PrepWell Podcast with Phil Black

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In this week's podcast, I discuss the college transfer portal. In particular, how the transfer portal is transforming college basketball.

If you have a child who aspires to play basketball in college (at any level), this is a must-listen. If your child plays other sports, it may not be quite as relevant, but it will raise your awareness as to what's happening out there.

No more high school recruiting?
A new "tweener" league emerging?
22-yr old freshmen?

Listen to this episode if you want to stay apprised of what's happening in college sports.

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I continue a game we played a few months ago called "More of this...less of that".

What are the college admissions issues that should be getting more attention versus some that should be getting less?

GPA vs ECAs
Academic programs vs campus amenities
Sports vs ECAs
School year vs summer
Volunteer work vs real job

Listen to this episode to make sure your priorities are pointing in the right direction.

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, we say goodbye to the Class of 2024 and usher in the new Class of 2028.

Learn what each new "year group" should focus on this summer:

freshman (get a head start)
sophomore (lock-in last year's gains)
junior (prepare for battle)
senior (front-load application work)

Also, a big announcement about PrepWell Academy's new sister school...

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I describe why Roman turned down his dream school (USC) for a more practical approach to college (community college to UC Irvine).

If you've been wondering whether there are options beyond going to the most prestigious (and expensive) college that your child gets admitted to, listen to this episode.

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I argue that despite these challenges...

switch to test-optional policies
de-emphasis on writing
violent protests on campuses
elevation of DEI above merit
rise of radical antisemitism
increase in made-up majors
employers turning off recruitment
incompetent school presidents
rampant plagiarism among top faculty
cancellation of graduation ceremonies
racial segregation of dorm rooms
students disowning their parents
$100K/year college bills

...we have reason to be hopeful.

Find out how I get there.

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I discuss a strange phenomenon that I witnessed a few weeks ago.

For context, I was asked to give a presentation on "college admissions-related" topics to a group of 30 teenage boys (ages 15-16) -- something I have done hundreds of times over the last 10 years.

To kick things off, I asked a series of anodine questions that I thought would ease us into a broader conversation about college, admissions, etc.

"How many of you have thought about college?"

"How many of you could name 10 colleges off the top of your head?"

"Has anyone thought about what they might want to study in college?"

Each question elicited the same response:

blank stares

Why were these questions met with such apparent indifference or apathy?

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I discuss whether it makes sense for your child to double-down on sports, or diversify into other areas of interest.

There will come a point in time when your child has to answer this fateful question:

"Am I committed to becoming a recruited college athlete or not?"

Listen to this week's episode to learn when this decision should be made, what happens if it's not, and what should they do if the answer is "no."

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I make a pitch for summer school.

All four of my sons took classes over the summer (for different reasons) and many motivated PrepWellers have done the same.

Listen to this week's episode to learn why summer school has become a "thing".

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Several years ago, I created a 1-page worksheet that laid out the 7 categories that determine how well a student will be prepared for the college admissions process. In this podcast, I walk through this worksheet and discuss how it reveals your child’s competitiveness.

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Last week, I emailed a link to my private calendar offering PrepWell families an opportunity to book a consulting session with me.

College admissions is so off the rails that I thought it might be nice to give families a chance to ask questions.

I was overwhelmed with the response.

With the craziness going on with college admissions these days, who could blame them?

In today's podcast, I share 3 insights that jumped out at me after 30 hours of conversations during Spring Break.

Listen to what all of these sessions had in common...

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I dive into this year's crazy admissions results. Take a look at the admit rates of a sampling of popular colleges:

Amherst 9%
Bowdoin 7%
Brown 5%
Colby 6%
Columbia 4%
Dartmouth 5%
and the list goes on...

What exactly is going on here?

Single-digit acceptance rates as far as the eyes can see.

I walk through an example of how an unhooked student has to compete against 10,000 similarly-credentialed students for just 300 spots at a popular college.

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts.

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Researching colleges at the right time and with the appropriate intensity is an important part of the college admission process. The sooner your child (and you) begin to follow a plan - the better. Especially for students with “specialty aspirations”. In this episode, I walk you through how, when, and why you should begin your research.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:
0:01:13 What is a specialty aspiration?
0:02:15 What if my child doesn’t care that much?
0:02:45 9th and 10th graders
0:04:55 Rising juniors
0:07:15 Rising seniors
0:11:20 How research becomes a force multiplier
0:14:45 The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be

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In today's episode, I review the new digital SAT.
If you are a parent, or a 9th, 10th, or 11th grader, this is a must-listen.
What are the big 4 changes, and how do you set yourself up for success?

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today's episode, I confront the cost of today's college education.

In fact, I highlight 14 distinct case studies of PrepWellers whom I have worked closely with.

Here's what they are paying for college every year:

Case Study #1: $100K/yr
Case Study #2: $80K/yr
Case Study #3: $77K/yr
Case Study #4: $70K/yr
Case Study #5: $60K/yr
Case Study #6: $50K/yr
Case Study #7: $45K/yr
Case Study #8: $40K/yr
Case Study #9: $20K/yr
Case Study #10: $2K/yr
Case Study #11: $2K/yr
Case Study #12: $1K/yr
Case Study #13: -$5K/yr (getting paid to attend college)
Case Study #14: -$5K/yr (getting paid to attend college)

Where will your child fit in this broad range of outcomes?

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

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In today's episode, I discuss Duke's recent announcement that they will no longer assign points to the college essay.

They used to grade essays using a point system (1 - 5). Strong essays received high scores. Weak essays received low scores.

Not anymore.

Students no longer get credit for using proper punctuation, grammar, spelling, syntax, diction, etc. None of that matters anymore.

What matters is the "story".

Why is Duke doing this?

How many other colleges will follow suit?

What does this mean for your child's application?

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In today's episode, I discuss how Dartmouth's recent decision to return to a test-required policy for the SAT/ACT has influenced other schools.

As I predicted last week, Yale has now returned to a test-required policy as well. They call their policy test-flexible.

Columbia has gone in the opposite direction and proudly announced that they are making their test-optional policy permanent.

Harvard and Cornell are kicking the can down the road for another year and keeping test-optional in place.

University of California schools still refuse to accept any test scores (test-blind).

What is going on here?

What does any of this mean?

What should my child do?

Listen to today's podcast to get some guidance.

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In today's episode, I discuss how to develop a compelling extracurricular activity in the final 6 months before college applications are due.

There are many juniors who wake up halfway through the year, and realize that their extracurricular activities list is pretty light.

It dawns on them that their applications are due in 6 months -- and they hit the panic button.

What can I do to be different, to stand out? Most of my activities are pretty generic and unorganized...

Listen to today's podcast to learn a way to take your ECA list to the next level.

If you're younger than a junior, learn how to use the same strategy over 18 - 24 months, instead of 4 - 6 months.

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One key insight I’ve learned after working with hundreds of families over the years, is that the particular “college" a student attends, isn’t nearly as important as the “skills" they learn during the college application process.

The process is more important than the prize.

Which begs the question, what are the critical skills that students need to learn to prepare for college - no matter where they go - Princeton or Passaic Polytech? And how can I help them learn these lessons?

In this episode, I walk through all 10 Life Skills and explain why they will play such a critical role in your child’s future.

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In today's episode, I discuss the implications of Dartmouth College's recent decision to reinstate the standardized test (SAT or ACT) requirement next year.

Translation...you will be required to submit an SAT or ACT score. Just like the old days.

In other words, the gig is up!

I predict that nearly every other highly-selective college will soon revert back to requiring an SAT or ACT by next year (or the year thereafter).

Learn how this decision came about, when the other colleges will follow suit, and who will be the winners and losers in this ongoing drama.

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In today's episode, I discuss your child's chances of getting into a UC (University of California) school.

There are 9 UC campuses up and down the coast of California.

7 of the 9 schools are in the "Top 10 most-applied-to colleges" in the country.

For example: UCLA (about 150K applications), UC Davis (about 110K applications)

With this obscene number of applications, is it even worth applying? What are your chances of getting in?

If you're interested in how your child might fare in the UC admissions lottery, please listen.

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In today's episode, I discuss 3 Extracurricular Activity (ECA) buckets:

Bucket #1: in-school
Bucket #2: summer
Bucket #3: DIY

I will focus primarily on Bucket #3, my favorite bucket of all.

If you're interested in how your child might use the "do-it-yourself" bucket to their advantage, please listen to this episode.

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In today's episode, I discuss the value of college campus visits.

When is the best (or worst) time to visit?
What should you expect?
Are there reasons not to visit a campus?
Is my child too young for a visit?
How to prepare for campus visits
How to make the most of your time

If you're interested in using your travel time efficiently, please give this episode a listen.

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In today's episode, I revisit a topic I have discussed many times: the importance, relevance, and future of the SAT.

Lo and behold, a blockbuster article recently came out in the New York Times which addressed this issue in a surprising fashion:

The Misguided War on the SAT - Colleges have fled standardized tests, on the theory that they hurt diversity. That's not what the research shows.

If you're interested in what this article said and how it might impact you and your child, please give this episode a listen.

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In today's episode, I try to uncover the reasons why, for the first-time ever, a majority of Americans (51%) no longer believe that college is worth the time or money.

Yikes! That's quite a shift compared to 5 years ago.

Why is this the case?
What happened?
Which students should go to college?
Which students should not?
At what price is college worthwhile?
Alternatives to $300K colleges?

If you're interested in the radical changes happening on college campuses, from affordability, to student protests, to the spread of commercially useless degree programs, give this episode a listen.

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts.

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In today's episode, I talk about financial aid and the comically high cost of college. What's the difference between need-based aid, merit-based aid, and how Tier II colleges intentionally inflate their cost of attendance only to offer big discounts (disguised as a merit or academic scholarships) to make parents and students feel good about themselves and about paying $60K/year to attend. Learn how to not let such "enrollment management" practices entice you into paying more than you should.

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In this episode, I walk through three parenting strategies when it comes to handling your teen in high school: (1) hand's-off, (2) helicopter, or (3) hedger. Each style has its own advantages and disadvantages. Figure out what style you use and whether it's the best way to go.

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Show Notes:

In today's episode, I discuss how little time we have left with our children (and how to maximize that time).

Statistically, once our child turns 18, 90% of the time we will ultimately spend with him/her - is already spoken for.

Translation: Once our child goes to college, it's possible that we will only see them another 60 times (total) over the next 30 years.

If you're interested in this topic and making an effort to maximize what time you do have left with your child, give this episode a listen.

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts.

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Show Notes:

In today's episode, I bring up a question that most parents can't answer:

Is my child a good writer?

Can my child write a 3-sentence email without an error in spelling, punctuation, or grammar?

My guess: probably not.

Please listen to today's episode to find out how to make sure your child doesn't fall into this category.

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts.

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Show Notes:

In today's episode, I address the issue of underage drinking.

I've been reluctant to speak on this topic publicly because of my controversial stance.

However, after my son's friend almost died in a DUI incident over the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided it was time to let my perspective be heard.

Unlike some other episodes, this might be a good one to listen to with your teenager.

It's a bit longer than usual, but the subject required more time to cover.

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Today's episode complements Episodes 93 and 145, which all provide advice to students interested in majoring in "Business" in college. I speak to a lot of students who say they want to study business (or go into business), but know little about what "business" actually means in the real world. When students make this claim to their friends and family, most just nod their heads in tacit approval and move on to the next topic. That's not what I do. I ask a few basic questions to see how deep this desire runs. Most of the time, it's quite shallow. For those students who are serious about differentiating themselves from throngs of other students clamoring to be "business" majors, please listen to this episode. I reveal a "killer app" that could take your application to the next level.

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Show Notes:

[Caution: Please do not listen to this episode with your child]

Ever wish that your son or daughter was a bit more motivated?

In this week's podcast, I review 3 tactics to consider when dealing with a teenager who is reluctant to challenge themselves.

Tactic 1: Acquiescence

Tactic 2: Forced March

Tactic 3: Guidance

I walk through each of these options and provide examples of how to find your modus operandi.

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts.

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Show Notes:

In this week's podcast, I make the case for proactively choosing a community college over a middle-of-the-road, under-delivering, over-priced, traditional, 4-yr college.

There used to be a stigma attached to community colleges, as if the students couldn't hack it at a 4-year college or university.

Those days are over.

The once "stigmatized track" is turning into the "smart track".

If you are a student who is:

not engaged in the college admissions racket
unsure about your college major
clueless about a career direction
not working up to your potential
not competitive on the SAT or ACT
not interested in going $150K into debt...

then this might be the episode for you.

The college landscape has changed dramatically over the last 5 years. Maybe your approach should as well.

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PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts.

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I discuss the growing importance of your child's "intended major" in the context of college admissions.Would my son be better off selecting "Egyptian Architecture" as his intended major to differentiate him from the crowd?The pitfalls of choosing "Computer Science" as your major.Parents of 6th - 12th graders should give this episode a listen.Follow us:Enroll in PrepWell AcademyFollow on InstagramFollow on FacebookIf you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcastsFollow me on Instagram or FacebookGive us a reviewShare this episode with a friendJoin our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article)Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the programPodcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I discuss the challenges experienced by Generation P (Pandemic) and how they may have accelerated the existential threat facing the viability of a college degree.If you've ever wondered (secretly or out loud):"Is college even worth it anymore?"you may want to give this episode a listen...Follow us:Enroll in PrepWell AcademyFollow on InstagramFollow on FacebookIf you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcastsFollow me on Instagram or FacebookGive us a reviewShare this episode with a friendJoin our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article)Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the programPodcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I share an embarrassing story about how I recently flip-flopped on one of my long-held parenting policies:Pay-to-playIf you have a child, and you spend money on them, you may want to give this a listen...Follow us:Enroll in PrepWell AcademyFollow on InstagramFollow on FacebookIf you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcastsFollow me on Instagram or FacebookGive us a reviewShare this episode with a friendJoin our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article)Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the programPodcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I share a typical conversation that I have with teenagers regarding their preparation for the SAT or ACT.Let's just say it doesn't go all that well.If you have a child who's in charge (or wants to be in charge) of their own SAT study plan, please give this episode a listen.Follow us:Enroll in PrepWell AcademyFollow on InstagramFollow on FacebookIf you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcastsFollow me on Instagram or FacebookGive us a reviewShare this episode with a friendJoin our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article)Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the programPodcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this week's podcast, I share a tip that I learned 7 years ago. If you have a child with big ambitions for college and beyond, make sure you don't skip today's episode. Follow us: Enroll in PrepWell Academy Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts Follow me on Instagram or Facebook Give us a review Share this episode with a friend Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I share a perfect example of how exploring your interests in high school can pay off.In Kevin Fitzgibbon's case, it meant getting a dream job with the NFL at age 19. Kevin used PrepWell Academy's strategy of "interest probing" to land this job and pave the way for an amazing future.If your child is looking for examples of how this strategy works in real life, listen to this episode.Paragraph for show notes.Follow us:Enroll in PrepWell AcademyFollow on InstagramFollow on FacebookIf you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcastsFollow me on Instagram or FacebookGive us a reviewShare this episode with a friendJoin our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article)Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the programPodcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this week's podcast, I offer a creative idea to help your child develop an early interest in a subject, field, industry, or career. Ideally, this process will help them when it comes time to choose an "intended major" on their college applications. This seemingly simple step can have significant consequences in the admissions process and beyond. If you want to help your child develop a budding area of interest, please listen to this episode.Follow us:Enroll in PrepWell AcademyFollow on InstagramFollow on FacebookIf you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcastsFollow me on Instagram or FacebookGive us a reviewShare this episode with a friendJoin our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article)Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the programPodcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I make a pitch for students to consider Toastmasters.If you've never heard of Toastmasters, you definitely need to listen to the episode.If you have heard of Toastmasters, but don't know how it might be relevant for your child, please listen to the episode. Follow us:Enroll in PrepWell AcademyFollow on InstagramFollow on FacebookIf you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcastsFollow me on Instagram or FacebookGive us a reviewShare this episode with a friendJoin our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article)Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the programPodcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I discuss a strategy that I call "interest-probing".

How do you help your child figure out what they are interested in?
How might that interest translate into a college major or career?
How do you stress-test their interest to see if it's durable?

In this episode, I review a case study of a PrepWeller who is doing it right.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and stu

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Show Notes:In this week's podcast, I discuss a big pet peeve of mine.

My "issue" has to do with to a test-taking contagion exacerbated by SAT/ACT test-optional policies.

If your child plans to take (or skip) the SAT or ACT, please listen to this episode.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this week's podcast, I discuss one of PrepWell Academy's first principles:

Prepare Early

Every August, it becomes abundantly clear who has been preparing early (and often) and who has been procrastinating - especially when it comes to seniors and their college applications.

Students fall into two categories:

Preppers: who will complete their college applications by September
Procrastinators: who have not yet stepped into the fire

Both students will spend time on the pain train.

The preppers will have taken the pain for the last 3 years in small, incremental doses.

The procrastinators will have deftly side-stepped the pain for the last 3 years and will be in for a rude awakening when they open the Common Application.

Which camp do you want to be in when you are a senior?

Listen to this podcast and hear the pros and cons of each strategy.

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this week's podcast, I discuss the perverse overlap between your prime earning years and your child's prime athletic development years.

How do we justify spending extra time at the office when we know our child's window of opportunity is so finite and fleeting?

Do we maximize our income in the name of pragmatism or throttle back our professional ambitions in order to support our children during the 8 year window when they need us the most?

