Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

Obviously, high schoolers put a lot of work into preparing for test day, as do teachers, tutors, coaches, and parents. But don't forget those unsung heroes who labor behind the scenes to ensure a smooth, crisis-free testing experience. Amy and Mike invited school counselor and test center supervisor Tom Carey to share his observations of a test site supervisor. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the job of a test site supervisor? How challenging is the task of test day staffing? Are there differences in interacting with College Board and ACT as a site supervisor? What are some surprising or shocking things that have happened during your tests? How are you preparing to administer the ACT while social distancing guidelines are in place? MEET OUR GUEST Thomas Carey is currently the director of school counseling at St. Edward High School. He has a masters in Systematic Theology as well as a Masters in Education with a focus on school counseling. Tom started at St. Edward in 1992 as a teacher in the Religious Studies Dept. In 2002, Tom moved into the Counseling department where he continues to work with students to help them attain success at the high school level and beyond. He has been the school testing coordinator and test center supervisor since 2005. Find Tom at [email protected]. LINKS Test Day Nightmares RELATED EPISODES MENTAL TECHNIQUES FOR PEAK TEST PERFORMANCE COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

The SAT and ACT may be more similar than ever, but they are definitely not the same. Picking the right exam to showcase your particular strengths can make a massive difference in admissions. Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Heather Krey back to help further explore the relevant criteria in deciding between the SAT and ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How have your thoughts about the differences between the tests evolved over the last year? Should students commit to prepping for just one or both tests? What role should diagnostic testing play in choosing a test to focus on? Do the SAT and ACT cater to different strengths and weaknesses? What are the strengths and weaknesses of an SAT/ACT combo test? MEET OUR GUEST Passionate about helping her students achieve their college dreams by being their coach and cheerleader as they prep for the SAT and ACT, Heather Krey is an experienced instructor with teaching certificates in math, physics, chemistry, and English. She knows the best tips and strategies for these tests – and she also understands that students need encouragement and practice to do their best. With dual bachelor's degrees in industrial engineering and psychology from Lehigh University, she also holds masters of education degrees in mathematics from DeSales University and in teaching from Kutztown University. Heather lives in Allentown, PA, with her husband and three children. Heather is the author of a newly released book, SAT and ACT Combo Test. TP4S is the premier location for test prep and academic tutoring located in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. We are educators first, so we never sacrifice personal connections for profits, and we strive to make our services affordable for all students. We offer in-person classes, practice tests, and tutoring at our Allentown, PA location and offer the same high-quality, personalized tutoring online for students outside our local area. Visit our website at tp4s.com to learn more about how we can help you prepare for your personal best. Find Heather Krey at http://TP4S.com. LINKS SAT and ACT Combo Test RELATED EPISODES DECIDING BETWEEN THE SAT AND ACT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAT AND ACT GRAMMAR COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE SAT AND ACT ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Many high schoolers benefit from academic accommodations intended to give a student with a disability an equal opportunity to benefit from the educational process. But how easy or even possible is it to receive these accommodations at the college level? You'd be surprised! Amy and Mike invited academic support professionals Mary Jo Levand and Julie Szwejkowski to demystify transitioning your IEP or 504 to college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How do legal requirements to provide accommodations differ from high school to college? Does recency of documentation matter? Are all schools equally accommodating? Should students identify their 504 or IEP during the application process? What accommodations are most common and uncommon on the college level? MEET OUR GUEST Julie Szwejkowski graduated from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics with an Environmental Science concentration. She started her career as an Environmentalist at the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. Eventually, she went back to school at Cleveland State University for a Master's in Labor Relations and Human Resources. She transferred within the company to the HR department, where she was an analyst in the Compensation and Benefits areas. After leaving to raise her two boys, she returned to work as an Instructional Advisor at the Academic Support Center at Notre Dame College in 2009. She has tutored students with learning disabilities in Economics and other areas of business. She also serves as the Recruiting Advisor of the Academic Support Center. Mary Jo Levand is the Director of the Academic Support Center of Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio. Mary Jo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from John Carroll University and began her career as a Certified Public Accountant. When she and her husband began their family, she decided to work from home. During that time, one of her children was diagnosed with dyslexia. Another mother who worked at the Academic Support Center shared how students with learning disabilities are underserved in the classroom. Mary Jo knew that her child with a learning difference would be impacted long term, so she decided to investigate the Center, which was looking to hire an Accounting/Business tutor and the rest is history. The Center currently supports over 100 students per year which represents 10% of the total student body at Notre Dame College. Find Julie by calling the Notre Dame Academic Support Center at 216-373-6383. LINKS Transition of Students With Disabilities To Postsecondary Education 7 Things to Know About College Disability Services Differences Between High School and College Disability Services RELATED EPISODES TABOO ESSAY TOPICS INCREASED COLLEGE COSTS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

The world seems to be cleanly divided into two groups: people who aren't good at math and those who miraculously are. Yet that belief that a person is inherently bad at math is simplistic, self-defeating, and--most important--reversible. Amy and Mike invited author and educator Allison Dillard to share high impact strategies to help students succeed in math. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is it possible to "just not be a math person" or be irreparably bad at math? How does grit and a growth mindset help with math proficiency? What can be done to help students who struggle to finish their homework? What does a classic joke writing technique have to do with solving math problems? Why does process matter so much is math proficiency? MEET OUR GUEST Allison Dillard is an author, speaker and math professor with over 20 years of experience helping students figure out how to succeed in their math classes. Her books, Crush Math Now: High-Impact Strategies for Students Who Struggle with Math and Raise Your Math Grade: A Short, Informal, Uber-Streamlined Path to Success in Math, walk students through her process for raising their math grade. While other tutors and test prep classes focus on re-teaching math concepts to students, hoping that if a concept is explained differently, the student will grasp it. Allison takes a different approach. She helps students dig into and overcome the underlying problems that are holding them back from success in math. In doing so, she gives her students the tools and confidence to succeed in math (and challenges in general) on their own. Allison has helped students overcome obstacles such as math anxiety, procrastination, learning disabilities, ineffective study skills, being over-scheduled, and so much more. Whether you are failing math and want to pass, passing but want an A, or already have an A (and want an A in a quarter of the time), Allison can help you figure out how to reach your goals. Find Allison and download a free copy of Allison's uber-short book, Raise Your Math Grade, at allisonlovesmath.com. LINKS RELATED EPISODES MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS BRINGING GRIT TO TESTING AND ADMISSIONS EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS AND TEST PREP ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Media reports would have us believe that all colleges and universities will eventually eliminate all testing requirements from admissions decisions for the betterment of humanity. The test optional reality, however, only advantages certain schools and applicants. Amy and Mike invited college counselor Stacey Cunitz to clarify who benefits most from test optional policies What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does test optional really mean? How do colleges benefit from announcing test optional admissions? In what ways do test optional policies impact equity and access What development goals tie into test optional admissions? How are many of these policy changes tied to changes in the NACAC Code of Ethics? MEET OUR GUEST Stacey Cunitz, founder and director of Blue Moon Educational Consulting, earned her BA in Literature and Creative Writing from Barnard College, Columbia University. She went on to earn an MA in Secondary English Education at New York University and a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA. In 2018, she became a Certified Educational Planner. After earning her degrees, Stacey taught English at Croton-Harmon High School in NY and at The Crefeld School where she taught MK Asante, author of Buck. Stacey has been the Director of College Counseling at The Crefeld School since 2005. She is an active member of Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC), and the Pennsylvania Association of College Admissions Counselors (PACAC), where she has served on various committees over the last ten years. Stacey serves as PACAC's Chair of the Admissions Practices Committee (2017-2020) which is charged with educating colleges, counselors, and students regarding the nature of ethical standards embraced by NACAC and PACAC. In September 2019, she joined NACAC's Admissions Practices Committee, as well. Stacey has also volunteered as an application reader for Point Foundation's scholarships which empowers promising lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential. Stacey is happily married to Dan, a middle school science teacher, and they are the parents of two teenage daughters. Stacey enjoys knitting, reading, their black standard poodle, and their backyard chickens. She also enjoys visiting colleges and getting to know the unique offerings at each. To date she has visited over 200 colleges and universities, and is always adding more to the list. Find Stacey at https://bluemooned.com/. LINKS Who Benefits from Test Optional Policies? SCOIR (includes a filter to search for TO colleges) RELATED EPISODES 2020 CHANGES IN ADMISSIONS RULES THE REALITY OF GRADE INFLATION YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH: SECRETS OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

