 years by guiding them along the college admissions journey.
After hiring someone to help her oldest son apply to college, Marni believed that the process needed more personalization for each family. It was completely missing that special attention to details that only a mom would know! So she set out on a mission to help students through the often daunting process of applying to college, the way a mother would - if the mother was a professional.
Using the skills she learned as an Advertising/Public Relations major at Boston University and her love of storytelling she created a comprehensive program to help high school students develop a unique picture of who they are so that they can find and be admitted to the perfect fit college where they will shine!
Mother of 3 amazing adult children and bonus mom to 2 beautiful daughters-in-law, married to her high school sweetheart, devoted dog mom to her puggle Baxter and designated dog sitter to her 2 grand "dog" ters... she is best known to all as COLLEGE MARNI!
Find Marni at https://www.collegemarni.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
All About MindFlow: Increase reading speed, improve comprehension, and reduce anxiety when taking tests with educator and author Bara Sapir
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind MindFlow?
- How does MindFlow work?
- Who currently uses MindFlow?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about MindFlow know about it?
ABOUT MINDFLOW
MindFlow is an online mindful speed reading platform created to help students increase reading speed, improve information comprehension, and reduce anxiety when taking admissions tests. The program was initially taught in-person and through online live workshops, and was recently launched as a more robust online platform. MindFlow has a proven track record of enhancing test performance in the hundreds of MindFlow students who consistently experience an increase in their reading speed – up to 5x faster –as well as an average 13% score improvement on reading-based test sections. The program currently offers ISEE, SHSAT, SSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, IELTS, PTE tracks, general tracks for students in middle school, high school, and college, and for adults not taking tests, but who seek reading and mindset improvement professionally or personally.
What’s the secret to MindFlow students’ success? An effective training that combines speed reading processes and mindful techniques which aren’t traditionally included in the school or test prep curriculum. These may be the missing links needed to improve one's test-taking performance, as well as reading in school, for work, and in life. MindFlow’s holistic techniques help students better understand what, how, and why they’re learning, while helping them embody a more focused, confident, and relaxed mindset under the pressure of taking a high-stakes test.
MindFlow’s creator Bara Sapir has over 20 years of experience in test prep and test anxiety reduction. She holds Master's degrees in Education and Art History and certification in Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Integrated Life Coaching, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens (MBSR-T), and is an ordained Kohenet. Bara has produced various study aids, including ten titles in The Full Potential Audio Course, a complete mindset upgrade training for test-takers. She is co-author of The GMAT Full Potential Sentence Correction Intensive and author of The Full Potential Manual. She is a professional artist and active in dog rescue. She lives with pup, Chata.
To learn more, please contact business@mindflowspeedreading.com. Businesses, tutors, and schools can find out about our revenue stream opportunities here.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The most selective schools and academic programs seem to set an impossible standard for applicants: be as perfect in all ways possible as everyone else but somehow also be even better in at least some ways. Amy and Mike asked educational consultant Linda Abraham to describe the delicate dance of fitting in and standing out.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the paradox at the heart of admissions?
- How do you show you fit in at the school of your choice?
- What does authenticity mean in the context of admissions?
- How do you stand out from the rest of the applicant school?
- What roles do deeds, identity, and ideas play in this process?
MEET OUR GUEST
Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted and has over two decades experience helping clients get admitted to top medical, law, business and graduate schools. She is also the host of the top-rated Admissions Straight Talk podcast.
Linda began helping applicants develop successful admissions strategies and craft distinctive essays in 1994. In addition to advising clients and managing Accepted, she has written and presented extensively on admissions. She also was the co-founder and first president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants.
Accepted’s clients have been accepted to top professional schools throughout the country including, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, MIT, Darden, Stern, Michigan, Chicago, INSEAD, LBS and Anderson Business Schools; Harvard, Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, Columbia, and Boalt Law Schools; and UCSF, UCLA, George Washington, Tulane, NYU, University of Wisconsin, and Tufts Medical Schools.
The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, Bloomberg Businessweek, US News and CBS News are among the media outlets that have sought Linda’s expertise in admissions. Business Insider in March named Linda one of “9 MBA consultants, coaches, and admissions experts to know if you want to get into a top business school.”
Linda previously appeared on this podcast in episode 223 to discuss Getting Ready For Graduate School.
Find Linda at https://www.accepted.com/.
LINKS
Fitting In And Standing Out: The Paradox At The Heart Of Admissions
Standing Out By Showing You Have a Unique Perspective [Fitting in & Standing Out]
Admissions Straight Talk
RELATED EPISODES
PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
TABOO ESSAY TOPICS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
English has become one of the world’s most important languages for accessing educational and professional opportunities. How can someone for whom English is a second, third, or fourth language prove sufficient fluency? Amy and Mike invited educator Fiona Wattam to explain the role, format, and content of the IELTS.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the IELTS and how is it used?
- What content is tested on the IELTS?
- What is a good score on the IELTS?
- What is the format of the IELTS?
- How do colleges or institutions use the IELTS score?
MEET OUR GUEST
Fiona Wattam grew up in a small village in Wales, but always wanted to travel the world. So she started teaching English after graduating with a BA in French and English and went to work in as many countries as she could, including Japan, France, Poland, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka, mostly with the British Council.
She returned to the UK to do her Master's in TEFLA at Reading University and then trained as an IELTS examiner in 2005.
After a few years of teaching at a private language school, she decided to set up the Members Academy, which is an online school specializing in IELTS, with the goal of helping more students travel, work and study overseas, just like she did. Over 1000 members have successfully completed the 3-months study programme.
Fiona works as a Learning Technologist at Essex University, and her main interest is in incorporating Edtech tools into her teaching.
In her free time she forces herself to run half marathons in order to get off the computer.
Find Fiona at ieltsetc.com.
LINKS
IELTS Home of the IELTS English Language Test
IELTS Made Easier Podcast
youtube.com/fionawattam
Ludwig
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT IS THE TOEFL?
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When most people think of college, they actually think of large public and private universities or community colleges. But what about all of those tiny, often overlooked gems sprinkled like stars across the firmament of higher education? Amy and Mike invited admissions expert V. Peter Pitts to sing the praises of attending a small college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What kind of school qualifies as a “small” college?
- What is different or unique about attending a small college?
- Do small colleges necessarily offer fewer opportunities than larger schools?
- What kind of student thrives in a small college environment?
- How can a student attending a large university create a 'small college' experience?
MEET OUR GUEST
Peter Pitts recently retired from 42 years in the College Admission profession, most recently with Monmouth College of Illinois. Over his 27 years at Monmouth, he recruited over 2,000 students and still keeps in touch with many of them. He is originally from Iowa, and has an undergraduate degree from Wartburg College (IA) and a Master’s Degree from the University of Iowa, both degrees in Sociology.
In his retirement, Peter publishes a website–U3K4College.com–that celebrates small private colleges. He also gives presentations to high school classes about a variety of college admission topics. His latest book is Common Sense Guide to Choosing a College---Making a Case for Small Residential Colleges.
Peter previously appeared on this podcast in episode 163 to discuss DO COLLEGE MAJORS MATTER?
Peter can be reached at vpeterpitts@gmail.com.
LINKS
In Praise of Smaller Schools
RELATED EPISODES
ATTENDING A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE
ATTENDING A WOMEN’S COLLEGE
ATTENDING A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Students with attention disorders have difficulty staying on task, sustaining focus, and staying organized–all of which are critical to academic and testing success. Amy and Mike invited educator Jenn Cohen to share strategies for tutoring teens with ADHD.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What kind of learning challenges do teens with attention deficits face?
- What strategies are most effective in helping students with ADHD excel academically?
- What makes standardized testing so challenging for teens with ADHD?
- What should students with ADHD know about testing accommodations?
- Of the SAT and ACT, which tends to be better for ADHD students?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jenn Cohen has been in the test prep trenches for over 20 years, but she prides herself in never feeling too comfortable calling herself an expert. She is always learning from her students, families, other pros and the research literature. She’s a lover of art and science, and believes the world is a better place with both. Meeting Neil deGrasse Tyson is on her bucket list.
Jenn has been featured in The Dallas Morning News, ADDitude Magazine and Good Morning Texas, as well as numerous blogs around the web. She has also been a presenter at the Learning Disabilities Association national conference, as well as a speaker at high schools and parent associations. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Learning Disabilities Association of Texas.
She is a graduate of Duke University, and completed graduate work in clinical psychology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She is a hardcore Duke sports fan, and general sports junkie, so she gets a particular kick out of her student’s sports victories.
Jenn lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and business guru, Gary, and her daughter, Erin. She enjoys cooking, museums, ’80’s bands and reading Harry Potter with Erin (with voices, of course)!
Find Jenn at launchpadeducation.com.
LINKS
Ace the ACT: College Admissions Test Tips in ADDitude Magazine
Test Prep Planning for ADHD/LD Students
8 ADHD teaching strategies
RELATED EPISODES
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ADD/ADHD
TEST PREP FOR STUDENTS WITH ACCOMMODATIONS
THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Empowering Counselors To Create College Price Transparency Through Crowdsourcing with college cost advocate Mark Salisbury
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is TuitionFit?
- What is the story behind the TuitionFit Collaborative?
- How does the TuitionFit Collaborative work?
- Who currently uses the TuitionFit Collaborative?
- How can someone be a part of the TuitionFit Collaborative?
ABOUT TUITIONFIT COLLABORATIVE
The TuitionFit Collaborative extends the core premise behind the TuitionFit Project–empowering consumers to create the college price transparency they so desperately need by crowdsourcing the solution and freely benefiting from the results–to independent educational consultants (IECs), high school counselors, and college access organizations. Since 2019, TuitionFit has been building the only verifiable dataset of the real prices that colleges have offered students. Students or parents share the financial aid award offers they receive through a secure portal and, in exchange, receive free access to see all offers shared by students with similar need and merit characteristics.
Now, through the TuitionFit Collaborative, we are offering the same opportunity of free, cooperative participation and benefit to professional individuals and organizations that support students and families through the college search process.
If you believe that college price transparency needs to be available to everyone and that we should be active in creating the change that will make the world a better place. then the TuitionFit Collaborative is for you and your organization.
To learn more, please contact Mark Salisbury at mark@tuitionfit.org.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Just about every institute of higher education looks idyllic from the outside, but not every school delivers the goods as far as a great academic and social experience culminating in a timely graduation goes. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Vielka Hoy to identify red flags in college selection.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a “red flag” in the college selection process?
- Why should students consider graduation rates and not admissions rates or rankings?
- How should students explore college social fit based on their specific personalities and needs?
- Is it acceptable for students to ask serious questions about fit?
- What might be considered a “green flag” in college selection?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vielka Hoy is the Founder and CEO of Bridge To College, an advanced college search and discovery platform. Hoy is a twenty-year public, private and collegiate career educator turned college consultant. She has guided thousands of students in identifying “best fit” collegiate institutions to match their strengths and needs. After perfecting her formula, Hoy wanted to make her process available to students and educational institutions across the country. Working with a team of talented developers and educators, she developed a platform that analyzes a student’s academic background and curriculum, personal feedback, and institutional requirements and trends to identify “best fit” scenarios for students and college admission recruitment departments.
As an entrepreneur, Hoy is hands-on CEO, overseeing the overall vision, direction, and growth of the company to aid higher education institutions and students across the United States find proper fits for each other.
Prior to founding Bridge to College in January 2017, Vielka was the founder and CEO of Vielka Hoy Consulting LLC. This was Hoy’s first venture after her many years as a teacher. Using her formula, Vielka consulted families, schools, and districts, increasing college matriculation for first-generation, low-income students, and students of color. With the goal to identify schools designed to best meet students' needs to thrive in the proper collegiate environment, she has successfully guided kids in their academic journey being admitted across a wide swath of higher education institutions, such as MIT, USC, University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Northwestern, San Francisco State, Hofstra, UC Santa Cruz, and the University of Michigan, just to name a few.
From 1999 to 2017, Vielka held teaching positions at UCLA and Berkeley, as well as department chairs and dean roles at public and private high schools throughout California. Hoy has a Master of Arts in Afro-American Studies from UCLA and received her BS in Education from NYU. A self-proclaimed doer, in addition to her CEO duties, Hoy is a single mom and forever a student herself, currently pursuing a Social Science Master's at the University of Chicago.
Find Vielka at hello@bridgeto.college.
LINKS
Completing College - National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
Bridge to College
Bridge To College Survey
RELATED EPISODES
OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE
AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
COLLEGE DECLASSIFIED: WHAT HIGH SCHOOLERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
All time management, it is said, begins with planning. If you have a big test in your future, your time management plan better include a watch! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Dustin Claretto to share strategies for tracking time on standardized tests.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is timing so important on standardized tests?
- Is time management a practicable skill?
- How can students use a watch during the test?
- What kind of watch is permissible during testing?
- What role does a physical watch play during a digital test?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dustin Claretto has over a decade of experience in the education and consulting worlds, teaching students of all ages in a variety of subjects, including standardized test prep. He is the COO of Testing Timers, a company founded by Jordan Liss to help students reduce their test anxiety and achieve their full potential. Over the last decade, Testing Timers watches have helped tens of thousands of students to improve their test scores and lower anxiety.
Find Dustin at dustin@testingtimers.com.
LINKS
For a Win on Test Day, Wear a Watch
RELATED EPISODES
COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
USING STUDENT SELF-ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Considering how much attention is focused on getting into college, you’d think people would be equally concerned with getting out of college… with a degree, of course. Sadly, the shockingly low six-year graduation rate suggests otherwise. Amy and Mike invited author and researcher Michael Petrilli to explore why college readiness matters.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly does college readiness mean?
- How can college readiness best be measured?
- What is the risk for college students who don’t meet readiness benchmarks?
- How can we best address lagging college readiness?
- How early in K-12 education should college readiness be addressed?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mike Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, executive editor of Education Next, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow for Education Commission of the States. An award-winning writer, he is the author of The Diverse Schools Dilemma, editor of Education for Upward Mobility, and co-editor of How to Educate an American. Follow
Mike has published opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg View, and Slate, and appears frequently on television and radio. Petrilli helped to create the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement, the Policy Innovators in Education Network, and, long, long ago, Young Education Professionals. He serves on the advisory boards of the Association of American Educators, MDRC, and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. He lives with his family in Bethesda, Maryland.
Mike previously appeared on this podcast in episode 180 to discuss The Heightened Need For Testing In 2021.
Find Mike at https://fordhaminstitute.org or in Twitter @MichaelPetrilli.
LINKS
College Readiness Benchmarks
Using the National Assessment of Educational Progress as an Indicator for College and Career Preparedness
The college readiness battle is won or lost in elementary school
We all agree that college isn’t for everyone. We should start acting like it
American Diploma Project
RELATED EPISODES
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
TRACKING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS
WHERE MODERN EDUCATION FAILS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
All things being equal, high school GPA carries the most weight in college admissions decisions. But when it comes to the classes those grades come from, all things most certainly are not equal. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Aly Beaumont to explore the finer points about course selection for highly selective college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What classes should a student really take in high school?
- Do students really need to take foreign language for college, and if so for how long?
- How important is it to take Honors, AP, or IB classes?
- Where does dual-enrollment fit in the selective admissions equation?
- What is more important: GPA or course rigor?
MEET OUR GUEST
Aly is the founder of Admissions Village, a family focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is an Associate member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 212 to discuss PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS and was the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 264.
Find Aly at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
LINKS
What Classes Should I take Next Year?
Considerations for Admissions to Highly Selective Colleges
RELATED EPISODES
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
All About Test Prep Wizards: Fully Customizable, Low-Cost, White-Labeled Score Reporting
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting?
- How does Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting work?
- Who currently uses Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting know about it?
ABOUT TEST PREP WIZARDS SCORE REPORTING
Test Prep Wizards provides low-cost, customizable, white-labeled score reports for individuals and institutions. Since reports are fully customizable, you can track whatever data is relevant to you and your students for any tests or assignments that you use. Since there are many ways to provide answers, individuals and institutions no longer need to worry about expensive scanning equipment or specialized paper to record results. By removing the tediousness of hand-grading, tutors and companies can focus more time and energy on the aspects of business they truly enjoy.
Test Prep Wizards was founded by Vinny Madera, a Statistics professor and tutoring nerd. He's been helping students and companies make sense of data and testing trends since 2008. Test Prep Wizards score reporting is used by companies operating in over half of the United States as well as internationally. Since inception, they've processed tens of thousands of score reports as well as created unique methods for companies to visualize this student's testing trends.
To learn more, please contact info@testprepwizards.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Anna Gazumyan-Silverman, a test preparation expert and tutor with over fifteen years of experience. She provides executive function support and tutors students of all ages and all levels for the ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, BCA test, TACHS, SHSAT, ACT, SAT, PSAT, GRE, GMAT, and MCAT CARS, among other tests.
Anna’s executive function students learn to manage workloads and reach their goals without stress. Students learn to be great testers by mastering the necessary content and strategies for each section of the test. No detail is too small, and Anna guides her students (and their worried parents) to their target score every step of the way.
Whether it’s Wharton, MIT, UPenn, Georgetown, or a state school, Anna’s students have happily gone on to the schools OF THEIR CHOICE with top scores that earned them substantial scholarships.
Find Anna at anna@astest.us or astestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Joanna Dean, who has been a test prep professional for the last seven years specializing in SAT and ACT prep. Joanna, the owner of Dean Academy, began her career as a corporate trainer in a Fortune 30 company in Atlanta with a background in advertising, marketing, and television. In 2010, she became a homeschool mom to her three elementary-aged sons. While homeschooling, she discovered her passion for teaching and began teaching other homeschooled children in the Atlanta metro area. Over the course of 12 years, she has taught over 2500 students in the area of math, grammar, and writing.
Today, Joanna is solely focused on test prep with an emphasis on SAT and ACT, seeing around 80 students privately a month. Joanna Dean has turned what was initially done out of necessity for her own kids into a thriving career by helping students all over the U.S. achieve their testing goals.
Find Joanna at joanna@deanacademy.net.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ethan Kopelman is a graduate of the University of Florida and an Emory Law School dropout whose dream job is caddying on the PGA Tour. He has owned EK Prep for nine years and is most definitely a test prep nerd.
Find Ethan at ethan@ekprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
For Melissa Jumbeck, joy is inherent in learning. From the earliest days of her education, Melissa was blessed with educators who both challenged and inspired her; school days were always her favorite days, so it was no surprise when she decided to become a teacher. Now, Melissa has a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education with a minor in mathematics and a Master of Science degree in curriculum and instruction with teaching certifications in talented/gifted education and secondary English. For more than a decade, she taught in both private and public school settings: grades 1-10. Melissa has also enjoyed teaching adults around the country through the ACT Instructional Mastery program (formerly ACT Certified Educator [ACE]). Beyond that work, her passion project is her ACT prep company, Juku and Joy Prep. Melissa strives to integrate rigor and joy into every teaching and tutoring assignment, whether her students are youths or adults.
Find Melissa at melissa@jukuandjoyprep.com or on Instagram as @jukuandjoyprep.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
John Henrikson, founder of Monmouth Test Prep, lives in Fair Haven, NJ with his wife and three children. John holds a BS in Biology and MS in Evolutionary Biology. He is the Chair of the Science Department at Seton Hall Preparatory School in northern NJ where he has been teaching AP Biology and AP Environmental Science for twenty four years.
John has been working in the test prep industry for more than 25 years. First employed by two of the leading test prep companies in the nation, John struck out on his own more than twenty years ago to develop a broad array of strategies for the PSAT, SAT, and ACT exams. He founded Monmouth Test Prep in 2011 and moved them to their current location in Fair Haven in 2018.
Find John at https://monmouthtestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
There is truly no state like the Golden State and possibly no admission process like that of its flagship public university system. Amy and Mike invited educator Josefine Borrmann to enlighten us on the intricacies of applying to a college in the University of California system.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How does applying to University of California schools differ from applying to other schools?
- What factors do the UC consider in admission, and which do they not consider?
- What do I need to know about the Personal Insight Questions & how can I support students in writing PIQ responses?
- What is unique about the UC activities list?
- What should students who do not live in California know about UC admissions?
MEET OUR GUEST
Josefine Borrmann is the founder of Strive to Learn,, a tutoring, test prep, and college admissions consulting company based in Southern California. Josefine has a Bachelors in Psychology and Ethnographic Documentary from Chapman University, a Masters in Visual and Media Anthropology from the Free University of Berlin, and an Independent Educational Consultant Certificate from the University of California, Irvine.
A native German, Josefine came to the US as an international student 15 years ago. As she navigated this foreign educational system, she realized she would love to help other students figure out how to gain an affordable and rewarding college education and started her company Strive to Learn. In her work with her students, Josefine’s unique background in psychology, anthropology, and documentary filmmaking allows her to connect with many students of different backgrounds and help them figure out how to tell their stories in unique ways. Josefine is also the host of the Mindful Admissions podcast.
Josefine is currently based in Southern California and has helped over one hundred students apply to and get into their dream universities, many of which were in the UC system. She was also a professor at Chapman University, teaching Research Methods and Anthropology. When she is not working with students, you can often find her galavanting about in the mountains, backpacking, camping, or skiing, or with her nose stuck deeply in a riveting book.
Find Josefine at info@strivetolearn.com.
LINKS
I've got the Blues: Unpacking the Varsity Blues Admissions Scandal
Getting It Out of Your (UC) System: How to Craft a Successful UC Application
Spilling the Beans: 2021 UC Counselor Conference Insights
RELATED EPISODES
ATTENDING A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
CREATING A PASSION PROJECT
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Once you decide whether you’ll take the SAT or ACT for college admissions and scholarship purposes (you probably should), you’ll need to make critical decisions about timelines for prep and testing. Amy and Mike invited educator Jim Reinish to answer the age-old question: “When should you take the SAT or ACT?”
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- When should high schoolers plan to prep for and take the SAT and/or ACT?
- How do current testing timelines differ from the old testing paradigm?
- What academic considerations influence testing timelines?
- What scheduling challenges should be considered during test planning?
- What personality traits in test-takers need to be taken into account?
MEET OUR GUEST
Unlike many test prep professionals, Jim Reinish discovered test prep “late” in life. A graduate of Columbia University’s Engineering School, Jim had a long and successful career as an executive with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In the midst of a salary freeze and worrying about the future cost of his children’s college tuition, Jim explored additional income sources. He bombed at selling knives and hated real estate, so in 1994, he responded to a tiny newspaper ad (found by his wife) for the Princeton Review. The rest as they say is history.
Jim rose up the ranks at Princeton Review becoming a site director and a premier tutor. Wanting to impart a more personal approach to his tutoring, he soon began his own company. It grew to become one of the most successful tutoring companies in a very competitive New Jersey market. Tutoring at night and weekends, Jim prepared thousands of students for the SAT, ACT, GRE and GMAT. At the same time, Jim and his wife Lisa shepherded three children through the college application journey with them eventually landing at the University of Virginia, Columbia University and Penn State.
In 2015, Jim retired from his day job and, with Lisa, moved to the frozen tundra of Rochester, NY to be closer to his daughter and, hopefully, grandchildren. Jim thought he was done tutoring, but missed it so much that he went back to work. It didn’t hurt that he found Mike Bergin and Chariot Learning. Jim’s been working for Chariot Learning ever since and has solved the snow issue by spending half the year in Florida. Grandchild number one is almost two!!
Find Jim at jim@chariotlearning.com.
LINKS
When is the best time to take the SAT or ACT?
How long should preparing for the SAT or ACT take?
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
HOW TEST PREP AND SPORTS ARE SIMILAR
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
All About Mathchops: Higher Scores, Less Work, More Fun with educator Mike McGibbon
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the story behind Mathchops?
- How does Mathchops work?
- Who currently uses Mathchops?
- What kinds of outcomes do users experience?
- What should someone curious about Mathchops know about it?
ABOUT MATHCHOPS
Mathchops helps students earn higher scores in much less time through adaptive games. Continually updated, its questions target the most common skills from recent tests. From this high yield set, Mathchops selects the best questions for each student to practice. The numbers change every time a question appears, and the games incentivize students to practice more. Mathchops is also a highly effective resource for educators, who use it to create tailored assignments in seconds and maximize the efficiency of their sessions. Versions are available for the SAT, ACT, ISEE and SSAT, and for math enrichment (grades 4-11).
Mathchops was created by a 20-year NYC tutoring veteran (Mike McGibbon) and two former Google engineers (Jon Bedard and Matt Keller). What started as a fun after-work project in 2013 is now a powerful learning system used by thousands of students and educators all over the world.
To learn more, please contact Mike at mike@mathchops.com, or visit https://www.mathchops.com/
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Donating time and effort to important causes and underserved populations can have a tremendous positive impact on individuals, communities, and society as a whole. But the act alone may not influence a college or scholarship application if not properly recorded. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech entrepreneur Michele Pitman to look at challenges in Tracking Student Community Service.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is community service important for students?
- What is the importance of service as it relates to college applications and job applications?
- Why is accurately tracking community service such a challenge?
- How has the delay in service programs affected students and their connection to others on and off campus?
- How are schools re-engaging students in the community today?
MEET OUR GUEST
After a request from her father to help one family for Christmas, Michele Pitman was inspired to create intelliVOL and develop x2VOL, an online tool to track, manage, approve and verify volunteer hours and experiences. Today x2VOL is the leading service tracking and reporting platform in K-12 and is the easiest way for schools to manage student volunteer activity.
Find Michele at mpitman@intellivol.com.
LINKS
Students Really Need Community Service Right Now
How to Establish a Day of Service at Your School: Tips from Allen High School
How to Reengage Students Post COVID
RELATED EPISODES
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
CRAFTING YOUR COLLEGE RESUME
HELPING TEENS FIND THEIR VALUES AND PURPOSE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Not everyone who attends a school has the same experience. For those with temporary or chronic disabilities, some campuses are more welcoming than others. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Annie Tulkin to review college admissions considerations for students with physical challenges.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What physical challenges might impact a traditional college experience?