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
Follow on Instagram
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Several years ago, I created a 1-page worksheet that laid out the 7 categories that determine how well a student will be prepared for the college admissions process. In this podcast, I walk through this worksheet and discuss how it reveals your child’s competitiveness.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:06:00 How to use this worksheet

0:06:55 Objective Academic Measures (Big 3)

0:10:50 Extracurricular Activities

0:13:30 Awards & Honors

0:14:30 Letters of Recommendation

0:15:30 Demonstrated Interest

0:16:40 College Essays

0:17:50 Institutional Priorities

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
Join our mailing list
Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I go over what you need to know about the new digital SAT that rolls out in March 2024 (and the digital PSAT in October 2023).

If you are a rising junior (Class of 2025), you MUST listen to this podcast.

Here's what I cover:

What's going on with the PSAT & SAT?
When does it happen?
Why is it happening?
Differences between paper and digital?
Who benefits most and least?
What about accommodations?
Which test should I take? when? why?
How should I prepare?
What about the PSAT and ACT?

Rising juniors are the guinea pigs in this new roll-out. If you're not paying attention, you may be forced to take a test that you don't want to.

Please listen to this entire podcast and come up with a plan.

I'm here to help if you have questions.

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I share my favorite skill-teaching technique that I have used with my sons for the last 18 years.

The technique is based on a concept known as the "zone of proximal development" (aka Z.P.D.) first popularized by famed Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky.

The best time to help your children learn new and challenging skills is when they are in the Z.P.D.

Learn how to recognize when your child is in the zone, and how your assistance can lead to exponential growth.

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review a bunch of commonly asked questions that I hear from PrepWellers, parents, online, and audiences I speak to:

Which is better, a selective private high school or a public high school?
How important are AP classes these days?
How important is my "intended major"?
What's the most important part of my application?
Is college even worth it?
Why are college admissions so unpredictable?
Which AP scores should I send to colleges?
What is the best extracurricular activity?
How many AP classes should I take?
If I want to get recruited to play sports in college, when should I start?
Should I get a tutor to help me with the SAT?
Is it worth it to apply to the Ivy League?
How much debt should I be willing to take on?
Which sports give full-ride athletic scholarships?
How hard is it to get merit scholarships?
Which is the best Ivy League school?

Get up-to-speed on answers to these common questions.

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the three phases that high school athletes go through on their way to becoming a recruited college athlete:

Phase I: The Pursuit

Phase II: The Commitment

Phase III: The Reality

Most of the conversations about this topic focus on the hype, the Instagram "commitment" posts, and energy around an athlete's decision to play sports in college.

Unfortunately, not a lot of attention is paid to what happens when the athlete actually shows up at that Div I program and tries to make their dream come true.

At least anecdotally, I have found the number of recruited athletes who have a positive experience as a college athlete is vanishingly small.

Find out why that seems to be the case and how you might help your child avoid a similar fate.

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I do my best to review the recent Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action in college admissions and opine on what it might mean for your child's prospects going forward.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this week’s show, I try my best to help you, help your child, figure out what to do this summer. If you’ve been following this podcast for some time, it shouldn’t take much to convince you how important summer experiences can be for your child - not only to make their college application look better - but for real life as well.

I know, it’s not easy to figure out what to do with teenagers over the summer. Especially if they don’t drive, or work, and you do work, and everything seems so expensive. That’s why I’m recording this podcast - to give you some ideas. Yes, this is challenging time - and yes, colleges are expecting bigger and better things from students as competition grows. It means that it will take more effort and planning on our part. No problem. I’ll show you how to make it happen. I believe the effort will be worth it - no matter how things end up in the college admissions process.

The summer gives students an opportunity to (1) explore subjects/topics/questions that have piqued their curiosity, (2) get a paying job, (3) secure an internship to help get a feel for different career opportunities and job environments, (4) further their education, (5) travel, (6) volunteer, (7) study for standardized tests, (8) double-down on preparation for their sport, (9) start a small business, (10) learn a new skill, (11) read, (12) build something, (13) write their essays - and the list goes on and on.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review a series of baseline summer goals for each grade (9-12th).

If you want to know whether or not you're on track, please give a listen.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I walk through a thought experiment that asks you to decide between two scenarios?

Scenario 1: Spend $400K to attend ABC University
Scenario 2: Keep the $400K, skip college

There are many students who, implicitly or explicitly, are making this decision every year.

What would you do?

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I go through a bunch of issues that parents, students, and families are getting wrong (IMO).

They are paying too much attention to issue X, and not enough attention to issue Y.

Please make sure you are on the right side of the game here:

GPA vs SAT
11/12th grade vs 9/10th grade
relying on others vs yourself
traditional colleges vs alternative paths
class selection vs SAT/ACT
sports camps vs emails to coaches
anything else vs reading
GPA/SAT vs institutional priorities

Listen to these cases and make sure you are putting your time, energy, and money in the right spots.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I give a quick shout out to all of the new parents and students who just enrolled in PrepWell Academy. These eager 8th-graders have been chomping at the bit to get started.

I then reflect on the critical transitions that are happening across all of these age groups.

8th-graders to rising freshmen
9th-graders to sophomores
10th-graders to juniors
11th-graders to seniors
12th-graders leaving the barn

I give you my most current thoughts on each of these important transitions and how you should be thinking about each one.

Make sure you start this new year with the right mindset.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this short episode, I focus on parents of current 8th-graders (Class of 2027) and sophomores (Class of 2025).

As the PrepWell year comes to a close (June 1), I have a special (and time-sensitive) message for these parent cohorts.

If you have a current 8th-grader or 10th-grader, please give this episode a listen.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I highlight the Top 6 mistakes parents are making as they navigate the college admissions process.

If you have a 6th - 11th grader, give this episode a listen to make sure you are steering clear of these common pitfalls.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I give my best advice to parents of 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th-graders on how to think about their child's transition to the next gradeI cover each of these transitions separately and address how you should think about each of the different inflection points.

Each transition is unique and poses its own set of challenges and opportunities.

Find the transition that your child is facing and make sure that you're on top of what's in store.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I discuss how to give feedback to your child - specifically after a sporting event.

Is there a right or wrong way?
What are the pitfalls?
Should you give any feedback at all?
What is your child listening for?

I offer 5 Guiding Principles to consider when thinking about whether or not to offer feedback to your child.

The episode should be helpful even if your child does not play sports. The principles translate well for many different parts of a child's life (e.g. music, theater, robotics, etc.)

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I walk through the 6 most common categories of undergraduate colleges and universities. Here they are:

community college
average, state college/university
highly-acclaimed state college/university
average, private, liberal arts college/university
highly-acclaimed private, liberal arts college/university
most prestigious private, liberal arts college/university

I address the types of schools that fall into each category, how much they cost, who gets in, how they get in, and general pros and cons.

If you are curious about where your child might fit in on this continuum, give this episode a listen.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:Last week, we talked about fantasy summer camps.

This week, I get more practical.

I do my best to answer this very common question:

"Should I go to XYZ summer enrichment camp?"

Listen to this episode to hear the pros, the cons, and the questions you should ask yourself before registering for any camp.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I share one of my most potent tactics in getting teenagers to articulate what they are most curious about.

It starts with a simple question:

"Describe your ultimate fantasy summer camp".

Once I have their answer, I can dig into the details and help them figure out how to connect this fantasy with reality. It works like a charm.

I walk through a case study with a student interested in an ESPN Sports Fantasy Camp.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I argue against the common advice to "visit as many college campuses as you can. The more the better." Sometimes, visiting a college campus can work against your child (and you). Find out what could go wrong if you choose to visit the wrong campus, at the wrong time, without any forethought.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I answer a bunch of listener questions that have been accumulating for a few weeks. Here's a sample of what I cover:* How many AP classes should I take? * Should I take AP Calc AB or BC? * Is it better to get a job or an internship? * How many hours of volunteer work do I need to be competitive at the Ivies? * Should I take the paper-based or digital SAT? * What's the difference in cost between a private, liberal arts college and an in-state college? * Do you like Harvard or Yale better? * What is the maximum amount of debt you would take on for a college education? * What are the most undervalued experiences that teenagers are not paying enough attention to?

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I discuss 4 strategies that a student can adopt to secure a leadership position during high school.

With rampant grade inflation, watered-down course rigor, optional SAT/ACT tests, and ChatGPT-written college essays and teacher letters of recommendation, college admissions officers are desperate for something to help them differentiate among a sea of similar-sounding students.

Once institutional priorities have been met (e.g. DEI, athletes, children of donors, etc.), what else will help colleges separate the wheat from the chaff?

My answer: "leadership".

Leadership is becoming a hot new "theme" in many applications. Listen to this episode to learn the best strategies to secure legitimate leadership positions that colleges will appreciate.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I remind every PrepWeller (and parent) out there, about the importance of sending "thank you" notes to people who helped you on your college admissions journey.

Most colleges will send out their regular admissions decisions this month. Don't get caught up in the results so much that you forget to thank those who helped you along the way.

If you think your list is just one or two people, you probably aren't thinking hard enough. Listen to this episode to find out how my son's list went from 2 to 20 people. And, considering that he only applied to one college, your list may be longer.

I know this has been a long and challenging road for many of you. Make sure you finish strong.

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I give one simple bit of advice for any up-and-coming PrepWeller who intends to score well on the verbal section of the SAT or ACT. Please listen to this episode with your child.

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I compare your child's summer activity strategy with the financial concept known as a "real option". How can your child create a summer experience that maximizes options and minimizes obligations?

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I lay out the new rules governing college admissions. In case you didn't get the memo, college admissions aren't like they used to be just 3 years ago. Don't get caught playing by the wrong set of rules. Find out what matters today and decide whether you need to stay the course or make some adjustments.

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I try to help families focus on the issues that matter most when it comes to college admissions. In my experience, some families get too hyped-up about the wrong issues. Despite their good intentions, misplaced energy and focus sometimes lead them astray. Listen to the 4 issues that should be emphasized more and the 4 issues that should be emphasized less. With so many issues competing for our attention, I don't want you to waste any precious time or resources on low impact activities.

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I offer 35 extracurricular activity ideas for students interested in sports/journalism. This is one of the most popular answers to the question, "So, what are you interested in?" A high percentage of the students that I work with aspire to go into this field.

Unfortunately, most of them end up participating in the same old activities as their peers. Listen to this podcast to hear 35 of my best ideas that have worked for many PrepWellers over the years. Even if you are not interested in sports/journalism, you can use this strategy as a template for what interests you the most.

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Now that COVID is behind us, it's time for every teenager to get back to work this summer.

Why are "paying jobs" so critical for teenagers these days?
What lessons do summer jobs teach?
How do colleges view summer work experience?
Are there any exceptions to this rule?

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this week's episode, I discuss the many benefits of modern day summer school - not the "summer school" you and I grew up with (which was typically a mark of dereliction), but the new and improved summer school.

Should your child consider summer school?
Which summer school classes to take
Reasons to take summer school
How to take advantage of virtual summer school?

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I share my thoughts on the emergence of ChatGPT - the cumbersome name of a new AI platform that is re-writing how we write. How will this new technology impact college admissions, college essays, and the future of writing itself?Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this week's episode, I offer advice to parents who are trying to give their children the best opportunity to use sports as a hook to get into their first-choice colleges.

Is there anything I can do besides support them financially?
How does my child separate themselves from the competition?
When should my child decide whether or not "sports" will be their thing?
What's at stake?

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:In this episode, I encourage parents to change how they interact with their teenager. Their influence will peek in 9th and 10th grade, and disappear in 11th and 12th. How not to lose this important window of opportunity. 0:01:11 2-yr window of opportunity0:02:30 90% of parenting is over0:04:30 Dinnertime0:05:30 By 11th grade, it's all over0:06:50 How to take advantage0:08:50 "Not enough time"0:11:00 Common mistake0:12:13 Moral of the story0:13:00 Golden YearsFollow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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A new study of 500 recent high school graduates revealed that 42% of them feel unconfident or slightly confident about their post-high school educational and career paths.

72% reported that they were rarely or only sometimes exposed to potential career options.

64% had 5 or fewer conversations with teachers or counselors about various post-high school opportunities.

This really got my attention because it's what I think about every day.

PrepWell's mission, and my personal crusade, is to have conversations like these so that students are prepared for their future.

The backbone of PrepWell Academy is to teach the tools, tactics, and mindset necessary to be successful no matter what path a student chooses (e.g. study habits, test preparation, time management, writing, advocacy, leadership, etc.).

Please listen to this episode to ensure that your child doesn't become one of the 42% of students who lack confidence in their future.

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Show Notes:After months of college essay reviews with my private PrepWellers, I have concluded that writing skills have fallen off a cliff. How can you assess your child's writing skills and determine whether they need an intervention?

Full Transcript:[00:00:24] Hello friends and welcome back to the PrepWell podcast. After weeks of reading, reviewing and commenting on college essays with my private PrepWellers and others, I felt it necessary to put out the following public service announcement to parents. Hear ye. Hear ye. Every year at a minimum, starting in middle school, parents need to get their hands on a sample of their child's writing to confirm that they know how to write in English in full sentences that make sense with appropriate punctuation, grammar and spelling. That's it. I don't want you to look for metaphors and similes and onomatopoeia and concision and clefts sentences, voice integration or anything remotely like this... at first. I actually don't want you to care too much about the topic or the quality of the thinking. I don't want you to look for any of those things yet. I simply want you to find out whether or not they can write a few sentences in a row that are coherent with a subject, a verb, and an object. That's it. For example, can they write a sentence like she scored a goal during the soccer game? I would be happy with this. A teacher can work with this. I can work with this. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer students that I work with can do this. And mind you, I work with, quote unquote, bright students from well-resourced communities and supportive parents and a track record of all A's in English. What I've been receiving from students, not all students, but an increasing number of them, especially in the last two years, which I'll address in a minute, are essay drafts that are unworkable. They're un-editable.

[00:02:25] For example, a 400 word essay, which is about a half a page where every sentence needs massive revision and overhaul. Meaning when the sentence is rewritten and edited, it almost looks nothing like the original sentence. It's almost unrecognizable. I'm not talking about changing a word here or there to be a bit more precise or correcting subject verb agreements or getting rid of passive verbs that are used all over the place. I'm talking about a total rewrite from scratch for almost every sentence. I'm not talking about the quality of the content or whether the response even answers the essay question or whether it's logical or orderly or compelling or the strength of the vocab words. I'm just talking about individual sentences that on their own don't make any sense. Run on sentences, fragments, stream of consciousness, misspellings, weird parenthetical is all over the place. Many students are now writing as if they're talking or texting to a friend, with all of the informality and unconventional sentence structure inherent in everyday speech. This will become a problem for many students, not only when it's time to write competitive college essays, but when they actually go to college and they're expected to write in coherent sentences. And by the way, these issues are not isolated to students who've struggled with English and gotten C's or D's, for example, or students where English wasn't their first language. Or in schools with bad English departments. As I said, I see this trend in students from very strong schools who've gotten A's in every English class they've ever taken, including AP language and composition. I'm not sure how that happens, but it happens. What I've witnessed, particularly in the last 2 to 3 years with respect to writing, has been a complete breakdown. It just wasn't this way. Three years ago. Four years ago. And there are, in my opinion, a few obvious reasons why this might be happening.

[00:04:46] Number one, nobody reads anymore. One of the best ways to become a good writer or a better writer is by reading. By reading, you see different writing styles, vocabulary words, grammatical conventions, punctuation... over and over again. They become slides in your head that you can refer back to consciously or unconsciously when you begin to write yourself. Well, we all know that reading is no longer a thing. We all know that smartphones and video games and Netflix have replaced reading, and thus students have increasingly less exposure to these slides in their head. They lack exposure to writing, to words, to language, to style, to vocabulary. Another reason might be online essay submission. Remember back in the day when you would write an essay, the teacher would read it and mark it up with a red pen and hand it back to you a week later. Often for a rewrite, you got something in your hands that you could look at. It was tangible. You could show it to your parents and work on the rewrite, or at least acknowledge your weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. It looked like the teacher invested a lot of time and effort into making comments and you wanted to show some respect for their time by trying to improve your writing and maybe improve your grade. And it may have taken a few drafts, but eventually you'd write a good paper, a great paper and get a good grade. Well, that doesn't seem to happen very much anymore. Today, students often submit their essay online at 11:59 p.m. on the day that it's due via Google classrooms or some other online platform. The teacher then grades it, may or may not make any digital comments and the great is automatically logged and it's done. And the student and the teacher likely never look at the paper again. The student probably gets a notification on their phone that the grade has been entered. They may or may not ever look at the paper again, and I'm sure it's rare that a student will ever go back and review comments if there are any or rewrite the essay. That's not happening. Once a student submits the essay. They never look at it or care about it again. And you as a parent never see it. You probably didn't even know that the paper was due or submitted. It doesn't come home with them and wind up on a kitchen table. It's in the cloud somewhere, and that's where it stays.

