Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Mike Settele, the founder of Settele Tutoring, an SAT prep company that specializes in creating user-friendly SAT resources. Mike has published thousands of hours of SAT lessons on his YouTube channel, which are watched every day by students around the world. Mike began his SAT career while an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied political scie...
Jun 03, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 573
An undergraduate education should never be mistaken for a job training program. That said, gainful employment is usually the obvious expectation after graduation. Amy and Mike invited educator Bill Coplin for thoughts on how to guarantee career success after college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is coursework alone not enough to explore and get jobs? Is there academic coursework that would help build skills, experience, and networks? How should students increase their...
May 28, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 572
Now that we’re moving back to more of a test-required college admissions paradigm, the pressing question for most students regards which test to take. In some cases, the answer is not as binary as you might expect. Amy and Mike invited counselor Becky Priest to explore who should take the CLT? What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is a classical education? What is the Classic Learning Test? What schools currently accept the CLT as an admissions test? What kind of student does...
May 21, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 571
For many teachers, tutors, counselors, and coaches, the actual delivery of insight, expertise, and service comes easy. Creating and maintaining business structure and processes, on the other hand, can be an ongoing challenge. Amy and Mike invited educator Danny Pernik to explore tools and tips to build your educational practice. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What qualifies as an educational practice in a discussion like this? What considerations make sense for anyone build...
May 14, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 570
Getting into your best fit school usually feels like the prize at the end of a long and grueling journey, but the next step in the undergraduate adventure has really just begun. Will you emerge victorious, degree in hand? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Beth Howland to share insights into how to persist to college graduation. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the difference between retention and persistence and how is each related to graduation rates? What are ...
May 07, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 569
The artificial intelligence genie is out of the bottle, and there’s no way to put it back in. All we can do is learn to live with AI as productively as possible. No surprise, today’s youth are leading the charge from middle school to college. Amy and Mike invited ed tech expert Annie Chechitelli to describe how students use generative AI. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are students using generative AI? What are positive and productive ways to use generative AI? What are...
Apr 30, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 568
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Computer Science is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Edward Lee to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Computer Science A exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Computer Science A exam? How...
Apr 26, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 567
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Literature exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Literature exam? What are the different approaches required by each essa...
Apr 25, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 566
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Shayda Moshirvaziri to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Calculus AB or BC exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Calculus exam? How important is a calculator on the AP Calcul...
Apr 24, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 565
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Dan Corrigan to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP United States Government and Politics exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Government and Politics exam? What are the highe...
Apr 23, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 564
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Physics 1 is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educators Jennifer Boughton and John D’Alessandro to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Physics 1 exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Physics 1 exam...
Apr 22, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 563
Theories that standardized testing impeded equity in admissions decisions drove the pandemic-era test optional movement. With a few years of real-world data, we can now examine the accuracy of those theories. Amy and Mike invited student advocate Dr. Yoon Choi to revisit the review of testing policies and educational equity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What does the research say about testing and equity? 2. How do standardized tests help predict college readiness? 3. ...
Apr 16, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 562
Students and their families anxiously awaiting acceptance letters often feel helpless throughout the college admissions process. Little do they realize how quickly the advantage can shift in their favor. Amy and Mike invited educator Debra Landesberg to explore the concept of power dynamics in college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. Why are power dynamics worth considering in the admissions process? 2. Who holds the most power before applications are submitted...
Apr 09, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 561
Some rumors about the costs of college are true. For example, some colleges this year will establish record highs in tuition and fees. But does that mean you can trust everything you’ve heard? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Garcia to bust some pervasive myths about how to pay for college. What are five myths that are busted in this episode? Myth #1: We're not poor and our student isn't an athlete, so we're stuck paying full price for college. Myth #2: I have a 4.6 GPA so I will ...
Apr 02, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 560
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Dr. Jennifer Stephan. Jennifer has held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and board of admissions member, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. She holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as w...
Mar 29, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 559
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Hanna Stotland, who flunked out of high school, got a G.E.D., and went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Since 1999, she has been an independent admissions consultant specializing in educational crisis management, including Title IX, substance abuse and mental illness. Her recent professional presentations include conferences of the Independent ...
Mar 28, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 558
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Carolyn P. Mulligan, who attended Bucknell University, where she graduated with a degree in English Literature. She has been proud to have been a counselor for many years at the Bucknell College Admissions Summer Workshop. She worked in public relations in NYC. She helped to open the Museum of Holography in Soho and worked for the Jamaica Tourist Board. Carolyn is also a...
