Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Integrated Acceleration System The Ultimate Resource for Grade-Skipping, Subject Acceleration, and Early Entrance with researchers Susan Assouline and Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind the Integrated Acceleration System? How does the Integrated Acceleration System work? Who currently uses the Integrated Acceleration System? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about the Integrated Acceleration System know about it? ABOUT THE INTEGRATED ACCELERATION SYSTEM Determining whether or not to accelerate a child can feel overwhelming. Teachers or parents often have questions about whether their students need more challenges. They may wonder whether their student should skip a grade, start kindergarten or college early, or move ahead in a particular subject. The Integrated Acceleration System, an online tool developed by leading researchers in gifted education, guides participants through the process of gathering and integrating information about acceleration. Informed by decades of research, the Integrated Acceleration System systematically accounts for the major factors to consider when making a decision and generates a report about whether acceleration is a good fit for a particular student. This report includes the recommendation plus extensive documentation of the information used in the decision. During the process, a team of educators and parents collects pertinent data, such as test scores, grades, and indicators of the student's psychosocial development. Teachers, parents, and the student contribute information that is entered into the online platform. The Team Meeting is the culminating step in the process, in which all data are reviewed, a report is produced, and the team discusses the decision and a potential transition plan. The Integrated Acceleration System guides you along every step of the process and gives you the power to make confident, research-driven decisions. The authors of the Integrated Acceleration System are Dr. Susan Assouline and Dr. Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik; they are also co-authors of other relevant work, including the Iowa Acceleration Scale, A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America's Brightest Students, Developing Academic Acceleration Policies, and Developing Math Talent. Mr. Brian Douglas is the Lead Developer. The team is affiliated with the University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center, a leading research center in gifted education and talent development. Ann first appeared on this podcast in episode 136 to discuss THE IMPACT OF SKIPPING A GRADE ON STUDENTS. To learn more about the Integrated Acceleration System, visit https://accelerationsystem.org or email [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ivy League colleges and universities may share a certain level of selectivity and academic rigor, but they also differ in surprisingly significant ways. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Marlena Corcoran to explain how to tell the Ivies apart. What are five things you will learn in this episode? In what ways are Ivy League schools similar? How do different Ivy League schools differ in size and structure? How do different Ivy League schools differ in culture and atmosphere? Can you send the same application to all of the Ivies? 1800 Does your alumni experience differ based on which Ivy League school you attend? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Marlena Corcoran is the founder of Athena Mentor: International University Admissions Counseling (Munich and New York). Before starting Athena Mentor, Marlena held visiting research appointments at Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford and the CNRS Paris. For almost 20 years, she has helped young people discover who they are and what they really care about—and present themselves with confidence, enthusiasm and success to the most selective colleges and MBA programs in the world. Marlena can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS How Not to Get Admitted to All 8 Ivies How Much Do You Know About Applying to University? RELATED EPISODES PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS DOES COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT MATTER MORE THAN SELECTIVITY? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Reading, we've long understood, is fundamental. Where we lack consensus, however, seems to be on what the fundamentals of reading are. Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Linda Hirsch to share new insights into literacy. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is early literacy so foundational? What is the history of the "reading wars"? Why has pedagogy shifted to its current re-emphasis on phonics? How do decoding strategies and cultural knowledge interact in reading How do we encourage children to become readers? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Linda Hirsch is a professor in the English Department at Hostos Community College/CUNY and a literacy development expert. She is also the creator, producer, writer and host of EdCast, a TV program that examines pressing issues in education. EdCast airs on CUNY TV, WNYE and the web. Since its inception, EdCast has received seven Telly awards for excellence in cable broadcasting. These include "How to Spot Fake News," "Holocaust Education," NYC Men Teach: Bringing Men of Color into the Classroom," "A Conversation with André Aciman: Whose Text is it Anyway?" "Addressing Bullying," "New Approaches to Stuttering" and "Children's Emerging Literacy Development." Dr. Hirsch is the Director of the Liberal Arts Degree and Co-Coordinator of the Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) Program at Hostos. She holds a Ph.D. in English Education from NYU and is the author of numerous publications on literacy, English-language learners and WAC. She has taught graduate courses at Columbia University's Teachers College, New York University, and the CUNY Graduate Center on literacy and linguistics and was a consultant for the PBS children's literacy series, Ghostwriter. Linda can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS "EdCast" Playlist A Brief History of 'The Reading Wars' Casualties of the Reading Wars RELATED EPISODES IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 1) IMPROVING READING SKILLS WITH STRUGGLING TEENS (PART 2) SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION AND READING COMPREHENSION ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

If you find the news that many high schools require admissions tests surprising, you'll be even more shocked to learn just how many different exams there are! As part of our series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Kelly Frindell to explain the role and structure of the SSAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the purpose and structure of the SSAT? 325-1300~ How is the SSAT scored? When should a child start preparing for the SSAT? What are some of the "best practices" for preparing for the SSAT? How important is vocabulary on the SSAT? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Kelly Frindell is an expert, effective test prep tutor with over 20 years of experience. She has assisted students in achieving testing success and providing students with the tools to get into the schools of their dreams since 2001. Kelly graduated with honors from Trinity University with a BA in psychology, then obtained her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Texas. She started tutoring at prestigious test prep companies such as Tutorial Resources and Toby Rose Prep, both in Miami, FL, the Princeton Review in San Antonio, and House of Tutors in Austin. After gaining invaluable experience at these institutions, she started InHouse Test Prep in 2007. Dr. Kelly is an expert in test preparation styles, techniques and study material. Her specialties are the SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT, ACT, and GRE. Dr. Kelly's love and passion for helping students exceed their expectations is the driving force behind her company and her success. Kelly can be reached at InHouse Test Prep. LINKS Official SSAT Website What's a "Good" SSAT or ISEE score? RELATED EPISODES WHAT IS THE ISEE? WHAT IS THE HSPT? WHAT IS THE SHSAT? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

The PSAT high schoolers take in October of 11th grade has no bearing on college admissions, but that doesn't mean the test isn't worth taking or prepping for. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Stewart to clarify if and when you should prepare for the PSAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Should students take the PSAT? Do you have to take the PSAT before you can take an SAT? How do you know if you have a good chance at National Merit recognition? What can students do to prepare for the PSAT? Can students qualify for the National Merit Scholarship without taking the PSAT? MEET OUR GUEST At the end of his first year teaching Social Studies at Dublin Jerome High School, Brian Stewart thought it would make sense to do some part-time tutoring work over the summer. After all, he had done quite well on standardized tests when he was in high school and really enjoyed coming up with creative ways to explain challenging concepts to students. Other companies charged a fortune and didn't seem to have a high-quality product. As Brian worked with more students, word spread about the quality of his tutoring services. He started to offer ACT and SAT test prep group classes, and worked with students from all over Central Ohio. In 2011, Brian left his day job to run BWS Education Consulting full time with his wife Caitlin. Applying the expertise from her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Caitlin has ensured that our teaching materials and methods make high-quality test preparation accessible to students of all backgrounds and ability levels. In 2012, Barron's Educational Series contacted Brian about submitting samples of his writing as they conducted a national search for their next ACT book author. Brian was chosen to write Barron's ACT, and has gone on to write several ACT, SAT, and PSAT books with Barron's Educational Series. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. In 2014, BWS Education expanded to have associate tutors who teach not only the ACT and SAT, but tutor students in math, science, and writing. Brian and Caitlin personally interview and train every tutor on our staff to ensure they are the best in the business. BWS is a team of committed educators who relentlessly look for the best way to deliver educational enrichment to our clients, whether it's test prep, academic help, or college admission counseling. Brian previously appeared on this podcast in episode 33 to discuss the PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS. Brian can be reached at bwseducationconsulting.com. LINKS PSAT/NMSQT Study Guide, 2023: 4 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (Barron's Test Prep) Colleges that offer Full-Rides for National Merit Sample Alternate Entry Form for National Merit Information on the New Digital PSAT Why Take the PSAT? RELATED EPISODES HIGH-PRIORITY SAT AND ACT TOPICS COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE SAT AND ACT WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Kate Sonnenberg is the founder of KS College Success and a college admissions expert who has seen the application process from numerous vantage points. As a former application reader in the Princeton University Admissions Office she knows what it takes to have an application that stands out. She brings this experience, as well as her background teaching English and her lawyerly eye for detail, to help guide families and empower students on their journey to college admissions success. In addition to working with her private clients, Kate is the Executive Director of EdMom Scholars, a non-profit that provides free college application counseling to high achieving, low-income students in Northern New Jersey. She is also an instructor in the Independent Education Consultant Certificate Program at the University of California-Irvine. Kate is a graduate of Princeton University and the Columbia University School of Law. To further her professional development, she attended the IECA Summer Training Institute, completed a Certificate in College Counseling from UC-Irvine, and is a WOW Certified Essay Coach. Kate is a Professional Member of the IECA, HECA, NACAC, NJACAC and NCAG. Find Kate at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