[00:07:30] What about larger class sizes? Large class sizes these days can make it more challenging for teachers to make quality comments and to follow up with students to make sure they understand how to improve their work. 36 students is a lot of students to keep track of when it comes to writing and follow up. If your child isn't proactive with their teacher, don't expect their teacher to track them down to ensure that they're getting what they need. It's unrealistic. Now, maybe this is a plug for private schools where maybe there are 15 students in a class and presumably those students would get more attention. What about COVID lockdowns? For students who are prohibited from going to school for 18 plus months, and had to learn online via Zoom while sitting on their beds, how much writing do you actually think they did? How much feedback did they get on the writing that they did? Here's a hint. Not much. Teachers were trying to figure out how to migrate all of their lessons to the digital world. They were getting pressure not to stress out the students. Many were told to give everyone A's no matter what or give no grade at all or give pass fail grades. Deadlines were waived. Extra credit was handed out like candy. There were no consequences for not showing up to class or even for being disruptive during a Zoom class. It was a mess. None of these factors motivated students to do much at all, let alone the very labor intensive job of writing and editing and rewriting and writing again. So no one wrote anything or they wrote something, got little to no feedback, and they moved on. Or maybe worse, they got an A and believe that their writing must have been fine. And lastly, what about parent aloofness? I will admit that I've been guilty of this. As long as the kids kept bringing home good grades. I wasn't asking a lot of questions, and I definitely wasn't asking to see writing samples during the lockdown. It just didn't occur to me to do such a thing. I hadn't seen a problem. I wasn't getting phone calls from the teacher or requests for a student teacher conference. So I assumed all systems were a go, and that was my fault. I should have been a more diligent advocate.

[00:09:58] Well, I don't want you to make the same mistake. Especially now. We, as parents, need to take more responsibility for our child's ability to write the English language. Again, I don't expect us to turn into AP language and composition teachers overnight or spend hours and hours tutoring our children in English. Not that there would be anything wrong with that, but I do want to make sure that we all seize the opportunity to nip a problem in the bud before it's too late. What is my goal with this episode? Number one, raise our collective awareness about how common poor writing skills are among our children, even those getting A's in their English classes. Number two, get a writing sample. This is very important. Get a writing sample from your child. If you can't get one that they wrote for their English class, then take things into your own hands and make your child write a three quarter of a page summary about a book that they just read or a movie that they just watched. I'm serious. Watch a movie together and then ask your child to write a three quarter page summary of the movie. Plot characters. Storyline. Simple stuff. Make sure they take it seriously. In fact, if you're tech savvy enough, I would actually turn off the spell check feature and the Grammarly app running in the background and see what they can do without all of these online helpers. And give them some kind of incentive if you have to. Take them out to Chick-Fil-A or go to a real movie theater to see a movie, do something to get them to provide you with a legitimate writing sample. Okay. Then what we're going to do is we're going to take a deep breath once we get the writing sample and read their work. And I would expect a few things to happen. You will either be pleasantly surprised and send me an email that I'm crazy because your child is fine at writing. And why am I sounding so many alarm bells? That would be great. Or you will be horrified at what you see. And you'll now have to come up with a plan to take your child's writing ability into your own hands. I'm not going to have time to address how you might do that in today's episode, but maybe I'll do so in a future episode, but at least you'll know. And lastly, let's get in front of the problem. If there is a problem with your child's writing ability, you need to address it now so that you don't run into real problems when it comes time to write college essays or, God forbid, go to college with such low level writing skills. Something must be done ahead of time. Now, I hope this lack of writing skills isn't as widespread as my experience would suggest. Unfortunately, I believe that it may actually be an order of magnitude worse than what I'm witnessing, because, as I said, I work with almost exclusively relatively motivated students, on the ball parents from strong academic environments. Imagine what's happening in less well-resourced places with less parental support. And again, don't expect Shakespeare when you review your child's writing, don't nitpick. If your child uses less, then instead of fewer, then don't call out the National Guard. If your child's vocabulary appears to be pretty basic, don't put them on some kind of a draconian sat words flashcard regimen. Not that there's anything wrong with that. My point is, be reasonable. You should be looking for big problems, not small problems. Are their sentences riddled with spelling errors? Do they consistently have subject verb agreement problems? Are they switching back and forth between verb tenses? Does it read like a string of text messages? Do they put commas everywhere and anywhere they feel like it? Do they end every sentence with a preposition? Are they starting sentences with 'being that the main character was afraid of _______?' Do the sentences make sense? Are they coherent? If you read them aloud, would you understand what they're trying to say? These are the types of things I want you to be on the lookout for. These are the things that must be fixed before they write their college essays.

[00:14:29] The point of this episode and of PrepWell Academy the online course is to get out in front of issues like this before it's too late so that you can make adjustments early enough that they aren't horribly disruptive. As parents we're busy. We've got a lot on our plates. If our children are getting good grades, we tend not to ask too many questions. Why stir the po? Well, the answer is because if the pot isn't stirred in a timely fashion, your child may be in for a bruising when it comes to college essays, college itself, and of course, when they eventually throw themselves at the mercy of the real world. So if you have a child in middle school or high school, your homework assignment this week is to get your hands on a recent writing sample from your child, using any means necessary to see where they stand. Are they good to go? Do they need a little extra fine tuning here and there, or are they a complete mess in need of a massive reboot? Well, I wish you luck. And please reach out to me with what you're finding out about your child's writing ability. I'd love to be proven wrong. I hope the poor writing skills that I've been witnessing is more of an exception than the rule. That's all I've got for you today, folks. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for your continued support. In case you didn't know, this podcast supports prep academies online mentoring program where high schoolers and their parents receive weekly videos from me, where I break down important topics and give timely advice about college admissions, particularly for top tier colleges, service academies, and for ROTC and athletic scholarships. Many parents who listen to this podcast already have their high schoolers enrolled in PrepWell Academy, which is great. If you don't yet, please consider enrolling them. Registration is only open during freshman or sophomore year. After that, we no longer accept new students. So if you have a freshman or a sophomore in high school and like what you're hearing in these podcasts and you'd like to get more content like this tailored specifically for your child for their specific grade and interest, then go to PrepWellAcademy.com and enroll today. If you know a parent with a middle school or high schooler that might find this helpful, please share the episode with them and give us a rating. Word of mouth and positive ratings help our podcast reach a wider audience. Of course, if you have comments, questions or an idea for an upcoming episode, please reach out to me by email. DM on Instagram. Check out our blog, Facebook page. Connect with me on LinkedIn. I would love to hear from you. Until next week... goodbye, good luck and never stop preparing.

[00:17:19] This podcast is brought to you by PrepWell Academy. PrepWell Academy is my one of a kind online mentoring program that delivers to your 9th or 10th grader a short, highly relevant video from me every week. Every Sunday, in fact, where I give them a heads up about what they should be thinking about to stay ahead of the game. To get these valuable lessons into your child's hands. Please head over to www.PrepWellAcademy.com and enroll your child today.

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:Junior year PSAT scores will come out this week. In today's episode, I reveal the methodology I use to predict a student's actual SAT score based on their 11th-grade PSAT score.

Over the last decade, I have developed an "improvement margin" model that will give you a ballpark idea of how much improvement your child should expect based on their gender, level of motivation, and level of resources available.

Can my child increase their SAT score by 20 points, 50 points, 200 points? What should I expect? Tune in and find out where your junior's SAT score might end up by the time they take the real thing...

Follow us:* Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host:PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell:Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the topics that I covered with my sons before they left for college. It was my attempt to convey as much "wisdom" as I could before they left the nest for good. We covered a variety of topics including paperwork essentials, financial literacy, and how to live a good life. As you can imagine, this was not an easy exercise.

0:02:40 Life Skills (1 - 36)

0:07:24 Paperwork essentials (1 - 13)

0:09:10 Financial literacy (1 - 14)

0:15:00 Financial education

0:19:00 Philosophical questions

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
Join our mailing list
Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today's episode, I make the bold argument that we need to step up our parenting game in order to save our children from their phones. The convergence of COVID with the near ubiquity of smartphones (even in middle school) has been a 1-2 punch that is devastating the academic trajectory of many of our kids. What can we do to stop it? At what point is it too late for them to be saved?

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A new digital SAT is right around the corner. Who does this affect? When does it roll out? How does it differ from paper-based SAT?

You can read the full transcript at https://prepwellacademy.com/blog/episodes/ep-156-what-to-know-about-the-new-digital-sat/

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today's episode, I discuss whether or not your child should consider applying to any of the 5 military service academies. Given the growing challenges of getting into, paying for, and thriving at traditional colleges, many students are opening their eyes to what service academies have to offer (e.g. world-class free education, STEM focus, guaranteed job for 5 years post-graduation, leadership experience, international travel, etc.). Listen to the pro/con list and think about whether it might be a good fit for you or your child.

You can read a full transcript of this episode at https://prepwellacademy.com/blog/episodes/ep-155-should-your-child-consider-a-military-service-academy/

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 1. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 2. Give us a review 3. Share this episode with a friend 4. Join our mailing list (by opting in on the homepage or in this article) 5. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Learn More About PrepWell: Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today's episode, I propose some ideas on how to deal with your child's grades. Should you check up on them? How often? What do you say (or do) if they're good, bad, or middling? What are the pitfalls to avoid? Learn the 5 Rules when assessing your child's grades.

0:00:58 Elementary school

0:01:40 Middle school

0:03:20 Grades: Bs and Cs?

0:04:06 Slippage in middle school

0:05:30 High school

0:05:55 Grade portals for parents

0:06:30 Rule #1

0:08:55 Rule #2

0:10:25 Rule #3

0:14:00 Rule #4

0:15:55 Rule #5

0:18:00 Summary

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today's episode, I talk about financial aid and the comically high cost of college. What's the difference between need-based aid, merit-based aid, and how Tier II colleges intentionally inflate their cost of attendance only to offer big discounts (disguised as a merit or academic scholarships) to make parents and students feel good about themselves and about paying $60K/year to attend. Learn how to not let such "enrollment management" practices entice you into paying more than you should.

0:00:31 Need-based financial aid

0:03:10 Merit-based aid

0:07:33 Fordham case study

0:10:00 Extracting max money

0:12:00 Pick off the slow deer

0:14:20 Everybody's happy, right?

0:16:15 Not worth $80K

0:17:00 Summary insights

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today's episode, I give a quick background on AP (Advanced Placement) classes. Who takes them? How many is too many? Which ones are the best? And, then, I answer the latest question which keeps popping up, "Do I really have to take any AP Exams?". The trend toward skipping AP Exams is one that your child should consider very carefully. Listen to this episode to find out why.

0:00:41 The AP landscape

0:06:48 How many APs classes should I take?

0:10:00 How many AP exams should I take?

0:12:33 Enter COVID

0:15:00 The AP exam delusion

0:15:40 Why should I care about AP exams?

0:16:40 Student profile 2019 (then)

0:19:30 Student profile 2022 (now)

0:21:55 What's a college to think?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today's episode, I consider whether or not our children are living too comfortably. Are today's timesaving devices and technologies doing more harm than good? If your child falls into this category, urge them to consider taking the PrepWell 3-hour challenge. You (and they) will be surprised at what they learn.

0:02:03 Doing hard things

0:02:35 Meeting with friends

0:03:48 Study environment

0:04:54 Directions

0:06:30 Entertainment options

0:08:10 Math

0:08:20 Food

0:08:43 Riding a bike

0:09:15 Reading

0:10:10 Making new friends

0:10:44 Flash cards

0:11:41 Taking notes

0:13:50 College essay

0:10:10 Making new friends

0:10:44 Flash cards

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today's episode, I discuss how the structure of college affordability has dramatically changed over the last 20 years. Colleges used to be categorized as: (1) expensive, (2) moderate, or (3) affordable. The new categories are: (1) obscenely expensive, (2) absurdly expensive, or (3) affordable. With this backdrop in mind, how do you find the best fit for your child? Well, it might depend on whether they are a grinder or a hustler. Find out what those two terms mean, and how they might affect college options.

0:00:45 Cost of college back in the day

0:02:30 Affordable options are gone

0:05:50 No longer 3 tiers

0:06:33 4 options

0:08:15 What is a grinder?

0:11:17 What is a hustler?

0:14:35 What to do with a hustler?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: Today's episode reveals how an engaged PrepWeller took my advice to heart. With some help from me, "Rick" built his extracurricular activities "straw man" over the summer and got to work. Then, after learning more about himself and refining his vision for the future, he and I worked together again to update, upgrade, and re-ignite his list. As a rising junior, Rick has set himself up for success. If he can execute his plan, the sky is the limit. Find out how we tweaked Rick's list for maximum effect.

0:01:25 Review of activities

0:02:05 Follow-up

0:06:36 Should I include piano?

0:07:57 Do I include every club?

0:11:27 Internship (TBD)

0:12:40 Job shadowing (TBD)

0:13:55 Ski Club President

0:14:25 Freshman baseball

0:15:47 Science Fair?

0:17:20 Lifeguard

0:18:32 Ongoing ECAs

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: Today's episode addresses why teenagers procrastinate so much and how to break them free from this habit. I also make a distinction between chronic and acute procrastination (both equally destructive). Learn how to help your teenager conquer this drag on their productivity and accomplishment.

0:02:25 Chronic procrastination

0:04:30 Acute procrastination

0:06:27 Unclear objectives

0:08:10 Fear

0:09:12 Vision

0:10:15 Swallow the frog

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: Today's episode complements Episodes 93 and 145, which all provide advice to students interested in majoring in "Business" in college. I speak to a lot of students who say they want to study business (or go into business), but know little about what "business" actually means in the real world.

When students make this claim to their friends and family, most just nod their heads in tacit approval and move on to the next topic. That's not what I do. I ask a few basic questions to see how deep this desire runs. Most of the time, it's quite shallow.

For those students who are serious about differentiating themselves from throngs of other students clamoring to be "business" majors, please listen to this episode. I reveal a "killer app" that could take your application to the next level.

0:01:55 The challenge questions

0:04:30 How to capitalize on cluelessness

0:06:30 The big idea

0:10:30 My recommendation

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today's episode, I talk about the practice (or lack thereof) of disciplining our children. What are the pros and cons of being a disciplinarian versus a permissive parent? If you've ever wondered what level of discipline (if any) is appropriate for your teenager, give this episode a listen.

0:02:05 Discipline or lack of discipline?

0:03:58 What's trending?

0:05:30 Is happiness the goal?

0:07:20 Passing down wisdom

0:08:20 Happy or well-challenged?

0:09:24 What video games are doing right

0:11:00 Should your child "play up"?

0:13:15 Discipline = Love

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today's episode, I offer a way to think strategically about your child's extracurricular activities (ECAs).

Why does this matter?

As most of us know by now, ECAs now have an outsize impact on college applications because of: (1) rampant grade inflation (which does little to help differentiate student ability), (2) optional SAT/ACT tests (which allow students to hide their ability to perform on nationwide tests), and (3) a movement to eliminate teacher letters of recommendation (which offer a 3rd party perspective from a trusted adult).

What's left? Extracurricular Activities

If you're looking for a way to stand out in an otherwise generic process, listen to this episode where I break down ECAs into 3 discrete buckets that each need to be optimized...

0:02:15 The 3 ECA buckets

0:02:50 5 dimensions of ECAs

0:04:50 A perfect ECA

0:09:26 "In-school" ECAs

0:10:57 "Summer" ECAs

0:13:07 "Ongoing" ECAs

0:19:00 Blessing or curse?

0:19:30 Realistic expectations

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the 10 toughest questions a teenager must grapple with while going through the college admissions process. The sooner these questions can be answered, the easier the college search will become. While listening to these questions, ask yourself whether your child would have any clue how to answer them.

0:04:55 Do you care about what college you go to?

0:06:45 Are you going to college for the experience or the skills?

0:09:25 Do you know what you want to study?

0:11:36 How challenged do you want to be?

0:14:00 How much do you care about rankings, prestige, brand name?

0:16:32 Do you want to play Div I, II, III sports in college?

0:17:45 What will make you stand out in the college admissions process?

0:21:30 How much debt do you want to get into (if any)?

0:24:05 Do you have a safety school that you love?

0:26:05 Have you thought about your life's trajectory?

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss how important it can be to steer your child into a sport that maximizes their potential. In particular, their potential to use sports as a lever to get into a college of their choice. These days, college admissions has become such a black box, that being a recruited athlete has become one of the most predictable ways of securing a spot at one of the growing list of untouchable colleges and universities. What sport would be best for your child? When should you begin to steer them in that direction? What if they don't take the bait? When is it too late? How much of a role does their physical attributes play? What about geography?

0:00:55 Youth sports at age 5

0:01:15 Which sport is best?

0:01:55 Soccer

0:05:20 Basketball

0:06:54 Baseball

0:09:15 Pay attention early

0:10:05 What's a parent to do?

0:11:25 Consider these items before registering

0:14:47 Metrics

0:15:55 Sports for shorter athletes

0:16:35 The sweet spot

0:17:10 Practical examples

0:21:40 Team vs individual sports

0:24:00 My goal

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

We are halfway through one of the most unusual summers that teenagers will experience for the next 50 years. Two months at home - without much responsibility (in most cases). In this episode, I speak directly to every teenager, student, PrepWeller, and prospective PrepWeller. I ask them to reflect on what they’ve accomplished during the month of July. I prompt them to make a plan for August. I challenge them to decide whether or not they want to be different. I provide a key strategy for making August the best month ever.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:04:00 August is here…buckle-up

0:05:25 Want to be like everybody else?

0:06:15 Are you a Good Time Charlie?

0:06:45 What does it mean to be different?

0:09:00 Are you different?

0:10:10 What’s the one thing?

0:12:00 Benefits of a checklist

0:13:45 Summary

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Several years ago, I created a 1-page worksheet that laid out the 7 categories that determine how well a student will be prepared for the college admissions process. In this podcast, I walk through this worksheet and discuss how it reveals your child’s competitiveness.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:06:00 How to use this worksheet

0:06:55 Objective Academic Measures (Big 3)

0:10:50 Extracurricular Activities

0:13:30 Awards & Honors

0:14:30 Letters of Recommendation

0:15:30 Demonstrated Interest

0:16:40 College Essays

0:17:50 Institutional Priorities

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss what it takes to become a recruited athlete (from Div I to Div III). When should I start? How do I know if I'll be good enough? What steps do I take to get on the radar of college coaches? What are the pitfalls to avoid? How to make the most of the process even if the "recruiting thing" doesn't work out.

