The various versions of high school admissions tests may be even more confusing than those for college or graduate school. As part of our series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Kenny Tan to explain the role and structure of the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). What are five things you will learn in this episode? What schools require the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT)? What does the SHSAT cover? How is the SHSAT scored, and how many student...
Sep 24, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 243
The aspect of a college application that lies most outside an applicant’s control is the recommendation. How can recommendation writers and requesters alike get this essential piece right? Amy and Mike invited author Becky Munsterer Sabky to explain how to write a standout letter of recommendation. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What makes a standout recommendation? Who can or should write college recommendations? What should a recommender ask of the applicant (and vice ver...
Sep 21, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 242
Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams set the standard for academic rigor for millions of high school students every year. Will this continue to be the case over the next few years? Amy and Mike invited educator John Moscatiello to help understand the future of AP exams. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the AP program, and why is it so important now? What challenges does the AP program face? Does taking a lot of AP exams help a college application? What are the im...
Sep 17, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 241
If the success of educational institutions depends on a steady and predictable flow of incoming students, what does the American “birth dearth” forebode for the future of higher education? Amy and Mike invited higher ed professional Chris Lucier to explain the implications of demographic trends for college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the value to higher ed professionals in exploring demographic data? What do the combined data sets tell us about the ne...
Sep 14, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 240
A four-year degree may be one of the most expensive investments a person can make, especially when we expect teenagers to make life-defining financial decisions without sufficient education, support, and protection. Amy and Mike invited higher education professional Alex Robie Harris to discuss some uncomfortable truths about student loan debt. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are some of the assumptions we hold about student loan borrowers and defaulters? What are the l...
Sep 10, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 239
Now more than ever, high school counselors are turned to for social-emotional counseling PLUS college and career guidance PLUS academic planning PLUS anything and everything else. No wonder they’re all so busy! Amy and Mike invited college consultant Daniel Santos to discuss the challenges facing overworked school counselors. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the responsibilities of a traditional U.S. high school counselor? What are the recommended and actual average ...
Sep 07, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 238
For generations, the term “SAT word” has been synonymous with extremely challenging or esoteric vocabulary words. But does the phrase even still apply? Amy and Mike invited educator Michelle Rotteau to discuss vocabulary on the SAT and ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is a college-level vocabulary still necessary on admissions tests? What kind of vocabulary does the SAT & ACT challenge? Which test or section presents more challenging words? What is the best way to le...
Sep 03, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 237
New hardware and software rarely introduce the sweeping improvements most adopters in education hope for, but the right ed tech can definitely facilitate powerful positive change. Amy and Mike invited tech professional Al Kingsley to describe the role of technology as an enabler in education. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Which aspects of education can--and cannot--be improved through technology? What is the tension between new tech and old ways of working? What does the n...
Aug 31, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 236
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Lori Tofexis . Lori grew up in NY and NJ and attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a degree in Communications. She worked in television for a while (behind the scenes) and then took a job in Florida. Eventually, Lori started selling sailboats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, which provided her the opportunity to go sailing every chance she had. After raising h...
Aug 27, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 235
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Jim Wismer , the Director of Ivy Experience . Jim first started tutoring for pay in eighth grade, and he has since earned a broad range of experience in secondary and higher education. Jim taught Latin and Ancient Greek and served as a T.A. in Greek and Roman history and mythology courses while earning his M.A. in Classics at the University of Notre Dame. After gradu...
Aug 26, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 234
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Marina Yalon , who has spent over 15 years in the education sector, propelled by the belief that all students have the ability to learn and deserve access to quality education! Over the years, she's helped build schools in Guatemala, measure student achievement in over a dozen countries, and worked with more than 1,000 students to help them achieve their goal scores ...
Aug 25, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 233
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alex Robayo , whose background in advanced Physics gave him the tools to break down complex concepts into simple teenage language. Originally working in Bell Labs on fiber-optic transmissions, he transitioned into education after the tech bubble burst of the early 2000s. There he found his true calling. While helping scores of students in extra help sessions, Alex wa...
Aug 24, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 232
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Susan Powers , the founder and CEO of Woodlands Test Prep , a tutoring company based in the Houston area that improves students’ scores, supports students’ academic success, and helps families navigate the college admissions testing process with much less stress. Susan started teaching SAT and GMAT classes for Kaplan in 1994 as a hobby while an executive for a large ...
Aug 23, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 231
The various versions of high school admissions tests may be even more confusing than those for college or graduate school. For the first in a series on HS admissions tests, Amy and Mike invited educator Christine Carroll to explain the role and structure of the High School Placement Test (HSPT). What are five things you will learn in this episode? Who takes the High School Placement Test (HSPT)? What kind of high schools use the HSPT, and how do they use it? What is tested on the HSPT? What kind...
Aug 20, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 230
Most parents and educators seek to become the wind filling their children’s proverbial sails, but unwittingly become hurricanes driving them way off course. Amy and Mike invited authors William Stixrud, Ph.D. and Ned Johnson to share insights into helping teens find motivation and insight. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why do adults nag teens, and what should they be doing instead? How true is the claim that many parents don't care about what their kids do so long as they ...
Aug 17, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 229
When Kant asserted that experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play, he might have been talking about education. Amy and Mike invited educator Jonathan Arak to explore the value of experience in teachers. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is experience really that important in a teacher? In what ways does experience or the lack thereof show itself in teaching? What kind of experience should aspiring teachers seek out? What is the...