- How are high school accommodations different from college accommodations?
- Why are campus visits so important for students with physical challenges?
- Is there a list of colleges that are better for students with physical disabilities and/or health conditions?
- What should students and families work on in advance to facilitate a successful college transition?
MEET OUR GUEST
Annie Tulkin is the Founder and Director of Accessible College, as well as an author and public speaker. She is an expert in the area of college preparation and transition for students with physical disabilities and health conditions, and she supports students and families across the country. Annie was the Associate Director of the Academic Resource Center at Georgetown University for nearly 6 years. In that position, she supported undergraduate, graduate, and medical students with physical disabilities and health conditions and oversaw academic support services for the entire student body. Annie has worked in the field of disability for over 10 years. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education from DePaul University, a Masters in Special Education from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Certificate in Health Coaching from Georgetown University. Annie was a Peace Corps Volunteer (Mongolia, ‘03-’05) and a Fulbright Fellow (Mongolia, ‘07-’08). She resides in Silver Spring, MD with her husband and daughter.
Find Annie at annie@accessiblecollege.com.
LINKS
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation/Accessible College Program
Navigating and Transitioning to College with Paralysis
Wheels on Campus Guide
A Wheelchair Users Guide to Preparing for College
How Can Students with Health Conditions Successfully Navigate the College Transition?
How Students With Disabilities, and Their Parents, Need To Prepare for College
When Students with Health Conditions Transition to College
Planning for College Tours-Tips for Students with Health Conditions and Physical Disabilities
College Success: Physical Disabilities, Chronic Health & Mental Health FB Group
RELATED EPISODES
INCREASED COLLEGE COSTS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS
HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE
TRANSITIONING YOUR IEP OR 504 PLAN TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
High stakes testing can often be depicted as a duel of sorts between a test and a test taker. However, other elements and agents can influence the outcome of this battle, sometimes to the detriment of nervous testers. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech executive Jordan Adair to share findings on how proctors can reduce test anxiety.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How do students generally react to online proctored exams?
- What are the main causes of student anxiety during proctored online exams?
- What role does environment play in test anxiety?
- What can help alleviate test anxiety during testing?
- What are some best practices for proctors during an exam to ensure they do not increase test anxiety for honest students?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jordan Adair began his career in education as an elementary and middle school teacher. After transitioning into educational technology, he became focused on delivering products designed to empower instructors and improve the student experience. He currently holds the position of Vice President of Product at Honorlock.
Find Jordan at honorlock.com or jadair@honorlock.com.
LINKS
Webinar: Reducing Student Test Anxiety During Online Proctored Assessments
Higher Education Student Test Anxiety Survey blog post
4 Strategies to Help Faculty Reduce Student Test Anxiety blog post
Creating an Anxiety-free Proctored Exam Experience
Westside Test Anxiety Scale
RELATED EPISODES
HOW DOES REMOTE PROCTORING ACTUALLY WORK?
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
MENTAL TECHNIQUES FOR PEAK TEST PERFORMANCE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
As we observe over and over, the cost of college increases every year. But if you think that additional funding is going to faculty, you are probably wrong. Amy and Mike invited independent counselor Jane Gabin to explore concerns about college staffing trends.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does it mean to be an adjunct professor? Are all part-time faculty the same?
- Is it a bad thing to have an adjunct professor?
- Are full-time faculty more stable?
- Is there a link between faculty composition and quality of education?
- What questions should current and future college students ask about faculty composition?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jane S. Gabin has been publishing articles on colleges’ over-hiring of adjunct faculty since 2015, when she wrote about the problem in “Ask the College Counselor,” her regular column for InsideSchools.com. Her writing on this subject has also appeared in Inside Higher Ed (June 24, 2019), the Academe Blog (July 2, 2019 and May 21, 2020), and The College Prep Guide (college-prep-guide.com).
A member of NACAC, SACAC, and the International ACAC, as well as the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), she currently works as an independent counselor, addressing groups such as the local NAACP Youth Council about educational opportunities, and speaking to parents and students at local public libraries.
Dr. Gabin has over 20 years in the college admissions profession. She worked for 10 years for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was in charge of all international admissions and counselor relations. She followed this with 11 years in college advising at independent schools in the NYC area, primarily at the United Nations International School (UNIS).
She gave a talk at the SACAC 2020 conference on “Another Way of Looking at What Makes a College ‘Good’” when she addressed this issue (in addition to suggesting a close look at colleges’ admission rate, retention rate, class size, and graduation rate).
Additionally, she has given or led sessions (primarily on the essay process) at the New Jersey ACAC, the New York State ACAC, NACAC, and KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) in NYC.
She received a Ph.D. in English at UNC-Chapel Hill and has published one novel and is working on another. As an independent scholar, she is currently researching the lives of women artists in the 19th century.
She can be reached at janesgabin@yahoo.com.
LINKS
College counselor: Use—and abuse—of underpaid adjuncts
Why Is My Professor Working at Two Other Universities? Awareness of Adjunct Labor among College Students
RELATED EPISODES
THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST
WHAT EXACTLY IS A GOOD COLLEGE?
THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE IN TEACHERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Tom Ehlers is the founder and president of Method Learning. He is a passionate believer in online learning and has spent the last 18 years developing effective teaching methods that have helped thousands of students significantly raise their ACT and SAT test scores. Over 1,000 schools around the world use Method Test Prep’s online learning platform to provide all students with access to effective ACT and SAT preparation and to help students improve their fundamental English and math skills. Tom works as an educational consultant to these schools to help them expand their online learning initiatives. Tom also trains dozens of groups of educators each year on how to encourage more students to take advantage of online learning tools as well as speaking to large groups of parents and students on the shift to online learning and how to benefit.
Tom graduated with honors from Princeton University and also completed the prestigious Princeton University Teacher Preparation Program. He is proud of his role as an entrepreneur in the world of education. Since he started Method Learning, the organization has grown to 60 people whose mission is to help students and schools achieve more academically.
Tom lives on Long Island in New York with his wife and twin 4th graders. Tom’s hobbies include basketball, reading, tennis, podcasts, learning online, and travel.
Tom first appeared on the show back in episode #6 to discuss How to Make the Most of Online Test Prep.
Find Tom at https://www.methodlearning.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Julie Blumenfeld, who has been helping students in Brooklyn and Manhattan improve their performance on standardized tests and in their math classes for over 25 years. While she taught middle school math in NYC private schools, trained early education majors at Brooklyn College to teach math and helped them pass the math section of their certification exam, provided professional development for math teachers in Catholic Schools, tutoring was a side hustle. For the past seven years, and the foreseeable future, test preparation and math tutoring is Julie's main hustle.
Find Julie at https://www.mathjb.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Julie Post, the owner and primary instructor at Brain-Grow Education. As an undergrad, she attended Columbia University and designed the first Education major there, graduating summa cum laude. She then moved on to Harvard University where she earned her Ed.M in Education. Julie has been teaching full-time for 18 years. She is a firm believer in hard work, implementing effective strategies, and designing a curriculum that is engaging and rewarding.
Find Julie at https://www.brain-grow.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Justin M. Menda, who has been a tutor and academic coach for 11 years. He holds a B.A. in psychology and a Master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master’s in biomedical science from Drexel University. Through his work on standardized test prep and academic support, he uses his background in cognitive psychology to help students meet their goals by playing to their talents and developing skills they can use anywhere.
Justin began as a tutor at a premiere Philadelphia-area test prep firm. In addition to quickly becoming top tutor talent, he became a go-to tutor for students struggling with motivation and stress, created and taught custom classes for school clients, and created innovative methods for tutor selection and training.
Justin has been freelance for over 4 years. His clients still include both families and institutions, but they have ranged from third graders to adults. For all of them, the mission is the same: to reach beyond academic prep and test prep to life prep.
Outside of work, Justin is a car enthusiast, self-development enthusiast, happy husband of 11 years, and delighted father of two young girls.
Find Justin at www.rocket-prep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Olivia Jones, a native of Huntsville, AL who has lived in Eufaula, AL for the last ten years. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2011 with a degree in Secondary English Education. After teaching at Eufaula High School for five years, Olivia decided to further her education and, in 2019, graduated from Faulkner Law School. While awaiting her results from the Alabama State Bar Exam, Oliva was drawn back to teaching at Eufaula High School where the skills she learned applying for law school found a new application: test prep. She currently teaches ACT prep full-time at Eufaula High School and tutors other students privately through her company, Impact Tutoring Services.
Find Olivia at Olivia@impacttutoringservices.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most investors scrutinize and strategize for every fractional point of return they can muster. Yet, one major expense–sometimes, the largest single bill in a person’s lifetime–seems to be held above such petty considerations as ROI. Does that make sense? Amy and Mike invited educational researcher Martin Van Der Werf to clarify the data on return on investment in college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does return on investment (ROI) mean in the context of higher education?
- Which kinds of college students are represented in the current ROI data?
- What major classes of schools tend to deliver high or low ROI?
- What specific factors should applicants focused on ROI consider in the college search?
- How does the number of years after entry to college influence ROI calculations?
MEET OUR GUEST
Martin Van Der Werf has extensive experience researching and writing about higher education and the issues facing the industry. His work at the center is focused on such issues as diversity and access to higher education, the return on investment of a college degree, and the workplace value of college degrees.
Marty is a former reporter and editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education, where he was responsible for all coverage of the business and financial management of colleges and universities. He was the founding director of Chronicle Research Services, a new-business development arm of the Chronicle. He currently serves as Director of Editorial and Education Policy for the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW).
Before joining CEW in 2015, Marty worked for Huron Consulting Group, the largest consulting company in higher education. Previously, Marty was an award-winning reporter, columnist, and editor at two of the largest daily newspapers in the US—The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Arizona Republic, in Phoenix.
Marty holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Boston University and was awarded a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Georgetown University in 2021.
Find Marty at cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu.
LINKS
Ranking 4,500 Colleges by ROI data
Is College Worth It? A Comprehensive Return on Investment Analysis
RELATED EPISODES
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
ATTENDING A COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When evaluating grades and test results, we take for granted that most high schoolers know how to read and look to other reasons to explain poor performance. But what if language comprehension and decoding skills really are the problem? In the second of a two-part series, Amy and Mike invited Erica Meltzer to share strategies for improving reading skills with struggling teens.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What interventions can help slow readers?
- What is the link between phonics and decoding?
- What is orthographic mapping?
- Is vocabulary still important in the 21st century?
- Are teens too old for modeled reading exercises?
MEET OUR GUEST
A native of Brookline, Massachusetts, Erica Meltzer graduated from Brookline High School and earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Wellesley College.
Before becoming involved in test prep, she worked in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University and in the Department of Philosophy at Columbia University, where she helped coordinate graduate admissions. From 2006 until 2015, she tutored privately in Manhattan as well as online, helping students around the world achieve their SAT/ACT goals and gain admission to a number of top colleges, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, and Duke.
With over 350,000 copies sold, her SAT and ACT Reading and Writing guides consistently rank at the top of their respective categories on Amazon, outperforming comparable guides produced by Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Barron’s. She has been featured in Teen Vogue, The College Solution, and CBS Moneywatch, and her books are currently used by students and tutors worldwide.
Erica previously appeared on this podcast in episode 17 to discuss Differences Between SAT and ACT Grammar, in episode 99 to discuss Differences between SAT and ACT Reading, and in episode 311 to discuss IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 1).
Find Erica at https://thecriticalreader.com/.
LINKS
Erica’s extensive catalog of books
Breaking The Code
5 tips for helping struggling teenage readers
How to identify and assess a reading problem: some strategies for tutors
Working with struggling readers: what ACT tutors need to know
How We Learn Orthographic Mapping
RELATED EPISODES
IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 1)
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT READING
SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION AND READING COMPREHENSION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The fact that selective admissions has become more and more of a high-stakes competition has never been more apparent than it is today. While competition inspires the best in some people, the struggle for extremely scarce and precious resources brings out the very worst in others. Amy and Mike invited authors Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman to delve into the depths of college admissions insanity.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What inspired the authors to write Girls With Bright Futures?
- What exactly is insane about the current state of college admissions?
- Girls With Bright Futures depicts three prep school mothers and daughters locked in competition for a single spot at Stanford. Why is the “one-spot only” premise so important?
- What is Parental Obsessive College Syndrome (POCS), and who are its victims?
- What advice might put teens and their parents immersed in the admissions process at ease?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman have been great friends for nearly 25 years. Their debut novel, GIRLS WITH BRIGHT FUTURES, is a dark, suspenseful journey into the cutthroat world of college admissions. Earning starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal, it’s currently in development as a limited TV series with Discovery+. Tracy and Wendy both live in Seattle and between them they have two husbands, four kids (three of whom have survived the college admissions process without a single parent landing in jail), two dogs, and a cat.
Find Tracy and Wendy at www.dobmeierkatzman.com and on Instagram @katzndobs
LINKS
Girls with Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier & Wendy Katzman
About Girls with Bright Futures
2019 college admissions bribery scandal - Wikipedia
RELATED EPISODES
TEEN ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
DOES WHERE YOU GO TO COLLEGE MATTER?
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Gender and sexuality are often assumed to be similar concepts, but they are definitely not the same. Since teachers and tutors depend on building strong rapport with students to facilitate learning, shouldn’t some preliminary learning take place about how these factors play into self-image and identity? Amy and Mike invited gender specialist Rebecca Minor to clarify what educators should understand about gender.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What about gender is important to understand?
- What is the difference between gender and sexuality?
- Why do students need understanding from their educators?
- How can a tutor create a safe space or welcoming environment for teens?
- What is the best way to handle the tension between what a student and a parent want regarding gender?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rebecca Minor, MSW, LICSW is a queer, Jewish clinician and coach specializing in the intersection of trauma, gender, and sexuality. As a Gender Specialist, Rebecca partners with trans and gender-nonconforming youth through their journey of becoming; and is a guide to their parents in affirming it. She also offers coaching for parents and families who are looking for guidance to support their children in their journey to becoming their authentic selves. Rebecca believes in the importance of embracing human diversity and is passionate about partnering with people to cultivate the self-compassion necessary to heal shame, dismantle binaries, and invite opportunities for growth and lasting change. Rebecca is an adjunct professor at Boston University School of Social work and a 200 hour level yoga instructor. In addition to her clinical work, Rebecca has provided cultural responsiveness training and consultation to organizations, schools, and business for the past decade.
Find Rebecca at hello@genderspecialist.com
LINKS
Ever Evolving Glossary of Gender & Sexuality Terms
GLSEN's Educator Resource Page
Why cisgender individuals should put their pronouns in their bio
Disclosure
RELATED EPISODES
TUTORING TREASURES: TIPS FOR TEACHING TEENS
SELF-ADVOCACY IN EDUCATION AND ADMISSIONS
HELPING TEENS FIND MOTIVATION AND INSIGHT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Chinese philosophical concept of yin and yang describes how forces that appear opposite or contrary may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world. Can we observe this concept at work in the highly unnatural world of college admissions? Amy and Mike invited educator Belle Liu to explain the relevance of yin and yang in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How would you describe a Yin-Yang Philosophy?
- Does this school of thought apply to college advising?
- What does holistic college advising look like?
- How can this philosophy be applied to parenting?
- Does this philosophy apply to test prep?
MEET OUR GUEST
Belle Liu, the founder of Amerisist International Education, immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 as an exchange scholar when she was a graduate student at Capital Normal University majoring in English Literature in Beijing, China. Her cross-cultural studies major plus 10+ years U.S. residence life-experience make her understanding and compassionate to people with diverse ethnic backgrounds. She started teaching English in high school and has taught a range of student levels, from three-year-old elementary school students to renowned corporate professionals from Air China, Ecco, and Starbucks. Committing the past 10 years to Chinese students studying abroad in U.S. secondary schools, she has served as department director in several leading international education service companies supporting over 2,000 students as team leader. Her expertise on academic and college counseling made her well suited as a center director of a national test prep company.
Belle proudly received her MBA degree while performing major responsibilities as corporate leader and, most importantly, loving mother of two kids. She loves to encourage students of all backgrounds to never stop pursuing their dreams and work above and beyond what they think they could achieve. As a mother and educator who has been working years with teenagers, she not only cares about student academic performance, she also cares about the student’s holistic well-being and their mental health throughout her college counseling practice. She believes a healthy mind is the foundation of students’ sources of positivity and long-lasting success through the marathon that is life. Combining her UCLA College Counseling Certificate program professional learning with her oriental traditional philosophy thinking, Belle has created a unique counseling practice that not only helps her students achieve their near goals but also benefits them in the long run.
Find Belle at belleliu@amerisist.education.
LINKS
Yin and Yang: What Does the Symbol Mean?
Chhichhore - Wikipedia
RELATED EPISODES
ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS
HOW PARENTS CAN BEST SUPPORT STUDENTS IN TEST PREP
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
In every country around the world, some student is dreaming of pursuing higher education at an English-speaking university. Admissions exams like the SAT and ACT may evaluate specific reading and writing skills, but say nothing about broad fluency, especially in regard to listening and speaking English. Luckily, another test assesses English as a foreign language very well. Amy and Mike invited testing expert Michael Knab to tell us all about the TOEFL.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the TOEFL?
- Who takes a TOEFL test?
- How do colleges or organizations use the TOEFL IBT score?
- What is the format and content of the TOEFL IBT?
- How should a student prep for the TOEFL?
MEET OUR GUEST
Michael Knab is the Director of Content Marketing for the TOEFL family of English-language assessments at ETS. He joined ETS in 2002 and has been part of the TOEFL team in various roles since 2007. He is the host of the "Inside the TOEFL Test" video series and has developed numerous resources for TOEFL test takers, teachers, advisors, and institutions, including two TOEFL MOOCs. Before coming to ETS, he developed standards for accomplished teachers at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He was also a middle-school English and mathematics teacher. Michael holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Trinity Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts from Villanova University.
Find Michael at MKnab@ets.org.
LINKS
The TOEFL Family of Assessments
RELATED EPISODES
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
STOP MAKING $EN$E: THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROBLEM
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Eileen Sullivan Studdert, owner of Performance Prep & College Admissions in western Connecticut, is a rigorous academic who loves empowering students in their college-bound journey. She helps students reach top test score potential and builds upon their test success to assist them in crafting unique and compelling college applications.
Eileen began her career in magazine publishing and capped 12 years in the profession as Promotion Director for Better Homes & Gardens magazine.
Propelled by a New Horizons Scholarship from Fordham University, Eileen went back to school to earn her M.A. in English Education. She began teaching middle and high school English, before relocating with her family to Southbury, Connecticut.
Juggling work and family, Eileen held part-time positions as a Literacy Instructor, Executive Functioning Coach, and SAT Tutor for Excel, a small boutique tutoring company. It was there that Eileen developed her passion for test prep and fascination with every component of the college admissions process.
In January 2014, after Excel relocated out of state, Eileen launched her own consulting firm. Initially focused on concierge test prep with successful outcomes, she became aware of the vital need for college consulting in her community. Eileen expanded her services and went back to school to earn her College Consulting Certification from UCI Irvine to grow her expertise.
Today, Performance Prep offers a full range of college consulting services, including college list building, personal, supplemental, and scholarship essay writing, and financial aid guidance. Performance Prep's mission is twofold: to empower students to take charge of the college admissions process and alleviate parents' stress.
Eileen is a proud member of the Independent Education Consultant Association (IECA) and National Test Prep Association (NTPA) and appreciates the collective wisdom of experts in these organizations who have helped her expand her knowledge, grow her business, and serve her community.
You can find out more about Eileen at www.studdertcollegeprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lt. Col. Lisa Hillhouse is an independent educational consultant and the founder of Hillhouse College and Career Advising, based in Atlanta. Prior to launching her practice, Lisa retired from the Air Force after 26 years of active duty and reserve service. Much of that time focused on officer recruitment and leadership development. Lisa began her admissions journey with a special assignment to Air Force ROTC at the University of California, Berkeley. She loved educating and mentoring young leaders and continued that work at the United States Air Force Academy as a deputy liaison officer director and admissions liaison officer. There she helped lead and manage one of the largest recruiting areas in the nation while evaluating and developing candidates for military careers.
While in college, Lisa enrolled in AFROTC and went on to earn a scholarship and a commission. Lisa has a Bachelor’s degree in Politics from Assumption College, a Master’s degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a College and Career Planning graduate certificate from the University of California, Berkeley.
Lisa is nationally recognized for her expertise and specialty of guiding and supporting students through the complex process of becoming commissioned officers. Many of her students are focused on earning ROTC scholarships, military service academy appointments, or becoming officer training school candidates. Lisa also collaborates with other consultants around the country. She frequently presents at admissions conferences and webinars and has served as a guest presenter for college advising courses.
Lisa first appeared on our podcast in episode 104 to discuss Applying To A Military Academy and in episode 184 Demonstrating Leadership In College Applications.
You can find out more about Lisa at www.HillhouseCollegeAdvising.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
A college and graduate school admissions advisor, Stuart Nachbar founded Educated Quest in 2014 to help students and their families consider academic options for majors, minors, and various career paths, college costs, resume building, essay development, and admissions interviews.
Stuart is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC) and the Education Writer’s Association (EWA). In 2021 he earned the distinction: Certified Educational Planner (CEP). The American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP) awards this credential to professionals, working independently or in schools, who have achieved the highest level of competence in educational planning. Only the best and most experienced counselors qualify to become CEPs. Stuart is one of only 13 professionals in New Jersey who holds this distinction.
Stuart has worked around higher education for more than three decades as an urban economic development professional, software marketing executive, writer and admissions advisor. Before starting Educated Quest, he was Senior Vice President of College Central Network (CCN), a provider of Web-based applications to college career centers. For 11 years he helped grow the company’s client base from zero to relationships with over 600 schools. After leaving CCN he penned Defending College Heights, a murder mystery around the death of a U.S. Army recruiter during the Second Gulf War. He is completing a college admissions guide, The Good College, that he hopes to release in Fall 2022.
Stuart has a BA in Political Science and an MBA in Marketing from Rutgers University, a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as a Certificate in Digital Media Marketing from NYU. He completed his Certificate in College Counseling (with Distinction) from UCLA Extension. He and his wife, Carol, live in Central New Jersey.
Stuart first appeared on our podcast in episode 78 to discuss What Exactly Is A Good College?
You can find out more about Stuart at stuart@educatedquest.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Barbara Pasalis, one of a small percentage of counselors across the nation to earn a Certificate in College Counseling from U.C.L.A. Ext. In addition, she completed the Summer Training Institute of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. In 2003, Barbara launched Northcoast Educational Consulting. In 2010, Barbara became one of fewer than 150 counselors nationwide to earn the designation Certified Educational Planner (CEP). In Spring 2011, Barbara was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the premier professional organization in the field of educational consulting. She served as Vice President for Ethics in 2012-2013 and Vice President for Committees in 2013-2014. After rotating off the Board, she now serves on the Education & Training Committee.
Barbara is a student of colleges and college trends, studying the latest developments in college admission. She has visited over 250 colleges and universities across the United States, meeting with admissions officials to obtain the latest information on academic programs and admission trends, as well as scholarship opportunities.
Barbara annually attends professional conferences and workshops and subscribes to college counseling e-lists in order to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field. Her professional associations include the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA, Professional Member), the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Ohio Association of College Admission Counseling (OACAC) and The Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC).
As a former middle and high school English teacher and an advisor to youth groups, Barbara brings to the profession over 20 years of experience working with adolescents.
Find Barbara at http://nceduconsulting.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lee Norwood is a successful entrepreneur and a published author with two bachelor’s degrees in Business/Marketing and English from Elon University. Her energy, connections, humor, knowledge, and talents are expanding our reach and bringing amazing partners to the Annapolis College Consulting family.
Lee excels at connecting with students and bringing out the best in them, including helping them find their authentic voice and craft meaningful essays that resonate with college admissions offices. She creates opportunities for growth that matches their interests (non-profit and business internships, local and state connections, creative opportunities) and builds consistency within their application.
Described as “a stick of dynamite, in a good way” Lee maintains a strong social media presence, sharing knowledge with anyone who follows her. She keeps everyone laughing throughout the process and the ACC Instagram Stories and Reels are a wonderful example of staying relevant with a dose of humor. You can hear her voice on many podcasts as she is an evangelist for families and students finding the right fit for college at the right price.
Lee’s motto ”a rising tide lifts all ships” has her advocating for many of the newest technologies to reach students and peers. She is a confirmed speaker at the 2022 Independent Educational Consultants Association meeting in Philadelphia, May 2022 to present on Reaching Gen Z Where They Are.
Find Lee at Lee@annapoliscollegeconsulting.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When evaluating grades and test results, we take for granted that most high schoolers know how to read and look to other reasons to explain poor performance. But what if language comprehension and decoding skills really are the problem? In the first of a two-part series, Amy and Mike invited Erica Meltzer to share strategies for improving reading skills with struggling teens.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Simple View of Reading?
- What are the major signs of a decoding problem?
- Why do so many reading problems in older students get missed?
- Why is reading speed such an important component of comprehension? (And why is extra time NOT necessarily the solution on standardized tests?)
- What can tutors and parents do to help teenagers with reading difficulties?
MEET OUR GUEST
A native of Brookline, Massachusetts, Erica Meltzer graduated from Brookline High School and earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Wellesley College.
Before becoming involved in test prep, she worked in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University and in the Department of Philosophy at Columbia University, where she helped coordinate graduate admissions. From 2006 until 2015, she tutored privately in Manhattan as well as online, helping students around the world achieve their SAT/ACT goals and gain admission to a number of top colleges, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, and Duke.
