Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

What if your PDFs could grade and track themselves? with educator Jam Mirzakhalov

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What is the story behind StudySpaces?

2. How does StudySpaces work?

3. Who currently uses StudySpaces? 

4. What kinds of outcomes do users experience? 

5. What should someone curious about StudySpaces know about it?
   

ABOUT STUDYSPACES

StudySpaces helps tutors create, assign, and track student work in one place. It connects directly with your existing curriculum, automatically pulling in your PDFs and materials so you never have to start from scratch.

Supporting SAT, ACT, ISEE, SHSAT, and more, it's built for any tutoring format, including one-on-one, group, and on-demand, all fully branded to your business.

Companies like Pass Program, Smarty PANCE, and Kate Fisher Tutoring are using StudySpaces to personalize learning at scale and track every student's progress in real time.

To learn more, please contact Jam on LinkedIn or at www.studyspaces.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, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.

Believe it or not, over one-third of college students transfer at least once while earning their degree. So why do so many students assume their first school will be their forever school? Amy and Mike invited college advisor Jaime Smith to share insights on how to plan for your college transfer.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. Where do students most commonly struggle when preparing to transfer schools?

2. How easy is it to transfer credits between colleges?

3. What might students do in advance if a potential transfer is in their future?

4. Do transfer students need SAT or ACT scores?

5. Is there a difference between transferring from 2-year or 4-year colleges?
   

MEET OUR GUEST

Jaime Smith, M.A., MS.Ed., is a Certified Educational Planner with 25 years of experience in the field of education. After many years of teaching English at the middle, high school, and college levels, Jaime turned to online education and founded a virtual K-12 supplementary education program, Online G3, where she continues to teach gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooled students. As a college advisor, Jaime specializes in transfer admissions, application essays, homeschoolers, neurodiverse learners, and other non-traditional applicants. In 2023, she completed a Post-Master's Certificate in Transfer Leadership and Practice at the University of North Georgia in collaboration with the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students. Jaime is the author of The Complete Guide to College Transfer.

A California native, Jaime now lives in Oregon with her husband and pet bunny. She has one daughter, a former homeschooler turned transfer student who just started grad school. 

Jaime previously appeared on the podcast in episode 578 to discuss WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TRANSFERRING.

Learn more about Jaime at TransferSavvy.com and follow her on Linkedin.

LINKS

Common App for transfer

https://www.transferology.com

https://www.assist.org

The Complete Guide to College Transfer

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HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN

WHAT TO DO WHEN A STUDENT STRUGGLES IN COLLEGE

THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE 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, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.

The process of applying to college can be so cumbersome and time consuming that applicants have little time left over for elaborate scholarship applications. Luckily, students can qualify for abundant merit aid just by excelling on admissions tests they should be prepping for anyway! Amy and Mike invited educator Shaan Patel to explore how to unlock automatic scholarships with PSAT, SAT, & ACT scores.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. How directly do SAT and ACT scores translate into guaranteed scholarship money?

2. How does the PSAT connect to the National Merit Scholarship program?

3. What score ranges typically unlock the biggest automatic scholarships at public and private universities?

4. How can families use their College 529 Savings Plans for test preparation?  

5. What are the most effective strategies for students to maximize both their scores and scholarship opportunities?

MEET OUR GUEST

Dr. Shaan Patel is the Founder and CEO of Prep Expert. On ABC's Shark Tank, he closed a deal with Mark Cuban for an investment in Prep Expert. He created Prep Expert to help high school students achieve their own dreams. Prep Expert has helped more than 100,000 students improve their SAT and ACT scores, get into top colleges, and win over $100 million in scholarships. Prep Expert offers online SAT and ACT courses, academic tutoring, and college admissions consulting.

Shaan can be reached at prepexpert.com.

LINKS

Merit Aid Grids

National Merit Scholarship

RELATED EPISODES

THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID

FLORIDA BRIGHT FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP

PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS

FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS

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, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.

The standard high school education covers a broad and deep array of state-mandated subjects but doesn't necessarily cultivate strong critical reasoning skills. That's a shame, because those skills are essential to success in higher education. Amy and Mike invited college dean Louis Newman to explore what thinking critically in college means.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. Do teens typically arrive at college with sufficient critical thinking skills? 