Mar 27, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 557
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alyson Campbell, a member of Estrela Consulting, a boutique college planning firm in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. She has worked in various aspects of higher education and consulting over the past decade including college athletics and college admission (Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH), application review (The Ohio State University), and now as an IEC with Es...
Mar 26, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 556
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Tracy Sullivan. Tracy, co-founder of College 101 Admissions Consultants , lives in Wrentham, MA with her husband Jim, who is a scientist (very helpful during COVID-19!). A graduate of Providence College, Tracy built a successful career in both sales and as a serial entrepreneur. A mom of two college graduates, Tracy continues to cheer her kids on as they pursue their own...
Mar 25, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 555
Applicants often look at the requirements and selectivity of a school as standard for every one of its courses of study, only to find that certain programs are WAY harder to get into than others. Amy and Mike invited educator Lisa Marker-Robbins to explain how colleges admit by major. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does it mean to apply to a school by major? What factors need to be taken into account when considering certain majors? What can families do to know if a co...
Mar 19, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 554
The GRE General Test may be the world’s most widely used admissions test for graduate & professional school, which makes the assessment important to anyone considering graduate, business, or law school. Amy and Mike invited educator Vince Kotchian to share details on what to know about the GRE in 2024. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does the GRE test and how has it changed over the years? What should students, tutors, and counselors know about the shorter GRE? What...
Mar 12, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 553
A new test creates new opportunities and requires new study aids. Now that the SAT has gone digital, where should students and educators be looking for prep and practice material? Amy and Mike invited educator Laura Whitmore to explore the options for resources for the digital SAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What materials do you recommend that your students use for the Digital SAT? 2. When and how should you use the official Blue Book practice tests? 3. What have yo...
Mar 05, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 552
Considering how exponentially complex the college admissions process has become in the last decade, the decision to work with an independent college counselor makes sense. The bigger question is, “Which one?” Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Julie Kim to explore considerations on how to choose a college counselor. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. How do you know if you need a college counselor? 2. What are some of the most important traits to look for in an IEC?...
Feb 27, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 551
In the wake of the 2020 global pandemic, every U.S college and university announced test-optional or test-blind admissions, leading some pundits to predict that the influence of standardized test scores in admissions decisions was over. Based on recent announcements from a suite of public and private schools, nothing could be further from the truth. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to share the state of test-optional admissions in 2024. What are five things you will learn in this epi...
Feb 20, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 550
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Jeffrey Dalton, who graduated from New York University in 2006 with a Bachelor's in Linguistics and Languages. After college, he taught English in Lahore, Pakistan for 4 years where he helped middle school students develop their literacy in English. After returning to the USA, Jeffrey worked for 2 years as a Math and Verbal tutor for SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT in New Yo...
Feb 16, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 549
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Anna Moss, the founder of Mind the Test LLC, a tutoring company that empowers learners by teaching test prep and academics paired with lifelong research-based study skills. After earning a BA in Linguistics from the University of Chicago and a certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, she taught English and SAT/ACT prep all around the world for five ye...
Feb 15, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 548
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Ari Freuman, the Founder and Lead Tutor at Ivy Tutor. He began his tutoring career in 2013, serving students in New York City and Northern New Jersey. As a tutor, Ari recognized how difficult it was for parents to find effective SAT and ACT tutors like himself. To address this need, Ari assembled and trained a team of dynamic and inspiring tutors, creating what is to...
Feb 14, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 547
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Nikki Rooks, a lifelong learner with a love for helping students build confidence and achieve their academic goals! After changing majors a few times, she graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with undergraduate degrees in mathematics and computer science. Nikki worked in the IT field for 5 years before deciding to pursue her passion for education...
Feb 13, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 546
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Paul Oberman, who has been involved with education since 1989 as a teacher, principal, and head of school. He has been at boarding schools and day schools, Catholic schools and Jewish schools and non-denominational schools, single gender schools and coed schools, progressive schools and conservative schools. He has coached all of the mainstream sports: springboard di...
Feb 12, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 545
The most massive revision ever to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid burst into the new year like a brick through a window–everyone is talking about it, but nobody is happy. Amy and Mike invited financial aid advisor Ed Recker to review the latest news and timelines to date along with our first impressions of the better FAFSA. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How has the “soft launch” of the Better FAFSA® gone? What has been the feedback about the user experience on...
Feb 06, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 544