With over 350,000 copies sold, her SAT and ACT Reading and Writing guides consistently rank at the top of their respective categories on Amazon, outperforming comparable guides produced by Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Barron’s. She has been featured in Teen Vogue, The College Solution, and CBS Moneywatch, and her books are currently used by students and tutors worldwide.
Erica previously appeared on this podcast in episode 17 to discuss Differences Between SAT and ACT Grammar and in episode 99 to discuss Differences between SAT and ACT Reading.
Find Erica at https://thecriticalreader.com/.
LINKS
The Simple View of Reading
Erica’s extensive catalog of books
Breaking The Code
Why I Care So Much About Phonics
How to identify and assess a reading problem: some strategies for tutors
Working with struggling readers: what ACT tutors need to know
RELATED EPISODES
SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION AND READING COMPREHENSION
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT READING
ACT READING REPORTING CATEGORIES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When Yogi Berra observed, "It ain't over till it's over," he wasn’t talking about college admissions. He may as well have, though, as even an initial deferral or rejection need not spell the end of the application process. Amy and Mike invited educator Brooke Hanson to reveal the secrets of successful letters of continued interest.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a letter of continued interest or LOCI?
- Who should consider sending a LOCI?
- When is the right time to send one of these letters?
- What should an effective LOCI include?
- Which kinds of schools are most likely to respond positively to a LOCI?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brooke Hanson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and Kansas City, graduated from Stanford University with honors, and holds an MFA in Cinematic Arts Production from the University of Southern California. After spending over a decade juggling a career in Hollywood with her tutoring and test prep work, Brooke founded Supertutor Media to make college admissions and test prep more accessible and engaging. Her YouTube channel SupertutorTV now boasts over 20 million views and 230K subscribers. She’s been featured on CNN, US News and World Report, Teen Vogue, and Yahoo! Finance. Brooke has also written two ACT® math books and developed comprehensive online video-based prep courses for both the SAT and ACT.
Brooke previously appeared on this podcast in episode 213 to discuss Test Prep YouTube and on episode 290 to discuss First Thoughts About The New Digital SAT.
Find Brooke at supertutortv.com or subscribe to her YouTube (youtube.com/supertutortv).
LINKS
The LOCI: A Secret Weapon in College Admissions!
How to Write a Letter of Continued Interest (Tips That Work With Samples)
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING OFF THE COLLEGE WAITLIST
WHY OPTIONAL STATEMENTS AREN’T OPTIONAL
USING THE COMMON DATA SET
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Of all the factors in the college admissions process, few seem as subjective or elusive as the interview. Do these even happen any more? Amy and Mike invited author Richard Montauk to explain how to prepare for a college admissions interview.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How common are college interviews, and which schools most rely on them?
- Who usually conducts college interviews?
- Do interviews have a substantial impact upon admission decisions?
- What advice do you have for how applicants can prepare to perform their best in their interviews?
- What are the biggest—or most common—mistakes applicants make regarding interviews?
MEET OUR GUEST
Richard Montauk has been consulting to applicants to college, professional school (especially law and business school), and other graduate programs since 1991. Richard received a BA in literature from Brown University, an MA in government from Harvard, an MS in finance, and a JD from Stanford Law School. Pursuant to a graduate fellowship, he also studied at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (University of London).
While an undergraduate at Brown University, Richard was also the head coach of the women’s varsity track & field team. After graduating from Stanford Law School, he worked as a corporate lawyer for Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles, then as a corporate strategy consultant for Bain & Co. in London, before devoting himself full-time to admissions consulting. Since 1991, he has consulted to candidates for the world’s top universities, for both undergraduate and graduate programs.
A member of the National Association of Fellowship Advisors, he has also periodically served as a judge for Venture for America’s fellowship.
Richard is the author of a series of best-selling guides, all published by Prentice Hall: How to Get Into the Top Colleges (with Krista Klein), How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs, and How to Get Into the Top Law Schools. More recently, he’s authored College Interviews: The Definitive Guide, Getting into Brown, Getting into Dartmouth and has completed the first in a series of books designed to help college students pay for college, Waiting Tables for Very Good Money.
His writing has appeared in multiple career and education journals, including the Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Which MBA?, The Postgrad Guide, Executive Education Casebook, and MBA Career Guide. His articles for university fellowship advisors are to be found in Roads Less Travelled (and Other Perspectives on Nationally Competitive Scholarships) and All In: Expanding Access through Nationally Competitive Awards. Richard has also served as Contributing Editor for two annual international publications, The Global MBA Guide and LLM Guide, both published by Hobsons.
Find Richard at richardmontauk.com.
LINKS
College Interviews: Practice Questions & Strategies
RELATED EPISODES
SHAPING AN ADMISSIONS CLASS
ADMISSIONS INSIGHTS FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
College represents one of those backwards pursuits where buyers sell themselves to vendors before they even know the price of enrollment. Is the admissions process really disengaged from economic reality, or do applicants have more agency than they realize? Amy and Mike invited college cost advocate Mark Salisbury to share the finer points of negotiating a financial award letter.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does a financial award letter look like?
- What are the different types of financial aid listed?
- Is the amount of aid awarded in a letter final?
- How and when should an applicant appeal to increase financial aid?
- Is there a downside to appealing an award letter?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Mark Salisbury has spent 27 years in higher education. His first decade was as a soccer coach and admissions counselor. He then returned to school and earned a PhD in higher education at the University of Iowa, studying college student access and success as a researcher on the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education and a member of the Teagle Scholars. Since then, he has published both academic research and more mainstream writing on higher ed, including commentaries for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, interviews with NPR, and the blog, Delicious Ambiguity. From 2010 to 2018, he was an Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of Institutional Research and Assessment at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.
In addition, Mark has done consulting work for colleges and universities over the past decade on how to use data to improve in areas like recruiting, financial aid leveraging, admissions, student retention, graduation, and post-college outcomes. He started the TuitionFit project in the summer of 2018 and continues to be an enthusiastic advocate for the benefits of price transparency for both students and colleges.
Mark appeared on this podcast in episode #19 to discuss COLLEGE PRICE TRANSPARENCY and in episode #267 to discuss WHEN BORROWING FOR SCHOOL IS A BAD IDEA.
Find Mark at https://www.tuitionfit.org/ or mark@tuitionfit.org.
LINKS
The College that Just Sent an Acceptance Letter WANTS You to Ask for a Better Price
Financial Aid Shopping Sheet
How TuitionFit works
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT LOANS
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
THE TRUTH ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The interaction between tutor and student must always be more than just an automated recitation of facts to a passive learner. An educational collaboration rarely succeeds when a learner lacks motivation or a teacher lacks experience. Amy and Mike invited educator Anthony Celino to clarify all the reasons you want to work with a career tutor.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What distinguishes career tutors from part-timers?
- How does a long-term commitment to education influence an instructor?
- What are the educational advantages of working with career tutors?
- Why are career tutors often better at building authentic educational relationships?
- In what instances might a less experienced or focused teacher or tutor suffice?
MEET OUR GUEST
Anthony Celino is the Washington DC Director of Marks Education, a tutoring, test prep, and college counseling firm located in the Maryland, Virginia and DC area. He is a Senior Tutor at Marks who specializes in math, English, and college entrance exams. He also trains and manages tutors in the Marks Education DC office, and he co-writes and edits many of the materials Marks uses, including their SAT prep book, two ACT prep books, and their Calculus manuals.
Anthony is originally from Long Island, NY. He has a degree in Math Education from Boston University and a Masters in Writing from Queens College. He’s taught math and English in high schools in New York, Massachusetts, and Sydney, Australia, and he has been a full-time tutor for the past 20 years, working first for 11 years as a travel tutor on commission with One-to-One Tutoring in Long Island, and then, after moving to Annapolis, Maryland, with Marks Education as a tutor, writer, and manager.
Find Anthony at acelino@markseducation.com
LINKS
How to Assess Tutors and Test Prep Providers
RELATED EPISODES
THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE IN TEACHERS
WHY PROFESSIONALISM IN TUTORS MATTERS
TUTORING TREASURES: TIPS FOR TEACHING TEENS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Every person has particular psychological and cognitive attributes that reveal their beliefs, values, and goals. Believe it or not, schools possess the same, and some institutions have learned the value of understanding themselves and their students. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant David Viggiano to explain the influence of psychographics in college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are psychographics?
- Why do educational institutions need understanding of their brand personalities?
- Does every educational institution have a story to tell?
- How do colleges use psychographic data to assess student affinity and fit?
- What aspects of college admissions are informed by psychographic analysis?
MEET OUR GUEST
David Viggiano has dedicated more than two decades to designing strategic communications, enrollment, and research solutions. Today, Dave is the Executive Vice President of Research, Strategy, and Creative at Carnegie. He and his team empower colleges and universities to elevate their brands and reputations as well as to learn more than ever about their student audiences. Dave is an expert at coordinating with leadership at the highest levels of institutions, and he has a unique ability to identify and solve the most pressing needs of organizations across the country.
Prior to Carnegie, Dave spent 16 years at Syracuse University in a variety of leadership positions within enrollment and marketing. From the front lines of recruitment and reviewing applications, to responsibility for admission notification, to building strategic communications teams, leading digital marketing initiatives, implementing technology advancements, and speaking to thousands of visitors on campus, Dave understands what it takes to win in today's challenging higher education landscape. Dave was born and raised in Syracuse, obtained his BS in Communications and MBA at Syracuse University, and now lives in central Florida with his family.
David’s psychographic persona is The Resilient and Rebellious Ringleader.
Find David at dviggiano@carnegiehighered.com.
LINKS
Psychographics Case Study
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT DO COLLEGES KNOW ABOUT APPLICANTS?
DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS AND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most college searches focus on factors like majors, rankings, and cost but ignore most of the features of a school that define the college experience. Amy and Mike invited educational expert Moira McCullough to explore overlooked aspects of campus life.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why should prospective students pay attention to the social and cultural components of a college experience?
- What are the consequences of a bad campus fit?
- What aspects of campus life tend to be overlooked during the search process?
- How should students uncover the kind of information they need about campus life?
- What makes resources and culture off-campus so relevant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Moira McCullough founded College Scoops in 2019 to provide parents of college-bound students with the resources needed to save time, money, and stress when planning a college trip. With the help of a dedicated staff, dozens of college interns, and a veritable army of student and parent ambassadors, College Scoops creates curated, interactive guides highlighting favorite places to eat, stay, and play around campus, for both students and parents.
A parent of three college-bound students, Moira is well-versed in the college admissions process. Having worked in the technology and consulting fields at NYNEX and PwC in NYC and London, Moira used her experience to create a comprehensive platform to help prospective families plan a college visit, saving them time, energy and stress.
Moira earned her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Fairfield University. A serial traveler and connoisseur of chocolate and coffee (in that order), Moira enjoys open water swimming, reading and spending time with her family exploring new sights and bites.
Find Moira on social media or at moira@collegescoops.com.
LINKS
College Scoops Resources
RELATED EPISODES
GALLUP ALUMNI SURVEY AND THE SIX COLLEGE EXPERIENCES THAT DRIVE SUCCESS
BENEFITS OF JOINING A FRATERNITY
ATTENDING COLLEGE IN A BIG CITY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Most of us live within a carefully planned budget, where we spend based on anticipated costs and expenses. But how can we predict the cost of a college application when the numbers involved are so hard to read or even find? Amy and Mike invited researcher Laura W. Perna, Ph.D. to explain all about net price calculators.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is a net price calculator, and why are they important?
- Does every college have a net price calculator and where can you find it?
- What should you beware of with net price calculators?
- How does the net price calculator align with a family's EFC?
- What are the real costs of college attendance?
MEET OUR GUEST
Laura W. Perna is Vice Provost for Faculty, GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education, and Executive Director of the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) at the University of Pennsylvania. Her program of research focuses on identifying how social structures, educational practices, and public policies promote and limit college access and success, particularly for students from groups that are underrepresented in higher education. She is a member of the National Academy of Education, fellow of the American Educational Research Association, and past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. She is also on the board of directors for PNPI, the Postsecondary Network Policy Institute.
Find Laura at lperna@upenn.edu.
LINKS
Questioning the Calculations - Are colleges complying with federal and ethical mandates for providing students with estimated costs?
RELATED EPISODES
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
WHEN BORROWING FOR SCHOOL IS A BAD IDEA
THE RAMPANT COST OF COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Shayda Moshirvaziri, the founder of Pivot Tutors. Shayda graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering in 2003. She was accepted at MIT, John Hopkins University, Stanford, and UCSD for Ph.D. programs in Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering on full fellowship. She chose to attend UCSD for graduate school and received her Masters and Doctorate in Bioengineering in 2007 and 2010, respectively.
Shayda has over 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience with all levels of mathematics and science for middle school, high school, and college-level students. She has a passion for teaching young students and has taught undergraduate courses at UCSD, including Introduction to Bioengineering, Human Physiology, and Computer Science. Before starting Pivot Tutors in 2012, she developed an ACT boot camp course for a private high school in San Diego and taught as a premier level ACT and SAT instructor for different test prep centers.
Pivot Tutors, LLC is a premier private academic and test prep tutoring company serving San Diego middle and high school students for the past 8 years. With nearly 1000 students under its wing, Pivot has helped its students excel in their academic classes and standardized tests.
Find Shayda at pivottutors.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
A Georgia native, Blake Shealy attended high school in Cobb County at McEachern High School. While there, he earned valedictorian and STAR student honors and attended the University of Georgia in 2004 as a Bernard Ramsey Scholar and a member of the honors program. After graduating in 2008, Blake began a career in medical research and worked in labs across the U.S. including Harvard Medical School, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Arizona. In Arizona, he began teaching part-time at a local college and quickly decided to pursue this full-time. Since then, Blake graduated summa cum laude with a masters in public health and later spent ten years teaching as both a high school science teacher and college professor.
In 2018, Blake made the decision to pursue test prep full time, and his days are now spent furthering his expertise in both the SAT and ACT.
Blake Shealy enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids but still tries to catch as much college football as he can in the fall. He trains as an amateur lifter in his spare time and has coached baseball and track/field in the past.
Find Blake at https://www.insight-tutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Manjri Gupta. Manjri wears many hats. She is a wife, a proud mother, an avid walker, and the owner and founder of a growing business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She holds a B.S in Chemistry and an M.B.A in Finance. Though her career began within the walls of big corporate climates, Manjri has always believed in the value of education. One might say that education is literally in her blood. Both of her grandfathers were proponents of education, having started universities in their respective hometowns. Like her grandfathers, Manjri has made learning her life’s work. Ten years ago, Manjri envisioned a tutoring service that would meet the needs of the whole student. She developed Axios Tutoring, a Pittsburgh-based educational center where students come for a range of services including higher executive functioning coaching, college admissions counseling, subject tutoring, diagnostic testing, and standardized test prep. At present, she manages two centers, one in Pittsburgh’s North Hills and one in the South Hills, and her business is growing. Manjri’s goal is to help students navigate school, standardized tests, college admissions, and transition to college with the skills and confidence that lead to the careers and lifestyles they envision. She says, “It is rewarding to watch them grow beyond the distractions of adolescence into the forward-thinking adults of the future.”
Not only does Manjri treat every student and family as if they were her only clients, but she has also hired a staff that works as a team, using a mentoring model and on-board training to utilize her tutors’ strengths and match their teaching styles to students’ learning styles.
Manjri understands that everyone learns differently. She makes it her work to find the right path for each student. She monitors their progress closely and keeps parents in the loop. If something is not working, she goes back to the drawing board and refines the strategy. The lesson of her grandfathers is never far from her mind: learning is a lifelong journey.
Find Manjri at mgupta@axiostutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Travis Minor founded Open Door Education in 2011 with the goal of building the best and most impactful tutoring company in Massachusetts. Travis, who earned his B.S. in Secondary Education at the University of Vermont and his M.Ed. at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, began his teaching career in West Philadelphia, where he became acutely aware of the profound impact of enthusiastic, rigorous tutoring and test preparation. As a 2005 graduate of Concord-Carlisle High School, Travis understands the pressures and challenges facing students attending competitive high schools, and he also knows the life-long benefits of learning to rise to overcome these obstacles through patience, grit, and a willingness to ask for help (something he is still working on).
When he’s not at Open Door, Travis serves as the chair of The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle, the Vice President of Ethics for the National Test Prep Association, and as the Education Entrepreneurship Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Travis is a founding Board Member of the National Test Prep Association.
Travis first appeared on the podcast in episode #21 to discuss Implications Of An Environmental Context Dashboard.
Find Travis at travis@opendoor.education.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Ashley Boggs, the owner of Problem-Solving Math, LLC located in Parkersburg, WV. She holds multiple degrees and teaching licenses in elementary education, secondary mathematics and science education, and school administration with a Master's degree in Educational Leadership. A National Test Prep Association member, Ashley is also the only ACT-Certified Educator in the region and helps students reach their test score goals to earn college admittance and scholarships.
Before opening the tutoring center in 2020, Ashley taught middle school math for several years but actually started tutoring others when she was in middle school. Currently, academic math tutoring and test prep are provided to learners of all ages through individual, small group, and virtual settings. Ashley enjoys helping students build a solid foundation and confidence in their abilities and problem-solving skills. Resource development and sharing instructional strategies that work have become additional ways for her to contribute to the educational field. The “aha” moments witnessed, scholarship offers celebrated, and referrals received are the best motivators as she continues to build a practice preparing her community’s students and virtual students around the country for their next steps.
Find Ashley at http://www.ProblemSolvingMath.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Up until 2020, not many educators or students had direct experience with live online instruction, but once COVID arrived, everyone did. Was this just a passing phase? Amy and Mike invited educator Adam Snoza to explore why remote tutoring is here to stay.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is online tutoring here to stay, even post-pandemic?
- What are the benefits of online tutoring over in-person?
- How do you maintain engagement in one on one tutoring and group classes online?
- What tech tools make a difference in online instruction?
- In what instances is in-person instruction still more advantageous?
MEET OUR GUEST
Adam Snoza graduated from Creighton University and was a high school English teacher for 9 years in both public and private schools. He has spent 13 years in ACT test prep with Aim High Test Prep in Omaha, NE, where he is the president, lead instructor, and curriculum developer, authoring his own 350-page instructional manual.
Adam is also an ACT Certified Educator (ACE) in all 6 certification areas: Basics, English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. Now, he is a trainer of the ACE program and works with teachers and tutors across the country on how to effectively teach the ACT test. In addition, Adam co-authored the 2021 update to The Official ACT Mathematics Guide.
Though every student he helps gain a life-changing scholarship or entry into an elite college gives him great satisfaction, his greatest pride comes from working with multiple local charities to bring test prep to underserved populations in an effort to bridge the education gap.
Adam previously appeared on this podcast in episode 159 to discuss ACT Math Reporting Categories and episode 249 for a Test Prep Profile.
Find Adam at aimhightestprep.com.
LINKS
Face To Face or Facetime? Consider Online Tutoring
RELATED EPISODES
MAKING ONLINE TUTORING MATTER MORE
COLLEGE ADVISING AND PREP BY VIDEOCONFERENCE
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF ONLINE TEST PREP
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Many families envision scholarships as a substantial contributor to an expensive college education. Yet surprisingly few have any experience actually getting those awards. Mike and Amy invited educational consultant Sherri Graf to point out common catastrophic mistakes in scholarship applications.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why does every successful scholarship application begin with following instructions?
- Does good writing make a difference in scholarship applications?
- Is there a benefit to providing more information than requested?
- What other elements of a scholarship application need to be respected?
- What mistakes should students avoid after an application is submitted or awarded?
MEET OUR GUEST
Sherri Graf is an education consultant, author, software application developer, speaker, and CEO of Imagine Scholarships. When Sherri waded through the college admissions process with her own children and the hundreds she has mentored over the last decade, she saw an opportunity to make a bigger impact on the world. With a degree in communications and a background in education, she was equipped for the task at hand. Powered by her love for young adults and a passion for helping others, she created Imagine Scholarships.
Sherri now wears the nickname "collegeprenuer" proudly. Since 2010 she has worked with students of all ages and their families to help them achieve their educational goals and find the money to do it. As a first-generation student herself, she knows the power of earning scholarships to help educational dreams come true. The passion behind the company is her desire to help others achieve their full potential and the belief that with a guiding hand, anyone can create a positive future for themselves.
Sherri has a knack for writing and loves TED Talks. With her 4 beautiful children, the right 80s tunes, and her beloved golden-doodle, Sherri is determined to empower the next generation to find their place in the world and have access to the funds needed to help them achieve those goals.
Find Sherri at https://www.imaginescholarships.com.
LINKS
Tips From Scholarship Committee Experts
Celebrate You Scholarship
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
LESSONS LEARNED BY OFFERING A SCHOLARSHIP
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Talmud teaches that a timid person cannot learn. While well-intentioned adults might negotiate obstacles and opportunities for teens, the most successful students are usually the ones who learn to stand up for themselves. Amy and Mike invited educator Barak Moore to explore the importance of self-advocacy in education and admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does self-advocacy mean in the context of an educational environment?
- What are examples of how students advocate for themselves in admissions decisions?
- Why do students struggle to stand up for themselves or ask for what they need?
- What makes student self-advocacy so powerful?
- How do we teach children to advocate for themselves?
MEET OUR GUEST
Barak Moore has been a professional SAT and ACT tutor for more than three decades. He is a graduate of Princeton University, and was formerly the Director of the Princeton Review of NJ. He has been a consultant to leading educational organizations such as McGraw-Hill, the United Nations, IBM, the New York City Board of Education, the Marine Corps, and the World Bank
Find Barak Moore at facebook.com/baraktutor
LINKS
Advocating For Your Rights On Test Day
Cultivating Self-Advocacy for All Students on College Campuses
Speak for Yourself! The Importance of Self-Advocacy
RELATED EPISODES
ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS
HELPING TEENS FIND MOTIVATION AND INSIGHT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Inequitable access to high-quality education harms all of us in society, particularly the least advantaged among us. Yet some efforts to mitigate the advantages of wealth and privilege in admissions may inadvertently do the exact opposite. Amy and Mike invited researcher Adam Tyner to explore whether eliminating tests makes education more or less equitable.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the origins of anti-test sentiment in modern American education?
- Why are some public university systems phasing out college admissions tests?
- What does the research tell us about inequity in the college admissions process?
- Are tests the only indicators of socioeconomic inequality?
- If tests are phased out of the application process, is inequity eliminated?
MEET OUR GUEST
Adam Tyner is National Research Director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he helps develop and manage Fordham’s research projects. Prior to joining Fordham, he served as senior education analyst at Hanover Research, where he executed data analysis projects and worked with school districts and other education stakeholders to design custom studies.
Adam has also spent several years leading classrooms, teaching English as a second language in both China and California and teaching courses at the University of California, San Diego. His work has appeared and been cited in national and international media such as The Economist, The New York Times, Forbes, Education Week, Education Next, and The Diplomat, as well as in numerous local outlets. Adam holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, San Diego, where he completed his doctoral dissertation on the integration of rural-to-urban migrant workers in China’s cities. He also holds a bachelor of arts in international studies from the University of Oklahoma.
Adam first appeared on the show in episode #140 to discuss Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension.
Find Adam at fordhaminstitute.org.
LINKS
Would eliminating college admissions tests really make education more equitable?
Essay Content is Strongly Related to Household Income and SAT Scores: Evidence from 60,000 Undergraduate Application
The Education Gadfly Show Podcast
RELATED EPISODES
FIVE MYTHS ABOUT ADMISSIONS TESTS
HOW SAT AND ACT SCORES HIGHLIGHT EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY
DON"T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
DO TEST-OPTIONAL POLICIES DRIVE EQUITY?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Some states find innovative and generous ways to support higher education for their residents, and Florida is one of them. As the first of what will be an ongoing series on state scholarships, Mike and Amy invited educational consultant Carrie Bedard and educator Jason Robinovitz to discuss the Florida Bright Futures Scholarships.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the Florida Bright Futures Scholarships?
- How much can these scholarships amount to?
- Are these scholarships only open to Florida residents?
- What are the general requirements for Bright Futures?
- What should aspiring scholarship applicants know in advance?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Carrie Bedard and Jason Robinovitz are the moderators of the Bright Futures Scholarship Parent page on Facebook.
Carrie Bedard of Soar 2 Success Consulting graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Hospitality and a Minor in Psychology. She has worked in education throughout her career, including teaching, tutoring and personal essay development. She has an extensive background in Marketing and Public Speaking, which she uses to help her students to become the best they can be to achieve their goals. In 2012, she decided to make helping students a full time venture, after seeing parents had no idea how to guide their students in the college guidance and admissions process and guidance counselors were over worked with hundreds of students and couldn't give the 1-1 attention necessary to properly guide students. She has traveled and met with college admissions staff, joined the Southern Association of College Admissions Counselors, and worked with over 100 families around the globe.
Carrie first appeared on this podcast in episode 50 to discuss Utilizing A Reflection Journal To Prepare For Your College Essay.
Find Carrie at cbedardfl@yahoo.com.
Jason Robinovitz is the Chief Operating Officer of all Score At The Top Learning Centers. Jason oversees each Center’s day-to-day operations, ensuring the delivery of top quality educational support and guidance services to client families. As team leader for a staff of more than 100 educators, Jason is in charge of strategic decision-making, including best practice policies, customer service, staffing, training, marketing, systems, and technology.
Jason is also involved in educational consulting services for college, boarding school, and law school clients. Meeting with students, Jason specializes in directing pre-law and future law-school students toward the extracurricular activities that will help position them for success. Skillfully guiding them through the application and essay process, Jason helps students distinguish themselves from the rest of the applicant pool. He also works with families seeking therapeutic placements for their children, identifying the “best fit” schools and programs for them and interfacing with these schools and programs to ensure successful placements.