According to author Timothy Gallwey, every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game. We play the outer game against an external opponent or obstacle, but the inner game takes place in the mind of the player. This insight has as much to do with testing as it does with tennis. Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Brett Ethridge to explain the relevance of the inner game of testing. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does the "inner game" refer to? How does the inner game concept explain when students with great grades earn low test scores? What two selves are at work during high pressure activities? How can we silence our inner critics while testing? What role does deliberate practice play in improving your inner game? MEET OUR GUEST After graduating from Duke University with a degree in Public Policy, Brett Ethridge spent two years in Madagascar doing community health education with the U.S. Peace Corps. Upon his return to the States, he helped launch a PR/marketing firm in Washington, D.C. before heading to graduate school where he earned a MA in International Finance and Economic Development from the University of Denver. Dominate Test Prep, LLC is a leading provider of online GMAT and GRE test preparation courses and lessons to empower prospective MBAs and graduate school students to get into the programs of their choice. Dominate Test Prep is the parent company for Dominate the GMAT (www.dominatethegmat.com) and Dominate the GRE (www.dominatethegre.com) which have helped thousands of happy clients from around the world boost their scores on these all-important standardized tests so that they can pursue their dreams and future life aspirations, starting with higher education. Brett is also proud to be an Associate Member of AIGAC, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants. In addition to founding Dominate Test Prep, Brett also operates successful nutrition and stock trading businesses. He is a huge Duke basketball fan, an avid tennis player, and a budding CrossFit athlete. Find Brett at [email protected]. LINKS The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance Using Mindfulness for Test and School Success (Episode #18) ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

You may have heard the saying, "Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made." Does that advice apply to admissions decisions as well? Amy and Mike invited college admissions expert Parke Muth to reveal the real secrets of college admissions. Can you handle the truth? What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the truth about diversity in college admissions? Why are many colleges concerned about their institutional viability? Do full pay candidates have an advantage in admissions? Should the application process elicit as much stress as it does? Are the SAT & ACT relevant in admissions anymore? MEET OUR GUEST Parke Muth has worked in education for over 35 years. Most of the time he served as a Dean at the University of Virginia in the admission office and in the English Department. He now works with companies, schools, families, and students across the world but mostly focusing on Asia where he spends about 1/2 of the year. While at Virginia, Parke was, among other things, Director of Selection and Recruitment of Honors Scholars, Director of Application Assessment Training, and Director of International Admission. He's been serving for over 25 years as a member of the Jefferson Scholars selection committee. This four-year, full scholarship is among the most elite programs in the United States. Parke also serves as an advisor for the Ron Brown Scholars Program, an elite scholars program that provides financial support and leadership training, networking, and career services for underprivileged black students. Because of his experiences in admissions, Parke is a highly sought-after speaker He has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg, Associated Press, NBC, etc. He has had over 6 million people read his responses on the website Quora.com. He also has a blog with over 4000 pages of content, all free, no ads or promotions: https://onlyconnectparke.blogspot.com/ Find Parke at [email protected]. LINKS A Few Good Men "You Can't Handle the Truth" Parke's Blog Confessions of an Admissions Officer Regrets of an Admissions Officer RELATED EPISODES COLLEGE ADMISSIONS DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC DOES COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT MATTER MORE THAN SELECTIVITY? 2020 CHANGES IN ADMISSIONS RULES ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the locus of education from schools to homes. But should parents serve as proxy teachers or take different roles to further their children's development? Amy and Mike invited educator and author Ned Johnson to discuss creating a homeschool plan during a crisis. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does understanding of stress response inform the best approach to homeschooling during a crisis? Why is a plan needed when a situation is N.U.T.S. and what does that acronym mean? Why is supporting success rather than preventing failure so valuable? Why is a crisis not necessarily catastrophic to development and education? What makes a focus on long term goals so critical during stressful periods? MEET OUR GUEST Ned Johnson has a BA in Economics and Political Science from Williams College. A professional tutor-geek since 1993, he is the president and founder of PrepMatters, where he is one of the most sought-after instructors in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Ned has devoted in excess of 40,000 hours in one-on-one test prep for nearly the entire alphabet of tests with all ages and abilities. A sought-after speaker and teen coach for study skills, parent-teen dynamics, and anxiety management, his work has been featured on NPR, NewsHour, U.S. News & World Report, Time, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition to his time with clients, Ned is the co-author of The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives. Find Ned at [email protected]. LINKS A home school plan that's realistic, not sadistic How we can help kids increase their sense of control as the coronavirus approaches The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives RELATED EPISODES BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS' LIVES HELPING STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE TEEN ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

If you ask your average high schooler (or parent) for some adjectives describing the SAT and ACT, the extensive vocabulary list will likely skew negative. But do those who know the tests best feel the same way? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional David Blobaum to effusively explicate why the SAT and ACT are awesome. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is awesome about the math tested on the SAT and ACT? What is awesome about the grammar tested on the SAT and ACT? What does the importance of education say about the SAT and ACT? Why are the SAT and ACT awesome even beyond their role in college admissions? Why are tests that help put grades in context so valuable? MEET OUR GUEST David Blobaum graduated from the University of Chicago with honors both from the college and in his major. In college, he took seriously the University of Chicago's aim of a "Renaissance" or well-rounded education and took courses in 17 different disciplines, ranging from Statistics and Economics to Philosophy and Art History. Since then, he has devoted himself to helping students reach their potential on the SAT and ACT and, more broadly, to help them succeed through education. To that end, in 2013, he founded Summit Prep with a former UChicago classmate. They now have two tutoring centers in New Jersey, and their team of SAT/ACT experts privately tutors over 500 students per year. David is a consultant to schools on SAT/ACT best practices, personally trains each Summit Prep tutor one-on-one, and tutors a select few students himself. David not only teaches students the necessary subject matter but also motivates them to continually strive towards their potential. Find David at https://summitprep.com/. LINKS Enemies of the People: The SAT and ACT The SAT and ACT are good predictors of success in college and beyond: The Truth About the SAT and ACT Standardized Tests Predict Graduate Students' Success Ability Differences Among People Who Have Commensurate Degrees Matter for Scientific Creativity ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Year after year, countless teens stress over a perceived need to attend a "good" college. But what does that even mean and how does reality differ from perception? Amy and Mike invited admissions advisor Stuart Nachbar to shed light on what exactly is a good college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What makes a college good? How much does national ranking or selectivity matter? What should you expect a college to do for a student? What numbers highlight how good a college really is? What can alumni giving tell you about campus culture? To me the "good college" is a school that succeeds at graduating the students it attracts, and guiding them into rewarding lives after college. MEET OUR GUEST Stuart Nachbar is an independent college and graduate school admissions advisor based in the Princeton, New Jersey area and publisher of EducatedQuest.com, providing college profiles, insights and search tips to college bound students and parents and counselors. He works locally as well as virtually with clients as far away as China. Stuart has worked around higher education for nearly three decades as a writer, urban economic development professional and software marketing executive. His expertise helps families consider academics, costs, housing, student success, career development, networking opportunities, and more, enabling them to get the best return on their investment in an education and towards rewarding careers. He also advises students on essay development and interviewing for admissions as well as scholarships, and assists families in addressing issues on financial aid. Stuart was formerly senior vice president, and one of the original members of the management team, for College Central Network (CCN), a New York City-based company that develops, manages and markets Web-based applications used by more than 650 US. college and university career centers. Over eleven years he directed sales, marketing, product development and customer training and helped build one of the largest client bases in the higher education space. CCN is entering its 23nd year in business, longer than any company serving its market. Stuart has a BA in Political Science and an MBA in Marketing from Rutgers, a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as a Certificate in Digital Media Marketing from New York University. He completed his Certificate in College Admission Counseling (with Distinction) from UCLA in 2014. In 2009 he penned Defending College Heights, a novel surrounding the murder of a US Army recruiter on a college campus during the Second Gulf War. He recently completed a new novel, America's Town, a story of small-town politics and girl's high school basketball in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the most famous small town in America. He and his wife, Carol, live in Central New Jersey. Find Stuart at [email protected]. LINKS I Wish These Four Schools Got On More College Lists: 2020 Edition ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Policies that allow students to apply to the colleges and universities of their choice ahead of the rest of the pack seem to offer tremendous advantages. But who really benefits and are there any disadvantages? Amy and Mike invited retired college president and author Michael T. Nietzel to offer an expert analysis of Early Decision and Early Action. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) policies? What advantages and disadvantages affect students using this application approach? What are the advantages and unexpected disadvantages to colleges offering Early Decision and Early Action? Who benefits the most from these options? How will ED and EA be affected by the recent changes in NACAC policy? MEET OUR GUEST Michael T. Nietzel is president emeritus of Missouri State University. After earning my B.A. from Wheaton College (Illinois), Mike was awarded a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois in 1973. He then joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky, where he progressed through the professorial ranks and served as director of the Clinical Psychology Program, chair of the department of psychology, dean of the graduate school, and provost. In 2005, Mike was appointed president of Missouri State University. Following retirement from Missouri State in 2011, Mike became senior policy advisor to Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. From 2016-18, he served as a Deputy Director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Recently, he has authored two books: Degrees and Pedigrees: The Education of America's Top Executives (2017) and Coming to Grips With Higher Education (2018), both published by Rowman & Littlefield. Mike is currently a Senior Contributor to Forbes Online. Find Mike at [email protected]. LINKS Early-Decision College Admissions For 2019 And 2020 College Board page on Early Decision & Early Action Early Action and Early Decision vs. Regular Decision Admission Rates The Debate Over Early Decision In College Admission: Who Is It Good For? Colleges Should Abandon Early Admissions 2020 CHANGES IN ADMISSIONS RULES ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