0:00:35 The myth

0:01:10 The reality

0:01:55 The unspoken

0:03:45 Exceptions

0:04:24 The bottom line

0:05:40 Recruiting recap

0:09:55 Your mindset

0:10:10 When to start

0:13:33 Organization

0:15:40 Comms Tips

0:24:30 Engagement varies

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today’s episode, I add some meat to the bone of last week’s podcast. In the last show, we discussed how important it was for your high schooler to keep their academic and personal development momentum going even during a quarantine. This week, I provide a tangible tool to help in this regard.

Here's a template for a daily schedule that you and your child can fill out together. As a rule, children don’t enjoy long periods of unstructured time. They say they do, but they really crave to be on a schedule. This template will help them set goals, stay organized, and feel better about themselves.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:26 What’s a parent to do?

0:02:45 Specific advice for a child adrift

0:03:31 Why teens crave structure

0:04:44 How to use the Daily Template

0:05:30 Start with a real food breakfast

0:06:18 Homeschool starts at 8:30am

0:07:11 6 Primary Blocks of study

0:08:15 5 Core Study Subjects

0:09:53 What resources to use as defaults

0:11:20 Sitting Down with your child

0:11:52 Personal Development Activities

0:13:50 How to fill out the template

0:15:30 End of day

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reflect on the challenge of parenting teens. How much freedom do we give them? How hard do we push them? When do we let them fail and at what? What are the consequences of pushing too hard or giving too much slack? Listen to my advice on how to manage this tug-of-war.

0:01:45 Back and forth

0:04:54 Let the war begin

0:05:35 The tension

0:06:35 How to reduce tension?

0:07:23 The risk of extremes

0:08:50 Hold the tension

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reflect on a recent conversation I had with a rising sophomore who was intent on finding an extracurricular activity that would challenge him, feed his passion, and differentiate himself from the masses. We started with a single premise: He liked investing. How did we extend this simple idea into a 2-year blueprint that could put JP on the map and make him a compelling applicant for any college in the country?

0:01:45 JP's background

0:03:15 The big idea

0:04:10 Why a good idea

0:07:20 Short-term tactics

0:08:40 Benefits

0:10:20 It's a go

0:11:37 Long-term vision

0:12:05 How to build momentum

0:14:15 The feedback loop

0:16:00 How admissions would react

0:17:20 Your child?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reflect on a recent conversation I had with a rising senior PrepWeller (KIna). What started off as a brainstorming session for her college essay, took an unexpected turn. As I dug into her background, likes/dislikes, and aspirations, we came to the conclusion that Computer Science may not be the path for her. This came as a surprise, as she has always thought of herself as a Computer Science person. What was her true calling? How did she handle this tension? What was her new major preference?

0:01:27 Kina's profile

0:02:15 The big assumption

0:03:00 Why Computer Science?

0:03:45 Outside influences

0:04:20 Robotics Club

0:07:05 Non-robotics interests

0:11:25 A new major preference

0:12:15 Unchallenged assumptions

0:13:50 Application just got easier

0:14:15 How to be competitive

0:14:50 Beyond admissions

0:15:25 Moral of the story

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reflect on my conversations with students and parents over the last few weeks. At the beginning of every summer, I meet with lots of students who want me to assess how they've been doing, what they have planned for the next few months, and where this will place them in the admissions process. This is a mash-up of the most common themes that we discuss.

0:01:30 Acceptance rate differential

0:03:30 Extracurricular activities

0:04:50 Letters of recommendation

0:07:55 The undecided student

0:12:40 If you get a B, should you give up?

0:15:40 A winning list of ECAs

0:16:20 Connecting the dots

0:17:35 Changing gears

0:19:15 Have this discussion now

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reflect on the dangers of allowing phones to replace books in the hands of our children. Left unchecked, this is a crisis in the making. It's happening slowly, and right under our noses. Over the last 8 years, I've witnessed a gradual shift away from books and toward phones. Given the commercial incentives to keep students locked into their screens, this is no surprise. I have also observed a corresponding drop in competitiveness in students wishing to attend top tier colleges. Phones have become the primary source of communication, entertainment, and news gathering. Books have been pushed aside as anachronistic and antiquated. This will not end well. Listen to the changes I've seen in my own sons and what I'm doing to stem the bleeding.

0:01:18 Frog in the boiling water

0:03:05 Reading is still a thing

0:03:15 Customized, addictive content

0:04:45 Consuming v creating

0:09:20 Gold standard

0:10:00 Nurture v nature

0:12:30 How to break the addiction

0:13:15 Best practices

0:14:35 Unlimited book budget

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reflect on another chaotic year in admissions. I update you on what's happening with applications, standardized tests, recruited athletes, cost of attendance, expectations, major choices, competitiveness, predictability, and strategies to deal with all of the above.

0:01:50 Applications

0:02:30 Testing

0:04:28 Cost of college

0:06:50 Expectation management

0:09:00 Major choices

0:10:00 Competitiveness

0:13:02 Predictability

0:16:40 Harvard, Stanford, USNA, community college

0:17:25 What's the plan?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I break down when (and if) you should hire a private college counselor for your child. What if they aren't motivated?

0:01:23 9th graders

0:02:30 Motivated or unmotivated

0:03:55 My specific advice: 9th grade

0:07:10 My specific advice: 10th grade

0:10:15 My specific advice: 11th grade

0:13:00 My specific advice: 12th grade

0:14:00 What is your child's plan?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I preview the Top 3 priorities for students in 7th - 12th grade. Are you focused on the right things? PrepWell Academy is premised on delivering the right priorities at just the right time. Make sure your priorities are both relevant and aligned as we enter into the all-important summer.

0:01:35 6th and 7th graders

0:05:12 8th graders

0:10:30 9th graders

0:14:52 10th graders

0:20:00 11th graders

0:23:36 12th graders

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I lay out a decision tree (with "if-then" statements) that dictates how you should think about your major. Should you care about your major? What should influence your choice of major? Are there any hard and fast rules with respect to choosing a major? How to avoid the double-whammy. If you are a high school student or a senior on your way to college, listen to this podcast before making a decision on what to major in.

0:01:35 Stop and think

0:01:55 The single biggest factor

0:02:40 Debt?

0:04:43 Modest debt

0:06:37 Crushing debt

0:08:30 The double-whammy

0:09:22 STEM majors

0:10:12 Tripling down

0:10:50 Options

0:11:54 5 Alternatives

0:17:30 What to do (5 Steps)

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today’s episode, I talk about how much input (or, how little input) parents might want to have in their child’s college admissions journey. What should your strategy be? How much should you get involved? When should you get involved? When you should back off? In other words, how to thread the needle, to make sure your child - and you - have a positive and productive experience. Of course, there is no right or wrong answer here - every child, parent, and dynamic is unique - so there is not a one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, I will discuss 3 strategies that you, as a parent, might consider when dealing with this important period of time in your teen’s life. We’ll start out with the extreme strategies - parents who provide a ton of input and direction - and then move to those who provide little-to-no direction. And then we’ll explore the middle-of-the-road case, where parents provide a measured level of support (the Goldilocks strategy). My goal is to get you thinking about which strategy to take with your child when it comes to college admissions. Does this experience become a noose around your neck that you can’t wait to remove, is it something that you wash your hands of and let your child figure it out on their own, or can it become a productive “rite of passage" between parent and child - where you learn about your child’s strengths/weaknesses/goals/worries/and everything in between.

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:02:53 Strategy #1: The Overlord Parent 0:04:20 What is Considered “Too Much Involvement”? 0:07:00 Challenges of Becoming an Overlord Parent 0:07:34 How the Overlord Parent Impacts their Child 0:08:49 Strategy #2: The Hands-Off Parent 0:10:00 How the Hands-Off Parent Impacts their Child 0:11:25 Challenges of Hands-Off Parenting 0:13:45 Strategy #3: The Empowered Parent 0:15:10 The Empowered Parent Principles 0:15:57 How to Become an Empowered Parent 0:16:06 The Most Affordable Option 0:21:19 The Private Mentoring Option 0:23:15 Summary of Strategies and Consequences 0:24:04 Questions to Ask Yourself Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I take a stab at answering 10 tough questions about college admissions.

0:01:15 Is college even worth it?

0:05:00 How much debt is too much?

0:06:53 Should I consider the "trades"?

0:08:35 What about military options?

0:10:39 Are youth athletics more or less important today?

0:11:57 What is the success barbell?

0:13:40 Should I transfer to my dream school?

0:15:05 How many schools should I apply to?

0:17:10 How do I become a recruited athlete?

0:18:58 Should I still take the SAT?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I argue that the craziness of the college admissions process and the skyrocketing costs of attendance may actually be a net positive for students and families. Find out how this mess might actually snap us out of our stupor.

0:02:03 Back in the day

0:03:08 Parents waking up

0:04:50 Early attention

0:06:45 What will change?

0:10:30 Why is this a good thing?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I walk through how quickly the spots disappear for an unhooked student applying to Harvard. Once all of the institutional priorities are doled out, is there any room for a student who is wildly smart, accomplished, talented - but unhooked?

0:01:20 By the numbers

0:02:33 What is a hook?

0:04:04 Institutional priorities

0:05:05 Multiple hooks

0:05:45 Who is Howard?

0:07:40 Howard vs the hooks

0:08:10 The numbers

0:10:20 The hooks

0:14:20 16 spots left

0:16:15 What does it all mean?

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
Follow on Instagram
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
Join our mailing list
Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss the 5 reasons why college admissions has gotten so out of control. We also review the 7 ways to fight back and become a competitive applicant.

0:00:56 Admissions gone wild

0:02:05 Back in the day

0:02:54 Applications skyrocketing

0:08:45 Historical yields are whack

0:10:21 Students are more competitive

0:13:55 The same schools

0:14:44 Institutional priorities

0:15:50 What can you do?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss different ways to think about your admissions results. In an increasingly challenging environment, how should families deal with acceptances, rejections, and waitlists? And we haven't even started to think about how to afford any of these options.

0:02:06 Admitted, denied, waitlisted

0:02:25 How competitive was I, really?

0:02:54 Did I give it my all?

0:04:20 Or was I half-hearted?

0:05:01 A wake-up call

0:06:20 Dealing with the results

0:06:34 Accepted

0:07:48 Waitlisted

0:11:11 Denied

0:15:10 The Pledge

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss different ways to think about allocating money during high school. How much do you spend on academics versus sports versus extracurriculars? What's the best use of money and why, especially if you don't have an unlimited budget.

0:01:46 Common goal

0:02:55 Are you tracking?

0:03:50 Not for everyone

0:04:45 4 categories of spending

0:05:01 Category #1: Academics

0:06:26 Unlimited book budget

0:08:30 Academics must be a given

0:09:30 Tutors

0:11:05 SAT/ACT prep

0:14:48 Category #2: Advice

0:17:25 Category #3: Sports

0:19:00 If money is no object...

0:20:47 If money is an object...

0:22:10 When to go all-in with your money

0:23:15 Pop quiz

0:25:40 Category #4: Experiences

0:26:50 Thought experiment

0:30:09 What not to spend on

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, we are talking college athletic recruiting again. Specifically, I walk through how to think about your first phone call with a college coach. What makes you worthy of a phone call to begin with? What should you ask? What shouldn't you ask? What should you be prepared to answer? How to make a great first impression.

0:01:00 When can you talk directly to coaches?

0:02:10 How to prime the pump

0:03:40 Phone over Zoom calls

0:05:15 Case study: Coxswain to Princeton?

0:06:30 Mutually convenient time

0:07:23 Be high energy

0:07:50 Demonstrate maturity

0:09:00 Do your due diligence

0:11:05 Junior Day or official visit?

0:12:40 How do you develop coxswains?

0:14:02 Where am I in the pecking order?

0:15:00 Timeline

0:17:30 Show me the money

0:18:16 Are any majors off-limits?

0:19:35 Next steps

0:20:00 Follow-up after the call

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I walk through the considerations you should make before going all-in on a sport. Specializing in a sport with the intention of playing in college can be a high-risk, high-reward bet. Make sure you're aware of the pitfalls and create a strategic plan.

0:01:50 In the beginning

0:02:40 Exposure phase

0:03:20 The gates of hell

0:05:40 How to anticipate problems

0:06:24 What should you consider?

0:07:00 What's the motivation?

0:09:40 Decision time

0:12:38 Consider their sport

0:13:40 Will they be good enough?

0:14:10 What are the signs?

0:16:25 Are their metrics aligned?

0:18:00 How competitive are the clubs?

0:18:55 How competitive is the sport?

0:20:00 Niche sports

0:20:45 Cherry-picking your sport

0:21:00 Crowding out

0:21:00 Will you run out of money?

0:22:30 What about your time?

0:23:45 Relationships

0:25:00 Who does the work?

0:26:00 Beating the odds

0:27:00 Be intentional

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I make the case that every student should apply to "Harvard". I put "Harvard" in quotes because I don't actually mean "Harvard" specifically. I do, however, mean a school that is outside of your child's reach. Why invest time applying to a school that will most likely reject you? Tune in to find out...

0:01:00 Every student should apply to Harvard

0:02:00 Why apply to lottery schools?

0:02:55 Preparing for greatness

0:03:00 "Seldom do we exceed our expectations"

0:04:20 Behavior change

0:05:25 Why invite rejection?

0:06:30 Repurposing hard work

0:07:00 Harvard is a vehicle

0:07:35 Dress rehearsal

0:08:45 Caveats and cautions

0:012:50 Two scenarios

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I ask 10 multiple choice questions about important topics related to the college admissions process. Take the quiz and see how much you've learned (or how much you still need to learn).

0:02:15 Q1: Do SAT/ACT scores matter?

0:03:18 Q2: Merit-based financial aid?

0:05:05 Q3: Max out AP classes?

0:06:30 Q4: If B in Chemistry, Ivies out of reach?

0:07:40 Q5: Most important year?

0:09:00 Q6: How much does college cost?

0:10:55 Q7: When does financial aid go away?

0:12:40 Q8: Athletic scholarships?

0:15:10 Q9: Commitment to DI?

0:10:45 Q10: How many volunteer hours?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: Have you ever had a teacher refuse to bump your 89.5% average from a B to an A at the end of a semester? If you've experienced this common frustration, this episode will arm you with the tools and mindset to make sure it never happens again.

0:01:30 Justified rage?

0:02:28 Just the facts

0:03:00 Grades

0:03:56 SAT scores

0:05:00 Extracurriculars

0:06:23 Was justice served?

0:06:55 Demographics

0:07:55 Timing

0:09:20 Personal statement

0:09:30 Supplementals

0:10:45 Grammar, typos

0:11:45 Major preference

0:12:25 Angles

0:13:15 Letters of rec

0:13:45 Demonstrated interest

0:14:50 High school

0:15:30 Financial issues

0:16:20 Institutional needs

0:17:20 Luck

0:18:50 Bottom line

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: This episode delves into the world of tutors. What students need tutors? Why would your child need a tutor? How prevalent are tutors? When does it make sense to seek out a tutor? Are tutors worth the money?

0:01:10 Tutors

0:01:30 Case study

0:02:00 Selena's tutor

0:03:20 Out of the loop

0:05:10 Why seek out a tutor?

0:06:08 Bad teachers

0:07:15 Challenging classes

0:07:55 Standardized tests

0:09:10 Specific subjects

0:12:30 Are tutors worth it?

0:13:15 How to weigh options

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: Have you ever had a teacher not bump your 89.5% average from a B to an A at the end of a semester? If you've experienced this common frustration, this episode will arm you with the tools and mindset to make sure it never happens again.

0:01:20 Why so many 89.5s?

0:02:30 Start off strong

0:07:11 Show that you care

0:10:00 Do all extra credit

0:11:35 Be your own advocate

0:14:20 What if it doesn't work?

0:15:18 The down low

0:15:55 Summary

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the details of the College Board's proposal for their new, digital SAT. While the new-fangled test won't be rolled out for at least 18 months, you should understand what is happening to the test. Will it affect you or your child? Who will the potential winners and losers be?

0:01:30 Which students will this impact?

0:03:04 Specific dates for the changes

0:04:23 What's changing?

0:09:30 What's staying the same?

0:10:10 Who are the winners?

0:16:45 Who are the losers?

0:23:40 Summary findings

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I observe my twin sons who recently returned home for winter break. Listening to their first-semester (freshman year) exploits gave me a unique window into their lives and whether or not PrepWell Academy made any difference. Did any of the lessons stick? Was it worth the hard work? Listen to find out...

0:01:39 Sample size: 2

0:05:20 Figure it out, dude

0:06:43 Study environment

0:08:33 Networking

0:11:13 Time management

0:14:19 Thinking big

0:16:14 Growth v Fixed mindset

0:18:00 What makes lessons sticky?

0:18:45 High school is a catalyst

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I break down who benefits the most (and least) from test-optional policies. With Harvard's recent announcement to extend their test-optional policy for another four years, it appears that this trend may become permanent. Who will be the winners and losers? I think you'll be surprised by the answers.

0:01:39 First impressions

0:02:50 Who benefits most?

0:03:30 Hooked students

0:04:50 Non-hooked, super-qualified students

0:08:23 Lazy students

0:10:15 Super-motivated students

0:12:00 Overwhelmed parents

0:13:00 Who benefits the least?