Jason is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. As an active member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and the Secondary School Admission Test Board, Robinovitz is part of a professional network of admission directors, educators, psychologists and other educational consultants.
Jason first appeared on this podcast in episode 20 to discuss Therapeutic Schools and Teens In Crisis.
Find Jason at jason@scoreatthetop.com.
LINKS
Florida Financial Aid Application
Florida Bright Futures Program Details
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
ATTENDING A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The economic benefits of a college degree are not just to individual learners but entire towns, counties, states, and countries as a whole. So why don’t we as a society invest in higher education attainment more directly? Amy and Mike invited author Morley Winograd to make the compelling case for tuition-free college.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What economic benefits accrue from access to tuition-free two- and four-year college?
- What are the potential downsides of access to tuition-free college?
- What is the public take on the issue of tuition-free college
- What are the current political realities for making college free in 2022?
- How has free college impacted higher education enrollment in states that have implemented it?
MEET OUR GUEST
Morley Winograd is a nationally known expert on the Millennial generation. He is co-author (with Mike Hais) of three highly acclaimed books, Millennial Momentum (2011), Millennial Makeover (2008), and Millennial Majority (2013) on the impact the generation will have on America’s future. He served as senior policy advisor to Vice President Al Gore during the second term of the Clinton administration and directed its reinventing government efforts.
The Campaign for Free College Tuition (CFCT) is an inter-generational coalition who believe today's economy requires the country to make higher education affordable for everyone if we are going to have a workforce with the skills needed for us to compete in the global marketplace. Established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2014, CFCT has been at the forefront of the free college tuition movement since its inception.
Find Morley at morley@freecollegenow.org.
LINKS
The Campaign for Free College Tuition
Morley Winograd’s books
The Power of College: Economic and Personal Benefits of a College Education
How do college graduates benefit society at large?
Lifetime Income Distribution Estimates by College Major
RELATED EPISODES
ATTENDING A COMMUNITY COLLEGE
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
THE TRUTH ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Parke Muth, who has worked in education for over 35 years. Most of that time he served as a Dean at the University of Virginia in the admissions office and in the English Department. He now works with companies, schools, families, and students across the world but mostly focuses on Asia where he spends about 1/2 of the year.
While at Virginia, Parke was, among other things, Director of Selection and Recruitment of Honors Scholars, Director of Application Assessment Training, and Director of International Admission. He’s been serving for over 25 years as a member of the Jefferson Scholars selection committee. This four-year, full scholarship is among the most elite programs in the United States. Parke also serves as an advisor for the Ron Brown Scholars Program, an elite scholars program that provides financial support and leadership training, networking, and career services for underprivileged black students.
Because of his experiences in admissions, Parke is a highly sought-after speaker He has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg, Associated Press, NBC, etc. He has had over 6 million people read his responses on the website Quora.com. He also has a blog with over 4,000 pages of content, all free, no ads or promotions: https://onlyconnectparke.blogspot.com/
Parke previously appeared on this podcast in episodes 81 (You Can’t Handle The Truth: Secrets Of College Admissions) and 148 (Stop Making $En$E: The International Student Problem).
Find Parke at parkemuth@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Sandy Andolsek, an Independent College Counselor who spent her career in the field of College Admissions since 1991. Her extensive experience in both the private and public college sector allows her to serve students and families with a comprehensive understanding of the college application process. She is well versed in the complexities that may sometimes overwhelm many embarking on this journey. Sandy is committed to providing individualized guidance to students and families as they navigate through the college admission process. She remains current in the field in order to guide and ultimately help find a college that meets the needs of each student.
Sandy holds a Master’s degree in Counselor Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Her progressive experience in the profession has included her position(s) as the Associate Director of Admissions at the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Buffalo, Assistant Director of Admissions at Manhattanville College, and as an Admissions Counselor at Monroe Community College. She is a current member of NACAC (National Association for College Admissions Counseling).
Find Sandy at https://www.theroadaheadcollegeconsulting.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
When a test as influential and controversial as the SAT faces a new iteration, people take notice. But when that same test will be administered in an entirely new format that leaves the classic #2 pencil behind, people start to lose their minds. Amy and Mike invited educator Brooke Hanson to help unpack First Thoughts About The New Digital SAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What did the College Board say about a new digital SAT?
- What is the projected timeline for the new test?
- What is an adaptive test anyway, and why does this matter?
- What does ACT’s digital format experience have to do with this?
- How does this announcement impact current high schoolers?
Brooke Hanson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and Kansas City, graduated from Stanford University with honors, and holds an MFA in Cinematic Arts Production from the University of Southern California. After spending over a decade juggling a career in Hollywood with her tutoring and test prep work, Brooke founded Supertutor Media to make college admissions and test prep more accessible and engaging. Her YouTube channel SupertutorTV now boasts over 20 million views and 230K subscribers. She’s been featured on CNN, US News and World Report, Teen Vogue, and Yahoo! Finance. Brooke has also written two ACT® math books and developed comprehensive online video-based prep courses for both the SAT and ACT.
Brooke previously appeared on this podcast in episode 213 to discuss Test Prep YouTube.
Find Brooke at supertutortv.com or subscribe to her YouTube (youtube.com/supertutortv).
LINKS
Digital SAT Suite: Resources
The SAT admission test is going digital and getting shorter
The New Digital SAT
RELATED EPISODES
COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ACT SUPERSCORING AND SECTION RETESTING
SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alan Sheptin, owner of Sheptin Tutoring Group (STG). Alan has been a professional member of IECA since 2017 and became a Certified Educational Planner in 2020. He earned a BA in Computer Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in Finance from Fordham University and a Certificate in College Consulting from UCLA. Prior to establishing his company in 2007, Alan was an Assistant Vice President and Actuary with AXA, specializing in actuarial product development and management. He attained Associateship in the Society of Actuaries with several exams completed towards Fellowship.
In addition to his college consulting expertise, Alan is a respected Mathematics tutor, successfully working with students in all levels of Math. He is most sought out for his expertise in Algebra II, Precalculus, and Calculus. He teaches both Precalculus and Calculus at Iona College. He has also undertaken long-term consulting assignments teaching BC Calculus and Pre-Calculus at John Jay and Fox Lane High Schools in Westchester County.
Alan first became interested in college admissions when he was the NYC Secondary School Chairman of Alumni Interviewing for the University of Pennsylvania, training alumni interviewers and serving as a liaison between Penn’s admission office, interviewers and prospective freshmen. He has leveraged this expertise, plus his extensive knowledge of US and international colleges and universities, to counsel students on the optimal admissions strategy. To date, he has visited over 130 colleges and universities in seven countries. Alan’s “alumni” are present at all of the top 50 US universities and colleges, as well as at universities in the UK and Canada.
Additionally, Alan has been preparing students for the SAT and ACT examinations for 30 years. He is widely respected for his in-depth expertise in maximizing test scores, as well as his ability to make intrinsically difficult concepts in all areas of Mathematics (from pre-Algebra through Calculus) easier to grasp. Many of Alan’s students have continued to work with him in college classes and as they prep for the GRE and GMAT exams. He and his outstanding team of 35 teachers and tutors can offer support in any academic area in middle or high school. He is constantly revamping materials and lessons to ensure that his students are receiving the most recent information about exams.
Sheptin Tutoring Group maintains offices in Chappaqua, New York and New York City. Its clients come from as close as the tri-state area to as far away as China, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria.
Find Alan at 914-232-3743 or alan@sheptin.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Kristina L. Dooley, a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) and founder of Estrela Consulting, an Ohio-based independent educational consulting firm. Kristina has more than 20 years of experience working with students from around the world navigating the complex college and school search processes. Prior to launching Estrela Consulting in 2008, Kristina served as the Assistant Director of Admission at Hiram College (OH) and as the Director of Admission and Marketing at Andrews Osborne Academy (OH). A first-generation college student, she is a graduate of Hiram College (B.A.) and Kent State University (M.A.).
In addition to her work with students, Kristina is an instructor for the University of California Irvine teaching College Consulting Resources and also serves as a faculty member of the IECA Summer Training Institute for aspiring educational consultants. An expert in her field, Kristina has contributed to several websites, books, and magazines on education-related topics. A sought after speaker, Kristina presents at conferences around the country each year.
Kristina is the President of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and holds membership in AICEP, NACAC, HECA, and the Ohio and International Associations for College Admission Counseling (OACAC & IACAC). In addition, Kristina is a member of the Hiram College Board of Visitors and the IECA Foundation Board. She has served on Admission Advisory Boards at several institutions including Lehigh University, Lynn University, and Washington and Jefferson College. In her free time, Kristina volunteers for Beyond Type 1 and JDRF and serves as a mentor for College Now Greater Cleveland. She resides in Northeast Ohio with her husband and their 10-year-old triplets.
Kristina previously appeared on this podcast in episode 183 to discuss The Role Of Parents In The College Process.
Find Kristina at http://www.estrelaconsulting.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Zach Galin, who has spent over a decade working independently with students and families in the college admissions process. From test preparation to college matching, applications, and financial aid, Zach has helped students gain acceptance to their top-choice schools.
Zach spent his undergraduate years at Northwestern University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Learning and Organizational Change. He was actively engaged in student government, Greek life, cultural affairs, and community service. Upon graduation, he ran an academic tutoring and test prep center on New York City’s upper west side. He worked with hundreds of families to diagnose students’ specific academic deficiencies and develop courses from a variety of text-based and digital curricula to improve their skills.
Zach was then accepted into Teach for America and taught science, test-taking strategies, and organizational skills in a middle/high school in the South Bronx. While a corps member, he received his master's degree in education from New York City’s Bank Street College of Education.
Zach previously served on Hillel’s International Board of Directors, Bank Street College’s Board of Trustees, and the Madison Jewish Community Day School Board of Directors. He currently serves as the chair of the Camp Shalom (Verona, WI) committee, as a member of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Foundation board, and as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Madison.
Find Zach at zach@galined.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The attainment of a law degree in the United States is bookended by two essential standardized tests. While work in the legal field depends on passing at least one bar exam, the whole journey starts with an important admissions test. Amy and Mike invited educator David Lynch to explain all about the LSAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the LSAT?
- What kinds of schools or programs use the LSAT for admissions?
- When should students prepare for and take the LSAT?
- What should test takers know about the computer-based format of the LSAT?
- Will the GRE dethrone the LSAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
David Lynch is the founder of StudyLark Test Prep. He has been working with students worldwide since 1999 on the LSAT, SAT, ACT, GMAT, and GRE tests, and he’s taught Chemistry and English as a Second Language.
Dave is the author of the StudyLark Guide to SAT Writing and Language as well as several other books on the LSAT and other standardized tests. He works with test preparation shops large and small to create high-quality custom teaching materials, and he has served as technical editor for study guides by nationally recognized brands. StudyLark provides individual tutoring for college and graduate school admissions.
You can earn more about Dave and her background, experience, and practice in his TEST PREP PROFILE from episode #173.
Find Dave at studylark.com or info@studylark.com.
LINKS
About the LSAT
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL
ALL ABOUT THE GRE
THE INNER GAME OF TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The odds that any individual college applicant will accept, enroll, and persist to graduation may not mean much to a given institution, but those same numbers for the entire applicant pool mean everything. No wonder schools track every applicant interaction so carefully! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Matthew Herr to clarify how much colleges really know about applicants.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the purpose of an enrollment management CRM like Slate?
- How much does a school really know about its applicants?
- How is this data beneficial to the student and to the school?
- What differentiates this accumulated information from "demonstrated interest"?
- What should students do to display strong digital demonstrated interest?
MEET OUR GUEST
Matt Herr currently serves as the Integrations Manager and Senior Slate Strategist at Underscore, a Carnegie Company. Before joining the Underscore team, he spent 14 years progressing through the ranks in Enrollment Management at various institutions; both small-private, as well as highly selective: in numerous roles including Senior Director of Admissions, Director of Enrollment Data Management, Director of Transfer Admissions, and Assistant Director of Financial Aid.
Matt has a passion for helping institutions meet enrollment goals, while providing a student-centric approach to enrollment. His experience and passion combine in his current role to help schools implement and enhance their Slate instances to meet the needs of a continuously changing higher education landscape.
Find Matt at https://www.underscorehighered.com/.
LINKS
https://technolutions.com/solutions/slate
https://slate.org/
RELATED EPISODES
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
DO COLLEGES CARE ABOUT THEIR APPLICANTS?
YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH: SECRETS OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Curriculum, structure, and delivery of educational services like academic tutoring and test prep tend to vary widely. So why is there so little diversity in the way clients pay for these services? Amy and Mike invited educator Dave Crystal to discuss educational services pricing models.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the traditional pricing models for educational services?
- Where do these models fall short?
- What are some alternative test prep pricing models?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of alternative models?
- What new opportunities in alternative business models do you foresee over the next few years?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dave Crystal is a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he received Honors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. The author of one book and many published essays and op-ed pieces, he was a columnist for the Daily Pennsylvanian and a contributor to Penn’s prestigious journal of political science, Sound Politicks.
Dave founded Crystal Clear Tutors in 2008 when he noticed that there was a tremendous void in the test-prep industry in south Florida. Since then, Crystal Clear Tutors has helped get over 400 students into top-100 universities and over 250 students into top-40 universities, including all Ivy League schools. Dave’s prior professional history includes being an investment manager research analyst for Merrill Lynch; a licensed financial advisor; and the President of 3rd Channel, an e-commerce solutions company. He has also lectured at many fine institutions including Books & Books, NYU, and Penn. Dave also has an MBA from the University of Miami. Additionally, he has been the subject of articles in Front Page Magazine, The Jerusalem Post, Philadelphia Weekly, The Forward, The Miami Herald and The Jewish Exponent.
Find Dave at 888-981-PREP.
LINKS
Tutor Pricing Strategies: PREMIUM
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
ESSENTIALS OF CLIENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION
HOW TEST PREP PROS AND FINANCIAL PLANNERS CAN WORK TOGETHER
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Anyone who has ever sat in a classroom knows that some students need a higher level of academic enrichment and challenge than others. When did such a fundamental facet of education become controversial? Amy and Mike invited author and editor Brandon Wright to explain why gifted programs are under attack.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why exactly are gifted and talented programs under attack?
- How has this opposition impacted gifted programs?
- What makes opposition to gifted programs bad educational policy?
- What makes opposition to gifted programs bad politics?
- Why are programs for high achievers fair and equitable?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brandon Wright is the Editorial Director of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. He is the co-author or co-editor of three books: Failing our Brightest Kids: The Global Challenge of Educating High-Ability Students (with Chester E. Finn, Jr.), Charter Schools at the Crossroads: Predicaments, Paradoxes, Possibilities (with Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Bruno V. Manno), and Getting the Most Bang for the Education Buck (edited with Frederick M. Hess). His writing has appeared in places like the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, U.S. News, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, National Review, Newsweek, Education Next, Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan, the Journal of School Choice, and dozens of state newspapers. He holds a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and a B.A. from the University of Michigan. Brandon frequently appears on radio stations across the country.
Find Brandon at bwright@fordhaminstitute.org
LINKS
Attacking gifted education is bad policy and bad politics
Rigorous courses are a good thing—and good for equity
Failing our Brightest Kids: The Global Challenge of Educating High-Ability Students
Universal screening increases the representation of low-income and minority students in gifted education
RELATED EPISODES
THE NECESSITY OF GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMS
WHY SELECTIVE SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS MATTER
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page. We'd love to hear from you!
We often talk about how expensive a college education can be, but we don’t explore often enough how to make earning a degree less expensive. Amy and Mike invited educator David Vise to discuss different ways to earn advance college credit.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are different ways high schoolers can earn advance college credits?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of entering college with a lot of credits?
- Is it really possible for students to earn a Freshman Year for Free?
- Which kinds of schools or majors are least likely to accept advance credit?
- How do the CLEP and AP exams or IB programs compare or overlap?
MEET OUR GUEST
David Vise is the executive director of Modern States Education Alliance, a philanthropy dedicated to making college more accessible and affordable for all.
A Pulitzer Prize-winner, Vise spent more than 20 years as a reporter at The Washington Post. He is the author of four books, including The Google Story, a national bestseller published in more than two dozen languages.
Vise received his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he is included on a list of 125 most influential alumni. He serves as a senior advisor at New Mountain Capital.
Find David at david@modernstates.org or 202-439-0318.
LINKS
Modern States Education Alliance
Earn College Credit with CLEP
RELATED EPISODES
ADVANTAGES OF DUAL ENROLLMENT
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
WHEN BORROWING FOR SCHOOL IS A BAD IDEA
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always focused in part on celebrating and supporting amazing test prep professionals. Why, then, are we ending our successful run of professional development summits? We invited educator Dan Ascher to join us for a discussion of the history and future of the Tests and the Rest Summits.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What initiated the first Tests and the Rest conference?
- What was the immediate and long-term impact of the Boca Raton TATR conference?
- How did the global pandemic influence these test prep events?
- Why are the summits moving from Tests and the Rest to the NTPA?
- Is there still a need for professional development programs like the TATR summits?
MEET OUR GUEST
Daniel Ascher, M.Ed., President of A+ Test Prep and Tutoring, has been a professional educator since 1988. Dan began tutoring students while in graduate school and enjoyed one-to-one instruction so much that he decided to go directly into the field upon completing his Master's degree.
In 1992, he started A+ Test Prep and Tutoring out of his home. In 2022, A+ is celebrating its 30th Anniversary! The company currently employs 35 tutors who work out of two office locations, at students' homes and schools throughout the Philadelphia Area, and online. A+ specializes in one-to-one instruction for SAT and ACT test preparation. In addition, they provide Executive Function coaching and instruction in all school subjects. Besides working with private clients A+ has tutoring contracts with several Philadelphia Area school districts.
Dan first appeared on our podcast in episode 27 to discuss COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE SAT AND ACT.
Find Dan at www.aplustutoring.com.
LINKS
Tests and the Rest Online Summits
RELATED EPISODES
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL TEST PREP ASSOCIATION
TUTOR SELF-CARE (Tests and the Rest Summit Panel)
ESSENTIALS OF CLIENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION (Tests and the Rest Summit Panel)
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Pranoy Mohapatra began tutoring as a high school sophomore for a local company after finding joy in helping classmates at the Academy of Allied Health and Sciences study for tests. Pranoy found he learned by teaching and explaining concepts to reinforce them, and often viewed standardized tests as puzzles. He continued to tutor through college and his first year of medical school, before leaving medical school and officially starting his tutoring company PMTutoring LLC in 2015.
Pranoy’s approach to test prep focuses on in-depth understanding and recognition of concepts, as he found the “memorize and regurgitate” methods taught in many classes frustrating. His objective is to provide the tools necessary for any student with goals the opportunity to reach them.
Pranoy is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He first appeared on this podcast in episode #36 to discuss Techniques to Motivate Unmotivated Students.
Find Pranoy at www.PMTutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Nikki Highfield, owner of Helping Hands Educational Services. Nikki is a native of Cincinnati, OH. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and an MBA from Xavier University as well as a M.Ed in Special Education from St. Joseph’s University. Nikki spent 15 years working in the financial industry before returning back to the world of education. She started Helping Hands Educational Service in 2014. She focuses on ACT/SAT test prep and academic subject tutoring for students.
When Nikki is not helping students, she is spending time with her children either at a Broadway musical or a Xavier basketball game. Nikki is excited to be a member of the National Test Prep Association! She looks forward to continuing to develop relationships with other test prep professionals and growing her business.
Find Nikki at nikki.helpinghands@gmail.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Steve Feldman. As Founder and Managing Partner of Private Prep, Steve initiates and manages strategic partnerships. Steve also leads Private Prep’s growth into new geographic markets and additional services. Since founding Private Prep in 2006, the company has become recognized as one of the leading personalized education services in the NY Tri-State Region, the Washington DC Metro Area, South Florida, Los Angeles and Internationally. Private Prep has made the Inc 5000 list for fastest growing privately-held companies, for five consecutive years, ranking as one of the top growing companies in the education industry. Additionally, Private Prep has been recognized as one of the 100 best places to work in New York by Crain's Magazine.
In addition to a MA in education from the Steinhardt School at New York University, Steve brings over 20 years of tutoring and a deep love of learning and connecting with students. He is focused on maintaining the high level of personalized care students and families have been experiencing since he began tutoring students himself. Growing up in Bethesda, Maryland, Steve has been a coach, teaching assistant and tutor since 1993. After graduating on the Dean's List at Emory University, Steve moved to New York City and worked in finance at UBS while moonlighting as a math and test prep tutor. After two years, his enthusiasm for education, combined with his students' success, inspired him to build a private tutoring service. After over a decade in NYC, Steve now lives In Bethesda, MD with his wife, Lauren, who was integral in the launch of Private Prep, and their children Spencer, Poppy & Dylan.
Find Steve at steve@privateprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alice Humbracht. Alice is a premier tutor with over 16 years of full-time experience tutoring standardized tests. She spent six years at The Princeton Review honing her skills, and then she started her own tutoring office in 2011.
Alice specializes in ACT and SAT, but has helped students improve their scores on a variety of standardized tests including the ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, SAT Subject Tests, CSET, CBEST, AP Calculus, LSAT, DAT, ISEE, SSAT, PRAXIS, ASVAB, and others since early 2005. In short, if it’s an acronym, Alice can tutor it!
Alice teaches not only test content (math, reading, punctuation, grammar, essay writing, logic, etc.), but also test-taking strategies (pacing, calculator use, and what types of answers test writers prefer, to name a few).
Find Alice at http://www.tutorwithalice.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Ian Siegel. Ian started Streamline Tutors in Baltimore, MD, in 2013 and has been tutoring full-time for a decade, primarily as an SAT/ACT tutor and college essay coach. Ian consistently gets some of the highest score improvements in the country on the SAT and ACT. He attributes his success to his ability to act as a mirror to his student’s actual potential, something that’s obscured by realities in school and society. Most recently, Ian has made a study of our learning potential as humans, the most common impediments to authentic learning, and specific techniques for unearthing the incredible authentic learner in us all. This investigation is captured in his manuscript 1-on-1, The Future is Ancient History: A Manifesto on Human Learning, which he hopes to publish in the next year.
Find Ian at https://streamlinetutors.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
The cost of college has defied economic logic for decades but cannot rise exponentially forever. How can schools align tuition costs with what students want and need? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rick Staisloff to explore alternative pricing strategies in higher education.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What drives current higher education pricing models?
- Who do these models serve?
- What are some alternatives to conventional tuition structures?
- What would be different under alternative models?
- Have any institutions started to explore these alternative models?
MEET OUR GUEST
Richard Staisloff is the founder and Senior Partner of rpk GROUP, a leading national consulting firm supporting colleges, universities, and other non-profits with their growth and reallocation strategies. rpk GROUP emerged from two decades of leadership positions in the higher education sector, where Rick developed his expertise in finance and higher education from the perspective of public and private, two- and four-year institutions, higher education commissions, and state legislatures.
Rick has worked with institutions nationwide and internationally, helping them to combine a mission and market approach to strategic planning and business development. He has been a leading voice in the development of a new business model for higher education, working closely with the Association of Governing Boards, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, NACUBO, and others to develop a new language and new metrics around cost, price, and finance for the higher education sector.
Rick joined the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 1998 as vice president for finance and administration. Prior to that, he served four years at Carroll Community College, where he helped lead the creation of this college. From 1992 to 1994, Rick acted as a finance policy analyst for the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Finally, he served with the Maryland General Assembly House Committee on Ways and Means from 1989 to 1992, focusing on education and taxation issues. Rick received his B.A. from Loyola College in Maryland and an M.A. from The American University.
Rick serves on the plant committee for St. Mary’s Seminary and University and is a member of the 2006 class of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Leadership Program. Finally, he has taught in the Executive Doctorate Program for Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania, and with the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership (Arizona State University and Georgetown University).
Find Rick at rstaisloff@rpkgroup.com.
LINKS
A Value Prop Moment for Higher Education « rpk GROUP
Improving College Affordability with New Business Models
The Bailout Is Just the Start: Why Higher Ed Needs to Build a Sustainable Model
RELATED EPISODES
THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
THE IMPACT OF NACAC ADMISSIONS CHANGES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Math has been cornerstone content of the SAT since its inception nearly a century ago. What math is tested and how to prepare for it, however, evolves endlessly. Amy and Mike invited educators Jackie Pollina and Josh Kariyev to explore current best practices in how to prepare for SAT math.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is the SAT math more of a content-oriented section or a strategy-oriented section?
- Is the best way to prepare for the SAT math to do practice sections from the College Board?
- What are frequent topics on the SAT that most students don’t know?
- If a student can only learn a few topics, which ones should they really focus on?
- How much math should a student have been exposed to before beginning prep for the SAT math?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Jackie Pollina and Josh Kariyev are both the founders of J&J Test Prep, a company that prides itself on maintaining a modern, relatable feel for students. Jackie and Josh are both in their mid-20s, and, upon realizing that they had a knack for tutoring, turned down the traditional path to attend a graduate program and started their own business despite the cries from all around them that it was “too risky” at such a young age. Jackie and Josh are also published authors with their new SAT math workbook, No B.S. SAT Math, which is now available on Amazon.
Jackie and Josh, in maintaining a modern feel, run an academic TikTok account intended to get students more excited about learning as our world becomes increasingly digitized.
Jackie graduated with a 4.0 GPA from Hofstra University, where she majored in Philosophy; Josh graduated with a 3.96 GPA from NYU, where he majored in Mathematics. Fun Fact: Jackie and Josh are high school sweethearts–they’ve been dating since they were 15 years old!
Jackie and Josh first appeared on the show in episode #182 to discuss TEST PREP TIKTOK.