When everything in the present is turned upside-down, how can students manage current challenges while working towards long-term goals like college admissions? What will colleges even want from next year's high school graduates? Amy and Mike invited author and college counselor Brennan E. Barnard to share insight into college admissions during a global pandemic. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What reassurance can be found in the global nature of a worldwide crisis? What elements of the application rise and fall in value during a global pandemic? Will application essays about your pandemic experience be well-received? How can students learn about colleges when campuses are closed? What can we learn from an unexpected crisis about when students should work on showing colleges who they really are? MEET OUR GUEST Brennan Barnard, M.Ed is the Director of College Counseling and Outreach at The Derryfield School, an independent day school in Manchester, New Hampshire and at US Performance Academy, an on-line independent high school for elite athletes. He is also the College Admissions Program Advisor with the Making Caring Common project at Harvard Graduate School of Education. During over two decades in education Brennan has worked as a teacher, coach, dorm parent, admission officer, counselor and administrator at a number of independent high schools and colleges. He has counseled Olympians, thespians, artists, cadets, social workers, engineers, philosophers, doctors, writers, lawyers and everything in between. Brennan is a member of the Advisory Board for the New Hampshire College and University Council's New Hampshire Scholars Program and on the Executive Committee for the Character Collaborative. He presents regularly on character, athletic recruiting, mindfulness, discipline and other topics in college admission. He has written about college admission for the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes.com, HuffPost, Concord Monitor, Journal of College Admission and other publications. He has also been featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and Associated Press and an occasional featured guest on New Hampshire Public Radio. He has been interviewed about college admission by New England Cable News and ABC News. Brennan was a New England Association of College Admission Counselors Professional of the Year for 2017. He is co-author of the book, The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together. A native of suburban Philadelphia and practicing Quaker, he is a graduate of Westtown Friends School. Brennan earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Spanish from Franklin & Marshall College and a master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from The University of Vermont. This father of two lives in Hopkinton, New Hampshire where he is a volunteer firefighter. LINKS The COVID College Choice: How To Pick A College During A Global Pandemic The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together Virtual College Tours (Episode #73) ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.76.

ACT, Inc. didn't always endorse the practice of superscoring for admissions, but the test maker has changed its institutional stance on the basis of compelling evidence. What did ACT researchers uncover that everyone should know? Amy and Mike invited ACT Senior Director in Research Krista Mattern to share the newest findings regarding ACT superscoring and section retesting. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why was ACT historically against superscoring and what changed? How predictive are superscores regarding academic success in college? How does research support the concept of section retesting? What is the philosophy behind the order of the ACT sections? What are the similarities and differences between paper-and-pencil and online testing ? MEET OUR GUEST Krista Mattern is a Senior Director in Research at ACT. Her research focuses on predicting education and workplace success through evaluating the validity and fairness of cognitive and non-cognitive measures. Also known for work in evaluating the efficacy of learning products to help improve intended learner outcomes. Krista has over 100 publications including journal articles, technical reports, and books chapters and has served as the editor of two books. Her work has been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Educational Measurement, Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, Educational and Psychological Measurement, and the Journal of College Student Development. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology with a minor in Quantitative Psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Find Krista at [email protected]. LINKS How should colleges treat multiple admissions test scores? Testing, testing: What is the fairest score when applicants retake admissions tests? Does superscoring increase subgroup differences? Impact of superscoring on subgroup differences ACT Superscore Database ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Learning doesn't have to stop just because schools are closed, does it? The future arrives whether we are ready or not, which means counselors, educators, and consultants need to continue to provide support even when they can't meet students face-to-face. Amy and Mike invited admissions consultant Jona Jacobson to share key insights into college advising and prep by videoconference. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Can advising or instruction ever be as effective over video? How does working over video differ from working in person? What hardware and software facilitates effective meetings? How can attention to onboarding make video conferencing better? How tech savvy do you need to be to work by video? MEET OUR GUEST Jona Jacobson is an independent educational consultant who coaches students on choosing colleges and completing their college applications and essays. A former attorney and substitute teacher, Jona is in her seventh year of advising students and families through the college application process, both locally and nationally. Jona was previously our guest way back in episode 5 to discuss NEED BLIND AND NEED AWARE ADMISSIONS. Find Jona Jacobson at [email protected]. ADDITIONAL LINKS Benefits of Online Tutoring The Best Mobile Scanning Apps ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

The traditional college selection process usually includes plenty of live campus visits. But what happens when logistics, expenses, or unexpected pandemics get in the way? Amy and Mike invited CampusReel cofounders Nick Freud and Rob Carroll to share the magic of virtual college tours. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does a virtual college tour differ from visiting in person? What makes school visits important for students in terms of both fit and admissions? What should be done before, during, and after to make a virtual campus tour effective? Do virtual tours still signal demonstrated interest? Can you get a feel for campus life through a virtual tour? MEET OUR GUEST CampusReel co-founders Nick Freud and Rob Carroll maintain a library of 17,000 videos created by students at 355 colleges and universities, offering candid, insider perspectives to prospective applicants and high school counselors—as well as a marketing and recruitment tool for admissions staff. These Colgate University alums, recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, have reached users in 140 countries in less than three years and raised $1 million. After graduating from Colgate University in 2015, Nick moved to Phuket, Thailand to work as a math and health teacher and spent eight months bartending his way through Australia before returning to the U.S. at the beginning of 2017 to found CampusReel with Rob Carroll. Rob also graduated from Colgate University in 2015 with a degree in environmental economics. After graduation, Rob worked at Ernst & Young (EY) helping clients identify and implement process efficiencies before leaving to found CampusReel. Find Rob at [email protected]. ADDITIONAL LINKS Making the Most of College Visits (Tests and the Rest #32) https://www.campusreel.org/ ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Taking high quality practice tests at deliberate intervals is an indispensable part of any true test preparation regimen. But what makes mocks or diagnostics so important? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional David Phelps to explain specifically what SAT & ACT diagnostic tests can tell you. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why do diagnostic tests matter for students taking the SAT and ACT? At what point in the prep process should students take practice tests? What should we look for in evaluating diagnostic tests? What won't SAT & ACT diagnostic tests tell us? Is over testing a legitimate concern? MEET OUR GUEST David Phelps is the cofounder and co-director of Forum Education. A tutor by trade, David has spent the last decade consulting and tutoring nearly every major subject and test to private school students of widely different learning and psychological profiles. At Forum, he has personally co-architected three apps for tutors and education, as well as advanced mock test diagnostics that recommend what students should work on to optimize their score. He is also the author of a number of guides for analytical writing, college essays, Spanish, chemistry, and test prep. Find David at [email protected]. LINKS Practice Tests: How Many, How Often, and How to Do Them Right ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

While many Americans have either personally attended or know alumni of all-boys or all-girls high schools, very few have met graduates of women's colleges. Is a single-gendered college experience an outdated concept or a reflection of modern sensibilities? Amy and Mike invited Director of US Admission at Mount Holyoke College Catarina Costa to describe the many benefits of attending a women's college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the history of women's colleges, and who are the "Seven Sisters"? What is different or unique about attending a women's college? What distinctive academic opportunities do women's colleges offer? What are the specific benefits of attending a women's college? What kind of student should consider attending a women's college? MEET OUR GUEST Catarina Costa is the Director of US Admission at Mount Holyoke College and has been a member of its admission team since 2006. Catarina has done recruitment travel to many regions of the country and has had a varied portfolio throughout her nearly fourteen years at Mount Holyoke, which includes special event management, selection and training of the senior fellows and tour guides, and coordination of the office's diversity outreach efforts. She currently leads the domestic office operations, overseeing the first-year application reading and selection process and the campus visit experience. Catarina has a Masters degree in Counseling and Personnel Services from Fordham University, where she also completed doctoral studies in Counseling Psychology before embarking on a career change. In the early aughts, Catarina was doing career and transfer counseling for CUNY in NYC and moved to the Five College area looking for opportunities on the proverbial "other side of the desk." She found college admissions and Mount Holyoke--and they both stole her heart! Catarina is passionate about issues of social justice and is an advocate in the areas of diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Find Catarina at https://www.mtholyoke.edu/admission. LINKS Why a Women's College? The Top 9 Reasons Why Does the World Need Women's Colleges? Why applications at women's colleges are on the rise ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Admissions essays, more than any other piece of the college application process, allow applicants to communicate distinctive and personal aspects of their lives. But can essays be too personal? Absolutely! Amy and Mike invited college admissions expert Sally Rubenstone to share both warnings and guidance about taboo essay topics. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Are there REALLY essay topics that are "taboo"? What does the "Jerry Springerization" of college essays refer to? What do admissions personnel look for when they review an applicant's essay? Is writing about a medical or mental health disorder in a college essay ever appropriate? What are the right--and wrong--ways to package essays about very personal topics? MEET OUR GUEST Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: from the first time the "C" word comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm-room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges; and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America and the author of eBook, 25 Tips from the Dean. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People, and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: as a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds, and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills, and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens, and Tel Aviv. As senior counselor and contributing writer for College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents through the college admissions quagmire. In 2008 she co-founded College Karma, an independent college consulting firm, with her CC colleague Dave Berry. Although Sally has been dispensing advice to anxious families for more than three decades, she only became a mom herself in 1997, at the ripe old age of 45. Now she is the senior-citizen mother of a recent college graduate, delighted that she won't have to navigate the admissions maze as a parent ever again! Find Sally at Ask the Dean at College Confidential and add Tests and the Rest in your message. LINKS Which College Essay Topics Are Taboo? Should I Mention Depression on My College Application? Sally's catalog of books ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Everyone knows that you have to graduate medical school to become a medical doctor. Less obvious are the actual steps required to get into medical school. Amy and Mike invited author and med school student Elisabeth Fassas to clarify what every pre-med major should know. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What classes and majors should pre-med students consider? Why should pre-med students do as much job shadowing as possible? What is the optimal plan for taking the MCAT? What is the ideal application timeline and can a gap year fit in? What major lesson learned through the med school process should be considered at the start of the journey? MEET OUR GUEST Elisabeth Fassas graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Molecular and Cellular Biology and the London School of Economics with a MA in International Health Policy . Elisabeth initially intended to take a single gap year before attending medical school, applying at the end of her senior year of college. However, when the time came, she requested a deferral of her admission for an extra year to work with McKinsey & Co. as a junior research analyst. She is the author of Making Pre-Med Count. Elizabeth began her medical school career this past fall at the University of Maryland Medical School. Find Elisabeth at [email protected]. LINKS Making Pre-Med Count: Everything I wish I'd known before applying (successfully!) to med school ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