2. What does critical thinking mean in an academic context?

3. What kinds of critical thinking do college professors expect students to do in their courses? 

4. How can parents best support their students in college? 

5. How can learners improve their critical thinking skills?

MEET OUR GUEST

Louis E. Newman is the former Dean of Academic Advising and Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. His responsibilities at Stanford included overseeing an extensive residential advising program, the pre-law and pre-med advising programs, transfer and co-term student advising, new student orientation programs, a summer bridge program, and the university's academic progress review system. At Stanford, he grew the advising program, promoted a holistic approach to academic advising, and advocated for liberal education.

He is also the John M. and Elizabeth W. Musser Professor of Religious Studies, Emeritus, at Carleton College, where he taught for thirty-three years. During his tenure at Carleton, he also served as an Associate Dean of the College, which included expanding the advisor training program and launching new programs to support advisors. He served for a term as Director of the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching, which sponsored weekly programs for faculty and staff on all aspects of pedagogy, academic policy, and trends in higher education. In this role he functioned as the informal mentor to the faculty at Carleton, which is consistently rated by US News & World Report as #1 for undergraduate teaching.

He is also an internationally recognized scholar in the field of Jewish ethics and has written and co-edited several books in that field, as well as dozens of articles. He was the first president of the Society of Jewish Ethics and the co-founder of its journal.

Louis Newman completed his B.A. in Hebrew and Philosophy and his M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, and received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown University. 

Throughout his career, hundreds of students and colleagues have attested to the profound impact he had on their learning and their lives as a gifted teacher and as a trusted advisor and mentor.

Find Louis at info@thinkingcritically.us.

LINKS

Thinking Critically in College: The Essential Handbook for Student Success

Collegiate Learning Assessment

College Success Coaching

RELATED EPISODES

COLLEGE READINESS ADVICE FROM A COLLEGE PROFESSOR

HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE FRESHMAN

THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE 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.

Some people embrace practice and coaching in order to be ready for a certain moment, while others train to be fully present in any moment. When it comes to the most important moments, why not both? Amy and Mike invited educators Claire Russell and Aproteem Choudhury to explore how preparation and mindfulness go together.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. How do test prep tutoring and mindfulness coaching overlap? 

2. What are the primary reasons a student would benefit from mindfulness preparation in test prep?

3. How does mindfulness help students achieve in high-stakes events?

4. How can we help students be more receptive to mind-body strategies? 

5. What is one mindfulness tip anyone can implement now?

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.

Aproteem Choudhury is a Mindfulness Coach for Russell Tutoring. Apro brings a degree in Neuroscience and extensive clinical and healthcare systems experience to the teaching of  mind-body science at RTC. More importantly, he is the Director of the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative at the Institute for Spirituality and Health. At GHHC, he integrates mind-body medicine to promote community health through innovative public health initiatives that are trauma-informed and community-led. At Russell Tutoring, Apro also applies his wealth of experience to empower students, equipping them with stress management skills and  resilience-building techniques to optimize their test-taking potential. 

Claire previously appeared in episode 374 HOW TO BREATHE DURING STRESSFUL ACADEMIC SITUATIONS.

Claire and Apro can be reached at https://russelltutoringandconsulting.com.

LINKS

4-5-3 Breathing - A Mindfulness Technique for Test Anxiety!

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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.

Powerful graphing calculators can provide potent math problem solving advantages for students that know how to use–and can afford–them. What is the impact, then, when everyone has free access to leading edge calculation tools? Amy and Mike invited educator Kyle Terracciano to explore using the Desmos calculator in digital testing.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What is the Desmos calculator, and what can it do?

2. How is Desmos integrated into college admissions testing?

3. What are the best resources to learn Desmos for the Digital SAT?

4. When is it best to utilize Desmos on the Digital SAT?

5. In what kind of test problems are calculators less useful?

MEET OUR GUEST

Kyle Terracciano is the founder of the company Tutorllini, the math test prep YouTube channel Tutorllini Test Prep, and the Facebook group Digital SAT Prep. Since 2019, he has been on a mission to empower students to dominate their college admissions tests and bring much-needed clarity to the confusing world of academic math.