Find Jackie Pollina and Josh Kariyev at https://www.jjtestprep.com/contact or on TikTok at @testpreptips – https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJaCVnq3/
LINKS
No B.S. SAT Math
Why SAT Math Problems are So Wordy
RELATED EPISODES
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT MATH
CALCULATOR USAGE ON THE SAT AND ACT
COMPETITIVE MATH AND TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page. We'd love to hear from you!
Not so long ago, distance learning was mostly seen as a futuristic experiment in education. Then all instruction moved online. Where are we now, and where are we going? Amy and Mike invited ed-tech consultant Phil Hill to assess the state of distance learning in higher education.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How can the transition from all in-person to at least partially distance learning in education be described?
- Is online instruction synonymous with for-profit in higher education?
- Is distance learning in higher education the same as online K-12 instruction?
- Has modern distance learning efficacy really improved much?
- What should future students expect as far as online classes go?
MEET OUR GUEST
Phil Hill (@PhilOnEdTech) is Publisher of the PhilOnEdTech blog and Partner at MindWires, LLC. As a market analyst, Phil has analyzed the growth of technology-enabled change for educational institutions, uncovering and describing the major trends and implications for the broader market. His unique graphics and visual presentations have been widely used in the industry. As an independent consultant, Phil helps educational institutions, technology and content vendors, and investors as they consider and implement new initiatives. Phil’s clients have included Western Governors University, California Community College System, UCLA, Bournemouth University, Lumen Learning, Coursera, multiple investment firms, and others.
Previously Phil was an independent consultant through HBO Systems and Delta Initiative. In addition to PhilOnEdTech, Phil has also written for EDUCAUSE Review, EdSurge, Inside Higher Ed, and the Washington Post. He has been also been interviewed and quoted at National Public Radio, Inside Higher Ed, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the New York Times, Buzzfeed Education, and Washington Business Journal.
Find Phil at https://philonedtech.com/ or phil@mindwires.com.
LINKS
More than 50% of US Higher Ed students took at least one online course in 2019-20
RELATED EPISODES
TECHNOLOGY AS AN ENABLER IN EDUCATION
MAKING ONLINE TUTORING MATTER MORE
EDTECH IN 2021: SEPARATING FADS FROM SUSTAINABLE CHANGES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
While American culture celebrates individual differences and promotes diversity, many of our societal systems struggle with anyone who deviates too far from an accepted norm. This can certainly be the case in school. Amy and Mike invited counselor Emily Kircher-Morris to share academic success strategies for neurodivergent students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What do neurodivergent students need to focus on for academic success?
- Why is self-advocacy such an important skill, and how can we help kids develop it early?
- What is executive functioning and how does it impact neurodivergent kids?
- What strategies can help neurodivergent students prepare and be successful in school?
- How can parents adjust to the difference in communication and support once their child reaches college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Emily Kircher-Morris is a licensed professional counselor specializing in the mental health and educational needs of gifted and twice-exceptional people. She is the host of the Neurodiversity Podcast, which explores strategies for parents and teachers to support neurodiversity at school and home. Inspired by her experiences as a teacher, counselor, and parent of twice-exceptional kids, she wrote the book Teaching Twice Exceptional Learners and the forthcoming Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids.
Emily first appeared on this podcast in episode #96 to discuss COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FOR TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS.
Find Emily at http://www.mindmatterspodcast.com/ or follow her on Twitter@EmilyKM_lpc.
LINKS
What Does Neurodivergent Mean?
Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners
Neurodiversity Podcast
RELATED EPISODES
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FOR TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS
HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE
TRANSITIONING YOUR IEP OR 504 PLAN TO COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Nearly 20 years ago, colleges asked for standardized essay sections on admissions tests because applicants arrived on campus with deficient writing skills. Yet today, when very few schools want to see essay scores, do those test sections still have value? Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to explore potential advantages and opportunities in the ACT Writing Test.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the framework of the ACT Writing Test?
- What is the current state and usage of the ACT essay?
- Why did the College Board eliminate their essay, but ACT kept theirs?
- What might the future hold for the ACT Writing Test?
- Can students benefit from strong ACT Writing scores?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brian Eufinger graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2004. While an undergrad, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant for Political Science 101, a resident advisor (RA) and as a volunteer paramedic with WashU’s Emergency Support Team.
Brian is frequently invited to speak about test prep, college admissions, and scholarships at PTSA meetings at Atlanta-area high schools as well as Edison Prep’s free parent meetings. Brian serves on the Board of the National Test Prep Association. He is an active member of Washington University’s Young Alumni chapter in Atlanta, as well as the WashU Alumni Admissions Interviewer Program.
Brian was our guest to discuss THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION (#28) and SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT (#131). He also facilitated our 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR IN REVIEW (#100).
Find Brian at https://www.edisonprep.com/
LINKS
Ebbing Interest in Test Essays
Should I Take The ACT With Writing?
ACT Profile Report - National
Preparing For The ACT Writing
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
HOW COLLEGE BOARD AND ACT ARE CHANGING
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT GRAMMAR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
U.S students often imagine the opportunity to study abroad as a path to experiencing cultures radically different than their own. Is there a benefit, though, to considering a country with more similarities than distinctions? Amy and Mike invited Brandon Miller to extol the virtues of attending a college in Canada.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are some notable colleges and universities in Canada?
- How does the college admissions process in Canada differ from the US system?
- What are the documents needed to study in Canada?
- How does the cost of tuition work for colleges in Canada?
- What are the potential benefits of studying in Canada?
MEET OUR GUEST
For more than a decade, Brandon Miller has operated Maple Immigration Services, a boutique immigration practice in Toronto, Canada, where he has helped countless people find their way to Canada and settle in successfully to their new home. Brandon is a proud Canadian who sees himself as a nation builder, responsible for shaping the Canada of tomorrow with its true asset- the people who call Canada their home. He is a certified Immigration Consultant, is passionate about everything immigration and enjoys not only helping people to come to Canada but seeing that they get integrated into the country.
Find Brandon at www.mysecondpassport.ca/usstudents.
LINKS
www.mysecondpassport.ca/usstudents
Considering College in Canada
RELATED EPISODES
ATTENDING UNIVERSITY IN EUROPE
FAMILY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
DOES COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT MATTER MORE THAN SELECTIVITY?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Schooling and cheating share a long and sordid history. But what can educators do when the technology to undermine academic integrity advances faster than conventional efforts to protect it. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech executive Eric Gibbs to share updates on cheating and plagiarism software.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What threats to academic integrity have occurred as education has shifted from traditional face-to-face to online modalities?
- How has cheating technology evolved and what tools can be used to combat it?
- What is cross-language plagiarism, and how do we address it?
- What are the right conversations to have with students about finding their own voice?
- Are current plagiarism standards in schools too strict?
MEET OUR GUEST
Eric Gibbs is an established first-generation college graduate and business executive with over 20+ years of domestic and international experience in K-12, higher education, and corporate markets. As a data-driven, innovative leader with a proven track record in “go-to-market” strategy creation, Eric excels at new market identification and mentorship in start-up and high-growth organizations. As President at Ouriginal, Eric helps provide text originality assessment services to over 7,700 organizations in over 80 countries.
Find Eric at eric.gibbs@ouriginal.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgibbs/.
LINKS
The Growing Threat of Cross-Language Plagiarism
International Center for Academic Integrity
Cheating in academic institutions: A decade of research
Importance of Originality
RELATED EPISODES
THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ARMS RACE
THE GROWING IMPACT OF CHEATING DURING COVID
THE HEIGHTENED NEED FOR TESTING IN 2021
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The opportunity to compete athletically on the college level--while winning scholarships for doing so--has always been connected to SAT and ACT scores. What’s changed post-pandemic and what hasn’t? Amy and Mike invited educator Jen Henson to correct myths about testing and college sports.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is NCAA eligibility?
- What kind of scores are needed?
- Can we anticipate that NCAA eligibility test score requirements will continue to be waived?
- If a school is test-optional, could an athlete still need an SAT/ACT score?
- Who should a prospective student-athlete talk to on campus about needing scores?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jennifer Henson a.k.a “The GOAL DIGGER” is a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test. Jennifer, who was Winton Woods City School’s (OH) Teacher of the Year in 2014, holds a Master of Education degree with a Bachelor’s in English from Xavier University—where she was a walk-on tennis player. She’s taught 21 years and coached ACT prep for over 12 years– and has an army of teachers trained to assist her requests for tutorials. Her former ACT students now attend notable higher learning institutions, including Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, Texas A&M, The Naval Academy, and the University of Kentucky—among others.
Jennifer has assisted students from California to Connecticut—and states in between—to reach their personal ACT goals. No score is too low or too high, as she has doubled the scores of students starting at the low end, in addition to helping initially higher scoring students achieve the coveted 36 on every section of the test. Two young men playing D1 football had a composite score of a 9 originally, and scored 18 and 20 (respectively) after working with her.
Jen first appeared on this podcast on episode #57 to talk Test Scores and the NCAA Clearinghouse. You can earn more about Jen and her background, experience, and practice in her TEST PREP PROFILE from episode #246.
Find Jen at jenhensonactprep.com.
LINKS
Test Scores | NCAA.org
Divisions I and II extend COVID-19 initial-eligibility policies
RELATED EPISODES
ATHLETIC RECRUITING TRENDS IN 2021
SPORTS RECRUITING IN THE TIME OF COVID
LOOKING FOR A FULL RIDE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Most students and their families enter the college admissions process fully expecting to take out tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. Does earning a degree really have to cost that much? Amy and Mike invited college cost advocate Mark Salisbury to elaborate on when borrowing for school is a bad idea.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are student loans particularly burdensome, especially for young adults?
- What choices can increase or decrease the cost of college?
- What are ways to earn college credit?
- How can students attend college without borrowing too much?
- What are the long-term benefits of graduating without substantial debt?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Mark Salisbury has spent 27 years in higher education. His first decade was as a soccer coach and admissions counselor. He then returned to school and earned a Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Iowa, studying college student access and success as a researcher on the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education and a member of the Teagle Scholars. Since then, he has published both academic research and more mainstream writing on higher ed, including commentaries for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, interviews with NPR, and the blog, Delicious Ambiguity. From 2010 to 2018, he was an Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of Institutional Research and Assessment at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.
In addition, Mark has done consulting work for colleges and universities over the past decade on how to use data to improve in areas like recruiting, financial aid leveraging, admissions, student retention, graduation, and post-college outcomes. He started the TuitionFit project in the summer of 2018 and continues to be an enthusiastic advocate for the benefits of price transparency for both students and colleges.
Mark first appeared on this podcast in episode #19 to discuss COLLEGE PRICE TRANSPARENCY.
Find Mark at https://www.tuitionfit.org/ or mark@tuitionfit.org.
LINKS
Mark’s TEDx talk
How TuitionFit works
CLEP
RELATED EPISODES
THE TRUTH ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT LOANS
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The various versions of high school admissions tests may be even more confusing than those for college or graduate school. As part of our series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Brenna O'Neill to explain the role and structure of the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE).
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Who takes the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE)?
- What are the ISEE testing seasons, and when should students test?
- How and where is the ISEE administered?
- What is tested on the ISEE Upper Level?
- What kind of students will do well on the ISEE?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brenna O'Neill is the Director of Education for Test Innovators. Brenna brings an intimate knowledge of private schools, standardized tests, and the admissions process. Her experience in math, English, and test prep education helps to improve student learning and inform product development at Test Innovators. Brenna is excited to ensure every student’s success through building excellent educational content, resources, programs, and tools.
Find Brenna at brenna@testinnovators.com.
LINKS
ISEE Prep Guide
What Is The ISEE?
The Official ISEE Website
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT IS THE HSPT?
WHAT IS THE SHSAT?
WHY SELECTIVE SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS MATTER
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Kevin Newton, the founder of An Education Abroad, a company that helps Americans who are interested in earning a degree outside of the United States. Since 2016, he and his wife have helped place dozens of students at top universities around the world. Kevin fell in love with everything that international education has to offer while studying for his MA in Islamic and Chinese Law at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
Kevin previously appeared on this podcast in episode 57 to discuss Attending University in Europe.
Find Kevin at http://www.aneducationabroad.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Aly Beaumont, the founder of Admissions Village, a family focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz, and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is an Associate Member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 212 to discuss Preparation For Highly Selective College Admissions.
Find Aly at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Steven Mercer, Ed.D., the founder of Mercer Educational Consulting, a private college counseling practice in Los Angeles, CA. He is an experienced educator with an extensive background in selective college admission, counseling, teaching, and academic and non-profit leadership.
Prior to founding Mercer Educational Consulting he was an admission officer at the University of Southern California. In addition to working with students one-on-one, Dr. Mercer is an Adjunct Faculty in the on-line College Counseling Certificate program at UCSD Extension and works as a consultant to colleges and universities on matters related to college admission. Dr. Mercer has a BA in philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz, a MA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College and an Ed.D.in Educational Leadership from UCLA.
Steve first appeared on this podcast in episode 156 to discuss Transparency in College Admissions.
Find Steven at https://mercered.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Immigrating from Korea in her youth, Julie Kim is a graduate of USC and Harvard (Ed.M). She founded Julie Kim Consulting after years of working in larger consulting firms, hoping to establish a new way of approaching college admissions. Julie offers a unique perspective as the first in her family to navigate the American college admissions process and works with students of similar backgrounds to develop their own stand-out factor among thousands of other Ivy League applicants.
Julie is the host of the “Demystifying College Admissions” podcast and the “Conquer College Admissions” YouTube channel.
Julie previously appeared on this podcast in episode 196 to discuss Creating a Passion Project.
Find Julie at https://juliekimconsulting.com/masterclass.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Phil Black, the creator of PrepWell Academy, an unconventional approach to preparing high school students (and their parents) for the rigors of the college admissions process. His unique program is delivered online and focuses on the early preparation of students (freshman and sophomore year) interested in attending highly-selective colleges (e.g. Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, etc.), military service academies (e.g. Naval Academy, West Point, etc.), and those seeking athletic or ROTC scholarships.
Over the years, Phil has built a record of unique accomplishments including Division I college athlete, Navy SEAL Officer, Goldman Sachs Investment Banker, bootstrap entrepreneur, 2X Shark Tank contestant, firefighter, husband, and father of four sons. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Phil previously appeared on this podcast in episode 162 to discuss High School Course Selection and Academic Rigor.
Find Phil at prepwellacademy.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
While nearly all high schoolers arrive at the ACT able to read, their levels of mastery often seem spotty at best. How can test takers determine where their reading skills fall short? Amy and Mike invited educator Cody Eadie to review ACT Reading Reporting Categories.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the main ACT Reading Reporting Categories?
- What should students, parents, and educators know about ACT Reading?
- What are ACT Reading answer traps?
- Why is being a nonfiction reader so important for ACT Reading?
- What's new on the horizon for ACT Reading?
MEET OUR GUEST
Cody Eadie is a National Board-Certified English teacher at Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, Mississippi, where he has worked for nine years. His course curriculum includes Accelerated English, AP Language and Composition, and Dual Credit World Literature. Additionally, he oversees the AP Capstone program and serves as the Chair of the English Department.
Cody began tutoring for the ACT six years ago and has enjoyed great success in that aspect, which led to the launching of his test prep business, Peerless Education. Cody also serves as an ACE trainer, predominantly focusing on reading and English.
Find Cody at CEadie@harrison.k12.ms.us.
LINKS
Reading Test Description for the ACT
ACT Reporting Categories: READING & SCIENCE
College Readiness Benchmarks
The ACT is a Reading Test
Visual Qualitative Information Sample Questions
RELATED EPISODES
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT READING
ACT ENGLISH REPORTING CATEGORIES
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Tutoring at its best entails so much more than a mechanical transfer of information designed to improve a grade or score. An authentic student-teacher relationship depends on a commitment to establish rapport and personalize instruction. Amy and Mike invited educator Mary Thomas to share her insights on teaching teens.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why is it important to see teens as more than just students?
- What teaching methods do teens best respond to?
- Why is flexibility in planning so important?
- What characterizes a bottom-up approach to instruction?
- How can tutors make item and test review more effective?
MEET OUR GUEST
Mary Thomas, the founder of Test Prep Simplified, has implemented her 24 years of experience in education to create simple, proven, and unique ACT and SAT Prep programs. Mary has helped thousands of students from hundreds of schools via classroom, tutoring, test prep, consulting and curriculum development experiences.
Mary ranked 4th in her high school graduating class and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. She has taught and tutored thousands of students ages 4 through 18 both nationally and internationally. As a mother of three teens, Mary is also personally invested and entrenched in the testing and college admissions process. As the creator of the Bright Futures Parent Page on Facebook with nearly 3,000 members, Mary helps families navigate and earn the popular Florida scholarship.
You can earn more about Mary and her background, experience, and practice in her TEST PREP PROFILE from episode #172.
Find Mary at www.testprepsimplified.com.
LINKS
What Really Motivates Students?
RELATED EPISODES
THE 4 P’S OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
USING STUDENT SELF-ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION
HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Traditional beauty pageants typify the kind of competition where contestants do everything possible to be judged positively by a group of complete strangers. Unfortunately, selective college admissions can feel like this as well, unless applicants learn a better way. Amy and Mike invited educator Neill Seltzer to discuss how to avoid the pageant approach to college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's wrong with the beauty pageant approach to admissions?
- What are some eternal truths of college admissions?
- Why is an empowerment model of admissions the best approach?
- What is the dual role of a college admissions office?
- How is authenticity the secret to successful admissions?
MEET OUR GUEST
Neill Seltzer is the TestPrep Director for Mindprint Learning. Neill is a long-time test prep veteran who got his start as an SAT tutor in Hong Kong in the early 90s. Since then he has run test prep and tutoring companies around the country and internationally including stints as the COO of Test Services Inc, Chief Product Officer at Inspirica, CEO of Noodle Pros, and the National Content Director at The Princeton Review.
Neill has written or contributed to over twenty books on standardized tests, built test prep apps, designed testing engines and score reports, trained hundreds of tutors, and tutored or taught thousands of students. He has a BA in English from Vassar and a Masters of Architecture from Pratt. Now, as a father of three, Neill is navigating the world of standardized tests in a whole new, eye-opening role: parent.
Find Neill at neill@mindprintlearning.com.
LINKS
3 Underrated Facts About College Admissions
RELATED EPISODES
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH: SECRETS OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
DO COLLEGES CARE ABOUT THEIR APPLICANTS?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Some challenges in life loom larger than others, fraught with the potential to immeasurably transform our lives for the better if only we can rise to the occasion. Sometimes, that challenge is a really important exam. Amy and Mike invited author and professor Zachary Howlett to explain big tests as fateful rites of passage.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Gaokao, and what makes this test so important?
- What is the significance of describing an event as chancy and consequential?
- In what ways does a culture grow around very influential exams?
- Are there drawbacks to investing great importance into the results of a single day or week?
- How is society served by having big tests as fateful rites of passage?
MEET OUR GUEST
Zachary M. Howlett is an assistant professor of social sciences at Yale-NUS College at the National University of Singapore. He is a sociocultural anthropologist who researches education, rural-to-urban migration, and demographic change in China.
Zachary is the author of Meritocracy and Its Discontents: Anxiety and the National College Entrance Exam in China (Cornell University Press, 2021). In Meritocracy and Its Discontents, he contends that the Gaokao serves as a pivotal rite of passage in which people strive to personify cultural virtues such as diligence, composure, filial devotion, and divine favor.
Find Zachary at zachary.howlett@yale-nus.edu.sg or on Twitter at @howlett_zachary.
LINKS
Meritocracy and Its Discontents: Anxiety and the National College Entrance Exam in China
The Future of Higher Education podcast episode with Zachary
Is China’s gaokao the world’s toughest school exam?
RELATED EPISODES
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
TRACKING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS
HOW TESTS DRIVE LEARNING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
While we have no choice but to accept that life isn’t always fair, we can--and should--do much better to make sure education is always equitable. Amy and Mike invited educator and author Michael Marlowe to explore what it means to level the playing field for students.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How is education in the United States like a pendulum?
- What hasn't changed in education in the 21st century?
- Can you create fairer standards by eliminating objective data?
- Who is disadvantaged by overemphasis on grades?
- How can we really level the playing field for students who are behind educationally?
MEET OUR GUEST
Michael Marlowe is a man of all trades within the supplemental education community. Michael spent the better part of 16 years with Kaplan before moving on to Huntington Learning Centers and then on to founding Math and English Consulting, now Succential. Michael is a writer with few peers. He has written materials for all graduate-level examinations, high school examinations, and high-stakes test examinations at all elementary levels.
Michael’s thirty-five-plus-year career has spanned the realms of teaching, writing, marketing, managing, and leading at local, state, and national levels. Michael started his career at Kaplan by handing out tapes in the tape library and finished 16 years later as the product director for their institutional sales division. At Huntington Learning Centers, Michael re-created their entire SAT program and started the rebuild of its SAT division. Finally, in January of 2000, Michael started his own SAT and College Consulting business. Mr. Marlowe has always advocated innovative approaches and equity in supplemental education. Since 2000, Michael has authored multiple SAT preparation books and conducted a variety of workshops on how to prepare for standardized examinations.
Michael is an expert in creating in-school, duplicative programs, that foster capacity and growth in scores and learning. Finally, Michael has written 16 books to be used in courses for the SAT, ACT, CDOS, Accuplacer, TSI, Regents, and ALEKS exams in the last two exciting years.
Find Michael at succential.com or michaelmarlowe0111@gmail.com.
LINKS
Grade Inflation in High Schools (2005–2016)
High School Grades: Higher and Higher
RELATED EPISODES
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
THE HEIGHTENED NEED FOR TESTING IN 2021
IMPLICATIONS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT DASHBOARD
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
While many teens shudder at the prospect of adding math as an extracurricular activity, others relish the opportunity to engage in quantitative competitions. And they should, because the path of a mathlete is rewarding on many levels! Amy and Mike invited educator Vida John to expound upon the connections between competitive math and testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the competitive math landscape for students in the U.S.
- How does the AMC test compare with an SAT, ACT, or AP exam?
- What math concepts are associated with math competitions?
- What makes a student right for competitive math (and vice versa)?
- How do students benefit from participating in math competitions?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vida John is a math coach and tutor, specializing in students who are preparing for math contests and studying curriculum published by Art of Problem Solving. Vida grew up in Iowa where she was a high school mathlete before studying at the Stanford School of Engineering and UCSF School of Medicine. After working in Silicon Valley for a medical start up, she homeschooled her 2 daughters with the intent of providing an excellent education, especially in math and science.
She coached homeschooled math teams for 10 years, and with both daughters now attending Stanford, she continues to help students prepare for MathCounts, AMC, and other contests while building their problem-solving skills. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and runs workshops on using math contests to prepare for college-level work.
Find Vida at vidajohntutoring.com.
LINKS
American Mathematics Competitions
MATHCOUNTS Foundation
Art of Problem Solving
RELATED EPISODES
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS
HIGH IMPACT STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN MATH
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
In a system where selective colleges benefit from as many applicants as possible even as acceptance becomes rarer than ever, smart applicants need to do more than take public statements at face value. Prepare to delve into the data! Amy and Mike invited educator Shane Bybee to explain how to use the Common Data Set.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Common Data Set?
- How and by whom can the Common Data Set be accessed?
- What kind of information does the CDS hold?
- Why should college applicants seek this information out?
- What are the limitations of the CDS?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shane Bybee of Bybee College Prep has spent over half his life teaching. Along the way, he has worked with thousands of different students teaching everything from remedial 7th grade English/Language Arts to Dual Credit English IV and AP Language and Composition and even remedial Algebra I. Every year, no matter the subject he taught, his students outperformed the campus average on standardized tests. He has written curriculum, presented topics at the state convention for English teachers, and created professional development sessions for colleagues and school districts.
While earning a master's degree in Educational Leadership and getting certified as an administrator, he started Bybee College Prep. He did research into how schools could help more students achieve National Merit recognition. His research grew into a tutorial service that has helped dozens of students reach National Merit Semifinalist status.
As an educator, he is certified to teach Gifted and Talented students and has completed courses for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. He has also served on test item review committees multiple times for the companies that write standardized tests and helped write online curriculum used by major test preparation companies. He understands what goes into crafting these tests.
Shane is also the co-founder of Parent University and host of the Let’s Talk College Podcast.
Shane has appeared on this podcast in episode 25 to discuss When Gifted and Talented Students Struggle and again in episode 195 as the subject of a Test Prep Profile.
Find Shane at shane@bybeecollegeprep.com.
LINKS
Common Data Set Initiative
Texas A&M Student Data and Reports
College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics
RELATED EPISODES
SHAPING AN ADMISSIONS CLASS
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS
HOW IECS AND TEST PREP PROFESSIONALS CAN WORK TOGETHER
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Higher education resembles most other goods and services in that price often increases with scarcity. In other contexts, though, the industry seems to defy economic principles. Amy and Mike invited editor Hilary Burns to explain the unexpected allure of the most expensive colleges.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Are college prices continuing to increase?
- What relationship cost and selectivity?
- Are the most expensive schools seeing more or fewer applicants?
- Why is the total cost of attendance still an important consideration?
- What surprising tier of college has also seen an increase in enrollment?
MEET OUR GUEST
Hilary Burns is the founding reporter and editor of higher-education newsletter, The National Observer: Higher Education Edition, which launched in September 2020. Burns’ higher-education coverage is published in more than 40 business publications owned by American City Business Journals.
Previously, Hilary served as associate editor of the Boston Business Journal, where she covered higher education in Greater Boston and managed the paper’s special industry sections. She has also been in reporting roles for American Banker, The Charlotte Business Journal, and Bizwomen.com. Beyond those publications, her work has appeared in the Cape Cod Times, USAToday, Huffington Post, Charlotte Magazine, and USAirways Magazine. She has also been featured on local tv stations, NPR, and Bloomberg radio stations in Charlotte and Boston.