The gap between a test taker's potential best and actual best depends entirely on delivering an error-free performance when it counts. But how easy is that in the face of tricky test questions, challenging content, and human fallibility? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Michael Jordan to identify the common testing mistakes and how to avoid them. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What types of errors do test takers think they make? What types of errors do test takers actually make? How can test takers avoid these classic mistakes? What can analyzing errors teach us? What does "muscle memory" have to do with error-free performance? MEET OUR GUEST A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Michael Jordan is a National Merit Scholar and perfect-scorer on the SAT and ACT. As a high school senior, he was torn between pursuing biomedical engineering or music education, and ultimately chose to study the latter at the University of North Texas. After teaching high school band in Texas for four years, Michael branched out to test prep tutoring in 2013. He started hiring tutors in 2015, and since then, Michael Jordan College Prep has established itself as the leading provider of in-home test prep in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Michael is still a certified teacher as well as a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. Outside of running a test prep business, Michael enjoys running a competitive barbecue team, cooking with his wife, Ashleigh, playing with his dog, Ella, and planning world travels. Find Michael at http://www.mjprep.com/ or [email protected]. LINKS The "Categorize Your Mistakes" Exercise Embracing Mistakes for Bigger Brains… and Test Scores ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Every college applicant seems to dream of attending an elite academic or athletic institution. But does the difficulty in getting into a school predict the value of its education? Amy and Mike invited lecturer and author Denise Pope to explain why college engagement matters more than selectivity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How expectations and stress impact engagement? Does college selectivity matter to learning or well-being in the long run? What does engagement mean in the context of college? How does intellectual vitality improve college fit? How can educators cultivate engagement on the high school level? MEET OUR GUEST Denise Pope, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education. For the past 13 years, she has specialized in student engagement, curriculum studies, qualitative research methods, and service learning. She is co-founder of Challenge Success, a research and intervention project that aims to reduce unhealthy pressure on youth and champions a broader vision of youth success. Challenge Success is an expanded version of the SOS: Stressed-Out Students project that Dr. Pope founded and directed from 2003-2008. She lectures nationally on parenting techniques and pedagogical strategies to increase student health, engagement with learning, and integrity. Her book, Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students was awarded Notable Book in Education by the American School Board Journal, 2001. Dr. Pope is a three time recipient of the Stanford University School of Education Outstanding Teacher and Mentor Award. Prior to teaching at Stanford, Dr. Pope taught high school English in Fremont, CA and college composition and rhetoric courses at Santa Clara University. She lives in Los Altos, CA with her husband and three children. Find Denise at [email protected]. LINKS Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students Challenge Success Gallup Alumni Survey and the Six College Experiences That Drive Success A "Fit" Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity (90 second video summary) ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

When it comes to paying for college, we could all use a bit of help. Why, then, do so many families ignore easily accessible sources of college funding right in their own backyards? Amy and Mike invited author Monica Matthews to explain how to win local scholarship awards. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are some key strategies to find scholarships? Why are local scholarships so important? What mistakes to scholarship seekers often make? How much is available in local scholarships? How can scholarship applicants ace an essay requirement? MEET OUR GUEST Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own sons win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has "been there, done that" in regards to helping families navigate the scholarship process. Her methods of helping students find college scholarships, write compelling essays, and create unique application packets have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. Her scholarship tips have been featured in several publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post, and The Penny Hoarder. Monica has been dubbed The Scholarship Mom and "Go-To" expert on college scholarships. You can find her winning tips and scholarship blog at https://how2winscholarships.com. Find Monica at info@/how2winscholarships.com. LINKS How to Win College Scholarships How to Win College Scholarships Facebook group ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Most of us intuitively understand why testing is necessary to assess learning outcomes. What is the problem, then, with attempting to accurately assess these outcomes beyond a school or district level? Amy and Mike invited researcher and consultant Glynn D. Ligon to rise to the defense of state tests. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is state proficiency testing valuable? What are the attributes of an effective accountability test and where do the SAT & ACT fit in? Are the arguments against state testing persuasive? How do accountability and formative assessments differ? What are politimetrics, and why are they important? MEET OUR GUEST Glynn Ligon is currently the CEO of ESP Solutions Group, a company he founded 27 years ago. ESP mainly manages the secure data exchanges for their 14 state education agency clients between districts, the states, and the US Department of Education. Dr. Ligon's journey to this destination with education data began in the Teacher Corps working with migrant students along the border of Mexico and Texas, then evaluating programs and overseeing assessment programs in some of Texas' poorest schools. Eventually, he became the head of the Austin Schools' information systems. Dr. Ligon was a charter member of the National Association of Assessment Directors, Vice President of the American Educational Research Association, chair of the Texas Education Commissioner's Evaluation Advisory Committee, and a member of the U.S. Department of Education's Evaluation Review Panel. He's published and presented dozens of technical papers and reviews on assessment topics. Find Glynn at [email protected]. LINKS Test Critics Fail the Test: Critics of Testing Don't Understand the Basics of Testing ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

The typical path for a student seeking higher education is to enter college right after high school. For what possible reason, then, would--or should--a teen consider deviating from that path to pursue a period of personal growth at home or abroad? Amy and Mike invited association executive Ethan Knight to enumerate multiple answers to the question, "Why take a gap year?" What are five things you will learn in this episode? What exactly is a gap year, and how does one work? How does "radical juxtaposition" improve perspective? What three big reasons impel students to take a gap year? What is the optimal timeline to address gap years for applicants to public and private schools? Do any schools reward or penalize a commitment to a gap year in the application process? MEET OUR GUEST In 1995, Ethan Knight was one of several hundred students packed into a high school assembly at Catlin Gabel where he first learned about gap years. He researched his options with a Gap Year Consultant, and eventually traveled for 7 months to India, Nepal, and Tibet. After his "time on" he returned to Willamette University where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English and Philosophy and minors in Environmental Science and Spanish. Ethan supported more than 2,000 students on their own gap year experiences, managed and subsequently founded a gap year organization and founded the Gap Year Association. Ethan has traveled to more than 50 countries, co-authored the Fair Trade Learning Standards and the Gap Year Standards, launched two nonprofits, one college, and three for-profit organizations. He has been a guest speaker on three continents, a TEDx presenter, and is a fan of all puns. Find Ethan at [email protected]. LINKS Planning Your Gap Year ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

There are so many decisions to be made on the path to college, including deciding which college entrance exam to take. ACT has announced new options coming for the ACT® test, starting with the September 2020 national test date, designed to give students more flexibility in their college planning. What do we know about these changes so far? Amy and Mike invited ACT National Director of K-12 Lisa Wolf to share details right from the source about new options for the ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the new ACT testing options available to students beginning in September 2020? How and why has ACT changed its institutional stance on superscoring? What do changes in the ACT testing experience have to do with recent research into test scores and admissions? Does ACT already have experience with online testing, and how does that inform the September 2020 rollout of new features? What questions about ACT online testing and section retesting remain to be answered, as of February 2020? MEET OUR GUEST Lisa Wolf has been with ACT since June 2008. She began her ACT career as a Test Development Associate, where she developed math constructed response items and led teams in scoring student responses to the items. She also worked on other ACT mathematics-related materials, such as writing instructional units. She transitioned to a client-facing role in January 2012 and worked with secondary and postsecondary institutions across many states, primarily Colorado and Kansas. Wolf is currently the National Director of K-12 on the Client Relations team. Prior to coming to ACT, she was a high school math teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a Master of Science degree in educational leadership. Get updates on the upcoming changes to ACT testing by registering at act.org/newfirsts. LINKS How New ACT Test Options Help with College Planning ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Every high school athlete dreams of playing for an elite college team, ideally with tuition, room, board, and all associated expenses covered. But how closely does that fantasy match reality? Amy and Mike invited coach and author Renee Lopez to offer critical insights and advice to college applicants looking for a full ride. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Does anyone get a full ride anymore? How and when should student athletes initiate contact with coaches? What are the best ways to get a college coach to evaluate you as a potential recruit? What are coaches looking for--and trying to avoid--in applicants? What is the "broken leg test," and why should student-athletes take it seriously? MEET OUR GUEST As a seventeen-year coaching veteran, Renee Lopez is an expert in the college recruiting process, leadership training and team culture development. As a United States Soccer Federation and National Soccer Coaches Association of America licensed coach, she has recruited and produced three All-Americans and has been honored as Coach of the Year by her peers. In addition to serving as NCAA compliance director, she has learned the recruiting process from having worked as a high school varsity head coach for three years and a college coach for fourteen, in NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA. Renee is the author of Looking For A FULL RIDE?: An Insider's Recruiting Guide. Listeners can order this book with free shipping by using the coupon code TESTS (first 15 orders only!) Find Renee at www.rlopezcoaching.com. LINKS Common Misconceptions about the College Athletic Recruiting Process Educating Parents of HS Athletes On The College Recruiting Process FB Group Renee on Twitter: @lookn4aFULLRIDE ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