Kyle's journey as an educator began in his college years while working as a competitive swimming coach, sparking his passion for mentoring others. After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 2018, he couldn't resist the call of teaching. Kyle went on to earn a Master's Degree in Mathematics Education from Rutgers University in 2020, and then through Tutorllini, dedicated himself fully to his goal of empowering students everywhere with not just a deeper understanding of math, but more confidence as well.

But Kyle doesn't stop there. Determined to make a global impact, Kyle runs one of the fastest growing YouTube channels and Facebook groups focused on the Digital SAT, all completely free to anyone who is ready to learn. By using the most modern tech and impactful visuals with a dose of humor and his trademark relatable personality, Kyle helps students unlock their full potential.

Kyle previously appeared on the podcast in episode 476 to discuss The New Digital SAT Experience: A Student Perspective and in episode 470 to discuss Getting Ready For The AP Statistics Exam.

Find Kyle at tutorllini.com.

LINKS

Desmos Graphing Calculator

Desmos (Digital PSAT, NMSQT, and SAT Version)

Kyle's Free Digital SAT Math Desmos Course

Learn Desmos Playlist

Desmos User Guide

Mastering Desmos for the Digital SAT

App or Scrap? (ep 8): Digital SAT Strategy Guide

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RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT

ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH

CALCULATOR USAGE 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.

When Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters, he may not have had higher education in mind. That said, applicants often overlook what really matters on the road to college. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Arthur Smith to explore the intrinsic value of the college admissions process.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What does the college admissions process entail in general?

2. What is actually involved when you focus on "the process" instead of the outcome?

3. How can focusing on "the process" lead to more satisfying outcomes in the admissions process?

4. What roles do ambition and authenticity play in the college admissions process?

5. In what ways does learning how to focus on the process set students up with a valuable life lesson that goes beyond the college applications?

MEET OUR GUEST

With 25 years of experience working with students and their parents at Cornell and Duke Universities as an advising dean, admissions chair, and Division I head coach, Dr. Arthur Smith is intimately familiar with what it takes to be successful in the selective admissions process.

Dr. Smith, known as Artie to his colleagues and students, studied history and Africana Studies as an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude and with distinction in all subjects. He continued his education at Duke University, where he earned his MA and Ph.D. in history. Returning to Cornell, Artie served as an assistant director of admissions in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and was the athletics liaison between the seven different admissions offices at Cornell and the university's 36 varsity teams. He then spent nine years as an admissions and advising dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, where he chaired admissions committees and guided hundreds of students through the college's curriculum. His unique journey in higher education has also been defined by a highly successful 23 years of coaching track and field and cross country at the Division I level. A nationally recognized distance coach who worked with 19 All-Americans, 31 Ivy League champions, and 12 Eastern champions while coaching 19 Ivy League Championship teams, Artie was Cornell's head women's track and field and cross country coach.

During his time in the Ivy League, Artie chaired admissions committees and evaluated over 20,000 applications, served as a faculty advisor and advising dean, managed the TransAtlantic Series, an Exchange between Cornell University and Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the United Kingdom, and mentored hundreds of student-athletes.

Artie's teams and athletes were outstanding in the classroom, with six of his students earning CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, two students earning NCAA Elite 89/90 honors, and three going on to win Marshall and Goldwater Scholarships. Notably, every student he coached who applied for medical school, veterinary school, or law school gained admission.

Artie is here to listen and work with each student's goals. His two decades of mentoring experiences contribute to his firm belief that success in college—and beyond—comes from a person's creativity, authenticity, and concern for others. He can help you tell your story.

Artie can be reached at https://www.arthursmithadvising.com.

LINKS

RELATED EPISODES

POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

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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.

California is the most populous American state with a veritable cornucopia of exceptional and reasonably well-funded high schools. Why, then, do Californian teens need to travel hundreds–and sometimes thousands–of miles to sit for the SAT or ACT? Amy and Mike invited student Sebastian Gillmore and educator David Blobaum to discuss the need for testing sites in California.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What is the problem with SAT & ACT testing locations in California?