Hilary graduated from Wake Forest University, where she was editor of the student newspaper the Old Gold & Black, and now lives in Cohasset, Massachusetts, with her husband and rescue dog.
Find Hilary at hilaryburns@bizjournals.com.
LINKS
Federal disclosures show the most expensive and most affordable colleges are the ones winning students
The 25 most expensive colleges in the US show how 'the business model of higher education in the U.S. has been broken since 1635'
Are 'best' rankings detrimental to the US higher-ed system?
National Observer Higher Education Newsletter
RELATED EPISODES
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST
THE IMPACT OF NACAC ADMISSIONS CHANGES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Most of us imagine that human intelligence is simply too complex and magical to measure in any reliable way. Why, then, do so many studies suggest otherwise? Amy and Mike invited data scientist Stanislaw Pstrokonski to explore the research regarding the validity of IQ tests.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What do IQ tests purport to evaluate?
- What other attributes also correlate with IQ?
- How much research has been done to support the findings of these tests?
- What measurable aspects of IQ can be improved or increased?
- If IQ tests are effective, why aren't they used more?
MEET OUR GUEST
Stanislaw "Staś" Pstrokonski is a data scientist in the education technology industry. He currently works for Busuu, where his role is to use machine learning to increase the speed and effectiveness at which users learn a foreign language.
A former teacher and private tutor, Staś is also the host of Education Bookcast, a podcast which he has been running for over 5 years, in which he summarises, reviews, critiques, and contextualizes books and articles relating to education.
Find Staś at Education Bookcast.
LINKS
Intelligence: All That Matters by Stuart Ritchie
RELATED EPISODES
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE LEVELS ON THE SAT AND ACT
THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Like it or not, most major assessment and admissions tests will eventually migrate to a digital platform, some sooner than you’d think. This need not be a cause for despair. Amy and Mike invited educator Sonya Muthalia to describe the path to success in computer-based testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How do computerized tests differ from the paper-pencil version?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking computer-based tests?
- How is the prep for computerized tests different from the paper-pencil version?
- What digital tools are often provided to improve the computer-based testing experience?
- Why should educators feel excited about an inevitable expansion of computer-based testing?
MEET OUR GUEST
Sonya Muthalia is the Founder and CEO of Informed Decisions, a leading Mumbai based test prep company that trains students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT and GRE. Over the last two decades Sonya, along with her faculty located in India and North America, has trained over 10,000 students across 33 countries. Sonya also contributes to articles in newspapers and is a speaker at various online and offline forums. Sonya is always looking for newer and better ways to help her students and enhance their experience.
Informed Decisions is one of the strongest proponents of the Mindprint Learning Assessment and holds marketing exclusivity for India. Sonya uses MindPrint to design bespoke tutoring plans for her students which has helped significantly improve teaching outcomes and ultimately translated to optimal scores.
Sonya is also a passionate cook and particularly loves baking. Her newfound love for sourdough bread making is what helps her destress the eve of test day or results day!
Find Sonya at sonya@informeddecisions.in.
LINKS
Taking A Computer-Based ACT
What Does A Computer-Based ACT Look Like?
Looming Questions About a Digital SAT or ACT
Is Online a Better Baseline? Comparing the Predictive Validity of Computer- and Paper-Based Tests
RELATED EPISODES
COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
HOW DOES REMOTE PROCTORING ACTUALLY WORK?
HOW COLLEGE BOARD AND ACT ARE CHANGING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Anna Solomon. Anna grew up in Florida and graduated with a B.A. in History from New College of Florida. She lived in Asheville (NC) and Richmond (VA), and now lives in Salisbury (MD). She worked for Huntington Learning Center, Tutor Doctor, and other private tutoring and test prep companies before beginning her own company, Flamingo Tutoring. Now she focuses on one-on-one tutoring for the SAT and ACT.
Anna is thrilled to be part of the NTPA and co-founder of the NTPA Book Club and Women of NTPA. When Anna isn’t hanging out with colleagues (virtually) or working with students (virtually), she is out exploring with her three-year-old.
Find Anna at testprep@flamingotutoring.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Adam Snoza. Adam graduated from Creighton University and was a high school English teacher for 9 years in both public and private schools. He has spent 13 years in ACT test prep with Aim High Test Prep in Omaha, NE. He is the lead instructor and curriculum developer, authoring his own 350-page instructional manual.
Adam is also an ACT Certified Educator (ACE) in all 6 certification areas: Basics, English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. Now, he is a trainer of the ACE program and works with teachers and tutors across the country on how to effectively teach the ACT test. In addition, Adam co-authored the 2021 update to The Official ACT Mathematics Guide.
Though every student he helps gain a life changing scholarship or entry into an elite college gives him great satisfaction, his greatest pride comes from working with multiple local charities to bring test prep to underserved populations in an effort to bridge the education gap.
Adam previously appeared on this podcast in episode 159 to discuss ACT Math Reporting Categories.
Find Adam at asnoza@aimhightestprep.com
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Leia LeMaster Horton, who has been an educator for over eighteen years. Her favorite subjects were Latin and Math. In the last seven years, Leia has focused her attention on preparing students for their college entrance exams and is the owner of Horton Test Prep. Through these years, she’s helped countless students raise their scores hundreds of points and turn dream school into reality with dream financial aid packages. She is running on coffee and helping students have “aha” moments.
Find Leia at info@hortontestprep.com or on Instagram @hortontestprep.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alex Chip, the founder of Top Score Education, a boutique tutoring, test prep, and academic counseling company headquartered in Washington DC, in 2005. Over the past 16 years, Alex has tutored several thousand students in high school and college admissions testing, developed innovative project-based learning programs for students of all ages, and launched new branches servicing students in Miami, FL, and Durham, NC.
In addition to his work as an educator and entrepreneur, Alex is the author of Building Your Student’s Story: The Parent’s Companion to College Admissions Strategies, Standardized Tests, and Crafting an Exceptional Application. A graduate of Duke University (BA, English) and Johns Hopkins (MA, Nonfiction Writing), Alex lives in Washington DC with his wife and two children.
Find Alex at https://www.topscoreedu.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jennifer Henson a.k.a “The GOAL DIGGER”, a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test. Jennifer, who was Winton Woods City School’s (OH) Teacher of the Year in 2014, holds a Master of Education degree with a Bachelor’s in English from Xavier University—where she was a walk-on tennis player. She’s taught for 21 years and coached ACT prep for over 12 years– and has an army of teachers trained to assist her requests for tutorials. Her former ACT students now attend notable higher learning institutions, including Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, Texas A&M, The Naval Academy, and the University of Kentucky—among others.
Jennifer has assisted students from California to Connecticut—and states in between—to reach their personal ACT goals. No score is too low or too high, as she has doubled the scores of students starting at the low end, in addition to helping initially higher scoring students achieve the coveted 36 on every section of the test. Two young men playing D1 football had a composite score of a 9 originally, and scored 18 and 20 (respectively) after working with her.
Jen first appeared on the podcast on episode #57 to talk Test Scores and the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Find Jen at jenhensonactprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
So many aspects of modern life represent obvious improvements over past practices. So why does it feel like we’re not consistently applying what we’ve learned about learning year over year? Amy and Mike invited educator and author Shane Trotter to consider where modern education fails.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What skills tend to be lacking in today's high school graduates?
- Which students do schools tend to focus on and exclude?
- What systemic educational issues are hurting academic development?
- Are modern high school graduates more or less ready for college than peers from the past?
- How can students seek out the skills and knowledge they'll need for their futures?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shane Trotter is the author of Setting the Bar: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Era of Distraction, Dependency, and Entitlement. As a writer, educator, and High-School Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, he has been challenging youth development norms for over a decade. He has been published by websites with millions of readers, such as Quillette, Areo, and Breaking Muscle, and he’s been featured by Spartan.com. His blog, Inspired Human Development, focuses on exploring the principles of human thriving.
In Setting the Bar, Trotter takes us on a journey to discover what has gone wrong in the modern youth development culture and how we can turn the tide, both individually and collectively. Setting the Bar is an investigation into the human condition—who we are, what we need to flourish, and where we are going as a culture. This is a book for every concerned parent, teacher, or coach, and every conscious citizen who cares about our kids and our future.
Find Shane at trottershane.com or on Twitter @TrotterWrites
LINKS
Inspired Human Development
Setting the Bar: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Era of Distraction, Dependency, and Entitlement
Remedial Education for All
Shane’s articles on Quillette
RELATED EPISODES
WINNING THE GAME OF SCHOOL
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US
WHY GRADE INFLATION IS HARMFUL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The existence of a science test sets the ACT apart from all other college entrance exams. What should a student do to be set apart from peers on this challenging test section? Amy and Mike invited educator Robin Satty to explore top lessons for ACT science.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How important is specific science knowledge vs other skills on the ACT Science Test?
- How has this section changed over time?
- How can students approach each of the three types of Science passages differently?
- What makes some questions harder and some questions easier?
- Which questions give students the most trouble, and what can they do about it?
MEET OUR GUEST
Robin Satty, Ed.D is a graduate of Brown University with a Bachelors and Masters in Biology. Robin began her career in test prep in 2010 at Revolution Prep and began teaching science full time in 2011. Since then, she has taught Biology, Chemistry, and General Science at the middle school and high school levels, while tutoring for the SAT and ACT. Since earning her doctorate in STEM Education from the University of Pittsburgh, she has stepped back from full-time teaching to focus on curriculum, consulting, and tutoring.
Robin is the recent author of 28 ACT Science Lessons to Improve Your Score in One Month. Learn more about her and her background, experience, and practice in her TEST PREP PROFILE from episode #208.
Find Robin at https://stemsmartconsulting.com or robin@stemsmartconsulting.com.
LINKS
28 ACT Science Lessons to Improve Your Score in One Month
All the Science You Need to Know: to Ace the ACT Science Section
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT IS ACT SCIENCE ALL ABOUT?
HIGH-PRIORITY SAT AND ACT TOPICS
EMERGING TRENDS IN SAT AND ACT CONTENT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The various versions of high school admissions tests may be even more confusing than those for college or graduate school. As part of our series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Kenny Tan to explain the role and structure of the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT).
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What schools require the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT)?
- What does the SHSAT cover?
- How is the SHSAT scored, and how many students "pass" the test?
- How does the SHSAT differ from other high school admissions tests?
- How competitive is the specialized high school admissions process?
MEET OUR GUEST
Kenny Tan has been working in test prep since 2010. Kenny founded Kenny Tan Test Prep to empower students with the grit, resilience, and curiosity necessary for a successful academic and professional career. He specializes in the SHSAT, ISEE, SSAT, SAT, and ACT.
Kenny, the son of Chinese immigrants, graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City and received his B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University. His hobbies include an interest in aviation. He received his private pilot certificate (airplane single-engine land) in 2016. Some of his favorite flying experiences are featured on his YouTube channel.
Find Kenny at kennytan.nyc or learn more about him on his Test Prep Profile!
LINKS
NYC Specialized High Schools
14 SHSAT Tests (And How to Use Them!)
The Ultimate Guide to SHSAT Poetry: 248 Practice Questions for the newest section of the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test
RELATED EPISODES
WHY SELECTIVE SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS MATTER
WHY TESTING STANDARDS MATTER
WHAT IS THE HSPT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The aspect of a college application that lies most outside an applicant’s control is the recommendation. How can recommendation writers and requesters alike get this essential piece right? Amy and Mike invited author Becky Munsterer Sabky to explain how to write a standout letter of recommendation.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What makes a standout recommendation?
- Who can or should write college recommendations?
- What should a recommender ask of the applicant (and vice versa) to make writing a recommendation easier?
- Is it okay to turn down a recommendation request?
- Should applicants waive their right to read their recommendations?
MEET OUR GUEST
Becky Munsterer Sabky likes to communicate. She’s an author, columnist, speaker (and handwritten letter writer). Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe Magazine, Reader’s Digest, and SKI Magazine. She’s been interviewed on Vermont Public Radio and Boston Public Radio and is currently on a speaking tour for her book Valedictorians at the Gate. She’s a graduate of Colby College and received her M.A.L.S. degree in creative writing from Dartmouth.
When Becky was a high school senior she was rejected by her dream school, Dartmouth. She had done everything right. Checked every box. Played on every team. And yet still she received, “the thin envelope.” A decade later she was the one helping to make the admissions decisions for the Ivy League university. Drawing back the curtain, Valedictorians at the Gate is a behind-the-scenes look at how best to prepare for the admissions process, from the first day of high school to welcome weekend on campus, with the needed perspective to stay true to yourself and discover your passions as you battle the other valedictorians at the gate.
Written with actionable advice (do take the SATs multiple times; don’t write your college essay about Hermione Granger), Valedictorians at the Gate answers the questions of just who to ask for a college recommendation (a note from a janitor will turn more heads than a form letter from the chair of the math department), just what to do on-campus visits (have the student ask the questions, not their mom and dad), and what curriculum to take (if you like art, go for it over AP physics). This is the book every student and parent wishes to have by their side as they navigate the immensely competitive, and confusing, process of selecting a college.
Perfect for both prospective students and (hopefully-not-helicoptering) parents, Sabky infuses her wisdom gleaned from years making the tough admissions decisions with illuminating anecdotes of her time as an Ivy League gatekeeper. Parents and students will find relief, and advice that cuts through the confusion and intimidation of applying to college and places the power firmly in the hands of the applicant. A college doesn’t choose you, you choose it.
Find Becky at https://beckysabky.com/.
LINKS
Valedictorians at the Gate: Standing Out, Getting In, and Staying Sane While Applying to College
RELATED EPISODES
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: GOOD VS. GREAT
THE MAKING CARING COMMON PROJECT
DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP IN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams set the standard for academic rigor for millions of high school students every year. Will this continue to be the case over the next few years? Amy and Mike invited educator John Moscatiello to help understand the future of AP exams.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the AP program, and why is it so important now?
- What challenges does the AP program face?
- Does taking a lot of AP exams help a college application?
- What are the implications of the elimination of SAT Subject Tests for the AP program?
- How relevant are AP language classes and exams in college admissions?
MEET OUR GUEST
John Moscatiello has been a leader in the education space for the past two decades. His career began at the Princeton Review, where he taught the SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, AP Exams, ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT Verbal, and TOEFL. At the Princeton Review, John went on to train hundreds of teachers, write content for 13 test preparation books, and work as a college admissions consultant. In his capacity as the National Director of Tutoring from 2007 and 2009, John managed thousands of teachers and tutors, supporting them with online professional development and the creation of an online community. From 2015 to 2016, John starred in more than 200 educational videos for the Princeton Review’s SAT, ACT, and GRE self-paced courses.
John’s academic career began as a Spanish major at New York University, where he realized the value of the AP Program by using credits to graduate a full year early. He then pursued graduate degrees in history from Fordham University and the University of Notre Dame, where he won awards for his undergraduate teaching. He was a Fulbright scholar to Spain in 2012 and worked at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Madrid. John’s academic research has been published in both English and Spanish. He currently teaches part-time at a private high school in Princeton, New Jersey.
John has supported thousands of students by building and implementing programs for underserved communities through the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, TEAK Fellowship, NYC Service, Corporate and Social Responsibility at Proskauer Rose LLP, and the Aga Khan Development Network. John’s tutoring and NGO work has taken him to more than 10 states and 25 countries around the world, especially in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Africa. In 2018, John founded Marco Learning in order to address the lack of high-quality AP resources and to better support AP teachers and their students.
Find John at https://marcolearning.com/.
LINKS
The Ultimate Guide to the 2021 Digital AP® Exams
Advanced Placement Program
RELATED EPISODES
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
If the success of educational institutions depends on a steady and predictable flow of incoming students, what does the American “birth dearth” forebode for the future of higher education? Amy and Mike invited higher ed professional Chris Lucier to explain the implications of demographic trends for college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the value to higher ed professionals in exploring demographic data?
- What do the combined data sets tell us about the next ten years in the United States?
- Which colleges portend to be most impacted?
- What should colleges be doing now to prepare for upcoming demographic shifts?
- What role might international applicants play in future enrollment strategies?
MEET OUR GUEST
Chris Lucier is the Director of Partner Relationships at Othot, leveraging over 20 years of experience in admissions and strategic enrollment management to help colleges and universities adopt data-driven decision making in addressing enrollment and student success challenges.
Before joining Othot in 2019, Chris was the vice president for Enrollment Management at the University of Delaware (UD) where he developed, implemented, assessed, and refined a management strategy to mitigate the challenges presented by a volatile enrollment environment. In this capacity, he was responsible for undergraduate admissions, the registrar’s office, and student financial services. Prior to UD, he was the vice president for enrollment management at the University of Vermont, where he developed and shaped the overall enrollment strategy and implemented operational programs to recruit, admit, retain and graduate undergraduate students. In 2001, after a 21-year career as a US Army Officer, Chris started his career in higher education as Director of Recruitment & Operations in the University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Chris received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and a Master of Public Administration degree from Western Kentucky University. He is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College.
Find Chris at chlucier@othot.com.
LINKS
Demographic Comparison Tool for Higher Education
RELATED EPISODES
THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE STRESS TEST
THE IMPACT OF NACAC ADMISSIONS CHANGES
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
A four-year degree may be one of the most expensive investments a person can make, especially when we expect teenagers to make life-defining financial decisions without sufficient education, support, and protection. Amy and Mike invited higher education professional Alex Robie Harris to discuss some uncomfortable truths about student loan debt.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are some of the assumptions we hold about student loan borrowers and defaulters?
- What are the lived experiences of borrowers who have defaulted on their student loans?
- What are some of the underlying causes of the student debt crisis?
- How can we tackle the student debt crisis?
- What is the best way to talk to students about borrowing for college?
MEET OUR GUEST
Alex Robie Harris, Ed.D. is a higher education professional with more than ten years of experience working in a wide range of functional areas including Housing & Residential Life, Fraternity & Sorority Programs, Financial Aid, Student Success & Retention, and Strategic Initiatives.
One of the most impactful professional roles Alex has held was serving as the Coordinator for the Arizona Assurance program. Arizona Assurance is The University of Arizona’s largest need-based aid program and provides financial aid and support services to low-income students in order to increase their enrollment, retention, and graduation.
In this role, Alex completed full financial aid counselor training, which provided her with a strong understanding of both federal and institutional financial aid regulations. Working alongside hundreds of low-income students as they waded through the bureaucracy of financial aid laid the foundation for her research interest in how students navigate paying for higher education.
In May 2021, Alex earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Higher Education. Her dissertation, titled Debt Sentence: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Student Loan Default, explored the lived experiences of Black student loan borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans.
Find Alex on LinkedIn.
LINKS
Debt Sentence: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Student Loan Default
Black Student Debt – Explaining the Crisis and Providing Solutions
Legislation, Policy, and the Black Student Debt Crisis
The Color of Student Debt: Implications of Federal Loan Program Reforms for Black Students and Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream
Stop Talking About Financial Literacy and Start Talking About Wealth Justice
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT LOANS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FAFSA & CSS PROFILE
THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Now more than ever, high school counselors are turned to for social-emotional counseling PLUS college and career guidance PLUS academic planning PLUS anything and everything else. No wonder they’re all so busy! Amy and Mike invited college consultant Daniel Santos to discuss the challenges facing overworked school counselors.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the responsibilities of a traditional U.S. high school counselor?
- What are the recommended and actual average ratios of students to school counselors?
- How much training do most counselors receive on college admissions guidance?
- Where can counselors receive further training and support in testing and admissions?
- How can counselors determine which support resources can be trusted?
MEET OUR GUEST
Daniel Santos is Prepory's co-founder and CEO. Prior to founding Prepory, Daniel worked at various top-tier law firms and the United States House of Representatives. Daniel leads a team of the 30+ best college admissions and career counseling professionals on planet Earth. Together, they're helping thousands of students and professionals across five continents grow from where they are to where they should be. Daniel has been featured as a college admissions expert across several publications, including the Wall Street Journal, FORTUNE, and Yahoo! Finance.
Find Daniel at https://prepory.com/ or follow @preporycoaching on social media.
LINKS
School Counselor Roles & Ratios
The Troubling Student-to-Counselor Ratio That Doesn’t Add Up
RELATED EPISODES
HOW SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNSELORS CAN WORK TOGETHER
PATHWAY PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
BUILDING EFFECTIVE SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
For generations, the term “SAT word” has been synonymous with extremely challenging or esoteric vocabulary words. But does the phrase even still apply? Amy and Mike invited educator Michelle Rotteau to discuss vocabulary on the SAT and ACT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is a college-level vocabulary still necessary on admissions tests?
- What kind of vocabulary does the SAT & ACT challenge?
- Which test or section presents more challenging words?
- What is the best way to learn the types of words tested on the SAT and ACT?
- How valuable is learning word roots for today’s tests?
MEET OUR GUEST
Michelle Rotteau grew up in Goderich, Ontario, Canada where she worked in the town's public library until attending Trent University, completing a Bachelor’s degree in English and Canadian Studies. She then returned to library work until she opened a bookstore in 1997 where she sold books both in-store and online.
In 2001, Michelle and her husband moved to Seoul, South Korea where she started teaching reading and writing skills for test prep including SAT, ACT, SSAT, TOEFL, MCAT, and LSAT. In 2007, she returned to Canada and started working in Toronto for both a test prep company where she currently is the head teacher for 2 schools and as an independent reading tutor for international students. In 2016 she started her blog internationaltester.com as a free resource for international students who want to excel in SAT reading. In 2018, she published 2 e-books focusing on the Literature and History passages to help students overcome these dastardly sections.
For the past 15 months, Michelle and her husband have reverted to sleeping on their living room floor (memories of Korea) after having transformed their bedroom into Michelle’s online teaching studio. She is really looking forward to getting back to her classroom (and its collection of over 600 books) in September (hopefully).
Find Michelle at www.internationaltester.com.
LINKS
SAT Vocabulary, Vocabulary, Vocabulary
The Most Important Vocabulary Words for the SAT & ACT
The Academic Word List
RELATED EPISODES
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT READING
SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION AND READING COMPREHENSION
THE SAT AND ACT ARE CLASSIST NOT RACIST
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
New hardware and software rarely introduce the sweeping improvements most adopters in education hope for, but the right ed tech can definitely facilitate powerful positive change. Amy and Mike invited tech professional Al Kingsley to describe the role of technology as an enabler in education.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Which aspects of education can--and cannot--be improved through technology?
- What is the tension between new tech and old ways of working?
- What does the near-term future of education look like?
- What applications of technology tend to be counterproductive in today’s schools?
- What are some components of successful technology initiatives in schools or districts?
MEET OUR GUEST
Al Kingsley is CEO of edtech company NetSupport, an international software company developing market-leading solutions used by over 18 million customers. He is also the Chair of two Multi Academy Trusts and a local School Governors’ Leadership Group in the UK. And is a sought-after speaker and popular podcaster who focuses on thought-provoking conversations about education technology, digital strategy, and improved learning outcomes.
Al has also co-authored the ‘Digital Strategy Guide for Schools’ with Mark Anderson and was recognized in the 2020 “EdTech 50” awards for ‘People shaping UK EdTech’ section. His own book, My Secret #EdTech Diary by John Catt Educational Ltd, released in July 2021 and gives not only Al’s 30 years of historical perspective of IT in education, but also is a road map to a new way of thinking about technology in education.
Find Al at https://alkingsley.com/ or on Twitter @AlKingsley_Edu
LINKS
My Secret #EdTech Diary
Guide to Creating a Digital Strategy in Education
RELATED EPISODES
EDTECH IN 2021: SEPARATING FADS FROM SUSTAINABLE CHANGES
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF ONLINE TEST PREP
COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Lori Tofexis. Lori grew up in NY and NJ and attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a degree in Communications. She worked in television for a while (behind the scenes) and then took a job in Florida. Eventually, Lori started selling sailboats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, which provided her the opportunity to go sailing every chance she had.
After raising her family, Lori decided to become a math teacher. She enrolled to get the credits needed to re-learn all the high school math that she had forgotten. This was actually fun for her, allowing her inner nerd to come out. She started tutoring kids in math. Eventually, one parent asked if she could help their daughter with the SAT. "Why not?" she said. The rest is history.
Find Lori at circletestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jim Wismer, the Director of Ivy Experience. Jim first started tutoring for pay in eighth grade, and he has since earned a broad range of experience in secondary and higher education. Jim taught Latin and Ancient Greek and served as a T.A. in Greek and Roman history and mythology courses while earning his M.A. in Classics at the University of Notre Dame. After graduating with his Master's, he helped a small independent school develop a K-12 Latin curriculum. Jim has been tutoring primarily test prep (but still some dead languages) since finishing graduate school, when he came on board as a tutor for Ivy Experience. One year in, he was promoted to Director, transitioning into a managerial role involving training and overseeing tutors, planning with families, creating marketing materials, and various business functions. If you had told Jim as a young scholar that he would one day be a reasonably successful businessperson, that would have been quite the surprise to him.
Jim enjoys digging into the way students' minds work, whether that means finding just the right way to help them "get" an SAT math problem or brainstorming how to develop their own most time-efficient method to memorize Latin conjugations.
Jim doesn't really have hobbies, preferring temporary, all-consuming obsessions. Over the years, these have included yoga, Super Smash Bros Melee, camping, fantasy football, the Wim Hof method, and darts, to name a few.