American colleges and universities represent many of the highest ideals of an educated, democratic society, and few institutions of higher education are as quintessentially American as our historically black colleges and universities. What makes HBCUs so special? Amy and Mike invited Howard University Associate Provost Anthony Jones to expand upon the benefits of attending an historically black college or university. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does the history of HBCUs inform education and culture today? What are the advantages of attending college at an HBCU? How does attending an HBCU feel from the student perspective? Are select opportunities for honors students typically available at this type of school? What kind of student should consider attending an HBCU? MEET OUR GUEST Anthony is Associate Provost/Assistant Vice-President for Enrollment Management at Howard University in Washington, DC. In this capacity he oversees the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar and Student Accounts. His responsibility includes providing strategic direction to the University enrollment objectives and administering a budget of over $200 million in operational and student aid funds. Professionally, Anthony has been a member of the Council of Independent Colleges Executive Leadership Academy, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Reaffirmation Committee, National Association for College Admission Counseling, American Association of College Admission Officers and Registrars, Tennessee Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Southern Association for College Admissions Counseling, Indiana Association for College Admissions Counseling, and Committee Chair for the National Association of College, Deans, Registrars and Admission Officers. He is also the recipient of the Lafourche Education Foundation Distinguished Graduate Award, Most Outstanding Employee Renaissance Award of Fisk University, and the Education Equal Opportunity Group, Save-A-Student Award. Anthony is a Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fisk University, holds a Masters Degree from Vanderbilt University and a certification in Diversity Management from the University of Houston. To help individuals maximize their life experience, Anthony has also published the book and workbook, Success by Design: Becoming the Person You Were Destined to Be. Find Anthony at howard.edu/admission LINKS What is an HBCU? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

When you work in the business of education, you are bound to receive an education in business law. Don't learn your legal lessons the hard way! Amy and Mike invited attorney Matthew K. Seeley to the Tests and the Rest Winter Conference 2020 to speak about legal issues for educational enterprises. In the second part of his remarkably thorough and insightful presentation, Matthew addressed the legal issues around noncompete agreements and intellectual property. Be sure to download the attached presentation pdf as visual support for this discussion. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the parameters of a defensible noncompete agreement? How does state law influence the ability to enforce a noncompete agreement? What are trade secrets in the context of an educational enterprise? How can educators and business owners protect intellectual property? What is the risk of employing independent contractors to create programs and curriculum? MEET OUR GUEST Matthew K. Seeley is a partner at the law firm of Buckley King, which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and has offices in Atlanta and Phoenix. Matt practices as a business litigator, which encompasses a number of areas including commercial, employment, tax and real estate matters. Matt has been in practice for nearly 23 years and has an active role in Cleveland's legal community; regularly speaking at local bar associations and trade conferences on topics pertinent to business owners and employers. Matt was recently a delegate to the Eighth District Judicial Conference which is by invitation only and involves a gathering of prominent local lawyers and judges to discuss issues pertaining to Cuyahoga County's justice system. Find Matthew at [email protected]. LINKS LEGAL ISSUES FOR EDUCATIONAL ENTERPRISES PowerPoint presentation pdf Law offices of Buckley King ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

When you work in the business of education, you are bound to receive an education in business law. Don't learn your legal lessons the hard way! Amy and Mike invited attorney Matthew Seeley to the Tests and the Rest Winter Conference 2020 to speak about legal issues for educational enterprises. In the first part of his remarkably thorough and insightful presentation, Matthew addressed the legal issues around employees and independent contractors. Be sure to download the attached presentation pdf as visual support for this discussion. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the difference between an employee and an independent contractor? How does having a teacher use a specific curriculum influence classification? What are the pros and cons for teachers retained as employees or independent contractors? What are the benefits and disadvantages of retaining employees or independent contractors? What are the penalties for misclassifying employees and independent contractors? MEET OUR GUEST Matthew K. Seeley is a partner at the law firm of Buckley King, which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and has offices in Atlanta and Phoenix. Matt practices as a business litigator, which encompasses a number of areas including commercial, employment, tax and real estate matters. Matt has been in practice for nearly 23 years and has an active role in Cleveland's legal community; regularly speaking at local bar associations and trade conferences on topics pertinent to business owners and employers. Matt was recently a delegate to the Eighth District Judicial Conference which is by invitation only and involves a gathering of prominent local lawyers and judges to discuss issues pertaining to Cuyahoga County's justice system. Find Matthew at [email protected]. LINKS LEGAL ISSUES FOR EDUCATIONAL ENTERPRISES PowerPoint presentation pdf Law offices of Buckley King ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

In the course of common school day activities, students share extensive personal data, completely oblivious to the many ways this information can be--and often is--exploited. Even the important college admissions tests can present certain security hazards. Amy and Mike invited student advocate Leonie Haimson to explain both the necessity and challenges of keeping student data private. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Who seeks to collect student data and under what rationale? What kind of student data is collected? In what ways have the laws protecting student privacy been weakened? How do current College Board practices threaten student data privacy? What do students and parents need to know about keeping student data private? MEET OUR GUEST Leonie Haimson is the founder and Executive Director of Class Size Matters, a non-profit organization that advocates for smaller classes in NYC's public schools and the nation as a whole. She started the organization in 2000 and as of 2019, she continues to lead the organization. She is a graduate of Harvard College (Phi Beta Kappa, Magna cum laude) was a public school parent for 15 years, worked for the Educational Priorities Panel, and founded Class Size Matters in 2000. The New York Times has called her the "city's leading proponent of smaller classes." In 2013-2014, she led the fight both in NY and nationally against the Gates Foundation $100 million dollar data-collection project, later spun off into a separate corporation called inBloom Inc. As a result of the controversy this project aroused, nearly 100 new state student privacy laws were passed in states throughout the country in recent years, including in New York. In 2015, she was credited by investigative reporter Juan Gonzalez for helping to save the city between $163 million and $627 million when she alerted the media to a highly inflated contract that was about to be signed by the NYC Department of Education with a vendor, Custom Computer Specialists, that had been involved in a kickback scheme a few years before. Because of the resulting scandal, the contract was withdrawn and rebid with multiple vendors for a far lower amount. Leonie received the John Dewey award from the United Federation of Teachers in 2007, was named one of NYC's "family heroes" by NYC Family Magazine in 2009, and was honored as an "Extraordinary Advocate for our Children" by Advocates for Justice in 2012. In 2014, she received the "Parent Voice" award from Parents Across America for her work defeating inBloom and protecting student privacy. In 2015, she was named one of the ten most influential people in education technology by Tech and Learning Magazine. She blogs at the NYC Public School Parents, is a board member of the Network for Public Education and serves on the steering committee of NY State Allies for Public Education. She is also the co-chair of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy which she co-founded after the collapse of inBloom in 2014. Starting this fall of 2019, she is co-hosting a weekly radio show on WBAI FM called "Talk Out of School." Find Leonie at [email protected] LINKS Privacy warning for parents of students taking ACT or College Board exams Five Principles to Protect Student Privacy ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Colleges and universities in the United States draw international acclaim and interest. Why, then, might American students be wise to consider schooling abroad? Amy and Mike invited international educational consultant Kevin Newton to enumerate the many unexpected benefits of attending university in Europe. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What countries should American students consider for university? How important are the SAT, ACT, and Subject Tests in admissions to European universities? What advantages and potential downsides does attending university in Europe present? How does the cost of education in Europe compare to costs in the U.S.? What are prospects after graduation like for students with European degrees? MEET OUR GUEST Kevin Newton is the founder of An Education Abroad, a company that helps Americans who are interested in earning a degree outside of the United States. Since 2016, he and his wife have helped place dozens of students at top universities around the world. Kevin fell in love with everything that international education has to offer while studying for his MA in Islamic and Chinese Law at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies Find Kevin at http://www.aneducationabroad.com/ LINKS Go to University for Free in Europe (Or At Least Much Cheaper) In Which Countries is College Free? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Major revisions of the major standardized college entrance exams come few, far between, and with great fanfare. Don't take this to mean, however, that the SAT and ACT don't change all the time bit by bit. Amy and Mike invited test prep expert Evan Wessler to the Tests and the Rest Winter Conference 2020 to speak about emerging trends in SAT and ACT content. The recording of this incredibly important presentation runs much longer than our usual podcast, but anyone who prepares students for the tests will appreciate every minute! Be sure to download the attached presentation as visual support for this discussion. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the best ways to keep up with subtle changes in test content? What new trends are emerging on the grammar sections of the tests? What is a "gotcha" question and how do they differ on the SAT and ACT? Have math trends and emphases changed on the tests? How have the reading and ACT science sections changed recently, if at all? MEET OUR GUEST A Long Island, NY native and Pittsburgh, PA transplant since 2016, Evan Wessler has been tutoring and teaching in one way or another since high school. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in biology from Bucknell University, Evan spent a brief period in Harvard University's Biomedical & Biological Sciences Ph.D. program before deciding to pursue a different path. In 2009, he joined Method Test Prep as an ACT/SAT/academic tutor. Soon after, he took on additional responsibilities within the organization, including managing the tutoring team, developing educational content, and expanding the reach of Method Test Prep's private tutoring and online services. Ten years later, he remains involved in many facets of the organization as it continues to grow. Evan's extensive experience in analyzing and teaching the ACT and SAT has helped him develop keen insight into what works in test prep and what doesn't. As an educator and advisor, Evan is passionate about using this knowledge to prime students for success. This includes establishing realistic goals and practical plans for achieving them. He strongly believes that test prep is about much more than questions and answers: it's a process that demands careful thought, deliberate planning, and steady work. Find Evan at https://methodtestprep.com/ LINKS DECK How Test Prep Tutoring Should Work ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

