Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Emily Raphael is the mom in Testmom, the company she founded (she was very disappointed that the name Pro-Test was taken). She works primarily with high school students preparing for the SAT and ACT. She covers all sections of both tests. In past lives she has taught composition and loves talking and thinking about the writing process. She enjoys teaching and sharing "aha...
Sep 29, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 393
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Luis Smith-Rosario, owner and founder of Hartford County Connecticut-based Just Solve It Tutoring . Luis founded Just Solve It in 2009, and he has since expanded his business to employ a range of skilled STEM tutors and to provide tutoring for students taking STEM courses and standardized tests, offering coaching at all skill levels. Luis is an SAT mathematics tutor ...
Sep 28, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 392
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Patricia Brown , a native of the East Coast (New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Boston) who established Team Talent for SAT and ACT and ISEE test prep in the San Diego North County town of Rancho Santa Fe over 15 years ago, serving students from eight private schools and over a dozen public schools. Her word-of-mouth reputation gets clients who are friends of other client...
Sep 27, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 391
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Andre Kiss started Critical Point Test Prep nine years ago, after falling in love with helping students reach their potential on the SAT and ACT. He graduated from Ursinus College Summa Cum Laude and shortly thereafter spent 9 months in the Amazon region of Brazil on a Fulbright Scholarship from the US Department of State. He has a Border Collie named Harambe who loves to...
Sep 26, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 390
One of the great challenges of modern education is finding ways to teach students everything they should know along with everything they must know. Unfortunately, while understanding saving, spending, and investing falls into the latter category, most teens and young adults haven’t learned the basics. Amy and Mike invited educator Isabel De La Cruz to outline financial literacy essentials for students. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is financial literacy so important fo...
Sep 23, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 389
We all expect K-12 schools to run smoothly, supportively, and safely while providing the highest levels of educational excellence. How much, though, do most of us know about the roles of principals and other administrators in accomplishing those noble goals? Amy and Mike invited educator Beth Plunkett to share insights and examples of effective school leadership. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does an effective school leader deal with crises? How can a school leader kee...
Sep 20, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 388
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 Integra...
Sep 18, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 387
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...
Sep 16, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 386
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 en...
Sep 13, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 385
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 th...
Sep 09, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 384
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 pre...
Sep 06, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 383
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 lawyer...
Sep 02, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 382
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 consulti...
Sep 01, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 381
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 G...
Aug 31, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 380
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 he...
Aug 30, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 379
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 Colum...
Aug 29, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 378
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 kin...
Aug 26, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 377
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 ...
Aug 23, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 376
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 Univ...
Aug 21, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 375
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 ...
Aug 19, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 374
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 clas...
Aug 16, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 373
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...
Aug 12, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 372
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 r...
Aug 09, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 371
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 ab...
Aug 07, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 370
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 matc...
Aug 05, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 369
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 ...
Aug 02, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 368
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 t...
Jul 29, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 367
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 Americ...
Jul 27, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 366
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 ar...
Jul 26, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 365
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 comple...
Jul 25, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 364