Find Jim at https://myivyexperience.com/contact/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Marina Yalon, who has spent over 15 years in the education sector, propelled by the belief that all students have the ability to learn and deserve access to quality education! Over the years, she's helped build schools in Guatemala, measure student achievement in over a dozen countries, and worked with more than 1,000 students to help them achieve their goal scores on the SAT & ACT. She is a graduate of Rutgers and Georgetown Universities. Through more than 10,000 tutoring hours, logged in-person and virtually, in the US and abroad, she's developed effective methodologies to beat these tests and help students achieve their goals. In addition to helping with test prep, Marina also has a proven track record of helping students develop robust math skills, increase their math academic performance, and develop math (and life!) confidence. She likes to say that she helps her students see that math (and other challenges) are all figure-out-able!
Find Marina at https://www.learnwithmyprep.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alex Robayo, whose background in advanced Physics gave him the tools to break down complex concepts into simple teenage language. Originally working in Bell Labs on fiber-optic transmissions, he transitioned into education after the tech bubble burst of the early 2000s. There he found his true calling. While helping scores of students in extra help sessions, Alex was offered his first tutoring gig. The rest is history!
Over the past years, Alex has helped countless students improve their study habits, comprehension, and test-taking skills. As a result, these students have earned better test scores, grades, and have grown in self-esteem and confidence. He currently teaches AP Physics and runs Success Prep llc in the afternoons. His tutoring meat and potatoes are the SAT and ACTs but also specializes in math, physics, and chemistry.
Find Alex at http://www.success-prep.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Susan Powers, the founder and CEO of Woodlands Test Prep, a tutoring company based in the Houston area that improves students’ scores, supports students’ academic success, and helps families navigate the college admissions testing process with much less stress.
Susan started teaching SAT and GMAT classes for Kaplan in 1994 as a hobby while an executive for a large oil and gas equipment company, doing strategy and acquisitions. The arrival of children put hobbies on hiatus, and she was able to return to tutoring in 2011, founding Woodlands Test Prep. The company has grown from a solopreneur to a larger company with multiple tutors. Susan delights in all aspects of the business from tutoring to curriculum and resource development to process improvement to hiring those few rare gems and teaching them how to help students too!
Susan was a National Merit Scholar and has a B.A. in French and a B.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, focusing in entrepreneurship.
She lives in the country with her partner, Joe, and three dogs, a cat, and a parrot named Monkey. Her two children now live adventurous lives in the mountainous West. She loves to travel around the world, play day-long board games, sing, write poetry, garden, and read a couple of books at a time.
Find Susan at www.woodlandstestprep.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The various versions of high school admissions tests may be even more confusing than those for college or graduate school. For the first in a series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Christine Carroll to explain the role and structure of the High School Placement Test (HSPT).
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Who takes the High School Placement Test (HSPT)?
- What kind of high schools use the HSPT, and how do they use it?
- What is tested on the HSPT?
- What kind of students will do well on the HSPT?
- How does the HSPT differ from other admissions tests?
MEET OUR GUEST
Christine Carroll, the owner and lead instructor at Tutoring By Christine, has been teaching for over 25 years. She started her teaching career in Catholic School, which is where she began preparing students for the TACHS and SAT standardized exams.
Christine moved onto teaching at a private high school and then as a public school teacher. She designed and implemented the SHSAT prep program at her public middle school. She has also written curricula for the science department at her middle school, where she sits on the School Leadership Team. She is the recipient of the 2012 Senator Lanza Teacher of the Year Award.
Christine is a lead teacher at the Staten Island Zoo for the prestigious NYC Urban Advantage program. She has also worked as an adjunct professor for a local college for 6 years teaching science and education classes. She is a member of the National Science Teachers Association and the Learning Disabilities Association of America as well as the National Test Prep Association. Christine has been trained in the Orton-Gillingham methodology.
She has always maintained ties with both the private and public communities. Christine contributes to her community by volunteering at various venues on Staten Island, most notably she leads an annual backpack drive for homeless students.
Find Christine at christine@tutoringbychristine.com.
LINKS
STS - HSPT Parent's Page
What Is The HSPT?
RELATED EPISODES
WHY SELECTIVE SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS MATTER
WHY TESTING STANDARDS MATTER
HOW TESTS DRIVE LEARNING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Most parents and educators seek to become the wind filling their children’s proverbial sails, but unwittingly become hurricanes driving them way off course. Amy and Mike invited authors William Stixrud, Ph.D. and Ned Johnson to share insights into helping teens find motivation and insight.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why do adults nag teens, and what should they be doing instead?
- How true is the claim that many parents don't care about what their kids do so long as they always do their best?
- What does it mean to be a non-anxious consultant?
- Why are sleep and technology such hot button issues to address with teens?
- How important is modeling the right behaviors when parenting teens?
MEET OUR GUESTS
William Stixrud, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist and a faculty member at Children’s National Medical Center and George Washington University Medical School. Bill writes and lectures widely on the adolescent brain, meditation, and the effects of stress, sleep deprivation, and technology overload on the brain. He is on the advisory board of the David Lynch Foundation, and he plays in a rock band, Close Enough.
Ned Johnson is the founder of PrepMatters and the coauthor of Conquering the SAT: How Parents Can Help Teens Overcome the Pressure and Succeed. Ned also hosts the PrepTalks podcast. A sought-after speaker and teen coach for study skills, parent-teen dynamics, and anxiety management, his work has been featured on NPR, NewsHour, U.S. News & World Report, Time, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.
Bill and Ned are leading voices in parenting and child psychology and the bestselling authors of The Self-Driven Child, which Ned discussed on Tests and the Rest in episode #80 concerning Creating a Homeschool Plan During a Crisis.
Bill and Ned’s newest book is WHAT DO YOU SAY? How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home.
Find Bill and Ned at selfdrivenchild.com.
LINKS
WHAT DO YOU SAY? How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home
The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives
RELATED EPISODES
ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS
BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
When Kant asserted that experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play, he might have been talking about education. Amy and Mike invited educator Jonathan Arak to explore the value of experience in teachers.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is experience really that important in a teacher?
- In what ways does experience or the lack thereof show itself in teaching?
- What kind of experience should aspiring teachers seek out?
- What is the best way to assess whether a teacher has the right kind of experience?
- Can too much experience ever be a trap for teachers?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jonathan Arak has spent over 30 years prepping thousands of students as a tutor of standardized tests and admissions counselor for 10 to 60-year-olds. He has also trained hundreds of teachers around the country and Canada for the SAT, ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, GMAT, GRE, and LSAT. He is regarded as an expert in the high school admissions process for the top private and top public high schools in New York City.
Jonathan has delivered workshops on students who receive special accommodations, and how to work with them. He has been a contributing author to GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and SAT materials, and his previous experience includes being National Content Director for Pre-high school programs, developing content for the ISEE, SSAT, and SHSAT. He authored Cracking the Specialized High School Admissions Test (Random House) and is one of the only tutors for the Hunter College High Exam who has proctored the actual test.
Jonathan taught ACT/SAT courses for The Opportunity Network, Minds Matter, and The TEAK Foundation during its formative years. He was an intern in the admissions office while attending Oberlin College, and for the last 30 years has continued to work with the admissions staff. His opinions have appeared in Christian Science Monitor, Toronto Globe and Mail, New York Magazine, The New York Observer, New York Post, and The Duke Chronicle.
Find Jonathan at jonathanarak@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
LINKS
Amateur and Professional Educators
How to Assess Tutors and Test Prep Providers
RELATED EPISODES
THE 4 P’S OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
CLARITY IN EDUCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
ESSENTIALS OF CLIENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The college experience is influenced not only by choice of major but by when that major is chosen. Amy and Mike invited educator Lisa Marker-Robbins to provide strategies for selecting a college major.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are students told that “undecided” is okay and to experiment in college?
- What does “on time” mean in terms of college majors?
- Which majors tend to be most restrictive or hardest to finish in four years for students who don’t start as freshmen?
- What majors provide the most opportunities for potential pivots.
- How can students avoid limiting their major options?
MEET OUR GUEST
Lisa Marker Robbins is an entrepreneur in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her passion and purpose throughout her career has been to serve high school students and young adults on launching into their future. With that greater purpose, she has been a classroom teacher, 23 years ago started her company LEAP, a test prep, tutoring and independent college counseling organization that has helped thousands, and in 2021 has started her new brand Flourish Coaching to guide students and young adults through her 5 part framework towards getting career clarity for what comes after graduation.
Lisa first appeared on episode #119 to discuss how HOW TEST PREP PROS AND FINANCIAL PLANNERS CAN WORK TOGETHER.
Find Lisa at https://flourishcoachingco.com/ or the Launch: Creating Career Clarity for Teens and Young Adults Facebook group.
LINKS
What’s the Return on a College Investment?
How to Use Personality Assessments for College Major – Career Coaching
RELATED EPISODES
DO COLLEGE MAJORS MATTER?
PATHWAY PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
FINISHING A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE ON TIME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
When a highly selective school receives ten or more times as many applications as available seats, the applicant pool seems like an anonymous, homogenous horde. How can any single student hope to stand out from the crowd? Amy and Mike invited admissions consultant Aviva Legatt to explain how--and why--to build relationships with colleges.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How is building relationships for college different from showing "demonstrated interest"?
- How should students create a list of college representatives to connect with?
- What are the nuts and bolts of forming a connection?
- What are effective strategies for following up and staying in touch?
- How important is proximity in the relationship-building process?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Aviva Legatt is the admissions expert and founder of Ivy Insight, the gold standard in college admissions consulting for undergraduate college applications. An in-demand leadership and college admissions speaker with a fresh perspective, Aviva has been hailed by the New York Times as a trustworthy expert on college admissions, and recognized as an expert in corporate culture and diversity as a faculty member for Coursera and the University of Pennsylvania.
Aviva is the recent author of Get Real and Get In: How to Get into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic Self.
Find Aviva at http://www.ivyinsight.com/ or on LinkedIn.
LINKS
Get Real and Get In: How to Get into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic Self
RELATED EPISODES
DEMONSTRATING INTEREST DURING VIRTUAL COLLEGE TOURS
ADMISSIONS INSIGHTS FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES
PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
A calculator on a high stakes test fits the classic definition of a double-edged sword: formidable in the hands of an expert but a liability for those who don’t know how to use it. Amy and Mike invited educators Vinny Madera and Tony Miglio to outline the essential facts of calculator usage on the SAT and ACT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is a calculator really necessary on the SAT and ACT?
- What are the best calculators to use on the tests?
- On which test is the calculator more important?
- How do tests penalize poor calculator use?
- Should test-takers download useful programs into their calculators in advance?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Vinny Madera is the guy who shapes Test Prep Wizards and helps the team determine the most effective and efficient ways to get the results students need. Tutoring in some capacity since college, Vinny decided in 2007 to become a full-time tutor and works directly with over 800 students per year through his classes and individual students. Aiding numerous school districts, private institutions, and tutoring companies, Vinny has developed all Test Prep Wizards’ reporting software and has written the company’s SAT and ACT manuals, which have been licensed by many school districts as an efficient, low-cost means of helping their students.
Vinny is a huge nerd fan of data and statistics, moonlighting as a math enthusiast at Fairfield University where he teaches a variety of math courses and freshman experience workshops. He brings this love of numbers and trends to Test Prep Wizards in the form of its state-of-the-art analysis programming. Vinny is the author of Demystifying the Calculator: A Guide to Using the TI-84 PLUS CE on the ACT and first appeared on the podcast on episode #141 to discuss Tracking Test Score Data.
Tony Miglio is the owner of NKY Tutoring and is a nationally sought-after test prep expert, specializing in the math section of the ACT Test. He has worked with students both locally in the Greater Cincinnati area, but also students throughout the US and Europe. He works with students in person, and virtually; in groups, and 1-1, and is able to help build a rapport with each of his students to help students grow in confidence, along with growing their ACT Scores.
Tony is a former teacher, and he has been an ACT tutor for more than 15 years, with the last 10 years specializing in helping students conquer and raise their Math ACT Scores. His specialty is customizing the mental approach for each student, based upon the score that they need to drive success on the test. Tony first appeared on the podcast on episode #48 to discuss How Test Prep And Sports Are Similar.
Find Tony at nkytutoring.com@gmail.com
Find Vinny at testprepwizards.com or vinny@testprepwizards.com.
LINKS
Live Online Calculator Class
Demystifying the Calculator: A Guide to Using the TI-84 PLUS CE on the ACT
Be Calculator Smart on Test Day
RELATED EPISODES
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT MATH
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS
HIGH IMPACT STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED IN MATH
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
While standardized testing and multiple-choice items tend to go hand in hand, there’s a whole world of innovative assessment options beyond the classic stem-key-distractor paradigm. Amy and Mike invited assessment expert Brian Moon to describe alternatives to multiple-choice.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why have multiple-choice questions become so prevalent in standardized assessments?
- What are the disadvantages of multiple choice?
- What are the best alternatives to multiple-choice questions?
- Why don’t more knowledge tests implement alternatives to multiple-choice?
- What upcoming innovations in assessments appear most promising?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brian Moon is founder and Chief Technology Officer for Perigean Technologies LLC and founder and President of Sero! Learning Assessments, Inc. He is widely recognized for his innovative applications of concept mapping, which are highlighted in the edited volume, Applied Concept Mapping: Capturing, Analyzing, and Organizing Knowledge and have led to the development of Sero!, a concept mapping based-learning assessment system. His consulting clients have included Fortune 500 companies and many US Federal Agencies.
Brian is also the co-host of the Beyond Multiple Choice Conference and Exhibition.
Find Brian at brian@serolearn.com.
LINKS
Beyond Multiple Choice – The future of assessment
The History of the Multiple-Choice Question
Anatomy of a Test Question – Chariot Learning
RELATED EPISODES
HOW TESTS DRIVE LEARNING
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE LEVELS ON THE SAT AND ACT
THE HISTORICAL MISSION OF THE SAT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
For many students, acceptance to college represents the last set of academic admissions hoops they’ll ever need to jump through. A whole new circus, however, awaits those hoping to earn advanced degrees. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Linda Abraham to offer practical strategies for getting ready for graduate school.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What should students who want to keep their grad program options open do during college?
- What should college students with graduate aspirations not do?
- When should students considering different grad programs take admissions tests?
- What should students looking at specific programs like law or medicine do in advance?
- Why is direct experience in an intended field so critical before applying to a graduate program?
MEET OUR GUEST
Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted and has over two decades of experience helping clients get admitted to top medical, law, business, and graduate schools. She is also the host of the top-rated Admissions Straight Talk podcast.
Linda began helping applicants develop successful admissions strategies and craft distinctive essays in 1994. In addition to advising clients and managing Accepted, she has written and presented extensively on admissions. She also was the co-founder and first president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants.
Accepted’s clients have been accepted to top professional schools throughout the country including, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, MIT, Darden, Stern, Michigan, Chicago, INSEAD, LBS, and Anderson Business Schools; Harvard, Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, Columbia, and Boalt Law Schools; and UCSF, UCLA, George Washington, Tulane, NYU, University of Wisconsin, and Tufts Medical Schools.
The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, Bloomberg Businessweek, US News, and CBS News are among the media outlets that have sought Linda’s expertise in admissions. Business insider in March named Linda one of “9 MBA consultants, coaches, and admissions experts to know if you want to get into a top business school”
Find Linda at https://www.accepted.com/.
LINKS
Accepted
Admissions Straight Talk
Accepted YouTube Channel
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT EVERY PRE-MED MAJOR SHOULD KNOW
GETTING INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL
GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
College applicants are often asked to demonstrate levels of interest that imply devotion, reverence, and unshakeable commitment. But do all schools reciprocate that respect? Amy and Mike invited IEC and author Kevin Martin to explore whether colleges care about their applicants.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why would someone think that elite colleges don’t care about applicants?
- How does the concept of holistic review increase uncertainty in admissions?
- What elements of a college application feel frivolous or unnecessary?
- What does virtue signaling mean in the context of college admissions?
- How might the application process be revised to add dignity and clarity?
MEET OUR GUEST
Kevin Martin graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas at Austin. After serving in UT-Austin’s Office of Admissions, where he reviewed and scored thousands of applications, he completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Malaysia and currently travels the world while helping students gain admission to top-50 universities through his business Tex Admissions.
Martin doesn't offer simple Admissions 101 “how-to to write a killer essay” advice or promise “six easy steps” for Ivy League acceptance. Instead, Surviving the College Admissions Madness is the first of its kind to integrate applicant psychology with the sociology and economics of higher education. Martin observes that a system of bad incentives in education and society wastes hundreds of millions of hours each admissions cycle. It produces profound suffering for tens of thousands of students each year. He writes for families and high school educators who want a deeper understanding of the truth.
Martin also provides helpful advice for avoiding application mistakes, building a reasonable college list, minimizing debt, identifying cognitive errors and distortions, and helping you reframe your college applications. Martin equips readers with the vocabulary, frameworks, and tools to make sense of America’s broken higher education system, starting with the admissions gatekeepers.
Find Kevin at kevin@admissionsmadness.com.
LINKS
Surviving the College Admissions Madness
Admissions Madness
RELATED EPISODES
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
SHAPING AN ADMISSIONS CLASS
PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Fraternities seem synonymous in the minds of most Americans with the classic college experience. But are the preconceived notions of these groups always positive or consistent with reality? Amy and Mike invited fraternity director Brian Bertges to enumerate the benefits of joining a fraternity.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the prevailing perceptions about fraternities?
- Why do most students join fraternities?
- How does being a part of a fraternity help with dealing with mental health issues and stresses?
- How do fraternity men compare to their non-Greek counterparts in areas such as GPA or retention?
- What should one consider when joining a fraternity at their respective campus?
MEET OUR GUEST
Learning from his Marine Corps veteran father to always take care of others, Brian made two vital decisions that should shape his life. He joined two fraternities: First Theta Delta Chi and Second the United States Army.
Brian recounts his story of joining with a pivotal moment. With walking pneumonia, he couldn’t walk and fraternities were inviting him to events. It was then that Michael Crust and other brothers took him to the hospital. Brian knew that he belonged with the Fraternity that took care of him when he needed it. However, due to financial concerns in the family, Brian joined the military.
After four years of honorable service, he fulfilled his promise to his brothers and came back. The leadership he learned in the military paid off as he served in multiple positions from president of the Sigma Triton Charge to President of the Interfraternity Council at the Pennsylvania State University. His undergraduate tenure culminated in the Charge winning Fraternity of the Year at Penn State, the Victory Cup for Theta Delta Chi, and Brian Greek Man of the Year at Penn State and Undergraduate of the Year for Theta Delta Chi. Brian then was selected to be a Corps Member for Teach for America, serving underprivileged kids in both New York City and the Washington, DC metro region.
Since graduating college, he has been actively involved in Theta Delta Chi International Fraternity, helping to write the curriculum for the Preamble Institute, the premier leadership conference for the Fraternity, served as a board member of the Theta Delta Chi Educational Foundation, and as the 65th President of the Governing and Visionary Board, The Grand Lodge.
Brian is currently the Executive Director of the Fraternity, helping to materialize many new innovations and programming, such as their 360 Evaluations, Veterans’ Scholarship, and many resources to help develop undergraduate members to be successful. He freely hands his number out to the undergraduate members accompanied by the same dad joke, “I’ll give you my number as long as you promise not to call me at 3:00 AM saying, “I got up for a glass of milk, what did you get up for?”
Brian has a Bachelor’s in Biobehavioral Health from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s degree in Public Management from the University of Maryland. He lives in Florida with his wonderful wife Mariví, and his two boys Caleb (8) and Jacob (5). He earnestly hopes his sons become Theta Delts, so he can share the bonds of brotherhood with them.
Find Brian at bbertges@tdx.org.
LINKS
Study: Grades of Greek-affiliated students suffer after joining fraternity, sorority
On Greeks and Academic Performance, National Data Tell Different Story
Mental Health Impacts of Fraternity and Sorority Affiliation
Theta Delta Chi's Resources
North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC)
RELATED EPISODES
DOES COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT MATTER MORE THAN SELECTIVITY?
WINNING THE GAME OF SCHOOL
COLLEGE DECLASSIFIED: WHAT HIGH SCHOOLERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Both College Board and ACT offer the opportunity to order copies of certain official test dates. Should students or teachers take advantage of this offer? Amy and Mike invited educator Haley Seeley to take a deep dive into ACT TIR and ACT QAS.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the ACT TIR and the SAT QAS?
- What is the difference between QAS and SAS?
- For which dates are the ACT TIR and SAT QAS available?
- How do you obtain a copy of your TIR and QAS?
- How should students and tutors use the TIR and QAS to prepare for future tests?
MEET OUR GUEST
Haley Seeley received her BS in Political Science from Eastern Michigan University and her MA in Higher Education & Student Affairs from Bowling Green State University. She has worked as a Test Preparation Specialist for Seeley Test Pros since 2015.
Haley began her career in higher education at Eastern Michigan University and has worked in multiple areas of college administration, including Admissions, Orientation, Student Activities, Leadership Programs, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Center for Multicultural Affairs, and Residence Life. During her time working with incoming and current college students, Haley discovered her passion for preparing students to enter university life. She understands the preparation necessary to do well on tests, as well as providing holistic support in the college application process. Haley prides herself on the scores she has earned on the ACT in recent years, earning consistent 36 composites.
Find Haley at seeleyhaley@gmail.com.
LINKS
The ABCs of the TIR & QAS: Ordering a Copy of your ACT or SAT
Verifying SAT Scores | SAT Suite of Assessments – The College Board
SAT Answer Verification Services Order Form
Request a Copy of Your Questions and Answers - Scores - The ACT Test
RELATED EPISODES
SAT & ACT TESTING TIMELINES
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Landing on the waitlist of your top-choice school can sometimes feel more agonizing than outright rejection. But, as Cicero assures us, while there's life, there's hope! Amy and Mike invited admissions counselor Carolyn Pippen to outline key steps for getting off the college waitlist.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How do colleges use the waitlist?
- How is deferral different from being placed on the waitlist?
- Why might a student be put on the waitlist?
- What should a student do if put on the waitlist?
- What is the best way to move on from a no or lack of response?
MEET OUR GUEST
Carolyn Pippen is a nonprofit founder and independent college counselor in Nashville, Tennessee. She has worked as a college admissions counselor at Vanderbilt University and as a high school teacher and counselor at multiple college prep charter high schools. Her organization Path to College Tennessee provides professional development and resources to school counselors and other college access professionals across the state.
You can find Carolyn at http://www.pathtocollegetn.org/.
LINKS
How to Get Admitted Off a College Waitlist
Inside Higher Ed's article on waitlist statistics in 2021
My students are getting deferred - what now?
RELATED EPISODES
SHAPING AN ADMISSIONS CLASS
ADMISSIONS INSIGHTS FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
We often frame college as a place young adults go to find themselves. Ironically, those teens who already have a strong sense of who they are and what they stand for are the ones with the most success in the admissions process. Amy and Mike invited educational consultants Beth and Greg Langston to describe the importance of helping teens find their values and purpose.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Is active self-discovery necessary for many teens?
- Why self-discovery is important for college admissions
- What process might students follow to gain clarity, confidence, and control about their values and purpose?
- What qualities should teens look for in trusted advisors?
- The power of being able to articulate values and purpose
MEET OUR GUESTS
Beth Langston graduated from Purdue University in Education and is an expert essay editor with a proven track record of helping students navigate the dreaded college applications essay process with tremendous success.
Greg Langston graduated from Purdue's Krannert School of Business and is an expert in building high-performance teams across 10 different industries. He has built and led businesses of over $1 billion and has worked in 65 countries.
Together, Beth and Greg blend unique professional perspectives and training with their roles as engaged parents, developing transformational self-discovery courses for high school students.
Find Beth and Greg at greg@collegeflightplan.com/.
LINKS
The Parents’ Starter Kit to Teen Self-Discovery
RELATED EPISODES
CREATING A PASSION PROJECT
DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP IN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
CRAFTING YOUR COLLEGE RESUME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
In theory, anyone can identify as a tutor. In practice, not just anyone can be an amazing tutor. Experience, training, passion, and many more factors make a difference. Amy and Mike invited educational coach Joanne Kaminski to explain why professionalism in tutors matters.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Should anyone who provides individual instruction be considered a professional tutor?
- What does lack of professionalism look like in a tutor?
- Why isn’t content knowledge enough?
- What are the signs of high levels of professionalism in a tutor?
- What is more powerful in a tutor: generalization or specialization?
MEET OUR GUEST
Joanne Kaminski is a former teacher with 10 years of experience turned professional online reading tutor and now founder at Online Tutor Business Coach, LLC. She helps tutors who are great teachers but don't know how to attract students learn how to market themselves so they can get the number of students they want to sustain their business goals. As a tutor that has walked this path, Joanne understands the challenges of starting and sustaining an online tutoring business and has created a step-by-step system to make it happen. She continues to serve over 16K tutors through her YouTube channel youtube.com/joannekaminski and a private Facebook group called the Ultimate Support Group for Online Tutors.
Find Joanne at www.onlinetutorcoach.com. Free offer for people that are interested in how to get students for online tutoring. 50 + ways to get Online Tutoring Students
LINKS
Ultimate Support Group for Online Tutors Facebook group
RELATED EPISODES
TUTOR SELF-CARE (Tests and the Rest Summit Panel)
THE 4 P’S OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL TEST PREP ASSOCIATION
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
A great book makes both teaching and learning easy. Such a shame that writing a great educational book is anything but easy! Amy and Mike invited educator and author George Rimakis to share the pros and cons of writing an educational book.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the right reasons to support an education enterprise with a book?
- How long does the writing process take from concept to publication?
- Is there an ideal way to publish?
- What practical benefits can an educator expect from a book?
- What do you wish you knew when you first dreamed of writing your book?