While qualifying for admission to a competitive college or university requires endless hours of study and commitment, applying to such a school should not. Is the application process as difficult as it used to be, and can it be further improved? Amy and Mike invited author and consultant Roger Dooley to explain the importance of reducing friction in the college admissions process. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does the Fogg Behavior Model illuminate problems in the college admissions process? What changes to the application process reduce friction? How does a focus on user experience improve the process? Is a certain level of friction desirable in the admissions process? What areas of the college application process can still be improved? MEET OUR GUEST Roger Dooley is an author and international keynote speaker. His books include Friction: The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage and Brainfluence: 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing. He writes the popular blog Neuromarketing and is a columnist at Forbes.com. He is the founder of Dooley Direct, a consultancy, and co-founded College Confidential, the leading college-bound information forum online. Roger has an engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the University of Tennessee. Find Roger at rogerdooley.com. LINKS Maximizing College Admissions Yield by Reducing Friction College Confidential Neuromarketing Fogg Behavior Model Twitter: @rogerdooley – https://twitter.com/rogerdooley Roger Dooley at Forbes – https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/ ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

While getting into college seems like a Herculean task requiring the collaboration and contributions of a team of experts, paying for college can--believe it or not--be even tougher. For example, nearly everyone takes out student loans, but how many applicants understand what they should focus on? Amy and Mike invited financial aid expert Elaine Rubin to break down the basics of what you need to know about student loans. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What kinds of loans can students apply for? How do students and parents apply for loans? What is the right timeline to apply for student loans? How much should applicants seek? What is the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans? MEET OUR GUEST Elaine Rubin is the Senior Contributor and Communications Specialist at Edvisors. For more than 20 years, Edvisors has helped empower students and families with the information they need to make timely decisions about planning and paying for college, as well as life beyond graduation. Their free resources, tools and services are both expert-level and engaging, drawing from expansive team experience in the higher education space as lending specialists, financial aid authorities, and public service leaders. Elaine is responsible for maintaining content, responding to press and media inquiries, as well as serving as the lead contributor for the Edvisors blog and the Ask the Edvisor column. She volunteers in the local Las Vegas community to help students and families understand the importance of education for success. Elaine has worked in higher education finance for more than 10 years, including seven years with the U.S. Department of Education's office of Federal Student Aid, and provides information and advice from both personal and professional experiences. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in Public Policy and Administration from Northeastern University. Find Elaine at https://www.edvisors.com/ask/ask-the-edvisor/. LINKS 2019 Student Loan Handbook 2020-2021 Guide to Filing the FAFSA ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Since 2014, Gallup has investigated some of the most important outcomes of higher education through a survey of college graduates. What valuable lessons can future college students learn from the reflections of those who came before them? Amy and Mike invited research consultant John Clark to explain the significance of the Gallup Alumni Survey and the six college experiences that drive success. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does the Gallup Alumni Survey capture about the experiences of college graduates? Why is long-term success of college graduates worth exploring? What are the big six college experiences that appear to drive success after college? How do relationship-rich and project-oriented learning experiences link to workplace engagement? How have colleges responded to the revelations of the Gallup Alumni Survey? MEET OUR GUEST John Clark is a consultant with Gallup's Higher Education group, which delivers forward-thinking research and analytics to help universities solve their most pressing problems. Before joining Gallup, John worked as a consumer protection attorney, then moved to the education world with Kaplan, where he helped universities build pathway programs to guide students to law, medical, and graduate school. John has a B.A. in philosophy from Bucknell and a J.D. from Southern Illinois. He lives in Chicago, Illinois, where he also teaches a Medical Law & Ethics course at a local university. Find John at [email protected] LINKS 2018 Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Many high school students dream about playing sports on the college level. However, entering the application and recruitment process with low grades and test scores can be a nightmare for even the most talented athletes. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Jennifer Henson to explain requirements for test scores and the NCAA Clearinghouse. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the NCAA eligibility center, and why does it matter? What is confusing about how NCAA evaluates ACT scores? How else do test scores impact a student athlete's college prospects? Why do some schools combine athletic and academic money? How does the college testing timeline differ for an athlete? MEET OUR GUEST Jennifer Henson ( a.k.a "The GOAL DIGGER") is a nationally sought after test prep expert specializing in the ACT test. Jennifer, who was Winton Woods City School's (OH) Teacher of the Year in 2014, holds a Master of Education degree with a Bachelor's in English from Xavier University—where she was a walk-on tennis player. She's taught 21 years and coached ACT prep for over 7 years-- and has an army of teachers trained to assist her requests for tutorials. Her former ACT students now attend notable higher learning institutions, including Notre Dame, The Ohio State University, Texas A&M, The Naval Academy, and the University of Kentucky—among others. Jennifer has assisted students from California to Connecticut—and states in between—to reach their personal ACT goals. No score is too low or too high, as she has doubled the scores of students starting at the low end, in addition to helping initially higher scoring students achieve the coveted 36 on every section of the test. Two young men playing D1 football had a composite score of a 9 originally, and scored 18 and 20 (respectively) after working with her. Two of her former clients now have NFL experience. Find Jen at www.jenhensonactprep.com. LINKS NCAA Sliding Scale for GPA and SAT/ACT Scores How Test Prep And Sports Are Similar ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Too many students, parents, and professionals act as if high schoolers magically transform into independent, motivated, productive college students right after their graduation ceremonies, even if none of those adjectives previously applied. If only that were true! Amy and Mike invited clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Adam Zamora to offer insights into helping students prepare for the demands of college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How long is the transition from high schooler to college student? Why is it critical that students carry their learning supports to school? How does unstructured free time threaten success at college? What aspects of motivation need to change in college? Why is a student's ability to self-assess and advocate so critical? MEET OUR GUEST Adam S. Zamora, PsyD, is a neuropsychologist in the Learning and Development Center at the Child Mind Institute. He specializes in the evaluation and remediation of children, adolescents and young adults with a wide range of conditions that impact academic functioning, including ADHD, verbal and nonverbal learning difficulties, social and interpersonal weaknesses, and emotional disorders. Dr. Zamora utilizes diagnostic interviewing and comprehensive assessments to help provide families with a thorough understanding of their children, to identify assets and strengths, and to unravel the underlying reasons for challenges in their everyday lives. He also takes on an active, collaborative role with families, treatment providers and school personnel to tailor recommendations that help each child meet his or her potential. In addition to completing his neuropsychological training in academic medical settings, Dr. Zamora has provided psychotherapeutic treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety, mood disorders, behavioral difficulties, trauma histories and complex medical issues in both inpatient and outpatient hospitals and clinics. In a school setting, he has experience with developing behavior plans, conducting social skills groups and helping to facilitate classroom interventions. Dr. Zamora enjoys providing psychoeducation to families and presenting about learning difficulties at local schools. He has also supervised psychology trainees in administration, case conceptualization and report-writing of neuropsychological evaluations. Dr. Zamora grew up in New York City and has extensive educational consulting experience in the local private school world. Since 2005, he has provided academic consultation and remediation services for students struggling with motivation, study skills, academic performance, test preparation and the school application process. Additionally, as part of his clinical training, Dr. Zamora has conducted numerous school visits and classroom observations, consulted closely with teachers and learning specialists, and advocated for families at IEP meetings and impartial hearings. Dr. Zamora's work as a clinical psychologist and educational consultant has given him a unique perspective on students and their individual needs, and has aided his ability to translate evaluation results into meaningful clinical summaries with practical, applicable recommendations for use at home and in school. He has a passion for understanding and tapping into individual strengths, and then utilizing those assets to support families and help children overcome areas of weakness. Find Adam at childmind.org or 212-308-3118 LINKS How Academic Accountability Makes a Difference ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