0:14:19 The real losers

0:15:50 In general, all students

0:18:07 Review of winners

0:19:30 Review of losers

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I propose a 5-Step process to help break your 14 - 15-year-old son out of their iPhone/video game/Snapchat/IG-induced trance. This is no easy task, and we must deploy CIA-level tactics to bring them to the light. This episode is for parents only (not for kids). If you have daughters, this will be helpful as well, but it's especially geared toward parents with sons.

0:01:45 Why 14 - 15-year-old boys?

0:02:40 When it's too late

0:05:00 Squandered potential

0:07:40 The stakes are higher

0:08:35 Why the disinterest?

0:09:28 Lack of long term planning

0:09:55 Executive function skills

0:10:14 Prefrontal cortex

0:10:40 Hormones

0:10:58 TikTok, creatine, IG, Netflix

0:11:39 Drugs, alcohol, opioids, etc.

0:11:50 Rebellion

0:12:40 Laid-back attitude

0:13:30 Step 1: Temperature check

0:14:55 Step 2: Podcast during drive home

0:19:07 Step 3: Continue in-car campaign

0:20:52 Step 4: Convert to next level

0:23:23 Step 5: Advanced guidance

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I share 18 ideas for extracurricular activities that can be done during lockdowns. I hope it doesn't come to this, but I want you to be prepared in case it does. In certain cases, lockdowns may even help you come up with ECAs that are more unique, compelling, and substantial than you would have considered otherwise.

0:01:15 If lockdowns return

0:04:00 Easier than before

0:04:47 What makes a good ECA?

0:05:20 18 ECA ideas during lockdown

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

There are certain windows of opportunity that should not be missed. Learn the critical decision points and how to stay on track with them.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:40 Fresh: Division I scholarships?

0:04:40 Fresh: Highly-selective schools?

0:05:20 Fresh: STEM or Humanities?

0:05:36 Soph: Significant leadership role?

0:08:36 Soph: Want to attend service academy?

0:09:10 Soph: SAT or ACT?

0:11:07 Soph: What's your angle?

0:12:55 Soph: Financial aid ticker begins

0:14:29 Soph: Highlight films

0:15:05 Junior: Letters of Rec

0:16:00 Junior: When to take SAT?

0:17:35 Senior: College essays

Enroll in PrepWell Academy
Follow on Instagram
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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
Join our mailing list
Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss what happens when those early action admissions emails arrive and you find out whether you were admitted, rejected, or deferred? Is it time to panic? What can you do to immunize yourself from any bad news?

0:00:15 Early action results

0:02:00 Is it panic time?

0:02:20 How did you arrive here?

0:03:00 Fr, So, Jr reactions

0:04:00 No "silver bullet" schools

0:04:15 What have you accomplished?

0:05:00 3-4 years of lessons

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss what to do with the PSAT score you just received. How should you decide whether this is a good or bad score? Does this score matter? How do I use my PSAT score to anticipate my prospects of getting into colleges?

0:01:15 PSAT for sophomores

0:02:01 What if you did well?

0:02:40 What if you didn't do well?

0:03:25 Don't assume improvement is automatic

0:04:16 Is your score good or bad?

0:07:00 Junior year PSAT/NMSQT

0:08:30 National Merit Scholarships

0:09:50 How much can I improve?

0:10:40 What about the ACT?

0:11:00 Refer to episodes 72, 80, 92, 95, 96

0:11:15 Extreme vs middle-of-the-road scores

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss how to create the ultimate "brag sheet". What information to include, why it's so important, how to use it with your counselor, and why it will separate you from the pack.

0:01:40 What makes my counselor so important?

0:06:21 How to build the relationship

0:07:14 When your relationship changes

0:09:55 What's on my brag sheet?

0:11:08 Taking stock of your life

0:11:50 How to organize my brag sheet

0:19:34 Other uses for your brag sheet

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss how to manage the inevitable "Ls" (losses) that we will take in our lives. There is no way to avoid losses, failures, mistakes, and disappointments. The key is to build resilience so that you can dampen the blows and bounce back quickly. Learn the strategies to build your reserves to help mitigate the miscues we all know will be coming.

0:02:08 Typical teenage "Ls"

0:05:14 How to manage the Ls

0:06:04 Preparation

0:06:25 Fill your buckets

0:08:45 Keep the buckets full

0:11:33 How to build reserves

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I continue last week's discussion about how to narrow down college choices. This week, we dive into the relevance (or irrelevance) of your "major" preference when it comes to college selection and beyond. I also explore whether the best high school students will eventually skip college.

0:00:40 Should "ranking" be #1 criteria?

0:01:20 Two important caveats

0:04:30 Does your major matter?

0:05:15 Does major matter > college?

0:06:15 Majors in high demand

0:06:45 A degree in Literature?

0:07:37 STEM or Humanities?

0:08:10 Where to start college search

0:09:12 New world, new majors

0:09:30 Value of two Harvard degrees

0:10:00 How long to graduate (4, 5, 6 yrs)

0:11:00 Straight outta high school

0:11:50 Employers new recruiting criteria

0:12:10 Does merit matter anymore?

0:13:20 New employment track

0:14:10 Will best students bypass college?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I make suggestions on how to make a college decision assuming you will not get into one of the Top 10 most-selective schools. Given that these schools have single-digit acceptance rates, this would cover just about everyone. How should you shift your mindset if the Ivy League is off the table?

0:01:20 Top 10 most selective colleges

0:03:10 Why some schools are in such high demand?

0:04:40 If no Ivies, then what?

0:05:30 Differences in reputation

0:07:10 Rankings

0:08:00 Be open-minded

0:08:37 Cost and career interest

0:08:50 Dirty little secret

0:10:15 In-state, public schools

0:11:00 Tough choices

0:12:30 Career interest inventory

0:13:30 Option A - lazy option

0:14:20 Option B - pragmatic option

0:15:00 What would you do?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I encourage parents to change how they interact with their teenager. Their influence will peek in 9th and 10th grade, and disappear in 11th and 12th. How not to lose this important window of opportunity.

0:01:11 2-yr window of opportunity

0:02:30 90% of parenting is over

0:04:30 Dinnertime

0:05:30 By 11th grade, it's all over

0:06:50 How to take advantage

0:08:50 "Not enough time"

0:11:00 Common mistake

0:12:13 Moral of the story

0:13:00 Golden Years

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I present the case for paying more attention (and respect) to Division III sports. Often thought of as "JV" compared to their Division I counterparts, DIII sports are gaining prominence - and for good reason. Listen to this episode to hear the pros and cons of DIII sports, and when you have to decide if it's the right fit for you.

0:02:11 When will you know?

0:02:55 Drop the DI dream?

0:04:02 Is ego a factor?

0:05:00 Why is DIII so competitive?

0:06:24 Advantages of DIII

0:06:20 Are you a tweener?

0:13:25 Downside of DIII

0:19:13 Why the convergence?

0:09:45 Bottom line questions

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the number one mistake I see students make in their Common Application essays. Even if your essay is "done", please listen to this episode to make sure you haven't fallen into the trap.

0:02:11 Initial checklist

0:03:14 How long should it take?

0:04:05 The biggest mistake

0:05:10 The story is just a vehicle

0:06:24 Why this mistake happens

0:06:45 Striking the right balance

0:08:25 Don't forget to reflect

0:09:15 So what?

0:09:35 Story versus self

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review one of my favorite parenting strategies called the 60-second rule. The goal is to slowly train your child not to lie. The target age group for this strategy is 6th - 10th graders.

0:01:00 My favorite parenting tip

0:01:44 The 60-second rule

0:02:23 The nature of mistakes

0:04:00 The 10X penalty

0:04:40 Case study

0:08:00 Low-consequence mistakes

0:09:25 Summary of steps

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I ask a simple question: "When was the last time you saw a sample of your child's writing?" If the answer is several years - you're not alone. We explore why this might be the case and how surprised you might be at your child's level of writing proficiency. Caution: What you hear in this episode may not sit well with you.

0:01:55 A troubling trend

0:02:23 When was the last time?

0:04:22 College essay readiness

0:05:30 Don't assume the best

0:06:30 Why do students procrastinate?

0:07:56 Back in the day

0:09:30 How do teens write papers?

0:11:55 I want your child to write well

0:12:50 What does it take to write well?

0:14:45 Homework assignment

0:15:30 Happy or shocked?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I suggest that some athletes might want to consider switching sports in order to increase their chances of being recruited at the college level. This is not an easy path, nor a common one. It is fraught with pitfalls. For many athletes, however, so is staying the course. There may be thousands of athletes sitting on hidden talents that could be put to better use in the college athletic recruitment process. Two case studies show how it might work out.

0:01:40 Why even consider such a move?

0:04:31 How do I help my child get recruited?

0:05:02 Switch to a different sport?

0:05:30 Metrics matter

0:09:07 The sport itself matters

0:11:11 When does it make sense to switch?

0:14:40 Case Study #1 (lacrosse to water polo)

0:18:35 Case Study #3 (soccer to track)

0:20:50 Managing a switch is not easy

0:21:23 Checklist to make a decision

0:24:00 Hidden talent on the bench

0:24:40 Which transitions make sense?

0:27:24 Homework questions

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I focus my comments on high school juniors who have high potential but are on the cusp of throwing it all away. They got a raw deal with COVID, and if they don't take control of their lives right now - the gig will be up. If you're a parent of a junior, or curious about what I have to say to this cohort, please tune in.

0:01:30 Target audience: juniors

0:02:20 Who should skip the podcast?

0:03:08 Which parents should listen?

0:04:40 Impact of COVID 19

0:05:04 Class of 2020

0:05:40 Class of 2021

0:06:46 Class of 2022

0:07:18 Class of 2023*

0:09:40 The belly of the beast

0:10:00 What did you learn last year?

0:11:11 The charade is over

0:11:32 Do your study habits suck?

0:13:44 The good old days

0:14:15 Grinding

0:15:40 The year of the grind

0:16:10 If you're a junior...

0:17:40 If you're not willing...

0:19:30 The dirty little secret

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: After dropping off my twin sons at college, I thought I'd have more discretionary time on my hands to do important stuff - like organize my garage - which has been a mess for 18 straight years. I was wrong. Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: To commemorate our 100th episode, I share my Top 100 tips, bits of advice, and insights about the college admissions process. We cover changes to SAT/ACT requirements, athletic scholarships, study strategies, ROTC and service academies, how to differentiate your application, the cost of college, and much more. Test your knowledge. See how many of these points you have heard of before, what surprised you, and what gave you a new perspective. Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review what you should do the day before your SAT or ACT.

0:01:14 Necessary tangible items

0:03:00 Other strategies for success

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
Join our mailing list
Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the topics that I covered with my sons before they left for college. It was my attempt to convey as much "wisdom" as I could before they left the nest for good. We covered a variety of topics including paperwork essentials, financial literacy, and how to live a good life. As you can imagine, this was not an easy exercise.

0:02:40 Life Skills (1 - 36)

0:07:24 Paperwork essentials (1 - 13)

0:09:10 Financial literacy (1 - 14)

0:15:00 Financial education

0:19:00 Philosophical questions

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If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Give us a review
Share this episode with a friend
Join our mailing list
Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss one of the biggest "ah-ha" moments I've had over the course of the last 10 years of teaching and advising students and families about the college admissions process (including going through the process with 3 of my 4 sons so far). If your child wants to stand out among their peers, they need to accomplish certain things by the end of their sophomore year. This podcast will enumerate each of those things. If you are the parent of a rising 8th, 9th, or 10th grader, this is the episode for you. 0:02:15 Will your child get it? 0:02:40 Complacency 0:04:00 The decision 0:04:44 Why so pivotal? 0:05:14 Time to focus 0:06:29 Academic trajectory 0:06:53 Permanent study habits 0:07:27 College athletic aspirations? 0:08:34 Service Academy or ROTC dreams? 0:09:10 Your first job 0:09:30 Establishing your reputation 0:10:04 Summer planning Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reveal yet another reason to take practice SAT or ACT tests before the real thing. This time, it's to discover whether or not you have learned enough math to excel on the math sections of the SAT or ACT. If last year's zoom-based math instruction was a crap show, you may need to study more than you planned for.

0:01:15 Math content gap

0:03:03 Test optional policy rationale

0:03:23 Curse of the rising COVID junior

0:04:40 Impact of pandemic on math

0:05:40 Repeat 10th grade math?

0:06:45 The takeaways

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this 8-minute episode, I try to convince you that creating a personal cheat sheet for the SAT/ACT is a game-changer. If you're not building one while studying, you need to adopt this practice immediately.

0:01:20 A missed opportunity

0:02:00 Why create a cheat sheet?

0:02:43 Practice does not equal learning

0:03:20 Prime your brain

0:04:04 Sample math tips

0:04:55 Sample grammar tips

0:05:30 Sample reading tips

0:05:55 Imprint the golden rules

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I walk through three parenting strategies when it comes to handling your teen in high school: (1) hand's-off, (2) helicopter, or (3) hedger. Each style has its own advantages and disadvantages. Figure out what style you use and whether it's the best way to go.

0:03:00 Hand's-off parent

0:03:50 Hand's-off pros

0:05:13 Hand's-off cons

0:07:33 Helicopter parent

0:08:13 Helicopter cons

0:09:55 Helicopter pros

0:11:38 Hedger parent

0:14:00 The right strategy

0:14:15 Different children, different styles

0:15:00 Which way to go?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I cover the pitfalls of filling out your college application with a superficial plan to major in Business.

0:01:20 Episode 84 review

0:01:35 Why are business programs so impacted?

0:02:18 Aspects of business

0:02:40 The new default major

0:03:50 How to get business savvy

0:05:20 The price of ignorance

0:05:45 Types of businesses

0:06:22 Roles within business

0:08:00 Accounting or general business?

0:09:00 My message to PrepWellers

0:10:00 How to educate yourself

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: This episode encourages you to register your child for the SAT/ACT immediately. The best Test Center seats are filling up fast. I also reveal my rationale for registering my students (and sons) for at least 3 backup tests.

0:01:00 Register for the SAT - now

0:01:18 Sign up for ACT alerts

0:02:53 When do I take the test?

0:05:00 Why take an early test?

0:08:00 What if I'm not ready?

0:08:28 Why 3 backups?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: This episode focuses on the steps needed to build your target list of colleges. What questions are most important? How many colleges should be on your list? How do you balance your list?

0:01:42 Step 1: Major preference

0:04:18 Student differences

0:05:10 Not a final decision

0:06:40 Step 2: location

0:07:55 Step 3: Type of school

0:08:20 Step 4: Campus life

0:09:35 Step 5+: Affordability, etc.

0:10:45 Researching colleges

0:12:30 Chance of getting in

0:13:00 Creating a balanced list

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: This episode focuses on the section of the Common Application that takes many students by surprise - the Extracurricular Activity list. If you don't plan ahead for this, you might end up with a skimpy list. I walk you through how to avoid this trap, and build a high-impact, themed list.

0:00:55 Wait, what?

0:02:16 Case Study

0:05:16 Tip 1: PrepWell

0:05:42 Tip 2: Summers

0:07:45 Tip 3: Core Activities

0:08:20 Tip 4: Impact

0:08:43 Tip 5: Alignment

0:09:13 Tip 6: Consider One Off Activities

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: This episode is a continuation from last week's theme of athletic recruiting. We review the importance of relationships with your coaches, why it's important to communicate a consistent message, and why coaches hold so much power in the process.

0:01:50 Academic metrics disappearing

0:02:41 The recruited athlete's path

0:03:23 Importance of your coaches

0:04:15 Importance of a coach's phone call

0:05:30 Which coach matters more?

0:06:40 Due diligence

0:07:20 The club coach

0:08:10 Not just fun and games

0:08:48 Parents get assessed, too

0:09:28 How to be a good parent

0:10:00 Communication flow

0:11:30 Action items

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I offer a step-by-step method to help you determine your child's odds of becoming a recruited college athlete. I break down the competitiveness of certain sports, the importance of metrics, whether or not an athlete "projects well", and the athlete's mindset. If you have a child who may be a college prospect in their sport (from DI - DIII), this is the episode for you.

0:01:24 What are metrics?

0:02:51 High school level metrics

0:04:22 Div III level metrics

0:05:40 Div I level metrics

0:06:50 Your child's metrics

0:08:00 Freshman year matters

0:09:10 "...if I get recruited"

0:10:14 Exceptions to the rules

0:11:35 How competitive is the sport?

0:12:08 Your child's metrics

0:13:15 Do they "project"?

0:14:44 Are they committed?

0:15:30 Sample family decisions

0:16:08 Case Study #1

0:19:13 An athlete or athletic?

0:22:17 Cast Study #2

0:23:13 The big decision

0:28:05 Time to execute the plan

0:29:00 Where are you on the timeline?

0:30:00 Do you have the courage to ask?

0:30:25 Parent checklist

0:31:52 Summary

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I challenge high school students to take two important steps. Step #1: Think about their future and what they want the next 6-8 years to look like; Step #2: Decide whether their actions today are consistent with that vision for the future. I speak directly to the students in this episode, as opposed to parents.

0:01:14 Do you have prospective?

0:04:10 What will your future look like?

0:05:54 Upgrade your middle school vision board

0:06:25 Personal agency

0:07:20 Connecting vision with behavior

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the impact of the ongoing "test-blind" policy for the UC school system. What does this mean for your child? What are the unintended consequences? What are the pitfalls to avoid and the right moves to make?

0:01:50 The lottery has arrived

0:03:10 Don't be lazy

0:05:54 National Merit Scholarships

0:07:25 Slip your score into your application

0:08:50 Applications skyrocketing again

0:09:39 What is left to differentiate?