The fascinating independent educational consultant we want to profile today is Marcy Fischer. We're so glad to be speaking with you today, Marcy. How are you doing? What will you learn about our guest in this episode? Can you tell us a bit about where you are and what you do? How did you get your start in college consulting and what did you do before you moved to this career? What was your training like? How has your practice evolved? What are your favorite aspects of working in college consulting? What aspects of college consulting do you find frustrating or challenging? What insights would you like to share with current and future independent educational consultants? What is something most of your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you? Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Marcy Fischer attended the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. She spent several years at Bain & Company and went on to start her own interactive marketing agency. Subsequently, she earned an MBA with honors at Harvard Business School. After successful careers at Staples and Fidelity Investments, Marcy decided to pursue her passion - helping students find and gain acceptance to their best-fit colleges - and launched Collegiate Coach. Marcy's experience interviewing students for the University of Pennsylvania and serving as a college essay coach at Brookline High School provided her a launchpad in assisting students in identifying and achieving their admissions dreams. Leveraging her quantitative background and consulting experience, she utilizes a data-driven approach to identify the appropriate college list for her clients, and she works in a highly consultative way with each student. Marcy has visited over 40 colleges in the past few years, and has resumed visiting schools where COVID restrictions permit. As the mother of 2 daughters who were both accepted to their first choice highly-selective colleges, Marcy knows how to mentor and work with students to accomplish the many time-consuming admissions tasks, to position themselves for success, and ultimately gain acceptance to their top choice schools. She is happy to start working with students at any time between their freshman year of high school to the summer before senior year. Her expertise includes (but is not limited to!) high school course selection, standardized test timing and strategies, college list development, essay coaching, mock interviewing, and application strategies. Marcy is an Associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, an indication of her education, expertise, ethics, and training, and also a testimony to her passion for staying current in the admissions consulting industry. Find Marcy at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Ibrahim Firat has been an IEC for 17 years. His recent positions include entrepreneurship instructor at Babson College, lead faculty for Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program, professor at Houston Community College, Head of School for Nexus Futbol Academy, an all boys' independent soccer school for 4th-8th graders, and chief business growth consultant for the Firat Group. Firat holds an MBA and a BA in history from the University of St Thomas (TX) and a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from Babson College. He is a member of IECA, NACAC, TACAC, and IACAC. For eight years, he has authored The Firat Guide for Private High School Admissions and The Firat Guide for Private School Admissions. He also appears regularly on local and national news outlets discussing matters related to education, college admissions, and testing. Firat currently serves as the president of the IECA's board of directors and previously served as its secretary/treasurer, vice chair of College Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. In addition, he served as a board member and VP of the board of directors for the iWrite Literacy Organization. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Firat went through the college application process as an international student when he was 17 years old, and that process inspired the work he is doing now. Firat specializes in college consulting. Find Ibrahim at [email protected] or on LinkedIn. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Tara Niemi, founder of Plan College With Me. Tara is an Independent Educational Consultant helping students and their families in the college planning process. Tara is based in NJ and works with students both locally and nationally. Tara offers Comprehensive packages, Hourly Block Rates and free webinars. Tara believes in meeting the unique needs of each student and helping them discover their path. Tara is an associate member of IECA, NACAC & NJACAC. She is a co-advisor for the IECA Consultants with Young Children Affinity Group. Tara is a 2021 graduate of the IECA Summer Training Institute. Prior to becoming an IEC, Tara spent ten years as a high school counselor for a large public school district in NJ. She managed a caseload of 325 students in grades 9-12, and learned how the college application process is integrated into public schools. Tara holds a Bachelor's Degree from Rutgers University and a Master's Degree in Educational Counseling from The College of New Jersey. Tara lives with her husband and children in NJ. She enjoys journaling, exercising and spending time with her family. Find Tara at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Lisa Barrett, a former professor and administrator at Columbia University. Dr. Barrett has exceptional educational experience in the areas of English Education, College Admissions, and Career Counseling. She is a nationally recognized educational consultant committed to helping students of all backgrounds reach their potential. Her career in college admissions for Columbia University gives her a unique perspective on the admissions process at both regional and national levels. Dr. Barrett can provide the expert guidance needed in improving test scores, developing a list of target colleges, managing applications, writing college and scholarship essays, researching scholarship and financial aid resources, and preparing for college and career interviews. Find Lisa at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Learning does not just happen but represents, instead, a skill set that should be improved and refined by anyone seeking any kind of education. Amy and Mike invited author Brad Smith to explore how to become a ridiculously effective student. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why do many college students find themselves unprepared for higher education? What limiting beliefs and misconceptions hold students back? How does a study environment influence success at school? What kind of study system leads to better learning in less time? Why should students strive toward a balanced lifestyle? MEET OUR GUEST Brad Smith was born in Youngstown, Ohio where he has resided all his life. His current position is as VP of Finance and he is also a member of the board at Compco Industries in Columbiana, Ohio. Compco Industries is one of the leading manufacturers of tank heads in the United States and is currently in its 4th generation of family ownership. Brad officially joined the Compco team, just after graduating from college, in January of 2016. He took a passion in learning the ins and outs of the business to help him in his duties by working in every position in the company before ending up at his current title. Brad graduated from Youngstown State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in accounting and finance. He was able to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA while being a member of the Youngstown State baseball team in all four years of his college career. After graduating, Brad analyzed his time in college and identified a step-by-step studying process that resulted in his success. This process could be taught, replicated, and followed. He wanted to share this with the world to help the next generation of students thrive. He ended up writing a book and giving a TEDx talk on this subject. Both have been released and are available as of April 2022. Brad can be reached at https://collegestresstosuccess.com. LINKS From College Stress to Success: Save time, simplify studying and ace your college experience College Stress to College Success | Brad Smith | TEDxYoungstown RELATED EPISODES WINNING THE GAME OF SCHOOL HOW TO TEACH STUDENTS TO STUDY EFFECTIVELY FAST AND SLOW LEARNERS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ever since a move to a new digital adaptive SAT was announced, College Board has provided admirable transparency at every step of the transition so far. What do we know about the big changes, and what are we still eager to learn? Amy and Mike invited educators Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer to analyze the new SAT test specifications. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How much do we know about the digital SAT and how much is left to learn? What are the biggest changes to the content and question format from the most recent release? What aspects of the SAT are staying the same? Will current tests, content, and books be useful for prep for the new SAT? Where will students and educators find full digital practice tests? MEET OUR GUESTS Sonya Muthalia is the Founder and CEO of Informed Decisions, a leading Mumbai-based test prep company that trains students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, and GRE. Over the last two decades Sonya, along with her faculty located in India and North America, has trained over 10,000 students across 33 countries. Sonya also contributes to articles in newspapers and is a speaker at various online and offline forums. Sonya is always looking for newer and better ways to help her students and enhance their experience. Informed Decisions is one of the strongest proponents of the Mindprint Learning Assessment and holds marketing exclusivity for India. Sonya uses MindPrint to design bespoke tutoring plans for her students which has helped significantly improve teaching outcomes which have ultimately translated to optimal scores. Sonya is also a passionate cook and particularly loves baking. Her newfound love for sourdough bread making is what helps her destress on the eve of test day or results day! Find Sonya at [email protected]. Neill Seltzer is the TestPrep Director for Mindprint Learning. Neill is a long-time test prep veteran who got his start as an SAT tutor in Hong Kong in the early 90s. Since then he has run test prep and tutoring companies around the country and internationally including stints as the COO of Test Services Inc, Chief Product Officer at Inspirica, CEO of Noodle Pros, and the National Content Director at The Princeton Review. Neill has written or contributed to over twenty books on standardized tests, built test prep apps, designed testing engines and score reports, trained hundreds of tutors, and tutored or taught thousands of students. He has a BA in English from Vassar and a Master of Architecture from Pratt. Now, as a father of three, Neill is navigating the world of standardized tests in a whole new, eye-opening role: parent. Find Neill at [email protected]. LINKS Score Smart Digital SAT Suite of Assessments Early Testing Game Plan for the Class of 2025 RELATED EPISODES FIRST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NEW DIGITAL SAT COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: CSP Worx How to create a more robust learning experience for students and the tutors who work with them with educator Sapneil Parikh and developer Ulani Fisher What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind CSP Worx? How does CSP Worx work? Who currently uses CSP Worx? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about CSP Worx know about it? ABOUT CSP WORX Our founder, Sapneil Parikh, graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a degree in Finance and Business Administration. After graduating in 2004, he returned to Miami-Dade County and enrolled as a post-baccalaureate student in pre-health sciences. His desire to be a life-long learner and his passion for the sciences earned him a position as research assistant at the Florida International University Robert Stempel College of Public Health in Miami, FL. His research areas included developing Type 2 Diabetes prevention programs and health promotion planning for the National Area Health Education Council. In 2009, Sapneil graduated with his first Master's degree in Public Health from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. Subsequently, he would take an opportunity with the anatomy department at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, NY as a clinical anatomy fellow where he was responsible for delivering undergraduate anatomy education. In addition to his research, Sapneil also completed an accelerated research-based master's program and would earn a Master's of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Touro College. Sapneil has just completed his highest academic achievement yet, in a testament to his motto "'education never stops!" In 2016, Sapneil received a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) From Lecom School of Dental Medicine and completed a two year general practice residency specializing in Oral Medicine and Surgery from Eastern Carolina University and Cornell University in 2020. Ulani Fisher brings over five years of experience in the marketing and branding industry. Her vast knowledge of business branding, marketing, and sales has been imperative in the growth of Sapneil Tutoring. To learn more, please contact Sapneil at https://software.sapneiltutoring.com/. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Public speaking, steep heights, and high stakes exams share at least one element in common: they really stress some people out! Luckily, response to all kinds of anxiety can be managed through easy, practicable techniques. Amy and Mike invited educators Claire Russell and Erin Brenneman to demonstrate how to breathe during stressful academic situations. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What happens physically when someone feels extreme anxiety? How can breathing regulate the nervous system? What is 4-5-3 breathing? (5-7 minutes) What changes when stressed individuals manage breathing? What other mind-body strategies have you found useful for students? MEET OUR GUESTS Claire Russell is the founder of Russell Tutoring, a boutique, K-college tutoring, test prep, and mindfulness coaching company. Claire has been an educator for 30 years, and she first became interested in mindfulness strategies when she saw students achieve far lower on test day than in their practice work. RTC's Mindfulness Programs have evolved from there, and a third of RTC's tutors are certified mindfulness coaches. RTC invests in mindfulness coaching both because anxiety has become so rampant in our students nationwide, and because Claire has become passionate about self-care as a skill students need for life. Claire is an avid gardener and forever suffers being a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs. Erin Brenneman is the Director of Student Services and Mindfulness Programs at Russell Tutoring. Prior to joining RTC, she spent ten years working as a geoscientist. She has been an educator for over 20 years, and she advocates inquiry-based, hands-on science education. Erin is also a certified yoga teacher and has been teaching mindfulness to K-12 students and adults since 2018. Erin fell in love with teaching test prep at RTC, and her dual knowledge of test design and mind-body practices has made her an expert in helping test anxious students achieve on SAT and ACT. Erin loves making soaps and tinctures, and she's a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan. Claire and Erin can be reached at https://russelltutoringandconsulting.com/. LINKS 4-5-3 Breathing - A Mindfulness Technique for Test Anxiety! RELATED EPISODES MENTAL TECHNIQUES FOR PEAK TEST PERFORMANCE HOW PROCTORS CAN REDUCE TEST ANXIETY USING MINDFULNESS FOR TEST AND SCHOOL SUCCESS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