2. Why are testing locations so scarce?

3. Why is access to testing so critically important for students?

4. What has been done so far to address this problem?

5. What else can and should be done to expand testing access in California?

MEET OUR GUEST

David Blobaum is the director of outreach for the National Test Prep Association, which works to support the appropriate use of testing in admissions. He is a co-founder of Summit Prep, which opened its doors in 2013 to help empower students through education to succeed in life.

Sebastian Gillmore is a rising Senior at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California just North of San Francisco. He's a hardworking student with a passion for mathematics, and he's on a mission to make college entrance exams, like the SAT and ACT, more accessible for California high school students. He recently authored an Op-Ed in the LA Times titled, "I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT?"

David first appeared on the podcast in episode 79 to discuss Why The SAT And ACT Are Awesome and in episode 421 for a Sponsor Spotlight.

David can be reached at www.summitprep.com.

LINKS

I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT? 

It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Take the SAT and ACT

https://testaccess.org/

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TESTING POLICIES AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY REVISITED

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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 bespoke nature of homeschooling can be a great advantage for tailoring education to a student's individual needs. However, those differentiated programs present challenges when the time comes to apply to college. Amy and Mike invited education consultants Michele Evard and Holly Ramsey to review the intricacies of college documentation for homeschoolers.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What do stakeholders in the admission process need to know about homeschool documentation? 
2. What are some best practices for homeschool documentation?
3. How do homeschoolers show the depth & breadth of their studies? 
4. Who writes recommendations for homeschooled students, and do colleges believe them? 

5. Should homeschoolers claim credit for every potential learning experience?

MEET OUR GUESTS

Dr. Michele Evard is an independent educational consultant who assists homeschooling families with planning & documenting K-12 education as well as the college application process; she specializes in assisting families of gifted and 2E young people. 

She is an active member of multiple professional organizations including IECA, NACAC, SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) and the Digital Learning Collaborative. 

While homeschooling her three children and mentoring others, Dr. Evard co-founded Many Rivers Unschoolers and served as president of Voyagers Homeschool Cooperative and Resource Center. 

Michele can be reached at https://evardconsulting.com.

Holly Ramsey is an independent educational consultant specializing in working with homeschoolers and their parents to create clear, concise, and compelling college applications and counselor documents.

She is a professional member of Independent Educational Consultants Association, where she served in a variety of roles and is a recipient of IECA's Making a Difference Award. Ms. Ramsey is also a member of the Texas Association for College Admission Counseling. 

In addition to homeschooling her own five children over 20+ years, Holly taught writing to hundreds of homeschoolers through Brave Writer™ and mentored new Brave Writer instructors.

Holly can be reached at https://thoughtfulhomeschooling.com. 

Dr. Michele Evard and Holly Ramsey are co-authors of College UnMazed: Your Guide to Design & Document Your Homeschool. This book provides guidance for any professionals helping homeschoolers in the college admission process.

Tests and the Rest listeners can use the coupon code HOMESCHOOL10 for 10% off this book AND anything else on the College UnMazed site.

LINKS

College UnMazed: Your Guide to Design & Document Your Homeschool

How to Create Your School Profile As A Homeschooler

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COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: GOOD VS. GREAT

CRAFTING YOUR COLLEGE 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 focus so much on our teens getting through high school and into college yet spend little time looking at the space between or how everyone involved needs to change and adapt for success. Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Andrea Malkin Brenner to discuss the parent transition from high school to college.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What role can parents play to support their students as they become self-reliant and college-ready?

2. What are the major differences between being a high school parent and a college parent?

3. How can parents help students prepare for the academic, practical, and social responsibilities that come with independence?

4. When should conversations about college transitions ideally begin?

5. What are scenarios parents of college students might not expect but should be ready for?

MEET OUR GUEST

Dr. Andrea Malkin Brenner is the creator of the Talking College™ card decks and co-author of How to College: What to Know Before You Go (and When You're There), a leading guide for college-bound students and their parents/guardians. Andrea brings 25 years of experience as a college professor and university administrator at American University in Washington, DC to her presentations with high school and college audiences. See her website for her articles, podcast recordings, and upcoming talks and webinars.

Find Andrea at www.talkingcollege.com.

LINKS

Talking College card decks 

How to College: What to Know Before You Go (and When You're There)

RELATED EPISODES

THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS

ADVOCACY FOR PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS

THE W-CURVE MODEL AND NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS

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.