Aug 13, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 228
The college experience is influenced not only by choice of major but by when that major is chosen. Amy and Mike invited educator Lisa Marker-Robbins to provide strategies for selecting a college major. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why are students told that “undecided” is okay and to experiment in college? What does “on time” mean in terms of college majors? Which majors tend to be most restrictive or hardest to finish in four years for students who don’t start as freshme...
Aug 10, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 227
When a highly selective school receives ten or more times as many applications as available seats, the applicant pool seems like an anonymous, homogenous horde. How can any single student hope to stand out from the crowd? Amy and Mike invited admissions consultant Aviva Legatt to explain how--and why--to build relationships with colleges. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How is building relationships for college different from showing "demonstrated interest"? How should stude...
Aug 06, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 226
A calculator on a high stakes test fits the classic definition of a double-edged sword: formidable in the hands of an expert but a liability for those who don’t know how to use it. Amy and Mike invited educators Vinny Madera and Tony Miglio to outline the essential facts of calculator usage on the SAT and ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is a calculator really necessary on the SAT and ACT? What are the best calculators to use on the tests? On which test is the calculator...
Aug 03, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 225
While standardized testing and multiple-choice items tend to go hand in hand, there’s a whole world of innovative assessment options beyond the classic stem-key-distractor paradigm. Amy and Mike invited assessment expert Brian Moon to describe alternatives to multiple-choice. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why have multiple-choice questions become so prevalent in standardized assessments? What are the disadvantages of multiple choice? What are the best alternatives to multi...
Jul 30, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 224
For many students, acceptance to college represents the last set of academic admissions hoops they’ll ever need to jump through. A whole new circus, however, awaits those hoping to earn advanced degrees. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Linda Abraham to offer practical strategies for getting ready for graduate school. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What should students who want to keep their grad program options open do during college? What should college student...
Jul 27, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 223
College applicants are often asked to demonstrate levels of interest that imply devotion, reverence, and unshakeable commitment. But do all schools reciprocate that respect? Amy and Mike invited IEC and author Kevin Martin to explore whether colleges care about their applicants. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why would someone think that elite colleges don’t care about applicants? How does the concept of holistic review increase uncertainty in admissions? What elements of a...
Jul 23, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 222
Fraternities seem synonymous in the minds of most Americans with the classic college experience. But are the preconceived notions of these groups always positive or consistent with reality? Amy and Mike invited fraternity director Brian Bertges to enumerate the benefits of joining a fraternity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the prevailing perceptions about fraternities? Why do most students join fraternities? How does being a part of a fraternity help with dealing...
Jul 20, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 221
Both College Board and ACT offer the opportunity to order copies of certain official test dates. Should students or teachers take advantage of this offer? Amy and Mike invited educator Haley Seeley to take a deep dive into ACT TIR and ACT QAS. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the ACT TIR and the SAT QAS? What is the difference between QAS and SAS? For which dates are the ACT TIR and SAT QAS available? How do you obtain a copy of your TIR and QAS? How should students ...
Jul 16, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 220
Landing on the waitlist of your top-choice school can sometimes feel more agonizing than outright rejection. But, as Cicero assures us, while there's life, there's hope! Amy and Mike invited admissions counselor Carolyn Pippen to outline key steps for getting off the college waitlist. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How do colleges use the waitlist? How is deferral different from being placed on the waitlist? Why might a student be put on the waitlist? What should a student ...
Jul 13, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 219
We often frame college as a place young adults go to find themselves. Ironically, those teens who already have a strong sense of who they are and what they stand for are the ones with the most success in the admissions process. Amy and Mike invited educational consultants Beth and Greg Langston to describe the importance of helping teens find their values and purpose. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is active self-discovery necessary for many teens? Why self-discovery is imp...
Jul 09, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 218
In theory, anyone can identify as a tutor. In practice, not just anyone can be an amazing tutor. Experience, training, passion, and many more factors make a difference. Amy and Mike invited educational coach Joanne Kaminski to explain why professionalism in tutors matters. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Should anyone who provides individual instruction be considered a professional tutor? What does lack of professionalism look like in a tutor? Why isn’t content knowledge eno...
Jul 06, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 217
A great book makes both teaching and learning easy. Such a shame that writing a great educational book is anything but easy! Amy and Mike invited educator and author George Rimakis to share the pros and cons of writing an educational book. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the right reasons to support an education enterprise with a book? How long does the writing process take from concept to publication? Is there an ideal way to publish? What practical benefits can an...
Jul 02, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 216
Most of us understand at least intuitively how challenging the road to becoming a doctor is. Few realize, however, how hard just gaining admission to medical school can be. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Shirag Shemmassian to describe in detail the process of getting into medical school. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the different routes to becoming a physician in the US? How do medical school admissions differ from college admissions? How tough is th...
Jun 29, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 215
Nobody doubts the efficiency of never putting off until tomorrow what you can do today. Why, then, is executing that strategy so difficult? Amy and Mike invited academic coach Maggie Wray to explain how to help teens fight procrastination. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the difference between functional and dysfunctional procrastination? When does procrastination become a problem? Why do so many students really procrastinate? What is the first step in stopping procr...
Jun 25, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 214