At every stage of education–including test preparation–highly individualized instruction presents both benefits and tradeoffs compared to learning in large or small groups. Amy and Mike invited educator Dominique Padurano to explore the pros and cons of small group classes vs 1-1 tutoring for SAT & ACT prep. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Are test prep classes or tutoring even necessary? Which is better for test prep: classes or tutoring? Which students should skip classes in favor of tutoring? What personality types work best for group instruction? Is test prep tutoring ever a worse option than a class? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. P. (Dominique Padurano, M.S., Ed., Ph.D.) founded Crimson Coaching in 2014 to address the educational and socio-emotional needs of students and families. A solopreneur, Dr. P. herself provides academic tutoring in many high school subjects; prepares students to take tests like the SAT, ACT, and APs; and counsels students and families through the college application process. After teaching for ten years at New York high schools such as Horace Mann and Scarsdale and writing and scoring tests such as the SAT II in U.S. History and AP U.S. History, Dr. P. used her expertise in testing, deep understanding of how teens learn, and passion for a wide range of academic disciplines to serve students' individualized academic needs. Dr. P. earned her A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard University and her Ph.D. from Rutgers University. A native Long Islander, Dr. P. loves open water swimming in the summer, salsa dancing in New York City, and spending time with friends and family. Dominique can be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn, and [email protected]. LINKS What Kind of Test Prep is Right for My Teen? RELATED EPISODES HOW TEST PREP TUTORING SHOULD WORK TEST PREP FOR STUDENTS WITH ACCOMMODATIONS WHY REMOTE TUTORING IS HERE TO STAY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

While education often feels like an art, a great deal of objective research and proven strategies support the technical craft of both teaching and learning. Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to explain how to make learning science work for you. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does testing itself help you learn more quickly? Why do educators sometimes teach more by helping students less? What can golfers, chess players, and chunking theory teach you about how to practice? Why does the structure of your practice matter? How is your memory like Google search, and what does that have to do with cramming for a test? MEET OUR GUEST Mike McGibbon started tutoring at Kaplan while he was a student at UC Berkeley. After graduating in 2002, he moved to NYC to study music and play the trumpet professionally. During this time, Mike also worked for several NYC tutoring agencies, and eventually transitioned to a full-time tutoring career. He now runs his own solo tutoring practice, focusing on the ACT, SAT, and ISEE. He is also CEO and co-founder of Mathchops.com, an adaptive math practice tool. Today, Mike teaches in Westchester County, where he lives with his wife and three kids. He also provides free advice through articles and videos on www.nyctestprepadvice.com and the Mathchops YouTube channel. Mike previously appeared on this podcast in episode 165 to discuss Differences Between SAT and ACT Math. Mike can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS Testing IS Learning Exercise in Repeatedly Recalling a Thing How the Chunking Technique Can Help Improve Your Memory The Power of Testing Memory: Basic Research and Implications for Educational Practice Practice Makes Myelinated Perfect Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning RELATED EPISODES THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY ARE IQ TESTS VALID DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE LEVELS ON THE SAT AND ACT ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

In 2022, the University of Pennsylvania reported that a third of their class of incoming freshmen had done research in high school. What makes research so important? Amy and Mike invited researcher Stephen Turban to discuss the trend of high school students doing independent research and how research impacts the admissions process. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why does research matter in the undergraduate admissions process? How do admission offices evaluate independent research projects? Does research need to be published to be impactful? How can students find research opportunities? What are the pathways? How do students use research papers in the admission process? Do they attach it to their application? Do they get recommendation letters? How do admission officers look at independent projects vs. summer programs vs. projects via curriculum programs like AP Capstone? MEET OUR GUEST Stephen Turban is the co-founder of the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. Before starting Lumiere, Stephen was a PhD student at Harvard Business School, worked at McKinsey & Company, and studied at Harvard College where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Statistics. Stephen's research has been covered in The Economist, the Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, Freakonomics Radio, and the BBC. Stephen can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS Lumiere Education RELATED EPISODES CREATING A PASSION PROJECT BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLLEGES ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