MEET OUR GUEST
George Rimakis was born and grew up in New Jersey, and he has been tutoring professionally since 2011. He attended Yale University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. After a stint as an analyst at a private hedge fund, George returned to teaching, working at one of the most successful prep centers in New Jersey. In 2017, George founded 1600.io with the mission of bringing world-class foundational education to students all over the world at the least possible cost. 1600.io's initial offering of online video explanations for all the released SATs has since grown into a wide-ranging educational ecosystem encompassing live and recorded instruction, diagnostic tools, interactive answer forms, reference resources, and, most recently, an SAT math book with companion videos. George lives in New Jersey and when he’s not helping students get smarter, he enjoys collecting, researching, and writing about vintage fountain pens.
Find George at https://1600.io/.
LINKS
The 1600.io SAT Math Orange Book
RELATED EPISODES
USING AND CREATING EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES
SELF-PREP FOR THE SAT & ACT
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Most of us understand at least intuitively how challenging the road to becoming a doctor is. Few realize, however, how hard just gaining admission to medical school can be. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Shirag Shemmassian to describe in detail the process of getting into medical school.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the different routes to becoming a physician in the US?
- How do medical school admissions differ from college admissions?
- How tough is the MCAT vs. the ACT or SAT?
- What makes a great medical school personal statement?
- What are some common med school admissions mistakes?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. is the founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions and college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school and top colleges using his systematic and proprietary approach.
Find Shirag at https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/.
LINKS
How to Get Into Medical School: The Ultimate Guide (2021)
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT EVERY PRE-MED MAJOR SHOULD KNOW
GETTING INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: GOOD VS. GREAT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Nobody doubts the efficiency of never putting off until tomorrow what you can do today. Why, then, is executing that strategy so difficult? Amy and Mike invited academic coach Maggie Wray to explain how to help teens fight procrastination.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the difference between functional and dysfunctional procrastination?
- When does procrastination become a problem?
- Why do so many students really procrastinate?
- What is the first step in stopping procrastination?
- What are ways to help students stop procrastinating?
MEET OUR GUEST
Maggie Wray, Ph.D. is a former SAT/ACT prep tutor with a Bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics from Princeton and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell. She founded Creating Positive Futures in 2012 to help students across the country learn how to earn better grades with less stress. Her team of dedicated Academic & ADHD Coaches is on a mission to empower their students to develop the mindset, organization, time management, and study skills they need to achieve their goals. In addition to running her coaching practice, Dr. Wray also enjoys giving seminars and presentations to middle and high schools on topics related to students’ mindset, motivation, study strategies, and executive functioning skills.
Find Maggie at https://creatingpositivefutures.com/.
LINKS
12 reasons why students procrastinate and what you can do about them
How to Prioritize When Everything Feels Important
RELATED EPISODES
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS AND TEST PREP
HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Every day, people watch over a billion hours of video on YouTube. Is it possible to make just a little bit of that time educational?! Amy and Mike invited educator Brooke Hanson to take us behind the scenes of test prep YouTube.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What does it take to build a YouTube Channel?
- Why should you both listen to and speak with your audience?
- How do you crack the YouTube algorithm and get subscribers?
- In what ways is the format of YouTube at odds with the goals of educational content?
- What value comes from building a YouTube channel?
MEET OUR GUEST
Brooke Hanson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and Kansas City, graduated from Stanford University with honors, and holds an MFA in Cinematic Arts Production from the University of Southern California. After spending over a decade juggling a career in Hollywood with her tutoring and test prep work, Brooke founded Supertutor Media to make college admissions and test prep more accessible and engaging. Her YouTube channel SupertutorTV now boasts over 20 million views and 230K subscribers. She’s been featured on CNN, US News and World Report, Teen Vogue, and Yahoo! Finance. Brooke has also written two ACT® math books and developed comprehensive online video-based prep courses for both the SAT and ACT.
Find Brooke at supertutortv.com or subscribe to her YouTube (youtube.com/supertutortv).
LINKS
The Best ACT Math Books Ever by Brooke Hanson
RELATED EPISODES
TEST PREP TIKTOK
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF ONLINE TEST PREP
CREATING AND USING EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
While there are over 3,000 four-year colleges and universities in the United States, most conversation about higher education focuses on 5% of them at most. No wonder these name-brand schools have become tougher than ever to get into. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Aly Beaumont to discuss preparation for highly selective college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What happened to the Class of 2025 and what do we anticipate for the Class of 2026?
- Did submitting test scores help or hurt the chances of admission at highly selective schools?
- Does applying early really make a difference?
- How much does full-pay or full-need matter to highly selective colleges?
- Why is a diversified college list so important?
MEET OUR GUEST
Aly is the founder of Admissions Village, a family-focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz, and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is an Associate Member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Find Aly at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
LINKS
Considerations for Admissions to Highly Selective Colleges
RELATED EPISODES
ADMISSIONS INSIGHTS FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE SUBMITTING THAT COLLEGE APPLICATION
TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Tests like the SAT and ACT are almost universally reviled by those who deem the tests not only worthless and self-referential but also key agents in educational inequality. But does the evidence actually support those bold claims? Amy and Mike invited author and academic Freddie deBoer to dispel five myths about standardized tests.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Aren’t admissions exams just wealth tests?
- Can superior test scores be bought?
- Do SAT and ACT scores really predict college success?
- Is it true that the SATs only tell you how well a student takes the SAT.
- Is it true that test-optional policies increase racial diversity at colleges?
MEET OUR GUEST
Freddie deBoer is a writer and academic. He is the author of the book The Cult of Smart. He lives in Brooklyn.
Find Freddie at https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/.
LINKS
You Aren't Actually Mad at the SATs
RELATED EPISODES
WHY GRADE INFLATION IS HARMFUL
HOW SAT AND ACT SCORES HIGHLIGHT EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY
DO TEST-OPTIONAL POLICIES DRIVE EQUITY?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Sheri Elmore is the Vice President of LEAP. Growing up in Cincinnati, graduating from Sycamore High School then Miami University, teaching high school mathematics for 12 years, and earning a master’s degree in educational administration from Wright State University, all paved the way for Sheri to be an integral leader at LEAP.
Sheri started with LEAP as a tutor in the early years of the company. She has added additional responsibilities over the years. In 2009, Sheri was elevated to Vice President of LEAP and serves as LEAP’s ACT-SAT Director. Sheri works closely with families to put together highly individualized testing timelines and prep plans for students to reach full testing potential.
Most days Sheri is found engaging with clients by phone, email, and in-person presenting for LEAP and at local schools.
Sheri and her husband, Bill, reside in Lewis Center north of Columbus where their three boys attend school and are active in a variety of extracurricular activities. Her oldest son is now in college.
Find Sheri at info@leaprogram.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Vince Kotchian, who grew up in small-town Connecticut and completed the honors program at Boston College, graduating with a B.A. in English Literature. Vince moved to San Diego in 2007 and has been working full-time as a test-prep tutor ever since. Vince has scored a perfect 170 in verbal (twice) and a 167 in quant on the GRE. He is the founder of both Vince Kotchian Test Prep and GRE Verbal Precision.
Over the years, Vince has written some test-prep books and courses, but still enjoys GRE tutoring: “When a student texts me that she aced the test or got into her reach program, I still literally jump up and down and grin.”
In his spare time, Vince likes traveling using miles and points (Japan is his favorite country to visit), reading (favorite authors include Haruki Murakami, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and Philip Pullman), watching The Great British Bake-Off (and sometimes actually baking things), hiking and camping, and rooting for the Red Sox and Patriots.
Vince first appeared on the podcast on episode #197 to talk All About The GRE.
Find Vince at Vince Kotchian Test Prep.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Robin Satty, Ph.D., a graduate of Brown University with an Sc.B and Sc.M in Biology. Robin began her career in test prep in 2010 at Revolution Prep and began teaching science full time in 2011. Since then, she has taught Biology, Chemistry, and General Science at the middle school and high school levels, while tutoring for the SAT and ACT in the evenings. Since earning an Ed.D in STEM Education from the University of Pittsburgh, she has stepped back from full-time teaching to focus on curriculum, consulting, and tutoring.
Robin is a certified teacher in three states and several subjects. She has contributed to several books on test prep and is currently working on an ACT Science workbook. She has developed NGSS- and CCSS-aligned STEM curriculum and consulted on STEM programs across the US. Robin's strengths lie in efficiently collecting data to determine the highest-leverage ways to help individuals and programs reach their goals, including higher grades and scores for an individual, improved learning in a school, or better teacher satisfaction and retention in a district.
Find Robin at https://stemsmartconsulting.com or robin@stemsmartconsulting.com.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Alexis Avila, the founder of Prepped and Polished tutoring and test preparation in 1999. Headquartered in South Natick, the company helps elementary, secondary, college-level and adult students improve their grades and test scores and has served thousands of students across the globe. Through his 20+ years in business, Avila has been an innovator within the tutoring industry, creating over 300 free math, English, and test prep resources through his YouTube channel and podcast. The podcast is also a resource to help families deal with stress, make the most of time during quarantine, and demystify the college admissions process.
Alexis’s commitment to community extends beyond his company. He’s a member of the Wellesley Chamber of Commerce board of directors, was one of five finalists for Big Brother of the Year through Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America, and is involved with Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Mass Mentoring and Community Servings. He was recently honored as one of the 50 most influential business people of color by Newton Needham Regional Chamber.
Find Alexis at http://www.preppedandpolished.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
Meet Laura Link, the founder of Link Private Tutoring. Laura is passionate about meeting every student where they are so they can access opportunities that fulfill their dreams. As a sought-after test prep expert, Laura has traveled the United States training teachers how to help students raise their ACT and SAT scores.
Now, she is both a full-time ACT Prep teacher in a Louisiana public school as well as an active tutor helping students earn the scores they deserve so they can get into the schools they dream of. Laura has also created the online course The Link Method to ACEing the ACT.
Laura is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association.
Find Laura at www.Facebook.com/linkprivatetutoring.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Tutors may be part of the educational ecosystem of any district, state, or country, but they tend to be forgotten when celebrations roll around. Don’t tutors deserve better? Amy and Mike invited educators Julia Silver and Ludo Millar to announce the inaugural World Tutors' Day.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is World Tutors' Day?
- Why do we need a World Tutors' Day?
- How will World Tutors' Day provide a mechanism to express gratitude to tutors?
- What is the Love Tutoring Festival, and how will Amy and Mike be involved?
- How much of the Love Tutoring Festival events will be free to all attendees?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Julia Silver BA, QTS, NPQH is passionate about unlocking learning. Julia launched Qualified Tutor to enable tutors to improve outcomes for all our students. Julia is Senior Leader in a primary school in London, has been tutoring for fifteen years and has children ranging in age from 4 to 14.
Julia first appeared on the podcast on episode #170 to share The 4 P’s of Student Engagement.
Ludo Millar has been involved in tutoring for almost 10 years now, first working as a tutor for primary school children in his local area in 2014. Since then, after graduating from university, he's helped develop Qualified Tutor into what it is today: a wide and welcoming tutoring community, training provider and quality mark for tutors all around the world. With a background in languages, Ludo spent a year working for a start-up in Paris in 2018, learning the ropes at a small but ambitious sports booking company - it is this entrepreneurial attitude that has helped him grow QT from its earliest days in September 2019. Now, as Love Tutoring Festival Director, he's ready to raise the profile of tutoring to another level
Find Julia and Ludo at https://qualifiedtutor.org/.
LINKS
World Tutors' Day
Love Tutoring Festival (Use the code FestTestsAndTheRest for a 10% discount)
Qualified Tutor
RELATED EPISODES
TUTOR SELF-CARE
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL TEST PREP ASSOCIATION
LEGAL ISSUES FOR EDUCATIONAL ENTERPRISES (PART 1)
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
In an era when every other aspect of education has integrated at least some digital component, can we really expect standardized tests to stay the same as they have since the mid-20th century? Amy and Mike invited researcher Benjamin Backes to compare paper- and computer-based testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Why are so many tests being moved to digital platforms?
- In what meaningful ways are traditional paper- and computer-based tests different?
- Do students score equally well on both platforms?
- What testing challenges are exacerbated by computer-based testing?
- How does computer-based testing impact English-language learners?
MEET OUR GUEST
Benjamin Backes is a senior researcher at the American Institute for Research, where he has been since finishing graduate school in 2012. His training was in economics and he conducts education policy research using large-scale student-level administrative data from states and school districts. His interest in this topic grew out of a research partnership with the department of elementary and secondary education in Massachusetts, where they were interested in the impacts of changing standards and assessments on measured student performance.
Find Ben at bbackes@air.org.
LINKS
Is the pen mightier than the keyboard? The effect of online testing on measured student achievement
Is Online a Better Baseline? Comparing the Predictive Validity of Computer- and Paper-Based Tests
Pencils Down? Computerized Testing and Student Achievement
RELATED EPISODES
ACT SUPERSCORING AND SECTION RETESTING
HOW DOES REMOTE PROCTORING ACTUALLY WORK?
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF TESTING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The SAT and ACT test a plethora of math, reading, and writing skills drawn from the full extent of a K-11 academic career. Considering the breadth of expertise required, are there certain areas students should go deep? Amy and Mike invited educator Jennifer Winward to identify high-priority SAT and ACT topics?
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What can be learned from analyzing official released SAT and ACT exams?
- What are the most important grammar and writing rules to learn for the tests?
- Which reading skills mean the most on the tests?
- What are the highest priority math content and skills to learn for the tests?
- What other essential insights has analysis of official exams revealed?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Jennifer Winward earned her Ph.D. with a dual emphasis in Neuroscience and Developmental Neuropsychology from University of California, San Diego. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude (top 1%) with highest distinction honors. She is a distinguished teaching professor at UCSD, renowned 20-year veteran of high school tutoring, and the founder and CEO of Winward Academy.
Jennifer has been widely recognized for her academic success, published research, and service efforts with awards from the President of the United States, the California State Assembly, Rotary International, the Marin County School Administrator Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Science Foundation.
She has been honored as San Diego’s most influential education leader, as Top 40 Under 40 in San Diego, as Top 35 Under 35 nationally, and as a Top 5 Female Entrepreneur in IT. She was featured in Forbes to provide the top tips for success in college applications and in Entrepreneur as a prominent leader in U.S. education. She was also selected as a Top 20 Most Dynamic CEO of 2020 for the unparalleled support she and Winward Academy have provided to families during school closures.
Find Jennifer at help@winwardacademy.com.
LINKS
How To Solve It: Math Problem Solving Strategies
How Much Science Does ACT Science Require?
RELATED EPISODES
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT GRAMMAR
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT MATH
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT READING
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
When you hear “resume,” you probably think (perhaps with a shudder) of applying for a job. But since a document like this serves as a succinct summary of someone’s experience, educational background, and special skills, it also makes a surprising difference when applying to a school. Amy and Mike invited college counseling expert Judi Robinovitz to detail the process of crafting a college resume.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How important is it for a high school student to create a resume for college admissions?
- What should a college resume look like both digitally and physically?
- How do verbs like initiate, lead, collaborate, and solve matter on your resume?
- What can students do to build a resume under unusual circumstances?
- How does building a high school resume help students later?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Judi Robinovitz is a Certified Educational Planner with more than thirty-five years of experience in college counseling and school placements. She is the author of numerous articles, books, and software products on educational planning and test preparation. Judi has been a featured speaker at national educational conferences, schools, and places of worship.
To keep pace with current educational trends, Judi continually travels across the country to visit dozens of college and boarding school campuses every year. She has acquired vast knowledge of the admissions process as well as the requirements and specialties of hundreds of educational institutions. Since 1980, she and her team have successfully guided more than 8,000 students – from those at the very top of their class to students experiencing significant academic struggles – and their families through the planning and application process for private school, college, and graduate school. Judi specializes in guiding students applying to prestigious double-degree BS-MD programs and the nation’s most selective universities as well as colleges that best serve mid-range students and those with learning disabilities.
During her 23-year tenure at Educational Testing Service, Judi served as technical liaison to the College Board. She designed and led the programming team to implement the College Board’s first SAT-prep software; she also wrote strategy chapters of their original SAT-prep books. Taking the SAT numerous times throughout her career, Judi has several perfect 800 scores on her record.
As a founding faculty member of two private schools in Boca Raton, Florida, Judi created their college guidance programs and served as Director of College Guidance to the first four graduating classes of each school. Judi founded Score At The Top Learning Centers & Schools in South Florida. Accredited by AdvancED and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the learning centers provide academic tutoring, SAT & ACT preparation, and courses for credit to over 1,000 students every year, both in person and via Skype. The accredited schools are home to more than 180 full-time students who thrive in intentionally small classes ranging in size from one to eight students.
Judi is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the Higher Education Consultants Association, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Secondary School Admissions Test Board, and the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Judi earned degrees in mathematics and computer science from the University of Connecticut and Rutgers University, both with highest honors. Her professional life has been devoted to helping students achieve academic success.
Judi first appeared on our podcast in episode 139 to discuss Building an A+ Extracurricular Resume.
Find Judi at judi@scoreatthetop.com
LINKS
Should I Upload a Résumé with my College Applications?
Present a Consistent Picture of Yourself in Your College Applications
RELATED EPISODES
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
CREATING A PASSION PROJECT
DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP IN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
While the College Board and ACT have become synonymous with the SAT and ACT respectively, the test makers strive to contribute much more than their flagship exams to the challenges of education, equity, and college and career readiness. Amy and Mike invited journalist Jon Marcus to explore all the ways College Board and ACT are changing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are some little-known but substantial aspects of the test makers’ business models?
- What are the College Board and ACT doing to diversify?
- How successful have these organizations been in pivoting from their flagship exams?
- What threats and challenges do the test makers face?
- Are the SAT & ACT going away any time soon?
MEET OUR GUEST
Jon Marcus is a higher-education editor at The Hechinger Report and also writes for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired, NPR, and other magazines, newspapers, and websites. Marcus holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Bates College, and attended Oxford University. He teaches journalism at Boston College and Northeastern University.
Find Jon at jmarcus@hechingerreport.org or on Twitter at @jonmarcusboston.
LINKS
A Test for the Test Makers
As admissions season descends, wealthier applicants again have the advantage
Desperate for students, colleges resort to previously banned recruiting tactics
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT COLLEGE BOARD AND ACT ARE DOING RIGHT
KEEPING STUDENT DATA PRIVATE
THE HISTORICAL MISSION OF THE SAT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Traditional schooling challenges even the most diligent learners, let alone those with attention deficit or hyperactivity. Luckily, there are a host of practical skills and strategies students can learn to make schooling more productive and successful. Amy and Mike invited academic coach Wendy Weinberger to explain the connections between executive function and ADHD.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What makes executive function skills so essential for teens and young adults?
- What particular executive function challenges does ADHD cause?
- Which executive function skills help students with ADHD learn more effectively?
- How can students with ADHD develop these skills?
- How do routines and automaticity support efficient use of time and energy?
MEET OUR GUEST
Wendy Weinberger is the President & Co-Founder of Illuminos Academic Coaching & Tutoring, a passion project born from her experiences growing up with numerous family members with ADHD. When a child close to her received the same diagnosis, she not only worked hard to help him overcome the many challenges, but decided to bring her cousin Evan’s academic coaching business to the DC area to help students in her community with similar struggles. A lifelong supporter of children’s causes, Wendy has been a long-time advocate for the Children’s Hospital and has raised more than $550,000 for the facility.
Wendy holds a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, and a BS, cum laude, from the University of Maryland. Prior to founding Illuminos, she spent 25 years as an attorney, General Counsel, and COO of publicly traded companies gaining a broad range of experiences that she leverages today in managing Illuminos.
Find Wendy at https://www.illuminos.co/
LINKS
Understanding an ADHD Student
How to Get Organized
timetimer.com
RELATED EPISODES
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS
TEST PREP FOR STUDENTS WITH ACCOMMODATIONS
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FOR TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs both set the standard for academic rigor in high school. But is one of them clearly better than the other? Amy and Mike invited educators Garry and Christy Shriver to analyze the choice between AP and IB programs.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What are the benefits of the Advanced Placement (AB) program?
- What are the benefits of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program?
- In what ways are the AP and IB programs superior to each other?
- Which program do US colleges seem to respect more?
- What role and forms do testing play in both programs?
MEET OUR GUESTS
Garry and Christy Shriver are educators from Memphis, TN. Currently, they produce the How to Love Lit Podcast, a tool to support IB and AP students in preparation for their exams. They both have been teaching both AP and IB in public and private schools in the Memphis area for the last 20 years.
Christy graduated from the Escola Americana de Belo Horizonte as an IB student and has lived much of her life internationally, primarily in the country of Brazil. Although she is a strong advocate of the IB program, she is currently an AP Language teacher and AP reader.
Garry is a consultant for the College Board in AP psychology, serving as a question writer and member of the rubric team. Garry is a strong advocate of the AP program.
Find Garry and Christy at https://www.howtolovelitpodcast.com/.
LINKS
International Baccalaureate Website
Advanced Placement Program
IB vs. AP vs. AICE programs
RELATED EPISODES
TO IB OR NOT TO IB
HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Optimal performance in sports requires careful attention to nutrition. Why should optimal performance on grueling tests be any different? Amy and Mike invited dietitian nutritionist Hannah Byrne to recommend what to eat and not eat for test day.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What dietary considerations are important in the weeks leading up to a big test?
- What should test takers eat on the morning of a big test?
- How can diet and nutrition help test takers to excel?
- What snacks should test takers either add or avoid?
- Is caffeine a good or bad idea on test day?
MEET OUR GUEST
Hannah Byrne is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics with a specialization in Health Promotion at Michigan State University and her Master of Science in Dietetics at D'Youville College.
Hannah is the owner of Hannah Byrne Nutrition, where she meets with clients individually to counsel them on medical nutrition therapy. The goal of her practice is to help clients achieve their health and wellness goals while also realizing that eating healthy is not only optimal for living their best life, but also can be really simple and fun.
Find Hannah at https://www.hannahbyrnenutrition.com/.
LINKS
Ask the NTPA Experts: What to Eat on Test Day?
Brain Food: Go Nuts for High Scores
Build Your Willpower to Improve Your Scores
RELATED EPISODES
HELPING TEENS GET THE SLEEP THEY NEED
USING MINDFULNESS FOR TEST AND SCHOOL SUCCESS
HOW TEST PREP AND SPORTS ARE SIMILAR
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
The end of college doesn’t necessarily mean the end of testing, as anyone who aspires to business, law, or graduate school knows well. Amy and Mike invited educator Vince Kotchian to speak in-depth about the GRE.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the GRE?
- What kinds of schools or programs use the GRE for admissions?
- When should students prepare for and take the GRE?
- How does the GRE resemble and differ from the SAT or ACT?
- What should test takers know about the computer-based format of the GRE?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vince Kotchian grew up in small-town Connecticut and completed the honors program at Boston College, graduating with a B.A. in English Literature. He moved to San Diego in 2007 and has been working full-time as a test-prep tutor ever since. Vince has scored a perfect 170 in verbal (twice) and a 167 in quant on the GRE. He is the founder of both Vince Kotchian Test Prep and GRE Verbal Precision.
Over the years, Vince has written some test-prep books and courses, but still enjoys GRE tutoring: “When a student texts me that she aced the test or got into her reach program, I still literally jump up and down and grin.”
In his spare time, Vince likes traveling using miles and points (Japan is his favorite country to visit), reading (favorite authors include Haruki Murakami, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and Philip Pullman), watching The Great British Bake-Off (and sometimes actually baking things), hiking and camping, and rooting for the Red Sox and Patriots.
Find Vince at Vince Kotchian Test Prep.
LINKS
About the GRE General Test
RELATED EPISODES
THE INNER GAME OF TESTING
GETTING INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL
THE ROAD TO A PERFECT SCORE
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Too many students believe that the process of putting together highly selective college applications should be a joyless grind. Why not follow your bliss to the school of your choice? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Julie Kim to share her passion for Passion Projects.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- How has the extracurricular landscape changed in admissions over the last decade?
- Why don't traditional methods ensure that students get accepted into colleges?
- How can students create their own stand-out factor, even without any "unique" qualities?
- What important questions do properly conceived Passion Projects answer about a student?
- Do Passion Projects need to be directly linked to stated major or career aspirations?
MEET OUR GUEST
Immigrating from Korea in her youth, Julie Kim is a graduate of USC and Harvard (Ed.M). She founded Julie Kim Consulting after years of working in larger consulting firms, hoping to establish a new way of approaching college admissions. Julie offers a unique perspective as the first in her family to navigate the American college admissions process, and works with students of similar backgrounds to develop their own stand-out factor among thousands of other Ivy League applicants.
Julie is the host of the "Demystifying College Admissions" podcast and the "Conquer College Admissions" YouTube channel.
Find Julie at https://juliekimconsulting.com/masterclass.
LINKS
4 Steps for Creating Your Passion Project
RELATED EPISODES
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
COLLEGE DECLASSIFIED: WHAT HIGH SCHOOLERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL
THE MAKING CARING COMMON PROJECT
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shane Bybee of Bybee College Prep has spent over half his life teaching. Along the way, he has worked with thousands of different students teaching everything from remedial 7th grade English/Language Arts to Dual Credit English IV and AP Language and Composition and even remedial Algebra I. Every year, no matter the subject he taught, his students outperformed the campus average on standardized tests. He has written curriculum, presented topics at the state convention for English teachers, and created professional development sessions for colleagues and school districts.
While earning a masters degree in Educational Leadership and getting certified as an administrator, he started Bybee College Prep. He did research into how schools could help more students achieve National Merit recognition. His research grew into a tutorial service that has helped dozens of students reach National Merit Semifinalist status.
As an educator, he is certified to teach Gifted and Talented students and has completed courses for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. He has also served on test item review committees multiple times for the companies that write standardized tests and helped write online curriculum used by major test preparation companies. He understands what goes into crafting these tests.
Shane is also the co-founder of Parent University and host of the Let’s Talk College Podcast.
Find Shane at http://bybeecollegeprep.com/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.