The college essay provides teens their single best chance to speak from the heart and share something significant that does not come through the rest of the application. But what happens when a student can't find anything significant to share? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Carrie Bedard to extol the virtues of utilizing a reflection journal to prepare for a college essay. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is a reflection journal and how does it differ from a diary? How does keeping a reflection journal help the essay writing process? How does keeping a reflection journal help college and career choice? What other benefits accrue from keeping a reflection journal? How can parents and counselors motivate students to maintain journals? MEET OUR GUEST Carrie Bedard of Soar 2 Success Consulting graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Hospitality and a Minor in Psychology. She has worked in education throughout her career, including teaching, tutoring and personal essay development. She has an extensive background in Marketing and Public Speaking, which she uses to help her students to become the best they can be to achieve their goals. In 2012, she decided to make helping students a full time venture, after seeing parents had no idea how to guide their students in the college guidance and admissions process and guidance counselors were over worked with hundreds of students and couldn't give the 1-1 attention necessary to properly guide students. She has traveled and met with college admissions staff, joined the Southern Association of College Admissions Counselors, and worked with over 100 families around the globe. Find Carrie at [email protected]. LINKS How to Keep a Reflection Journal ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Many families embark on the college search process with a magical "dream school" in mind. But what if the dream doesn't match the reality? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Lynn O'Shaughnessy to answer the burning question of whether where you go to school matters. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What makes a school a "dream college" to most students? What the relationship is between college selectivity and student outcomes.? What do college rankings actually measure? What factors really determine success at and after college? What critical step should you take at the beginning of the college search? MEET OUR GUEST Lynn O'Shaughnessy, a nationally recognized college expert, is a higher-ed journalist, author, educator and speaker. Lynn's No. 1 goal is helping parents with teenagers cut the cost of college. Lynn shares college advice on her blog at TheCollegeSolution.com, which attracts more than a million visitors a year. She also offers a popular online course, The College Cost Lab, on her website for college consultants, school counselors and parents with teenagers. Lynn is also the author of The College Solution: A Guide for Looking for the Right School at the Right Price, which is an Amazon bestseller. Lynn's higher-ed commentary has been featured in such national media outlets as The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and Money Magazine. For six years, she was the higher-ed columnist for CBS MoneyWatch. Prior to focusing exclusively on college issues, Lynn was a veteran financial journalist/author and a former Los Angeles Times reporter. Find Lynn at http://www.thecollegesolution.com/ or [email protected]. LINKS Saying No to a Dream College Gallup Alumni Survey: Measuring College and University Outcomes ETC College to Career Planning System ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

We live in a society where most people hate tests with the same intensity they love sports. Would this stark dichotomy exist if the many parallels between the two challenges were more widely known? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Tony Miglio to describe how test prep and sports are similar. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why do sports analogies make so much sense when we talk about test prep? Why is motivation so important in both endeavors? What does the concept of muscle memory have to do with testing? Why can mistakes be meaningful in the prep process? How does coaching make a massive difference in both tests and sports? MEET OUR GUEST Tony Miglio is the owner of NKY Tutoring (https://nkytutoring.com/) and is a nationally sought-after test prep expert, specializing in the math section of the ACT Test. He has worked with students both locally in the Greater Cincinnati area, but also students throughout the US and Europe. He works with students in person, and virtually; in groups, and 1-1, and is able to help build a rapport with each of his students to help students grow in confidence, along with the growing their ACT Scores. Tony holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a minor in Psychology from Northern Kentucky University. Tony is a former teacher, and he has been an ACT tutor for more than 15 years, with the last 10 years specializing in helping students conquer and raise their Math ACT Scores. His specialty is customizing the mental approach for each student, based upon their score that they need to drive success on the test. Last year, he quit his previous job to be a full-time standardized test tutor and focus on helping students all over the country. Being full time allows him to meet with students throughout the day as well as travel across the US, to work with schools. This flexibility has provided Tony the opportunity to make a work with more students and make a positive impact in their lives. Find Tony at [email protected] LINKS Similarities between Baseball/Softball and the ACT Looking for a Good Test Strategy? Think Sports. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Grade inflation often seems like a trivial offense, a somewhat victimless crime. However, evidence suggests the exact opposite, that the practice undermines students, corrodes institutions, and perpetuates privilege. Amy and Mike invited researcher and professor Seth Gershenson Ph.D to enumerate the many reasons why grade inflation is harmful. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the three different types of grade inflation and how do they manifest? How does grade inflation hurt students? How does grade inflation hurt institutions? How does grade inflation impede equity? What policies might address or improve this situation? MEET OUR GUEST Seth Gershenson is Associate Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public Affairs (SPA) at American University. He is also Research Fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Senior Technical Advisor to Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins, and Coordinator of SPA's Analytics and Management Institute. Professor Gershenson works broadly in the economics of education and education policy, with specific interests in teacher labor markets, summer learning loss, student absences, community-wide shocks, teacher expectations and implicit bias, and the causes and consequences of the underrepresentation of teachers of color. Seth's research has been funded by the Spencer Foundation, the American Educational Research Association, W.E. Upjohn Institute, Association for Institutional Research, and Google; published in leading education-policy academic journals; and featured in media outlets such as USA Today, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, NPR, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Vox, NBC News, and The Atlantic. Professor Gershenson received his Ph.D. in Economics from Michigan State University in 2011. You can learn more about Professor Gershenson's research here. Find Seth at http://www.sethgershenson.com LINKS Grade Inflation in High Schools (2005–2016) The Reality of Grade Inflation High School Grades: Higher and Higher Elite Prep Schools in L.A. and Across the U.S. Are Brazenly Inflating Grades ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

For many students, community college represents the path to academic and career success, while others only see a stop on a longer educational journey. County by county and state by state, these institutions truly focus on community. Amy and Mike invited Cuyahoga Community College Director Heidi Nicholas to describe the experience and advantages of attending a community college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is distinctive and great about attending community college? What is campus life like at a community college? How does the community focus of these schools benefit students? Are there programs community colleges offer that cannot be found anywhere else? What kinds of students thrive at community colleges and which do not? MEET OUR GUEST Heidi Nicholas is currently the District Director of Enrollment Management and Dual Enrollment at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to assuming this role, Heidi served in several positions at Tri-C; Completion Manager, Interim Assistant Dean of Students at both Eastern and Metro Campus', and Student Success Specialist. Prior to working at Tri-C, Heidi held positions in admissions and recruitment at several private colleges. Heidi's most notable achievements include the 2018 Cuyahoga Community College, President's Award for her contributions in increasing the IPEDS graduation rate and the 2013 Innovation of the Year Award by the League of Innovation. Heidi is active in the Kent State University Alumni Association and is a College Now, Greater Cleveland professional mentor. Heidi graduated with her Bachelor's Degree from Kent State University and her Master's Degree in Adult Learning and Development from Cleveland State University. She has completed coursework toward a Doctorate in Community College Leadership from Ferris State University and is currently A.B.D. Find Heidi at [email protected] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Success in tests, as in life, comes down to much more than just what you know. But where and how are students supposed to learn key skills like time management, organization, prioritization, and project management? Amy and Mike invited interdisciplinary educator Jenna Bee to explore the connections between executive functioning skills and test prep. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What key skills fall under the header of executive functioning? Where or when do we develop executive function? How can we help students prioritize effectively? How can feelings of safety and control contribute to success? How is executive function like a vending machine? MEET OUR GUEST Jenna Bee is a holistic and interdisciplinary teacher. She combines years of yoga and meditation practice with test prep training and a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations to support students in preparing for SATs, ACTs, the college admissions process, and beyond. Every student has strengths and we are most effective as teachers and coaches when we start from there. By nourishing the strengths, we cultivate confident students who can show what they know on test day. The tips and tricks are great—and important. But it's tough to learn new tricks when we're stressed, scared, or insecure. Learn more about Jenna at jennabeeyoga.com and inquire about test prep support by emailing her directly. Find Jenna at [email protected] LINKS What is Executive Functioning? How Does it Affect My Child? How To Prioritize When Everything Feels Important ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