How Students Can Differentiate Themselves To Stand Out To Prospective Schools and Employers with coach Dave Harris What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Dog Star Prep and how does it work? What kind of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about Dog Star Prep know about it? I see you are developing strategic partnerships to promote your services. Can you talk about that? What is the best way to reach you if our audience has questions about Dog Star Prep? ABOUT DOGSTAR PREP Dog Star Prep's mission is to unleash the potential of high achieving students by providing one-of-a-kind customized leadership development coaching. The Become the Dog Star™ program teaches high school and college students how to differentiate themselves to stand out to prospective employers and academic institutions. The program consists of three modules. Module 1 provides practical advice on how to build outstanding and long-lasting professional networks. Module 2 teaches students how to obtain the skills and knowledge employers seek. The final module provides helpful tips on how to maximize academic success. Dave Harris, owner of Dog Star Prep, is a Certified Professional Coach. He has been coaching students about career strategies for over 30 years. His students have secured career opportunities at leading companies and organizations such as Intel and Microsoft and been admitted to leading universities such as Dartmouth College and the University of Washington. To learn more, please contact Dave at [email protected] or 575-800-7133. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Over the last several years, timeless verities related to getting into college–or even what colleges a student can get into–have given way to painful, new truths. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to share admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2023. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Should students in the HS class of 2023 take the SAT or ACT? How many reach/match/likely schools should be on a student's list? What is considered a match or likely school for the Class of 2023? Should students consider applying Early Decision? How should students and families manage expectations for this admissions cycle? MEET OUR GUEST Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, founder of Orlowski College Consulting, has worked in education for 35 years and has worked as an Independent Educational Consultant for 10+ years. She has a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, a BA in Communicative Disorders from San Diego State, and two active teaching credentials. She taught deaf, LD, and 2E students for four years and was a college counselor at a small private school for 3 years. Rebecca specializes in gifted/2E, STEM, creative, homeschooled, and transfer students. Rebecca can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS What Are Your Expectations? Admissions Trends for the HS Class of 2023 College Kickstart How many reach, match, and safety schools should be on your college list? Should Today's Students Take the SAT & ACT? Should You Apply Early Decision? RELATED EPISODES LONG-TERM PLANNING FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY USING THE COMMON DATA SET ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Few documents are as influential in securing needed academic accommodations as the psychoeducational assessment. Moreover, few documents are as commonly misunderstood. Amy and Mike invited clinical psychologist Scott Hamilton to explain how to read a psych-ed report. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is a psychoeducational assessment? How does one get a psych-ed report? What key information does a psych-ed report share? How is psych-ed report information used? Is there a stigma to a psychoeducational diagnosis? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Scott Hamilton is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Understanding Minds, PC in Atlanta. He has over 20 years of specialization providing comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations of children, adolescents, and young adults. Scott received his Master's and Doctorate Degrees in Clinical Psychology from Indiana State University. He is board certified by the American Board of School Neuropsychology. Scott is a frequent presenter at regional and national workshops on a variety of topics related to the interface between education and neuroscience. In addition to a 20+ year clinical assessment practice, he has 18 years of experience in independent school leadership. Scott has served as a Principal and Assistant Head of School for Academics for a K-12 independent school for students with language-based learning disabilities and learning differences, and as Learning Center Director at a college prep pre-K-12 independent school in Indianapolis. Currently, he serves as a consultant with Cliff Valley School and the Cliff Valley Institute. Scott is the parent of a wonderful son with autism. He is an avid amateur musician and home recording studio hobbyist, as well as a team owner in the same fantasy baseball league with friends since 1987. Scott can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS Demystifying the Psycho-Educational Assessment Report Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) RELATED EPISODES NAVIGATING AN IEP OR 504 PLAN RECEIVING TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS ARE IQ TESTS VALID ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Valerie Erde, founder of Greenwich Connecticut-based VeridianPrep. Valerie is an ACT/SAT/AP language arts tutor and one of only two tutors personally trained by Erica Meltzer, expert tutor and author of the highly acclaimed Critical Reader ACT & SAT books. As a published writer and avid reader, herself, Valerie found she had a knack for helping teens find and tell compelling stories and added Common App. essay and supplement advising to Veridian's tutoring and test prep practice. Each year, VeridianPrep students gain acceptance to a wide range of colleges, including the most selective schools in the U.S. Prior to becoming a test prep professional and academic tutor, Valerie had a long career in the publishing and media industry, first as a management consultant and later as a multimedia content developer at HarperCollins, Penguin Books, and EdTech Company Brainscape, where she was a managing editor for two adaptive digital flashcard study guides for AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government & Politics. Valerie holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and French Language from NYU and an MBA in Business Policy from CUNY's Zicklin School of Business, including a semester studying applied economics at The Universite de Paris, Dauphine. A recent empty nester (except for the dog!) Valerie lives with her husband in Old Greenwich. A continual learner herself, when she's not tutoring or brainstorming college essay ideas, you might catch Valerie performing at a local open mic, paddleboarding on the Long Island Sound, or fueling her bubble tea and Asian food obsession. Find Valerie at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Rob Margolis is the founder and president of Stumptown Test Prep, LLC. He has been a professional tutor since 1997, beginning in the Washington, DC, area, then in Manhattan, and, since 2004, in Portland, Oregon. He has dedicated approximately 25,000 hours specifically to one-on-one standardized test preparation and has been featured in U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges, Newsweek, and Education Week. In addition, he has taught mathematics, history, and English to grades six through nine at public and private schools in Washington, DC; Santa Fe, NM; and Portland, OR. Rob graduated from Yale University with a BA in History, and subsequently earned an MA in Liberal Arts from the Graduate Institute of St. John's College. He is an avid Crossfitter and wishes he had more time to read Cormac McCarthy. Find Rob at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Blaire Richter from Three Keys Learning Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. Blaire helps high schoolers get into college and college students get through their programs. She has been a tutor of high school and college-level math, writing, and test prep for over 23 years. What Blaire loves most in life is her family, her great big goofy dog, and puzzles of all kinds. There are puzzles everywhere. People are puzzles, math is puzzles, standardized test questions are puzzles, helping a person write their best story?-- also just an open box of a puzzle, waiting for the pieces to be put into the right places. Integrating those puzzles together is key to academic success. Blaire weaves together her lifelong interests in behavior analysis and test-taking skills to coach students toward their successes. Find Blaire at 513-484-4675 or [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Michael ElDeiry. Since founding Broward Tutorial Services in 2004, Mike has worked with over 1,000 students. His students have achieved score improvements of 10+ points on the ACT and 500+ points on the SAT. Mike has a BS in Biology from Tufts University and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has completed courses for an MA in Biology from Harvard University as well. When he's not busy preparing students for their tests, Mike enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews, competing in Scrabble® Tournaments, and enjoying the South Florida sunshine. Find Michael at https://browardtutorial.com or [email protected] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

AKA Gain the Self-awareness, Tools, and Experiences Necessary to Flourish as an Adult with career counselor Lisa Marker-Robbins What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind the Launch College & Career Clarity Course? How does the Launch College & Career Clarity Course work? Who currently uses the Launch College & Career Clarity Course? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about the Launch College & Career Clarity Course know about it? ABOUT LAUNCH COLLEGE & CAREER CLARITY Flourish Coaching helps students identify their best fit college major and future career that is aligned to their individual hardwired personality, values, and aptitudes. Students are guided through the 3 pillars of successful planning so they can Know Themself, Know Careers, and then Know Their Path. This trusted framework, cited by Forbes as a first step in increasing the return on the college investment, is taught inside the Launch Career Clarity course developed from Lisa's previous 1:1 coaching model she started in 2010 and used with 3,000 individuals. Private pay families as well as independent counselors, high schools, and nonprofits now use the Launch course to gain crucial insights. Thousands of students later, Lisa knows it is possible for students to make informed decisions on college majors and colleges, so they don't eliminate or limit their options. Lisa Marker Robbins has worked with teens for over 30 years and is a Master Birkman Method Certified Coach. To understand the college planning timeline and how college major and career identification fits into the process, grab Lisa's College Planning Timeline. Visit the Flourish Coaching site to learn more about the Launch College & Career Clarity Course. To learn more, please contact Lisa at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