0:10:40 Take the process seriously

0:11:05 What matters for UC schools?

0:13:35 7 Rules to live by in CA

0:15:53 Start early

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review a student's college application and the process of building a "theme" over three years. Learn what the theme was, what extracurriculars helped to fortify the theme, and whether or not it was successful.

0:02:00 Putting lipstick on a pig

0:03:00 What's left for admissions officers?

0:03:48 What is a theme?

0:05:25 Case study

0:05:50 The 10 Extracurriculars (ECAs)

0:07:00 Aspirations in 9th grade

0:09:35 The student's theme: defined

0:12:50 Context and background

0:14:25 10 Extracurriculars (quick-read)

0:15:33 An Admissions Officer's perspective

0:22:40 Did you detect a theme?

0:24:00 How will your application turn out?

0:24:45 What's the trick?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I review the process PrepWellers go through to help them discover what they might want to major in, what career they might enjoy, and what kind of lifestyle to pursue.

0:01:11 What do you want to major in?

0:03:55 What kind of engineering?

0:04:45 Top 3 reasons to become an engineer

0:07:00 Why this mental exercise is important

0:08:40 How do I get my child to engage in this process?

0:10:10 How to refine a teenagers' thinking

0:11:45 The writing exercise

0:12:57 What if you hit a dead-end (Big Future)

0:15:25 How to fortify your research

0:17:20 Books

0:17:50 Podcasts

0:18:30 Jobs & Internships

0:20:28 Online learning platforms

0:21:35 No frame of reference

0:22:00 Students need to take control

0:22:35 Why this improves the college application

0:23:15 Get your child on board

0:24:00 How this process inoculates your child from pressure

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I argue that this year's ridiculous admissions cycle is actually a blessing in disguise. It should cause us to take stock of where we are, where we're going, and how to get there.

0:01:23 Admissions as we know it - is broken

0:03:55 The new mindset

0:05:10 How to optimize for the new reality

0:06:00 The old-fashioned strategy

0:08:00 We must think differently

0:08:10 Hard-charger or status quo?

0:09:15 Motivation and ambition

0:10:37 Status quo students

0:11:45 What to do with a status quo student

0:12:45 What to do with a hard-charger

0:13:20 Institutional priorities

0:13:50 The athletic profile

0:14:48 Other profiles?

0:15:45 Will your child own a viable profile?

0:16:20 Summary review

0:18:15 What's the through-line?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I break down when (and if) you should hire a private college counselor for your child. What if they aren't motivated?

0:01:23 9th graders

0:02:30 Motivated or unmotivated

0:03:55 My specific advice: 9th grade

0:07:10 My specific advice: 10th grade

0:10:15 My specific advice: 11th grade

0:13:00 My specific advice: 12th grade

0:14:00 What is your child's plan?

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss what motivates us to put our kids into sports. Then, I break down the three types of athletes: Div I, Div III, and recreational athletes. Finally, how do each of these athletes fare in the college admissions process?

0:02:10 The Div I athlete

0:05:50 The Div III athlete

0:08:43 The recreational athlete

0:10:20 #1: Follow the crowd

0:11:07 #2: Exercise

0:11:23 #3: Love of sports

0:11:40 #4: To pay for college

0:13:16 #5: To get into college

0:14:57 #6: For ROTC or SAs

0:17:00 Are sports a prerequisite?

0:19:00 When to decide? DI

0:20:15 When to decide? DIII

0:21:10 When to decide? Rec athlete

0:22:00 My four sons

0:22:15 My twins

0:24:55 My sophomore

0:24:55 My 6th grader

0:26:26 Audit your child

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I make the strong case that every sophomore should dedicate 4-6 weeks this summer studying for the SAT or ACT. Learn the reasons why and how to map out a plan of attack.

0:02:40 Why study for SAT this summer

0:05:44 Why it may not make sense

0:06:55 Will you be smarter in the Spring?

0:07:40 Plenty of time to recover

0:08:22 Early SAT score to coaches

0:08:55 Early is always better than late

0:09:28 You get an early signal

0:10:22 Get bulk of studying done

0:10:49 Superscoring

0:12:00 Step 1: Take practice SAT and ACT

0:13:20 Step 2: Do you want to invest?

0:13:45 Step 3: Map out a plan

0:14:15 Step 4: Register for exams

0:14:30 Step 5: De-conflict

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I walk through the reasons why some of the most selective schools are only admitting 3-4% of the applicants. Once we establish the reasons why, we then tackle the tougher question of - what can you do about it?

0:02:00 Why admit rates so low?

0:02:18 College Rankings

0:02:54 Artificial number of applicants

0:03:55 Definition of applicant

0:04:22 QuestBridge

0:05:10 Common App

0:06:00 Growing population

0:06:22 Growing interest in college

0:06:49 Standardized test prep

0:07:22 Remote learning

0:08:10 Test optional

0:10:30 Step #1: Audit

0:13:00 Supernovas

0:16:38 Very highly qualified student

0:19:20 Qualified students

0:16:38 Very highly qualified student

0:19:40 Recruited athletes

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: If you have a 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, or 10th grader, this episode is for you. I advise parents on how to help their young children prepare for the Verbal section of the SAT/ACT - from a very early age. I also try to disabuse parents of the assumption that good grades in English class necessarily translate into high SAT Verbal scores. They don't. Find out why not and what you can do about it.

0:01:37 Performing well on the Verbal part of SAT/ACT

0:03:38 What will move the needle?

0:05:20 Please, don't make this assumption

0:06:00 English grades vs. SAT score

0:06:35 Extremely bright, but a poor test-taker?

0:07:50 Why early diagnostics are so important

0:08:38 How to score well on Verbal SAT

0:09:42 I don't care about English grades

0:10:00 My twin sons

0:10:55 My third son

0:11:43 My fourth son

0:12:30 How to get son #4 over the hump?

0:13:45 A deal with the devil

0:16:20 Tips for the reluctant reader

0:17:15 The most important correlation

Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss why this year's admissions results will be the toughest in years. How you should prepare for the results and what to do next. 0:01:13 Why colleges love leaders 0:03:00 7 Common leadership roles 0:04:40 How to secure leadership roles 0:11:52 Inside the mind of an admissions officer 0:14:15 Two strategies for leadership positions 0:16:30 Final advice Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I discuss why this year's admissions results will be the toughest in years. How you should prepare for the results and what to do next.

0:01:13 Why will admissions be so competitive this year?

0:04:49 What will happen to yields?

0:05:35 The long waitlist

0:05:52 What if you're admitted?

0:06:45 What if you're denied?

0:07:15 What if you're wait-listed?

0:08:05 What do you do if you're wait-listed?

0:09:10 No such thing as a ranked waitlist

0:11:00 Pre-admissions results Pledge

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I reveal why GPA has become an irrelevant number in today's college admissions process.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:07 The Big 3

0:01:45 Why has GPA lost its stature?

0:03:23 Not a new trend

0:04:20 How colleges assess GPA

0:05:15 What to do

0:06:10 Do grades still matter?

0:06:30 Case Study

0:09:00 What metric to use to create college list

0:10:05 Summary

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I reveal the pros and cons of applying "Early Decision" to college. This high-stakes decision should not be taken lightly. Colleges benefit from ED programs, but do students?

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:20 Timelines and terminology

0:02:00 Early admissions deadlines

0:02:40 Early Decision or "ED"

0:04:00 Restricted Early Action or "REA"

0:04:48 Early Action or "EA"

0:05:40 Regular Decision or "RD"

0:06:10 Why higher admit rate for ED?

0:06:40 Why colleges benefit from ED

0:11:20 What kind of students apply ED?

0:14:44 Private schools use ED to their advantage

0:16:10 Should I apply ED?

0:17:20 Not all ED applicants get admitted

0:18:20 Your child should apply ED if...

0:21:40 Do not apply ED if...

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I reveal the single day in the life of your child that represents the "tipping point" when it comes to college affordability. If you miss it, you may not be able to recover. Find out how prepared you'll be when you reach the tipping point.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:00 Top college affordability questions

0:04:05 How much does college cost?

0:06:00 What about state schools?

0:06:40 What about community colleges?

0:07:00 What about service academies?

0:09:09 Income range analysis

0:10:00 Income < $70K

0:10:58 Income $70K - $150K

0:12:30 Income $150K - $500K (dead zone)

0:13:30 Income > $500K

0:13:55 Where are you on the continuum?

0:15:00 When is the tipping point?

0:15:44 Option #1: status quo

0:16:15 Option #2: downscale

0:17:14 Option #3: Go for gold

0:18:30 Which scenario resonates with you?

0:18:50 When is the tipping point (actual date)?

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I try to convince motivated (but wavering) students to take the SAT or ACT - despite the deluge of messages telling them otherwise. The fact that most colleges are still "test-optional" has given many students a false notion that it doesn't matter if they take the test or not anymore. For students who want to be competitive, this is not the case. Please listen to this episode if you are on the fence.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:45 The straw that broke the camel's back

0:04:30 Why the overnight change?

0:06:40 No, "test-optional" is not a good thing for you!

0:07:00 Why is this the best time to take the SAT?

0:08:39 Reason #1: More time to study

0:09:09 Reason #2: Test preparation is a skill

0:10:19 Reason #3: Don't believe the colleges

0:11:30 Big pile versus small pile

0:12:00 Reason #4: Competition is even greater now

0:13:10 Who benefits from test-optional policies?

0:13:35 Reason #5: More ammunition for admissions officer

0:14:30 Reason #6: Reality check

0:15:10 500 Math SAT score at MIT?

0:17:00 Summary taekaways

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss the ascendancy of AP classes and exams, and how to capitalize on their momentum. As more and more objective measures of student academic achievement get canceled, others are surging. Find out why AP classes and exams may be the last place to show your academic chops.

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:17 The growing challenge for college admissions

0:01:53 Bye, bye SAT/ACT requirements

0:02:30 SAT Subject Tests, gone

0:02:55 No more SAT "essay"

0:03:32 GPA now meaningless

0:05:52 Ascendancy of APs

0:07:35 AP exams are more important now

0:07:57 APs exams more important during pandemic

0:08:30 How is admissions dealing with this?

0:09:00 Not a good idea to skip AP exams anymore

0:09:25 Re-think your AP study strategies

0:09:42 Take all AP Exams?

0:10:12 Don't take May/June SAT/ACTs

0:11:32 How does this affect class selection?

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I walk through a new and updated Top 10 List of important factors that impact college admissions. This is not your standard list. For example, GPA and rigor of courses fall to #8 on the list.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:17 Drivers vs. passengers

0:05:00 Recruited athletes

0:10:05 SAT/ACT score

0:12:40 National or international renown

0:13:36 A coherent brand

0:14:50 Demonstrated interest

0:19:00 Ability to pay

0:20:29 GPA & rigor of classes

0:23:00 Extracurricular activities

0:25:10 Letters of recommendation

0:26:02 Interviews

0:27:02 Honorable mention

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

There are certain windows of opportunity that should not be missed. Learn the critical decision points and how to stay on track with them.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:40 Fresh: Division I scholarships?

0:04:40 Fresh: Highly-selective schools?

0:05:20 Fresh: STEM or Humanities?

0:05:36 Soph: Significant leadership role?

0:08:36 Soph: Want to attend service academy?

0:09:10 Soph: SAT or ACT?

0:11:07 Soph: What's your angle?

0:12:55 Soph: Financial aid ticker begins

0:14:29 Soph: Highlight films

0:15:05 Junior: Letters of Rec

0:16:00 Junior: When to take SAT?

0:17:35 Senior: College essays

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

SAT Subject Tests and the "essay" section of SAT have both been canceled - indefinitely. Find out what this means for students. Who are the winners and losers?

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:30 SAT Subject Tests canceled 0:02:00 The good news 0:03:07 History of SAT Subject Tests 0:05:36 Who is harmed? 0:08:40 Who may benefit? 0:10:20 But then again... 0:11:15 Using tests to demonstrate interest 0:12:50 AP Exams more important now 0:14:34 Activities more important now 0:15:15 More emphasis on SAT/ACT 0:15:30 Summary 0:16:45 No more SAT Essay Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I cover more than just a standard list of summer activities. I use a real-world case study to demonstrate why some summer activities might be better than others for "Rick". Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:02:34 Behind the scenes strategies 0:03:15 Case study: "Rick" 0:03:47 Rick's options 0:04:30 Option 1: Private Pilot's license 0:07:50 Option 2: Rick's friend gets him a local internship 0:09:48 Option 3: Apply for a NASA internship 0:11:15 Option 4: Re-start his startup idea 0:14:15 Final recommendation 0:14:45 What is the downside? 0:16:58 How do I assess opportunities? 0:17:34 How Rick should prioritize options Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I walk through answers to FAQs from 2020.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:14 Should I worry about the SAT or ACT anymore?

0:03:18 I got 1190 on my PSAT. What do I do now?

0:06:03 I've been getting a lot of fancy invitations to leadership conferences. Should I go?

0:08:00 I want to be an engineer. Any advice?

0:09:22 Is there any stigma in moving my child to a different school?

0:11:02 I got my first "B". Should I eliminate "Ivies" from my target list

0:12:13 What's the best way to use my summers?

0:14:15 Why did this student get in and I didn't?

0:16:05 Are colleges assessing students differently because of COVID?

0:18:40 I need to get some work experience. What can I do during COVID?

0:20:14 I want to go to a military service academy. What should I prioritize?

0:21:26 What trends are you seeing with your private PrepWellers?

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I walk through the best ways to cope with the 3-month wait before students find out their college application results.

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:20 Applications are in. Now what?

0:02:37 Finding your flow

0:03:20 How to manage the emotional roller coaster

0:03:34 Month 1: Aggressive optimism

0:04:25 Month 2: Re-take control

0:06:20 Month 3: Aggressive pessimism

0:06:43 Harvard is not for me anyway

0:09:50 Creating backup plans

0:10:27 Summary findings

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I walk through the factors that made this year's early admissions process one of the most difficult in years. Who got in, who got deferred, and who got denied?

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:20 What is early admissions?

0:04:00 Why was early admissions so competitive this year?

0:04:44 #1 More applicants

0:05:15 Optional SAT and ACT scores

0:06:40 Flight to quality

0:08:00 Generous financial aid programs

0:08:40 #2 Fewer spots

0:09:32 #3 Recruited athletes Follow us:

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Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I lay out the steps (and options) for high school students who want to succeed in college and beyond. Step 1: Decide if you want to succeed. Step 2: Decide if you're willing to pay the price. Step 3: Decide if you want to pay now or later?

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:20 Do you want to be successful?

0:02:30 When do you want to pay?

0:03:23 Students who want to pay "now"

0:05:25 Summary questions

0:07:00 What if you don't get into your dream school?

0:07:51 Students who want to pay "later"

0:10:02 Are you okay with a 10 or 15 year delay?

0:11:22 Summary

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In this episode, I lay out all the steps necessary to ensure that your child has a great college interview season. This episode is equally valuable for students who will soon have Zoom interviews for summer jobs, internships, or scholarship competitions.

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:04:00 Record your interview date (deconflict) 0:04:23 Confirm that you have the correct time (zone) 0:04:49 Research 0:05:24 Cheatsheets 0:06:10 Camera lens 0:07:15 Lighting 0:08:06 Rehearse 0:08:38 Technology 0:09:00 Natural background 0:09:44 Stand 0:10:42 Dress well 0:11:18 Speak clearly and enunciate 0:12:30 Nonverbal cues 0:13:25 Pick a quiet, reliable location 0:14:55 Don't panic 0:16:11 Ask questions 0:18:08 Common interview questions Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s show, I discuss strategies and recommendations for Extracurricular Activities that take 2-3 years to plan and execute. They are not short-term gimmicks or shortcuts. Pack a lunch.

If you have a child in 11th or 12th grade, it may be too late to implement these strategies to full effect.

This podcast is primarily for conscientious parents who are trying to help their aspirational 8th, 9th and 10th graders do the right things now to help them be successful later (2 or 3 years from now) in the college admission process. Here’s what we’ll discuss:

Topic 1: What Activities are Considered “Extracurricular”? Topic 2: How Most Families Approach Extracurricular Activities Topic 3: How Most Families Should Approach Extracurricular Activities Topic 4: How Important are Extracurricular Activities in the Admissions Process Topic 5: How Thinking About This Topic Now Gives You a Big Advantage

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Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:55 Topic #1: What Counts as Extracurricular Activities (ECs)? 0:03:41 Lesser known ECs 0:04:37 Topic #2: How Most Families Typically Approach ECs 0:05:14 The Shotgun Approach to ECs 0:05:50 Collecting versus Connecting your ECs 0:06:36 The Problem with Disconnected ECs 0:07:30 Case Study (Jane): Random Collector of ECs 0:09:18 What Jane Left out of Her ECs 0:10:00 What Could Jane have Done Differently? 0:12:08 Topic #3: How Families Should Approach ECs 0:12:46 What if My Child is Clueless About Their Future? 0:13:45 How To Help Your Child Think About their Future 0:14:25 How This Skill Will Be Used Over and Over Again 0:15:00 What if My Child is a Complete Blank Slate? 0:16:33 Topic #4: How Important are ECs anyway? 0:18:13 When ECs Really Matter 0:19:25 What colleges need, specifically 0:20:17 How Admissions Officers Assess ECs 0:21:44 Best ECs Checklist 0:22:11 Summary Thoughts

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Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I discuss how the admissions process is changing right before our eyes and how "class selection" has become even more important than GPA or SAT/ACT scores. How do you approach the class selection process to make sure you get it right?