While life after high school should be one of the most important considerations for teens and the adults that support them, too many kids choose default paths because they don't know the depth and breadth of options before them. Amy and Mike invited school counselor Andrea House to discuss the vital importance of pathway planning for high schoolers. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does pathway planning mean to a high schooler? What are career clusters, and how do they inform pathway planning? Why is having a path in mind so important when considering life after college? What tools and resources facilitate pathway planning? How many different options can and should students consider? MEET OUR GUEST Andrea House is celebrating her 12th year as a school counselor at Wheatland Chili Central School District. In her work with students in grades 6 through 12, she's come to see students struggle with making decisions about their future. Her district has a career and college program that they utilize to help determine career cluster of interest to students with a goal of helping students see where interest, skills, and personality come together. All are important to pay attention to in a future career. Andrea is currently involved in a variety of school counselor groups that focus on best practices and helping students make the most of their time in high school, discovering their interest areas and exploring within various career pathways. Find Andrea at [email protected] LINKS Career Clusters Road Trip Nation ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Attending college as a student with special needs presents a wide variety of serious logistical challenges. Even more daunting, though, may be the extra burden of paying for extra accommodations and services on top of tuition, room, and board. Amy and Mike invited Publisher and VP of Research for Savingforcollege.com Mark Kantrowitz to outline the increased college costs for special needs students. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What special needs tend to incur extra costs at college? What specific accommodations might be needed and at what cost? What obligations do colleges have in accommodating special needs students? What distinguishes standard 529s and ABLE accounts? How many other details should special needs students consider in the application process? MEET OUR GUEST Mark Kantrowitz is Publisher and VP of Research for Savingforcollege.com, the most popular guide to saving for college and 529 plans. Mark is an expert on student financial aid, the FAFSA, scholarships and student loans. His mission is to deliver practical information, advice and tools to students and their families so they can make smarter, more informed decisions about planning and paying for college. Mr. Kantrowitz has been quoted in more than 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles about college admissions and financial aid. Mark has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, Huffington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Forbes, Newsweek and Time Magazine. Mark is the author of five bestselling books about scholarships and financial aid and holds seven patents. He also writes extensively on student aid policy. Mark serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Student Financial Aid, the editorial advisory board of Bottom Line/Personal, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association and as publisher of the FinAid, Fastweb, Edvisors and Cappex web sites. Mark has two Bachelor's degrees in mathematics and philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Master's degree in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Find Mark at savingforcollege.com LINKS Mark's extensive catalog of college financial aid books Special-Needs Students May Need An Extra $25,000+ For College College Preparation for Autistic Children ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Humans may spend about a third of their lives asleep, but the average time at slumber dips dramatically during the teen years. Yet, the physical, mental, and emotional health of adolescents and young adults depends desperately on sufficient time to rest, recuperate, and dream. Amy and Mike invited program manager for Start School Later of Sleep 101 Kari Oakes to offer strategies for helping teens get the sleep they need. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How much sleep do teens need and are they getting it? How does inadequate sleep hurt a teen? What benefits accrue when a teen gets enough sleep? What can families do to support teens getting the sleep they need? What can school administrators and teachers do to support teens getting the sleep they need? MEET OUR GUEST Kari Oakes is a medical writer who also trained and has practiced as a physician assistant. She is on the Executive Committee of Start School Later, a grassroots, all-volunteer nonprofit that is dedicated to healthy, safe, equitable school hours, and she is the program manager for Start School Later of Sleep 101, an award-winning, online, interactive sleep health education curriculum for high school and college students. Kari, who currently lives in Middleton, Wisconsin, is also the mother of two young adult children, and reluctantly woke them as early as 5:50 a.m. for a 6:20 am bus and 7:17 high school start time. Find Kari at [email protected] LINKS Sleep 101 Start School Later - Helping Your Teen get More Sleep ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

Techniques such as hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming can be used to quell anxiety, sharpen focus, and boost performance. So why do so few educators know about how these skills and interventions can improve test taking outcomes? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Bara Sapir to share some mental techniques for peak test performance. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are some mental enhancement techniques that allow us to be present in a pivotal moment? Which mental enhancement techniques can be leveraged in the short term? Why is the flow state so desirable during testing? How can neuro-linguistic programming help reframe negative beliefs? What is a surprising yet effective way to deal with a moment of panic? MEET OUR GUEST Bara Sapir, CEO/Founder of City Test Prep, is an internationally recognized expert in high-performance coaching, personal empowerment, and transformative test preparation. She has over 20 years of experience in the test preparation field, including six years as an instructor for The Princeton Review Bara is a pioneer bringing holistic, mindful human potential techniques to the test preparation field, including teaching students effective ways to stay calm, focused and able to recall material learned. She does this through hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming, tapping, integrated life coaching, mindfulness, and more. Sapir is the co-author of The Full Potential GMAT Sentence Correction Intensive, published by Nova Press, creator of the HypnoPrep™ method and the Full Potential™ audio series. All these products help students optimize test-taking results and professional success by reducing anxiety and enhancing concentration, confidence, and ease. This approach works as a complement to any content-based study program and will work to help students beyond content mastery and test-taking strategy. Her Full Potential™ audio series is a unique interactive audio training for SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and other standardized tests, designed to inspire relaxation and improve test scores. Sapir also innovated MindFlow, a mindful speed reading workshop that has increased students' verbal scores an average of 13% and their reading speed up to 5x.. Bara's test prep expertise has been featured in the media, including The Wall Street Journal, Business Because, CBS Bay Sunday, Cosmogirl, Women's World, Next Step, CNN/Fortune Magazine's online blog and Positive Thinking, National Public Radio (NPR), WBAI, and on Karen Salmonson's Lime Satellite Radio program, Be Happy...Dammit!. Bara holds masters degrees in education from the Jewish Theological Seminary and in art history from the University of Michigan. She also has certifications in hypnosis, Integrative Life Coaching, Reiki, neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and Interchange Counseling. lectures and conducts workshops for students, parents, educators, business people, and creative professionals seeking high-performance results at school, work, and in life. Find Bara at https://citytestprep.com LINKS The Full Potential GMAT Sentence Correction Intensive ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

NACAC's Code of Ethics and Professional Practices (CEPP) establish guidelines for college admissions conduct that most colleges voluntarily observe. In 2019, the organization voted to remove three provisions believed to inhibit competition among colleges for students. How will this change college recruiting practices? Amy and Mike invited past president of NACAC Patrick O'Connor to explain the implications of 2020 changes in admissions rules. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is Early Decision and how has the ED system changed? How do applicants and colleges benefit from Early Decision? How binding are Early Decision and Early Action? What has changed in deadlines for commitment? Why should we expect a wild summer for counselors and college-bound students alike? MEET OUR GUEST Patrick O'Connor is associate dean of college counseling at Cranbrook Kingswood School in metropolitan Detroit. A past president of NACAC and Michigan ACAC, Patrick also teaches Counseling in the College Selection Process as both a graduate class and professional development program. In 2017-18, he served as the inaugural School Counselor Ambassador Fellow with the US Department of Education, keeping the Department informed of current trends and issues of interest to school counselors. Patrick is the author of five books on college counseling, including the highly acclaimed College Counseling for School Counselors and the College is Yours series. He also writes regularly for HS Counselor Week, and Admissions Intel, with other work appearing in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. He is on the board of directors for the Michigan College Access Network, serves as the co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of College Access, and has recently served on the board of The Common Application, and the credentialing commission for the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners. A member of the Political Science Faculty at Oakland Community College, Patrick is a recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award from Oakland Community College, the Margaret Addis Service to NACAC Award, NACAC's Government Relations Award, and the William Gramenz Award (for outstanding contributions to college counseling in Michigan.) He holds five college degrees, including a Ph.D. in Education Administration, and is the first member of his family to graduate from college. Find Patrick at collegeisyours.com LINKS NACAC's Code of Ethics and Professional Practices (CEPP) Changes in College Admissions Deadlines Mean Changes for Counselors College counselor to parents: Relax Benefits of Applying Early Decision at High Point University ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

While we always expect standardized test scores to reflect general academic achievement, these metrics often diverge dramatically. When students underperform on tests, they--and their parents--often conclude that they are just "bad test takers." But is that even a thing? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional and author Moshe Ohayon to clarify what it means to be a bad test taker. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is it possible to be a bad test taker? What are the signs of a bad test taker? How does one become a good test taker, if that's even possible? What do the differences between tennis and ping pong have to do with testing? What does social equity and access have to do with test taking ability? MEET OUR GUEST Moshe Ohayon has been working in the tutoring and test prep industry for over 20 years. He is the author of the award-winning strategy guide, The ACT for Bad Test Takers and the developer of the ACT preparation app PrepSharp. Moshe holds degrees from Columbia University, the University of Louisville, and Harvard University. After years of operating a successful tutoring and test prep company, Moshe became disillusioned with the tremendous educational advantage that is all too often only available to those from financially-privileged backgrounds. He founded Educational Justice and Equitas Prep to help level the educational playing field for under-resourced students. Find Moshe at EquitasPrep.com LINKS PrepSharp App The ACT for Bad Test Takers Educational Justice ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

In a perfect world, every student would commit to exactly the kind of test prep program he or she needs to confidently reach or exceed SAT & ACT score goals. However, in the world we live in, most families have no idea what an ideal test prep program should even look like. Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Evan Wessler to illuminate how test prep tutoring should work. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is test prep necessary? What are some fundamentals any test prep program should include? Is individual tutoring always the best option? What is the right timeline for testing and preparation? Is more prep always better? MEET OUR GUEST A Long Island, NY native and Pittsburgh, PA transplant since 2016, Evan Wessler has been tutoring and teaching in one way or another since high school. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in biology from Bucknell University, Evan spent a brief period in Harvard University's Biomedical & Biological Sciences Ph.D. program before deciding to pursue a different path. In 2009, he joined Method Test Prep as an ACT/SAT/academic tutor. Soon after, he took on additional responsibilities within the organization, including managing the tutoring team, developing educational content, and expanding the reach of Method Test Prep's private tutoring and online services. Ten years later, he remains involved in many facets of the organization as it continues to grow. Evan's extensive experience in analyzing and teaching the ACT and SAT has helped him develop keen insight into what works in test prep and what doesn't. As an educator and advisor, Evan is passionate about using this knowledge to prime students for success. This includes establishing realistic goals and practical plans for achieving them. He strongly believes that test prep is about much more than questions and answers: it's a process that demands careful thought, deliberate planning, and steady work. Find Evan at https://methodtestprep.com/ LINKS SAT & ACT Tutoring is Not Sliced Chicken 7 Things Parents Need to Know About the ACT and SAT ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.