The global pandemic may be behind us, but every sector of society–including education–still struggles from its aftereffects. Amy and Mike invited educator Pranoy Mohapatra to describe the extent of COVID learning loss. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How bad, exactly, has COVID learning loss been? What has the research uncovered regarding learning loss? Were all students impacted equally during the pandemic? What are the most effective interventions for students who suffered learning loss? What roles do mental health and self-concept play in learning? MEET OUR GUEST Pranoy Mohapatra began tutoring as a high school sophomore for a local company after finding joy in helping classmates at the Academy of Allied Health and Sciences study for tests. Pranoy found he learned by teaching and explaining concepts to reinforce them, and often viewed standardized tests as puzzles. He continued to tutor through college and his first year of medical school, before leaving medical school and officially starting his tutoring company PMTutoring LLC in 2015. Pranoy's approach to test prep focuses on in depth understanding and recognition of concepts, as he found the "memorize and regurgitate" methods taught in many classes frustrating. His objective is to provide the tools necessary for any student with goals the opportunity to reach them. Pranoy is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Test Prep Association. He first appeared on this podcast in episode #36 to discuss Techniques to Motivate Unmotivated Students and was the subject of a TEST PREP PROFILE in episode #280. Find Pranoy at www.PMTutoring.com. LINKS Have ACT Scores Declined During the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Examination of Fall State and District Testing Data The Kids are Far, Far Behind in School The pandemic has had devastating impacts on learning. What will it take to help students catch up? RELATED EPISODES WHY COLLEGE READINESS MATTERS WHY GRADE INFLATION IS HARMFUL THE GROWING IMPACT OF CHEATING DURING COVID ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

More and more, it feels as if you need a doctorate in finance to fully comprehend the bill for a modern bachelor's degree. If you're not a financial expert, you should learn from one. Amy and Mike invited college funding advisor Liane Crane to share insights for understanding your college tuition bill. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What should parents know about reviewing the tuition bill? Why is the college portal so important to review before paying? What charges should students review carefully? How impactful is work study for covering the tuition bill? What do you need to know about federal vs. private loans? MEET OUR GUEST Liane Crane held a wide range of professional roles–including teacher, non-profit director, and paralegal–before becoming passionate about college finances. After 10+ years' working for a college consulting company, she started her own company so she could focus solely on college finances. Her specialty is helping parents early on to truly understand their cost of college and how to pay for it. Many clients are recent graduates (or parents of) trying to understand their debt and how best to repay it. Her 11-point Tuition Bill Review for college freshmen is a best selling service! Assisting her three children through the college journey has given her first-hand knowledge of what parents really want and need to know. As all three children are still in college, at the same time, the craziness, complications and excitement that surround finding and paying for college are well understood. She recommends yoga, long walks, and a large glass of wine during the process! Liane is a member of HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) and NCAG (National College Advocacy Group). She is a certified College Funding and Student Loan Advisor. Liane can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS The College Dollar 11-point Tuition Bill Review Ebook What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Decoding the Cost of College Confused By Your College Financial Aid Letter? You're Not Alone RELATED EPISODES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENT LOANS WHEN BORROWING FOR SCHOOL IS A BAD IDEA WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Looking for the right school looks more and more these days like online dating, particularly in all the superficial and short-sighted ways these matches are made. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech entrepreneurs Eric Menna and Sam Bernstein to share tough love insights on finding your college fit. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does personalized college guidance impact student success? How can counselors and students assess "fit" Is there such a thing as a college "soulmate"? Why are rankings flawed? Should students just work off of lists of best colleges? MEET OUR GUESTS Eric Menna and Sam Bernstein are the two co-founders of Loper, reconnecting in August of 2021 to found the company after both graduating together from Georgetown University in 2018. Eric comes from a family of educators and most recently spent 3 years working at Bain & Company as a management consultant, where he fueled his passion for education through working on a pro-bono case with a St. Louis charter school and externing at a Chicago non-profit offering free after-school music programming. Sam most recently spent 3 years working at Maverick Capital, a NYC-based equity hedge fund, where his time volunteering for Maverick's charitable foundation and his experiences seeing the COVID-19 pandemic highlight educational inequity both motivated him to quit his job and empower students through Loper. Find Sam at [email protected] and Eric at [email protected]. LINKS Loper (mobile app download link) Lord of the Rankings RELATED EPISODES OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE HELPING TEENS FIND THEIR VALUES AND PURPOSE WHAT EXACTLY IS A GOOD COLLEGE? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Academic and testing success depends not just on much you learn but also how quickly. Amy and Mike invited professor and author Barbara Oakley to provide guidance on teaching fast and slow learners. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is a slow learner? How does consistency in building good habits help learning? What is the link between working memory and learning speed? How do students fool themselves into thinking they are learning? Why is rote learning being seen in a more favorable light these days? MEET OUR GUEST Barbara Oakley, Ph.D., PE is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan; Michigan's Distinguished Professor of the Year; and Coursera's inaugural "Innovation Instructor." Her work focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior. Barb's research has been described as "revolutionary" in the Wall Street Journal. Barb is a New York Times best-selling author who has published in outlets as varied as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Her book A Mind for Numbers, on effective learning in STEM disciplines, has sold over a million copies worldwide. Dr. Oakley has won numerous teaching awards, including the American Society of Engineering Education's Chester F. Carlson Award for technical innovation in engineering education and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers William E. Sayle II Award for Achievement in Education. Together with Terrence Sejnowski, the Francis Crick Professor at the Salk Institute, she co-teaches Coursera's "Learning How to Learn," one of the world's most popular massive open online courses with over three million registered students, along with a number of other leading MOOCs. Barb has adventured widely through her lifetime. She rose from the ranks of Private to Captain in the U.S. Army, during which time she was recognized as a Distinguished Military Scholar. She also worked as a communications expert at the South Pole Station in Antarctica, and has served as a Russian translator on board Soviet trawlers on the Bering Sea. Dr. Oakley is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Find Barbara at https://barbaraoakley.com. LINKS Uncommon Sense Teaching (MOOC 1 & MOOC 2) The Importance of Working Memory Capacity Faster versus slower thinking and intellectual humility RELATED EPISODES THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER? ARE IQ TESTS VALID ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

All about Soflo Tutors: 1-on-1 SAT/ACT tutoring with over 1000 happy students annually and exploring exit opportunities with educational entrepreneur Adam Shlomi What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind SoFlo Tutors? How does SoFlo Tutors work? Who currently uses SoFlo Tutors? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about SoFlo Tutors know about it? ABOUT SOFLO TUTORS SoFlo Tutors provides private 1-on-1 tutoring to over 1000 students a year. The company has grown quickly by investing in hiring and training great tutors, building customized software to handle the scale of working with so many students, and creating a student-centered model that holds learners accountable and values homework. SoFlo is also a mission-driven company working to democratize education by leading free scholarship classes for over 250 students a year. SoFlo Tutors was founded by Adam Shlomi when he was forced to take time away from Georgetown University after an ankle surgery. Adam founded SoFlo as a project to learn how to build a business and the company grew through positive reviews and online advertising. Now that SoFlo is mature and has a manager in place to handle daily operations, Adam is considering exit opportunities and SoFlo pre-qualifies for SBA financing. Adam wants SoFlo in good hands and will only consider buyers with past test prep experience. To learn more, please contact [email protected] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

If you want college to represent some of the best years of your life, why wouldn't you spend years putting all the necessary pieces in place? Amy and Mike invited educator and podcaster Ryan Tibbens to explain long-term planning for college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the best extracurricular involvements from an admissions perspective? Is there such a thing as too many activities? What should students do in the summer to support admissions? What can students do throughout middle and high school to help them write great college admissions essays senior year? How does planning over the long-term help clarify college choices? MEET OUR GUEST Ryan Tibbens is an award-winning high school English teacher, tutor, and podcast host in Northern Virginia. He strongly believes that a sense of purpose, paired with effective rhetoric skills, yields happier, more effective people, and he strives to instill those values and skills in his students, both through his work in an all-virtual distance learning school and through through Tibbens Education Services & Tutoring. In addition to hosting the ClassCast Podcast and participating in his local community and government, Ryan enjoys writing, reading, camping, hiking, attending concerts, and gardening with his wife and three young children. Ryan first appeared on our podcast in episode #121 to discuss Writing Rhetorically in Admissions Essays. Find Ryan at [email protected]. LINKS What Classes Should I Take Next Year? RELATED EPISODES UTILIZING A REFLECTION JOURNAL TO PREPARE FOR YOUR COLLEGE ESSAY HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