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:19 Why is class selection so important? 0:03:05 The new #1 factor in college admissions (thanks to COVID) 0:04:49 How to optimize the class selection process 0:05:40 The highly-motivated student 0:07:07 Which classes are the top performing students taking? 0:08:10 Challenged, but still successful 0:09:33 Case study: Students who wants to apply to competitive colleges 0:10:15 Which AP class(es) should I drop? 0:11:20 How do I know which AP/Honors classes to take? Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I explore what parents should do when their child's D-1 athletic scholarship dreams are dashed. Who makes the decision? When should this decision be made? Is it different for boys and girls? How does the student-athlete recover?

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:06:44 When should you know if your child has scholarship potential? 0:10:00 What if the answer is no? 0:15:45 Letters of Recommendation 0:10:40 3 options (DI, DIII, no college prospects) 0:11:09 Division I prospects 0:12:25 Division III prospects 0:15:35 No college sports 0:17:22 Sticking with the status quo 0:20:22 Mix things up 0:21:40 How to transition away from scholarship dreams 0:20:05 Branding and Leadership Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: The college admissions environment is changing before our eyes. In this episode, I update juniors on what to focus on right now. Please tune-in for a refresher on what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and what to prioritize. Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:52 Grades 0:04:15 Standardized tests 0:15:45 Letters of Recommendation 0:17:09 Signature Extracurricular Activity 0:20:05 Branding and Leadership Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: Filling out college applications is more than just writing essays and submitting test scores. It’s a process that teaches some of life’s most important lessons. In this episode, I cover the Top 5 Life Lessons Learned during this process. Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:02:55 A life full of applications 0:05:45 How to Market Yourself 0:08:51 Early Preparation 0:10:30 Time Management 0:11:58 Concise Writing 0:13:42 Attention to Detail Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In this episode, I go through 20 bad decisions that high-schoolers make and the consequences of such decisions. Make sure that you are not making similar mistakes. Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:55 Letters of recommendation 0:02:25 When to study for SAT 0:03:00 Highlight videos for coaches 0:03:30 Leadership positions 0:03:58 College essays 0:04:36 Social media repost 0:05:16 Summer plans 0:05:46 No time 0:06:22 SAT and ACT diagnostics 0:06:54 Volunteer work 0:07:54 Financial aid 0:08:28 High School Clubs 0:09:07 Athletic scholarships 0:09:55 Eagle Scout 0:10:31 LinkedIn 0:11:09 Freshman grades 0:11:50 Test-taking timeline 0:12:26 SAT prep 0:13:14 Help from teachers 0:13:46 Summer planning Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today’s episode, I discuss ROTC scholarships. What are they? How do they work? How do they differ from service academies? Why should I care? Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:40 Let’s start with military service academies 0:02:10 Military Service Academies 0:04:35 What is ROTC? 0:07:00 What do ROTC scholarships cover? 0:09:15 More affordable 0:09:50 Serve your country 0:10:06 Part time commitment 0:10:36 Leadership training 0:11:00 Guaranteed job for 5 years 0:11:44 Admissions advantage 0:12:28 Career optionality 0:12:54 Automatic affinity group 0:13:33 Monthly stipend 0:13:51 Life-changing Adventure 0:14:24 Combat exposure 0:15:07 Resume-builder Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Today’s episode is a review of the 3 most important things that students should focus on in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th-grades. To save time, fast forward to the grade that you care about most.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:00 9th-graders

0:08:05 10th-graders

0:15:00 11th-graders

0:21:00 12th-graders

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Today’s episode is a compilation of answers to questions you have sent me by email, DM, phone, and voicemail. This format allows me to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time and gives you the opportunity to test your knowledge about the process. Keep those questions coming...

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:45 Do I need to worry about the SAT or ACT anymore?

0:02:20 Need-based versus merit-based financial aid

0:03:08 What are the best extracurriculars for my child?

0:03:56 Should my son apply ED to Dartmouth?

0:04:50 Do Ivy League schools offer merit aid?

0:05:31 Is it too late to take the SAT this year?

0:06:05 How is my son supposed to be recruited?

0:07:22 What’s the single most important factor for academics

0:07:35 What’s the difference between West Point and ROTC?

0:08:42 Is any college worth $85K/year?

0:09:32 What is Single-Choice Early Action?

0:10:18 When should my child start to study for the SAT/ACT?

0:10:37 Which test is easier - SAT or ACT?

0:11:17 Do Div III schools offer athletic scholarships?

0:11:27 Do Ivy League schools offer athletic scholarships?

0:11:33 What is the single biggest mistake students make?

0:11:56 How will admissions handle academic performance during COVID?

0:12:26 How much volunteer work is enough?

0:13:50 What will replace SAT and ACT scores?

0:14:15 What should I be worried about with distance learning?

0:15:00 Should my daughter take AP exams this year?

0:16:00 How can I motivate my unmotivated child?

0:17:02 Advice for college essays?

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Many teenagers wake up at the end of 11th grade, wondering why they are not prepared for the college admissions process. In this episode, I teach teenagers: (1) how to avoid this fate, (2) why it’s important to start early, and (3) how to maintain their motivation - even during COVID-19.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:05 What “things” can we control?

0:03:30 How small changes affect long-term goals

0:03:55 The Titanic

0:05:35 What “icebergs" do you have in your life?

0:06:55 How do you avoid the fate of the Titanic?

0:07:24 Importance of a vision

0:07:49 What is viscipline?

0:09:50 What simple behaviors will change my life?

0:12:30 What insight helped me achieve success?

0:13:14 My ultimate hope

0:13:30 The Magic Formula

0:14:05 How do I start the journey?

0:15:00 The first step...

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I discuss how a trend toward test-optional and test-blind policies will affect the college admissions process - this year and for years to come. Important for families with 8th - 12th graders.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:10 Dealing with more test-optional/test-blind colleges

0:02:40 How colleges used to evaluate students

0:03:45 How colleges evaluate students now

0:05:00 The Big 2

0:05:45 What do colleges look at after the Big 3

0:06:14 Imagine yourself as a college admissions officer

0:07:50 10 Extracurricular Activities

0:08:38 Case study

0:11:00 How do I optimize my Activities?

0:15:30 Unique Extracurricular Activities

0:17:40 Summary

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I help 9 - 12th graders figure out what to prioritize in this ever-changing landscape of college admissions. Do they even bother studying for the SAT/ACT, should they double-down on sports, does it matter if they don’t have the perfect schedule?

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:45 9th-graders

0:09:26 10th-graders

0:15:25 11th-graders

0:18:45 12th-graders

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Impact of the recent ruling prohibiting UC schools from considering SAT and ACT scores in this year's application process.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:12 Shift to test-optional admissions

0:03:54 Shift to test-blind admissions

0:05:00 Unintended consequences

0:06:30 Will applications double to 400,000?

0:07:00 What’s left to evaluate?

0:07:40 Only one lever left to pull (PIQs)

0:08:57 How will readers differentiate students?

0:09:30 Don’t expect to get into a UC school

0:10:06 Apply to as many UC schools as you can afford

0:11:17 Perfect your PIQs

0:11:48 Broaden your target list of schools

0:13:15 UC schools are disputing the ruling

0:13:24 Summary thoughts

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this episode, I review the Top 7 habits that high-schoolers should adopt to become standout students, college applicants, and successful professionals someday. This episode is best for 6th-12th graders and their parents.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:38 What is a habit?

0:06:00 How long does it take to develop a habit?

0:07:55 Habit #7: Taking notes

0:10:45 Habit #6: Managing your own calendar

0:12:30 Habit #5: Having a vision

0:15:00 Habit #4: Goal-setting

0:17:00 Habit #3: Hard work

0:17:52 Habit #2: Do the hard stuff first

0:19:35 Habit #1: Early preparation

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Give us a review
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In this 10-minute episode, I discuss how COVID has amplified the need for timely and regular advice about the college admissions process. For students who are schooling at home, what’s their plan for getting college admissions advice?

This episode is specifically geared toward parents of freshman and sophomores who are not yet enrolled in PrepWell Academy. Where are you getting your information from? Is it consistent? Accessible? Are your children in the loop? How are you dealing with this new reality?

Listen-in...

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Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s show, I walk through exactly how I coach “college essay-writing” to my private and online PrepWellers. If you are a rising senior, and are struggling with starting (or finishing) your college essay, give this episode a listen.

If you’re younger and want to get a head start of the art of essay-writing (smart idea), tune-in and get an early read. If you are a parent, trying to figure out how to guide your child through this process, I suggest you settle-in and take notes.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:03 What is the college essay (or personal statement)?

0:03:42 When is the essay due?

0:04:22 When should I start my college essay?

0:05:20 What are supplemental essays?

0:06:00 Why it’s so important to wrap up your essay?

0:07:54 Procrastination 101

0:08:47 What to do if I haven’t started yet?

0:09:34 Where do I begin?

0:10:35 Should I start with the prompts

0:11:15 How to come up with ideas

0:11:44 How do I become reflective?

0:13:00 How to build ideas into an essay?

0:13:20 What is an essence object?

0:14:50 Sample essay of PrepWeller

0:17:08 Sample "essence objects" used by PrepWellers

0:17:55 How to structure your essay?

0:18:20 Narrative versus Montage structures

0:19:05 Essay checklist (1 - 16)

0:23:00 What about outside opinions?

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In most of my podcasts, I do deep dives into one or two topics. Today, I’m bringing back the rapid-fire FAQ format. I’ll give you my quick-takes on some of the most common questions that I get every day as a college admissions advisor.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:07 Should I still bother taking the SAT or ACT?

0:01:40 Do colleges prefer SAT or ACT?

0:02:20 Should I take the SAT and the ACT?

0:02:44 Which test should I take: SAT or ACT?

0:03:37 How do I differentiate myself while working remotely?

0:04:50 How do I make a highlight reel with no games?

0:05:34 Should I switch from soccer to fencing?

0:07:05 Is college even worth it?

0:07:44 Will colleges still give financial aid?

0:08:12 Should I study for PSAT?

0:09:20 How do I stay motivated with remote learning?

0:10:20 How do I not fall behind?

0:11:20 How much will senior year grades count?

0:12:30 Should I write about COVID?

0:13:20 How do I start my Common App personal statement?

0:14:48 When should I take my SAT or ACT?

0:15:18 Any tips for the SAT in two weeks?

0:16:18 When should I submit my SAT score?

0:17:17 Will test-optional trend stick around?

0:17:47 Who will be the COVID winners and losers?

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

We are halfway through one of the most unusual summers that teenagers will experience for the next 50 years. Two months at home - without much responsibility (in most cases). In this episode, I speak directly to every teenager, student, PrepWeller, and prospective PrepWeller. I ask them to reflect on what they’ve accomplished during the month of July. I prompt them to make a plan for August. I challenge them to decide whether or not they want to be different. I provide a key strategy for making August the best month ever.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:04:00 August is here…buckle-up

0:05:25 Want to be like everybody else?

0:06:15 Are you a Good Time Charlie?

0:06:45 What does it mean to be different?

0:09:00 Are you different?

0:10:10 What’s the one thing?

0:12:00 Benefits of a checklist

0:13:45 Summary

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

At the end of March, PrepWell Academy closed registration to the Class of 2022 (rising juniors). In our eyes, June 1st marks the point of no return. Either you care about college admissions - or you don’t. If you do, the end of sophomore year is the last time that you have a chance to enroll in PrepWell Academy.

Because of the COVID shutdown and our multiple airings on Shark Tank, this year happened to be a giant year for last-minute sophomore enrollees. To make sure this cohort gets up to speed quickly, I have laid out exactly what should have happened in 9th and 10th grade and what rising juniors can do to catch up if need be.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:03:10 Artificial deadline

0:04:50 Not too late for rising juniors

0:05:50 Basics of 9th and 10th grade

0:09:00 Where do I stand?

0:10:44 Extracurricular activities

0:13:45 Leadership

0:15:05 Summers

0:18:10 SAT or ACT

0:19:37 Summary remarks

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Today, we’re talking about how to approach the SAT and/or ACT - the two standardized tests that most colleges will use to assess your child’s readiness for college.

This is a very important topic. As with most things related to college admissions, students and parents should get involved far sooner than they think - if they want to do well.

That’s the entire point of this podcast, and PrepWell Academy - to give you the early head’s - to help you prepare early - so that your child can perform well.

Here are some questions I address:

How do I approach these tests?
When should I take these tests?
Which test should I take?
What’s the difference between the tests?
How do I compare an ACT and SAT score?
Should I take one or both?
How big a deal is my score?
How many times should I take it?
How much should I expect to improve?
What are the best ways to prepare for these tests?
What if I don’t want to take either test?

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:20 Where do standardized tests fit into the big picture of college admissions?

0:02:40 What are the top 3 factors in the admission process?

0:03:48 What SAT score will hit the screen?

0:04:50 How a strong SAT score can earn you money?

0:05:09 Why is it important to learn how to study for a standardized test - regardless of outcome?

0:05:30 Standardized Tests I’ve taken: SAT, GMAT, ASVAB, MOCAT, Series 7, Series 63, ACE exam, Firefighter Civil Service Test, etc.

0:06:36 Which students excel the most?

0:07:15 Which test do colleges prefer?

0:07:55 When should your child begin to think about the SAT or ACT?

0:08:30 How to establish a strong baseline score?

0:08:50 When your child their their first legitimate PSAT

0:09:15 Does my child have to study for the PSAT 10?

0:09:51 Bad assumptions about PSAT 10 scores

0:12:12 How to predict how your child will do on the real PSAT/NMSQT or SAT in junior year

0:14:20 How can your child do to improve their score?

0:15:20 What PSAT score puts you in striking distance of any college?

0:16:00 What accounts for large SAT and ACT score improvements?

0:17:00 What is PrepWell's strategy to maximize SAT or ACT score?

0:17:50 What is the first thing your child should do (and when)?

0:18:30 How to choose between ACT and SAT?

0:19:45 What are the different scoring scales for SAT and ACT?

0:21:28 How to create a realistic test-taking environment

0:21:40 Should I take an official SAT and ACT?

0:22:00 What’s the best way to take a diagnostic SAT or ACT from home?

0:22:45 How to come up with a study plan

0:23:20 Why not to study for the SAT or ACT during junior year

0:25:45 Why it’s nice to have a backup date

0:26:45 Summary of strategy and steps

0:27:38 What’s the most important piece of the puzzle?

0:28:04 How motivated is your child?

0:29:30 Why some parents don’t want to pay for SAT/ACT prep?

0:32:40 Why an SAT/ACT prep course is a good use of money

0:33:33 What are my child’s options when it comes to preparation?

0:34:44 What study method suits your child best?

0:36:00 Student A versus Student B with same tutor

0:37:32 Summary of Steps

0:38:24 The time vs. expected improvement continuum

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take.

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Enroll in PrepWell Academy
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Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today's episode, I provide advice to parents who are trying to help their child stay on top of academics over the summer (even if just a little bit) - and students who want to stay on top academics (even just a little bit) - especially when they find themselves overwhelmed, due to travel, or COVID, or other circumstances - or, they’re just paralyzed by too many options.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:35 The most basic advice on summer academics

0:02:15 What should we pack for our trip?

0:03:05 When-all-else-fails

0:06:00 Are you falling behind academically?

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Researching colleges at the right time and with the appropriate intensity is an important part of the college admission process. The sooner your child (and you) begin to follow a plan - the better. Especially for students with “specialty aspirations”. In this episode, I walk you through how, when, and why you should begin your research.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:13 What is a specialty aspiration?

0:02:15 What if my child doesn’t care that much?

0:02:45 9th and 10th graders

0:04:55 Rising juniors

0:07:15 Rising seniors

0:11:20 How research becomes a force multiplier

0:14:45 The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank (2X), etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Several years ago, I created a 1-page worksheet that laid out the 7 categories that determine how well a student will be prepared for the college admissions process. In this podcast, I walk through this worksheet and discuss how it reveals your child’s competitiveness.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:06:00 How to use this worksheet

0:06:55 Objective Academic Measures (Big 3)

0:10:50 Extracurricular Activities

0:13:30 Awards & Honors

0:14:30 Letters of Recommendation

0:15:30 Demonstrated Interest

0:16:40 College Essays

0:17:50 Institutional Priorities

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

I speak with a lot of parents who struggle over the decision to send their children to public or private high schools. Their struggle is well-founded. There are many factors to consider in this important decision.

This episode is also valuable to parents who already have children in high school because it uncovers insights based on the type of high school your child attends (private or public).

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:00 Factors that drive the decision

0:02:12 Religious affiliation

0:03:38 Cost of attendance

0:05:48 Athletics

0:08:43 Quality of teaching

0:10:21 Social life

0:13:51 Diversity or homogeneity?

0:14:56 Peer pressure

0:16:18 College preparedness

0:17:51 Case Study - Twin Harbors

0:19:23 Case Study - Ridley Academy

0:20:03 Case Study - Chadwick Academy

0:20:33 Case Study - Strake Jesuit

0:21:33 Bottom Line

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

Okay, we all survived a very odd school year. Now what? In this episode, I discuss the priorities and winning mindset of rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders as they plunge into an uncertain summer.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:40 Where we started

0:03:10 Why the summer is so important

0:03:45 What do we do now?

0:04:57 What should rising 9th-graders focus on?

0:12:00 What should rising 10th-graders focus on?

0:17:20 What should rising 11th-graders focus on?

0:22:40 What should rising 12th-graders focus on?