We've long understood how fundamental skills related to executive function facilitate workplace success. Only recently, however, has the public grasped how these skills–or the lack thereof–influence academic success. Amy and Mike invited educator Natallia Kohut to explain how executive functioning processes impact learning. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why are so many children now being identified with executive functioning difficulties? How do we promote resilience and reduce stress students are currently experiencing? What are some signs that a student is having trouble with executive functioning? At what age do executive functioning challenges become evident? How can we engage students to be open to using executive function strategies? MEET OUR GUEST Natallia Kohut is the owner of A Way to Learn CT, a premier academic coaching and tutoring company with an intense focus on executive functioning skills. In addition to coaching and tutoring, A Way to Learn offers test prep services and often works with students who require a specialized and individualized support to prepare for standardized tests. Natallia is originally from Eastern Europe where she attended elementary and middle school dreaming of becoming a teacher one day. She graduated high school in the states and went on to receive a Bachelor's degree in Special Education and Sociology. Having taught at both public and private schools for a few years, she has gained a broad perspective on schooling and through research and experience, have found effective ways to work with students who need help the most - those with learning disabilities, attention difficulties, autism and other challenges. Realizing the critical part executive functioning plays in the overall success of a student, she decided to focus entirely on coaching students and families to help them navigate academic challenges. Natallia resides with her husband and two young children in Wilton, CT. Natallia can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS Does Improving Executive Function Cause Better Academic Achievement? 7 Executive Functioning Skills Your Child Should Have RELATED EPISODES EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN TEENS EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS AND TEST PREP EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ADHD ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Laurie Kopp Weingarten attended The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies. She worked in marketing for several Fortune 500 corporations until she decided to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. After returning to New Jersey, Laurie and her partner, Elsie Koo, co-founded One-Stop. In her role as Chief Educational Consultant, Laurie guides students through each stage of the college admissions process. She is passionate about helping students reach their full academic and extracurricular potential; there is nothing more rewarding than their look of elation upon acceptance to their top choice schools! Laurie starts working with students as early as their freshman year of high school and acts as their personal guide and consultant until they select and commit to their ideal college! She covers all aspects of the admission process from high school course selection, standardized test choices, extracurricular activity enhancement, volunteer work, summer jobs/internships, essay topic selection, resume guidance, early decision/early action strategies and practically every other situation that arises during the high school years! For over two decades, Laurie was an alumna interviewer for the University of Pennsylvania, meeting with hundreds of students from various areas of the country. She applies this experience by coaching our students on how to improve their interview skills, whether it's for summer internships or college admission. Laurie visits various colleges and universities regularly and speaks directly with admissions officers to remain up-to-date on current admissions policies and practices. Awarded the CEP by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP), Laurie has been recognized for achieving the highest level of competence in her field. She has been regularly featured in numerous newspapers and publications. Laurie is also a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and a member of the Higher Education Consultants Organization (HECA), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), and the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC). She is also a proud member of the Character Collaborative. Laurie is married and has two children who, in the time it takes to blink, suddenly became young adults. One graduated from Princeton, and the other graduated (virtually, due to Covid) from the University of Pennsylvania. Find Laurie at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Karan Shah, one of the co-founders of Ivy Experience. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors in Bioengineering and a minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship. Since graduation, Karan has worked with hundreds of students on SAT, ACT, and SAT II Subject Test Prep. Karan also works with students on their college and graduate school application essays across the country and around the world. When not working with students, Karan enjoys playing hockey, making divots on the golf course, and dealing with being a New York sports fan living in Philadelphia. Find Karan at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Sheree Gravely, founder of Gravely Group College Advising and an IEC since 2014. Before becoming an IEC, she worked in marketing for Kraft Foods, HJ Heinz, and Arthur Anderson & Co. Sheree has a passion for helping students discover their interests and to use that to find great college options. Years of experience in private industry, education, and as a parent make her ideal as an independent college counselor. A 1986 graduate of the University of Virginia, she was heavily involved in counseling undergrads as a Resident Assistant and Dorm Resident Manager in UVA's Residential Life program. She attended Northwestern University's Evening Managers Program and holds a Certificate in College Admissions Counseling from UC - Riverside. Sheree is co-chair of the Midwest College Advisors Virtual Group, which includes over 40 members from OH, MI, IN, KY, and Western PA. The group meets with college admissions offices throughout the year. She is a member of the premier association of college advisors, IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association), constantly attends higher-ed training opportunities, and is always visiting college campuses to gather the most up-to-date information for her students and families. Sheree is passionate about education. She volunteered for Chagrin Falls Unite for Education election campaign and worked on the Chagrin Falls School District's 5-year strategic plan, as well as was a member of the committee on Instructional Practices, Resources, Curriculum, and Professional Development. She served as a member of the local advisory board for Hackett Catholic Prep HS (MI) which consulted on matters of school governance, including curriculum, marketing, and extra-curricular programming. She worked on a project for the principal to rebuild Hackett's college counseling curriculum. During her children's school years, Sheree volunteered in a variety of capacities including instructor and coordinator for Global Reading competitions, Writing Workshops, and Junior Achievement. As a member of the American Woman's Club of Oakville (Canada), she researched and authored a curriculum comparison between US and Canadian education standards that was used by families and companies to evaluate education decisions for ex-pat students. She has lived in a variety of cities in the US and Canada and is married to Alan. They have a daughter and two sons. Sheree loves to play Mahjong and read as well as to travel, scuba dive, ski and be active! Find Sheree at https://www.gravelygroupcollegeadvising.com. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? Meet Steve Gardner, a Harvard grad and an educator who has been there before and understands how frustrating the college admissions process can be. He helps teens successfully pursue the college of their dreams without sacrificing sleep, fun, or friends along the way. He believes the world needs every student to reach their full potential, and college admittance shouldn't hold them back. Before becoming a teacher, Steve was a personal development and high-performance coach. He created the Ivy League Challenge to help parents and their students understand that the best way to get into a top college is to find your core values, pursue your interests with genuine curiosity, and make an impact in your community. Find Steve at theivyleaguechallenge.com. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? Meet Marni Levine, an independent concierge educational consultant who has helped hundreds of families over the last 15 years by guiding them along the college admissions journey. After hiring someone to help her oldest son apply to college, Marni believed that the process needed more personalization for each family. It was completely missing that special attention to details that only a mom would know! So she set out on a mission to help students through the often daunting process of applying to college, the way a mother would - if the mother was a professional. Using the skills she learned as an Advertising/Public Relations major at Boston University and her love of storytelling she created a comprehensive program to help high school students develop a unique picture of who they are so that they can find and be admitted to the perfect fit college where they will shine! Mother of 3 amazing adult children and bonus mom to 2 beautiful daughters-in-law, married to her high school sweetheart, devoted dog mom to her puggle Baxter and designated dog sitter to her 2 grand "dog" ters... she is best known to all as COLLEGE MARNI! Find Marni at https://www.collegemarni.com. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

All About MindFlow: Increase reading speed, improve comprehension, and reduce anxiety when taking tests with educator and author Bara Sapir What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind MindFlow? How does MindFlow work? Who currently uses MindFlow? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about MindFlow know about it? ABOUT MINDFLOW MindFlow is an online mindful speed reading platform created to help students increase reading speed, improve information comprehension, and reduce anxiety when taking admissions tests. The program was initially taught in-person and through online live workshops, and was recently launched as a more robust online platform. MindFlow has a proven track record of enhancing test performance in the hundreds of MindFlow students who consistently experience an increase in their reading speed – up to 5x faster –as well as an average 13% score improvement on reading-based test sections. The program currently offers ISEE, SHSAT, SSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, IELTS, PTE tracks, general tracks for students in middle school, high school, and college, and for adults not taking tests, but who seek reading and mindset improvement professionally or personally. What's the secret to MindFlow students' success? An effective training that combines speed reading processes and mindful techniques which aren't traditionally included in the school or test prep curriculum. These may be the missing links needed to improve one's test-taking performance, as well as reading in school, for work, and in life. MindFlow's holistic techniques help students better understand what, how, and why they're learning, while helping them embody a more focused, confident, and relaxed mindset under the pressure of taking a high-stakes test. MindFlow's creator Bara Sapir has over 20 years of experience in test prep and test anxiety reduction. She holds Master's degrees in Education and Art History and certification in Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Integrated Life Coaching, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens (MBSR-T), and is an ordained Kohenet. Bara has produced various study aids, including ten titles in The Full Potential Audio Course, a complete mindset upgrade training for test-takers. She is co-author of The GMAT Full Potential Sentence Correction Intensive and author of The Full Potential Manual. She is a professional artist and active in dog rescue. She lives with pup, Chata. To learn more, please contact [email protected]. Businesses, tutors, and schools can find out about our revenue stream opportunities here. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

The most selective schools and academic programs seem to set an impossible standard for applicants: be as perfect in all ways possible as everyone else but somehow also be even better in at least some ways. Amy and Mike asked educational consultant Linda Abraham to describe the delicate dance of fitting in and standing out. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the paradox at the heart of admissions? How do you show you fit in at the school of your choice? What does authenticity mean in the context of admissions? How do you stand out from the rest of the applicant school? What roles do deeds, identity, and ideas play in this process? MEET OUR GUEST Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted and has over two decades experience helping clients get admitted to top medical, law, business and graduate schools. She is also the host of the top-rated Admissions Straight Talk podcast. Linda began helping applicants develop successful admissions strategies and craft distinctive essays in 1994. In addition to advising clients and managing Accepted, she has written and presented extensively on admissions. She also was the co-founder and first president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants. Accepted's clients have been accepted to top professional schools throughout the country including, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, MIT, Darden, Stern, Michigan, Chicago, INSEAD, LBS and Anderson Business Schools; Harvard, Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, Columbia, and Boalt Law Schools; and UCSF, UCLA, George Washington, Tulane, NYU, University of Wisconsin, and Tufts Medical Schools. The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, Bloomberg Businessweek, US News and CBS News are among the media outlets that have sought Linda's expertise in admissions. Business Insider in March named Linda one of "9 MBA consultants, coaches, and admissions experts to know if you want to get into a top business school." Linda previously appeared on this podcast in episode 223 to discuss Getting Ready For Graduate School. Find Linda at https://www.accepted.com/. LINKS Fitting In And Standing Out: The Paradox At The Heart Of Admissions Standing Out By Showing You Have a Unique Perspective [Fitting in & Standing Out] Admissions Straight Talk RELATED EPISODES PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TABOO ESSAY TOPICS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

English has become one of the world's most important languages for accessing educational and professional opportunities. How can someone for whom English is a second, third, or fourth language prove sufficient fluency? Amy and Mike invited educator Fiona Wattam to explain the role, format, and content of the IELTS. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the IELTS and how is it used? What content is tested on the IELTS? What is a good score on the IELTS? What is the format of the IELTS? How do colleges or institutions use the IELTS score? MEET OUR GUEST Fiona Wattam grew up in a small village in Wales, but always wanted to travel the world. So she started teaching English after graduating with a BA in French and English and went to work in as many countries as she could, including Japan, France, Poland, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka, mostly with the British Council. She returned to the UK to do her Master's in TEFLA at Reading University and then trained as an IELTS examiner in 2005. After a few years of teaching at a private language school, she decided to set up the Members Academy, which is an online school specializing in IELTS, with the goal of helping more students travel, work and study overseas, just like she did. Over 1000 members have successfully completed the 3-months study programme. Fiona works as a Learning Technologist at Essex University, and her main interest is in incorporating Edtech tools into her teaching. In her free time she forces herself to run half marathons in order to get off the computer. Find Fiona at ieltsetc.com. LINKS IELTS Home of the IELTS English Language Test IELTS Made Easier Podcast youtube.com/fionawattam Ludwig RELATED EPISODES WHAT IS THE TOEFL? SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BAD TEST TAKER? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

When most people think of college, they actually think of large public and private universities or community colleges. But what about all of those tiny, often overlooked gems sprinkled like stars across the firmament of higher education? Amy and Mike invited admissions expert V. Peter Pitts to sing the praises of attending a small college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What kind of school qualifies as a "small" college? What is different or unique about attending a small college? Do small colleges necessarily offer fewer opportunities than larger schools? What kind of student thrives in a small college environment? How can a student attending a large university create a 'small college' experience? MEET OUR GUEST Peter Pitts recently retired from 42 years in the College Admission profession, most recently with Monmouth College of Illinois. Over his 27 years at Monmouth, he recruited over 2,000 students and still keeps in touch with many of them. He is originally from Iowa, and has an undergraduate degree from Wartburg College (IA) and a Master's Degree from the University of Iowa, both degrees in Sociology. In his retirement, Peter publishes a website–U3K4College.com–that celebrates small private colleges. He also gives presentations to high school classes about a variety of college admission topics. His latest book is Common Sense Guide to Choosing a College---Making a Case for Small Residential Colleges. Peter previously appeared on this podcast in episode 163 to discuss DO COLLEGE MAJORS MATTER? Peter can be reached at [email protected]. LINKS In Praise of Smaller Schools RELATED EPISODES ATTENDING A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE ATTENDING A WOMEN'S COLLEGE ATTENDING A LARGE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Students with attention disorders have difficulty staying on task, sustaining focus, and staying organized–all of which are critical to academic and testing success. Amy and Mike invited educator Jenn Cohen to share strategies for tutoring teens with ADHD. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What kind of learning challenges do teens with attention deficits face? What strategies are most effective in helping students with ADHD excel academically? What makes standardized testing so challenging for teens with ADHD? What should students with ADHD know about testing accommodations? Of the SAT and ACT, which tends to be better for ADHD students? MEET OUR GUEST Jenn Cohen has been in the test prep trenches for over 20 years, but she prides herself in never feeling too comfortable calling herself an expert. She is always learning from her students, families, other pros and the research literature. She's a lover of art and science, and believes the world is a better place with both. Meeting Neil deGrasse Tyson is on her bucket list. Jenn has been featured in The Dallas Morning News, ADDitude Magazine and Good Morning Texas, as well as numerous blogs around the web. She has also been a presenter at the Learning Disabilities Association national conference, as well as a speaker at high schools and parent associations. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Learning Disabilities Association of Texas. She is a graduate of Duke University, and completed graduate work in clinical psychology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She is a hardcore Duke sports fan, and general sports junkie, so she gets a particular kick out of her student's sports victories. Jenn lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and business guru, Gary, and her daughter, Erin. She enjoys cooking, museums, '80's bands and reading Harry Potter with Erin (with voices, of course)! Find Jenn at launchpadeducation.com. LINKS Ace the ACT: College Admissions Test Tips in ADDitude Magazine Test Prep Planning for ADHD/LD Students 8 ADHD teaching strategies RELATED EPISODES EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AND ADD/ADHD TEST PREP FOR STUDENTS WITH ACCOMMODATIONS THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Empowering Counselors To Create College Price Transparency Through Crowdsourcing with college cost advocate Mark Salisbury What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is TuitionFit? What is the story behind the TuitionFit Collaborative? How does the TuitionFit Collaborative work? Who currently uses the TuitionFit Collaborative? How can someone be a part of the TuitionFit Collaborative? ABOUT TUITIONFIT COLLABORATIVE The TuitionFit Collaborative extends the core premise behind the TuitionFit Project–empowering consumers to create the college price transparency they so desperately need by crowdsourcing the solution and freely benefiting from the results–to independent educational consultants (IECs), high school counselors, and college access organizations. Since 2019, TuitionFit has been building the only verifiable dataset of the real prices that colleges have offered students. Students or parents share the financial aid award offers they receive through a secure portal and, in exchange, receive free access to see all offers shared by students with similar need and merit characteristics. Now, through the TuitionFit Collaborative, we are offering the same opportunity of free, cooperative participation and benefit to professional individuals and organizations that support students and families through the college search process. If you believe that college price transparency needs to be available to everyone and that we should be active in creating the change that will make the world a better place. then the TuitionFit Collaborative is for you and your organization. To learn more, please contact Mark Salisbury at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Just about every institute of higher education looks idyllic from the outside, but not every school delivers the goods as far as a great academic and social experience culminating in a timely graduation goes. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Vielka Hoy to identify red flags in college selection. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is a "red flag" in the college selection process? Why should students consider graduation rates and not admissions rates or rankings? How should students explore college social fit based on their specific personalities and needs? Is it acceptable for students to ask serious questions about fit? What might be considered a "green flag" in college selection? MEET OUR GUEST Vielka Hoy is the Founder and CEO of Bridge To College, an advanced college search and discovery platform. Hoy is a twenty-year public, private and collegiate career educator turned college consultant. She has guided thousands of students in identifying "best fit" collegiate institutions to match their strengths and needs. After perfecting her formula, Hoy wanted to make her process available to students and educational institutions across the country. Working with a team of talented developers and educators, she developed a platform that analyzes a student's academic background and curriculum, personal feedback, and institutional requirements and trends to identify "best fit" scenarios for students and college admission recruitment departments. As an entrepreneur, Hoy is hands-on CEO, overseeing the overall vision, direction, and growth of the company to aid higher education institutions and students across the United States find proper fits for each other. Prior to founding Bridge to College in January 2017, Vielka was the founder and CEO of Vielka Hoy Consulting LLC. This was Hoy's first venture after her many years as a teacher. Using her formula, Vielka consulted families, schools, and districts, increasing college matriculation for first-generation, low-income students, and students of color. With the goal to identify schools designed to best meet students' needs to thrive in the proper collegiate environment, she has successfully guided kids in their academic journey being admitted across a wide swath of higher education institutions, such as MIT, USC, University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Northwestern, San Francisco State, Hofstra, UC Santa Cruz, and the University of Michigan, just to name a few. From 1999 to 2017, Vielka held teaching positions at UCLA and Berkeley, as well as department chairs and dean roles at public and private high schools throughout California. Hoy has a Master of Arts in Afro-American Studies from UCLA and received her BS in Education from NYU. A self-proclaimed doer, in addition to her CEO duties, Hoy is a single mom and forever a student herself, currently pursuing a Social Science Master's at the University of Chicago. Find Vielka at [email protected]. LINKS Completing College - National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Bridge to College Bridge To College Survey RELATED EPISODES OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CAMPUS LIFE AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS COLLEGE DECLASSIFIED: WHAT HIGH SCHOOLERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT LEVEL ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