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

With so many students far behind on SAT/ACT testing, letters of recommendation will be more important than ever this year. Make sure you are making the most of this opportunity. In this episode, I tell you exactly what to provide the teachers who have agreed to write your letters of recommendation.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:50 Step #1: Identify teachers who would write great letters

0:03:00 Step #2: Ask for the recommendations

0:03:35 Step #3: Provide teachers with information

0:05:20 Inside the mind of the teacher

0:08:00 Basic info + specifics

0:08:36 Overall academic context

0:09:21 Short term goals, aspirations

0:11:00 Types of colleges you're applying to

0:12:35 What you might major in

0:13:00 Alignment

0:13:56 What sparked your curiosity?

0:15:00 Experiences outside the classroom

0:16:20 How to differentiate yourself

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I present the 5 biggest mistakes parents and students should avoid during the college admissions process. Not surprisingly, many of these mistakes are made early in the process. Tune-in to inoculate yourself from these missteps.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:50 #5 Believing that sports will carry the day

0:05:30 #4 Misunderstanding how financial aid works

0:14:45 #3 Ignoring Summers

0:18:47 #2 De-prioritizing the SAT and ACT

0:23:40 #1 Starting too late

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I discuss the challenges that arise when students misallocate their time.

Do you see anything wrong with the following scenario?

Sarah has spent over 5,000 hours participating in [enter common extracurricular activity here], an activity that will add only marginal value to her college application.

At the same time, Sarah is extremely reluctant to spend 30-40 hours this summer preparing for the SAT, a test that will have massive impact on her college application.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:44 Calling all sophomores (Class of 2022)

0:05:45 Beat the deadline (May 30, 2020)

0:06:09 Our relationship with time

0:07:04 How are you allocating your time?

0:08:42 Does your time allocation match your ambitions?

0:10:58 Case Study: Soccer star

0:14:20 5,000 hours of soccer vs 30 hours of SAT prep

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I address the growing importance of letters of recommendation. What they are? When you should request them? Which teachers should you ask? How much do these letters matter? Do they matter more or less in light of COVID-19? What are the best strategies and tactics to secure the best letters of recommendation possible?

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:28 Why is this important for rising juniors?

0:01:45 Why early preparation matters so much

0:02:18 A tale of two juniors

0:03:21 How to set yourself up for success

0:03:52 What not to do

0:05:05 The Magic: Strategy + Tactics

0:06:04 Step 1: Teacher selection

0:07:55 Eight special factors

0:12:12 Step 2: Ask the teachers

0:13:13 How to ask your teacher

0:15:14 Step 3: Send your brag sheet

0:17:20 How much do letters matter?

0:18:00 Why is this year different?

0:18:45 Why it’s important to finish strong

0:19:25 How to make sure you have great letters

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes: In today’s episode, I address the fast-changing “test-optional” policies being adopted by colleges and universities across the country - particularly in light of COVID-19. Why are so many colleges going “test-optional”? What are their motivations? How should this affect your child’s test-taking strategy, if at all? How will this affect admissions? Will this affect who gets merit scholarships? Is it a smart idea to skip the SAT or ACT this year?

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:03:04 Why are so many colleges going test-optional? 0:04:00 What does test-optional mean? 0:04:35 Do test-optional schools consider test scores? 0:05:44 Not all test-optional policies are created equal 0:06:30 Various types of test-optional policies 0:09:00 When you should skip the SAT and ACT 0:11:00 Why colleges would choose to go test-optional? 0:14:44 Which students win in a test-optional world? 0:16:50 No SAT or ACT score, no merit scholarship 0:17:35 What should a student do? 0:18:30 Exact next steps Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I rip through answers to 20 of the most common questions I’ve received during my 1-on-1 Office Hour sessions with PrepWellers and their parents. I’m hoping that answers to these common questions will help even more people.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:30 Will I be able to take an SAT this fall?

0:02:30 Does Test-Optional mean skip the SAT?

0:03:30 How will colleges treat my grades this year?

0:04:30 My summer plans were canceled. Now what?

0:05:09 What impact will COVID have on financial aid?

0:06:06 What if our financial status has changed?

0:07:10 How do I stand out while confined at home?

0:07:51 Will more deferrals increase competition next year?

0:09:00 How do I get recruited during the shutdown?

0:09:55 Our finances are a mess. Should I re-think college?

0:11:00 I’m a freshman. Should I be worried?

0:11:58 Should I take the May or June APs?

0:12:25 Should I bother with SAT Subject Tests?

0:13:37 How will I be assessed without an SAT and a questionable GPA?

0:14:25 Easier or harder to get into test-optional college?

0:15:20 Long-term consequences for higher education

0:16:15 Should I consider community colleges now?

0:16:44 Will colleges be back in session in September?

0:17:36 How will new SAT dates affect Class of 2022?

0:19:22 Should I write my college essay about COVID?

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I focus on what student-athletes should do to begin, maintain, or improve relationships with college coaches during this unusual recruitment period. With the likelihood that Summer 2020 camps, showcases, tournaments, invitationals, and other in-person evaluation opportunities will be canceled, what can student-athletes do to stay in the mix when it comes to recruitment?

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:40 Do you want to get recruited?

0:02:15 The big questions

0:03:06 Assumption: Summer 2020 canceled

0:03:28 What does an athlete do?

0:03:52 Time-based sports

0:04:25 What if you play a team sport?

0:04:52 What sport do you play?

0:05:10 If you play a team sport

0:05:25 Highlight video

0:06:50 What if the summer disappears?

0:07:08 What do you not do?

0:07:30 What do you do?

0:07:57 What are coaches looking for?

0:08:32 How to stand out

0:08:55 Document everything

0:09:00 Sample: Lacrosse player

0:09:58 Email example

0:12:51 Impact on coaches

0:13:34 Will you stand out?

0:14:00 Enroll in Athlete plan

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I focus on how freshman and sophomores (and their parents) will be affected by COVID-19. I provide a macro-level analysis on the state of competition for in-state colleges and universities as well as tactical advice on what to do to counter the surge in selectivity. I also opine on how the economic downturn will affect parents and colleges alike. This is a must-listen for parents and of rising 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th-graders (as well as their children).

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:38 June SAT canceled

0:03:23 Competition for in-state schools exploding

0:05:06 Private colleges get stingy

0:05:30 Colleges shutting down

0:05:52 Future of athletic scholarships

0:06:25 Students stay closer to home

0:06:46 Flight to familiar

0:06:47 Lowering admissions standards

0:07:45 The bottom line - more competition

0:08:06 A countervailing force?

0:08:40 Changing landscape of higher ed

0:09:20 Career shifts?

0:10:10 Is my career pandemic-proof?

0:10:42 Tactical considerations

0:11:08 What to do if money is now an issue?

0:12:20 Prospects for student-athletes

0:13:20 What about equivalency sports?

0:13:50 Bottom line with athletic scholarships

0:14:05 Dirty little secret = triple whammy

0:15:10 Wakeup call for kids

0:16:10 The gig is up

0:17:20 What should freshman and sophs do now

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I address many of the most important questions that people are asking in light of the coronavirus shutdown. These are timely questions that cannot be ignored. The answers to these questions give immediate direction to juniors, who are most at-risk, as well as to sophomores who should do everything in their power to avoid related pitfalls.

I encourage parents and students to listen to this podcast together. While much of the advice is corona-related, it is 100% relevant to younger students coming up the ranks. These types of challenges are bound to happen again and again. My job is to prepare you for them.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:27 Congratulations to PrepWell Juniors

0:02:00 Stick to the Plan

0:02:20 My thesis on early preparation

0:03:00 Why are these students loving life?

0:03:55 Why should sophomores pay attention?

0:06:40 Should I bother taking the SAT or ACT?

0:09:46 Will it be easier to get into UC schools now?

0:11:00 What does test-optional mean?

0:12:20 Will all schools go test-optional?

0:13:00 Will the June SAT be canceled?

0:15:20 Should I study for SAT and ACT now?

0:16:45 Should I bother with SAT Subject Tests anymore?

0:18:24 Should I take the shorter AP exams this year?

0:19:45 Should I take the early or late AP exams?

0:20:30 My extracurriculars have disappeared. What do I do?

0:21:41 Should I bother staying engaged in distance learning?

0:23:18 Will colleges go test-blind? Will they see my scores?

0:24:03 What should I do with my downtime?

0:25:25 Will my senior year grades count more?

0:26:10 What should sophomores learn from corona?

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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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Show Notes:

In today’s episode, I break down the process of getting onto Shark Tank, how long it takes, and the odds of your segment actually getting on air. Then, I walk you through what each of the Sharks said during my segment and how to think about their feedback. I then opine on whether or not it’s a smart idea to skip taking the SAT or ACT now that the UC schools are no longer requiring it.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:51 Let’s not forget our priorities

0:02:50 How to get on Shark Tank

0:03:40 The casting call

0:04:10 The callback and request for video

0:04:30 Working with producers

0:05:15 The waiting game

0:06:00 Subject: Shark Tank Airdate 4/3/2020

0:06:37 Our segment airs

0:07:07 My hot take on my segment

0:08:25 Why was I willing to take the risk?

0:08:50 Spoiler alert

0:09:22 Robert Herjavec

0:10:15 Lori Greiner

0:11:40 Mark Cuban

0:12:33 Daymond John

0:13:34 Kevin O'Leary

0:14:50 The good bits

0:16:00 Summary of show

0:16:25 Takeaway #1: Investable: no, Efficacy: yes

0:17:03 Takeaway #2: Invited back again?

0:17:25 Takeaway #3: Practicing what I preach

0:19:35 Takeaway #4: The Corona effect

0:21:25 Takeaway #6: Business out of control

0:22:15 Takeaway #7: Personal family fun

0:23:18 Should UC applicants take the SAT or ACT

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today’s episode, I announce the airing of my second appearance on Shark Tank where I pitch PrepWell Academy to the Sharks. The episode airs this Friday, 4/3/2020 8pm on ABC. I hope you’ll tune-in to join the fun. I also share the story of when I decided to re-apply to Shark Tank, what the casting call was like, and what I thought of my chances.

The second half of the episode focuses on a private 1:1 mentoring student of mine whom I call “Sarah”. I help Sarah build a comprehensive semester-at-home course curriculum to help her demonstrate her initiative, curiosity, and ability to thrive under all circumstances - even at-home quarantine due to coronavirus. If your child is at home and not sure what to do - this is a must-listen.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:10 When will I be back on Shark Tank?

0:01:35 My first appearance on Shark Tank

0:03:15 Getting a second bite at the apple?

0:04:00 How is Shark Tank like college admissions?

0:05:05 Not Giving Up for Four Years

0:05:50 The Decision to Go Back, Again

0:06:44 The 60-second elevator pitch

0:07:00 What was the casting call like?

0:09:00 Taking massive action

0:09:15 The question to ask your teen

0:09:40 What can I do during quarantine?

0:10:40 Sarah’s backstory

0:11:40 What should Sarah do?

0:12:50 Sarah’s self-paced semester-at-home

0:13:25 What is Coursera?

0:14:54 How will Sarah benefit?

0:15:45 Additional Information Section

0:17:00 Next Steps

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today’s episode, I add some meat to the bone of last week’s podcast. In the last show, we discussed how important it was for your high schooler to keep their academic and personal development momentum going even during a quarantine. This week, I provide a tangible tool to help in this regard.

Here's a template for a daily schedule that you and your child can fill out together. As a rule, children don’t enjoy long periods of unstructured time. They say they do, but they really crave to be on a schedule. This template will help them set goals, stay organized, and feel better about themselves.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:01:26 What’s a parent to do?

0:02:45 Specific advice for a child adrift

0:03:31 Why teens crave structure

0:04:44 How to use the Daily Template

0:05:30 Start with a real food breakfast

0:06:18 Homeschool starts at 8:30am

0:07:11 6 Primary Blocks of study

0:08:15 5 Core Study Subjects

0:09:53 What resources to use as defaults

0:11:20 Sitting Down with your child

0:11:52 Personal Development Activities

0:13:50 How to fill out the template

0:15:30 End of day

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today’s episode, I provide a blueprint to help motivated juniors in high school who need a plan (or a backup plan) for Spring Break - especially for those who just had their college campus visits canceled.

If your child planned to spend Spring Break visiting colleges, cruising around campuses, eating in the student cafes, taking tours, and gazing up at the pretty buildings - they will be disappointed. It's likely that these plans will be canceled. The good news? My proposed backup plan will be better than the trip would have been in terms of your child's readiness for the college admissions process. If your child does even 1/2 of what I’m proposing, they will significantly increase their chance of getting into more colleges.

Now, your child probably won’t think this is such a great deal, because given the choice between going on a 10-day college tour boondoggle versus doing what I’m about to propose, most teens would take the former. Surprise, surprise. They’ll opt for the trip, and the hotels, and the fun.

But, for the junior in high school, who realizes that they have only one shot at this, and they want to put their best foot forward and leave no stone unturned, and they realize the competition that they are facing - a few of them will listen and execute the plan. And those are the students that will have no regrets at the end of this process. It’s a small, chosen few.

I truly believe that for a motivated junior, who wants to be the best that they can be - this coronavirus fiasco may be a blessing in disguise.

If you have a junior, who is highly-motivated in school, or sports, or extracurriculars, or all three, your child is most likely, running on empty right now. That’s what junior year is all about. It’s a test. It’s a test of endurance, motivation, maturity, and perseverance. And they probably holding on for dear life…

So, having 7-10 days off during Spring Break, where your child isn’t in and out of rental cars, and hotels, and campuses, may be the lifeline that they need to regroup before the last push.

By the way, once Spring Break is upon us (a few weeks from now for most of us), there will only be about 10 weeks left in the school year. And if you don’t count the finals period, now you’re looking at 8 weeks left. And, in case you haven’t noticed, AP exams will be in 6 weeks. Hello????

If you planned to be away for Spring Break, and now you’re not going, you have been given the gift of time - one of the most precious commodities in a junior’s life.

What can your child do over Spring Break after canceling their plans - whatever those plans may have been? This is what today’s episode is all about.

Here is what I discuss in this episode:

0:02:00 The perils of procrastination

0:03:27 Do you need a backup plan?

0:04:40 The mindset of a motivated junior

0:06:28 What can your child do if they canceled Spring Break plan?

0:06:54 Rest, Recover, Relax

0:10:54 SAT or ACT study

0:12:35 AP exams

0:13:09 Get ahead on schoolwork

0:13:56 Work

0:14:45 Shadowing

0:15:13 Finish summer planning

0:15:44 Create a backup plan

0:16:12 For aspiring college athletes

0:16:38 Review Common App Essay Prompts

0:17:06 Target list of colleges

0:18:05 LinkedIn

0:18:35 Brag Sheet

0:19:11 Scholarships

0:20:30 Do they believe?

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Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts
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Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc.

Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today’s episode, I explore an often overlooked secret weapon in the college admissions process - the high school guidance counselor. Guidance counselors represent a wealth of information, resources, connections, and opportunities that often go underutilized by students and families. Though many guidance counselors are overwhelmed with caseloads 2-3X larger than they should be, they can still play a pivotal role in a student’s success in the college admissions process. Today’s show discusses why colleges rely so heavily on guidance counselors’ opinions and what students can do to maximize their time with their counselors.

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:02:00 Why colleges care about guidance counselor comments 0:03:09 Guidance counselors' subjective input 0:05:09 Why guidance counselors are so credible 0:06:30 Why students should invest in their guidance counselor 0:10:15 How to develop a relationship with a guidance counselor Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

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In today’s episode, I go right to the source - your teenager. In a departure from the usual format, I bring what I normally reserve for inside PrepWell Academy, directly to you and your child. Part of the reason for this experiment is because many parents have told me that they enjoy listening to the podcast with their children in the car. I thought I’d try to enhance that experience by producing a podcast that was actually meant to be listened to together in the car. I hope my message resonates with your child, or, at a minimum, opens up the dialogue between you and your teen. Today’s topics include: (1) the amazing opportunities that high school provides every teen, (2) a frank discussion about preparation versus procrastination, and (3) the impact of split-second decision-making on long-term success.

Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:02:37 Who is Phil Black and why should I care? 0:10:56 Topic #1: Your Opportunity 0:11:17 Topic #2: Your Operating System 0:11:32 Topic #3: Decision-Making 0:11:44 You Opportunity 0:17:37 What Kind of Operating System Do You Want? 0:19:54 Decision-Making 0:20:33 38-Year Old Male - Drug Overdose 0:21:40 One Big Bad Decision or A Series of Small Bad Decisions? 0:22:08 “I Should Have Been A Firefighter..." 0:24:05 My Wild Decisions 0:24:50 Class Selection: College Math or High School Math? 0:25:40 Split-Second Decisions: The Puff Bar 0:30:17 To Drink or Not to Drink 0:32:01 How PrepWell Can Help? Follow us: * Enroll in PrepWell Academy * Follow on Instagram * Follow on Facebook

If you want to support the show, here are three immediate steps to take. 1. Subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen to podcasts 2. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook 3. Give us a review 4. Share this episode with a friend 5. Join our mailing list 6. Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program

Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs: Yale University, Harvard Business School, Navy SEALs, Goldman Sachs, Entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, etc. Inside PrepWell Academy, Black teaches students everything they need to know about the college admissions process in a series of expertly-timed, 3-5-minute, weekly training videos starting in 9th grade and continuing through 12th grade [Note: this program can only be joined in 9th or 10th grade]. My specialties include military service academies, ROTC scholarships, Ivy League, and student-athletes.

PrepWell Podcast with Phil Black: Recent Episodes

Phil Black