All time management, it is said, begins with planning. If you have a big test in your future, your time management plan better include a watch! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Dustin Claretto to share strategies for tracking time on standardized tests. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is timing so important on standardized tests? Is time management a practicable skill? How can students use a watch during the test? What kind of watch is permissible during testing? What role does a physical watch play during a digital test? MEET OUR GUEST Dustin Claretto has over a decade of experience in the education and consulting worlds, teaching students of all ages in a variety of subjects, including standardized test prep. He is the COO of Testing Timers, a company founded by Jordan Liss to help students reduce their test anxiety and achieve their full potential. Over the last decade, Testing Timers watches have helped tens of thousands of students to improve their test scores and lower anxiety. Find Dustin at [email protected]. LINKS For a Win on Test Day, Wear a Watch RELATED EPISODES COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU USING STUDENT SELF-ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Considering how much attention is focused on getting into college, you'd think people would be equally concerned with getting out of college… with a degree, of course. Sadly, the shockingly low six-year graduation rate suggests otherwise. Amy and Mike invited author and researcher Michael Petrilli to explore why college readiness matters. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What exactly does college readiness mean? How can college readiness best be measured? What is the risk for college students who don't meet readiness benchmarks? How can we best address lagging college readiness? How early in K-12 education should college readiness be addressed? MEET OUR GUEST Mike Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, executive editor of Education Next, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow for Education Commission of the States. An award-winning writer, he is the author of The Diverse Schools Dilemma, editor of Education for Upward Mobility, and co-editor of How to Educate an American. Follow Mike has published opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg View, and Slate, and appears frequently on television and radio. Petrilli helped to create the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement, the Policy Innovators in Education Network, and, long, long ago, Young Education Professionals. He serves on the advisory boards of the Association of American Educators, MDRC, and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. He lives with his family in Bethesda, Maryland. Mike previously appeared on this podcast in episode 180 to discuss The Heightened Need For Testing In 2021. Find Mike at https://fordhaminstitute.org or in Twitter @MichaelPetrilli. LINKS College Readiness Benchmarks Using the National Assessment of Educational Progress as an Indicator for College and Career Preparedness The college readiness battle is won or lost in elementary school We all agree that college isn't for everyone. We should start acting like it American Diploma Project RELATED EPISODES DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: WHAT TESTING TELLS US TRACKING COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS WHERE MODERN EDUCATION FAILS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

All things being equal, high school GPA carries the most weight in college admissions decisions. But when it comes to the classes those grades come from, all things most certainly are not equal. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Aly Beaumont to explore the finer points about course selection for highly selective college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What classes should a student really take in high school? Do students really need to take foreign language for college, and if so for how long? How important is it to take Honors, AP, or IB classes? Where does dual-enrollment fit in the selective admissions equation? What is more important: GPA or course rigor? MEET OUR GUEST Aly is the founder of Admissions Village, a family focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared. Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is an Associate member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine. Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 212 to discuss PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS and was the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 264. Find Aly at https://www.admissionsvillage.com. LINKS What Classes Should I take Next Year? Considerations for Admissions to Highly Selective Colleges RELATED EPISODES HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

All About Test Prep Wizards: Fully Customizable, Low-Cost, White-Labeled Score Reporting What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting? How does Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting work? Who currently uses Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about Test Prep Wizards Score Reporting know about it? ABOUT TEST PREP WIZARDS SCORE REPORTING Test Prep Wizards provides low-cost, customizable, white-labeled score reports for individuals and institutions. Since reports are fully customizable, you can track whatever data is relevant to you and your students for any tests or assignments that you use. Since there are many ways to provide answers, individuals and institutions no longer need to worry about expensive scanning equipment or specialized paper to record results. By removing the tediousness of hand-grading, tutors and companies can focus more time and energy on the aspects of business they truly enjoy. Test Prep Wizards was founded by Vinny Madera, a Statistics professor and tutoring nerd. He's been helping students and companies make sense of data and testing trends since 2008. Test Prep Wizards score reporting is used by companies operating in over half of the United States as well as internationally. Since inception, they've processed tens of thousands of score reports as well as created unique methods for companies to visualize this student's testing trends. To learn more, please contact [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Anna Gazumyan-Silverman, a test preparation expert and tutor with over fifteen years of experience. She provides executive function support and tutors students of all ages and all levels for the ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, BCA test, TACHS, SHSAT, ACT, SAT, PSAT, GRE, GMAT, and MCAT CARS, among other tests. Anna's executive function students learn to manage workloads and reach their goals without stress. Students learn to be great testers by mastering the necessary content and strategies for each section of the test. No detail is too small, and Anna guides her students (and their worried parents) to their target score every step of the way. Whether it's Wharton, MIT, UPenn, Georgetown, or a state school, Anna's students have happily gone on to the schools OF THEIR CHOICE with top scores that earned them substantial scholarships. Find Anna at [email protected] or astestprep.com. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Joanna Dean, who has been a test prep professional for the last seven years specializing in SAT and ACT prep. Joanna, the owner of Dean Academy, began her career as a corporate trainer in a Fortune 30 company in Atlanta with a background in advertising, marketing, and television. In 2010, she became a homeschool mom to her three elementary-aged sons. While homeschooling, she discovered her passion for teaching and began teaching other homeschooled children in the Atlanta metro area. Over the course of 12 years, she has taught over 2500 students in the area of math, grammar, and writing. Today, Joanna is solely focused on test prep with an emphasis on SAT and ACT, seeing around 80 students privately a month. Joanna Dean has turned what was initially done out of necessity for her own kids into a thriving career by helping students all over the U.S. achieve their testing goals. Find Joanna at [email protected]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.