Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

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 Wizar...

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...

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, an...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Ethan Kopelman is a graduate of the University of Florida and an Emory Law School dropout whose dream job is caddying on the PGA Tour. He has owned EK Prep for nine years and is most definitely a test prep nerd. Find Ethan at ethan@ekprep.com. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and t...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST For Melissa Jumbeck , joy is inherent in learning. From the earliest days of her education, Melissa was blessed with educators who both challenged and inspired her; school days were always her favorite days, so it was no surprise when she decided to become a teacher. Now, M...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST John Henrikson , founder of Monmouth Test Prep , lives in Fair Haven, NJ with his wife and three children. John holds a BS in Biology and MS in Evolutionary Biology. He is the Chair of the Science Department at Seton Hall Preparatory School in northern NJ where he has been...

There is truly no state like the Golden State and possibly no admission process like that of its flagship public university system. Amy and Mike invited educator Josefine Borrmann to enlighten us on the intricacies of applying to a college in the University of California system. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does applying to University of California schools differ from a...

Once you decide whether you'll take the SAT or ACT for college admissions and scholarship purposes ( you probably should ), you'll need to make critical decisions about timelines for prep and testing. Amy and Mike invited educator Jim Reinish to answer the age-old question: "When should you take the SAT or ACT?" What are five things you will learn in this episode? When should high schoolers plan t...

All About Mathchops: Higher Scores, Less Work, More Fun with educator Mike McGibbon What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Mathchops? How does Mathchops work? Who currently uses Mathchops?  What kinds of outcomes do users experience?  What should someone curious about Mathchops know about it? ABOUT MATHCHOPS Mathchops helps students earn higher scores in much...

Donating time and effort to important causes and underserved populations can have a tremendous positive impact on individuals, communities, and society as a whole. But the act alone may not influence a college or scholarship application if not properly recorded. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech entrepreneur Michele Pitman to look at challenges in Tracking Student Community Service. What are five thing...

Not everyone who attends a school has the same experience. For those with temporary or chronic disabilities, some campuses are more welcoming than others. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Annie Tulkin to review college admissions considerations for students with physical challenges. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What physical challenges might impact a traditional coll...

High stakes testing can often be depicted as a duel of sorts between a test and a test taker. However, other elements and agents can influence the outcome of this battle, sometimes to the detriment of nervous testers. Amy and Mike invited ed-tech executive Jordan Adair to share findings on how proctors can reduce test anxiety. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How do students ge...

As we observe over and over, the cost of college increases every year. But if you think that additional funding is going to faculty, you are probably wrong. Amy and Mike invited independent counselor Jane Gabin to explore concerns about college staffing trends. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does it mean to be an adjunct professor? Are all part-time faculty the same? Is...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Tom Ehlers is the founder and president of Method Learning. He is a passionate believer in online learning and has spent the last 18 years developing effective teaching methods that have helped thousands of students significantly raise their ACT and SAT test scores. Over 1,...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? Meet Julie Blumenfeld , who has been helping students in Brooklyn and Manhattan improve their performance on standardized tests and in their math classes for over 25 years. While she taught middle school math in NYC private schools, trained early education majors at Brooklyn College to te...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? Meet Julie Post , the owner and primary instructor at Brain-Grow Education . As an undergrad, she attended Columbia University and designed the first Education major there, graduating summa cum laude.  She then moved on to Harvard University where she earned her Ed. M in Education. Julie...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? Meet Justin M. Menda , who has been a tutor and academic coach for 11 years. He holds a B.A. in psychology and a Master's in education from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master's in biomedical science from Drexel University.  Through his work on standardized test prep and a...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Olivia Jones , a native of Huntsville, AL who has lived in Eufaula, AL for the last ten years. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2011 with a degree in Secondary English Education. After teaching at Eufaula High School for five years, Olivia decided to fur...

Most investors scrutinize and strategize for every fractional point of return they can muster. Yet, one major expense–sometimes, the largest single bill in a person's lifetime–seems to be held above such petty considerations as ROI. Does that make sense? Amy and Mike invited educational researcher Martin Van Der Werf to clarify the data on return on investment in college. What are five things you...

When evaluating grades and test results, we take for granted that most high schoolers know how to read and look to other reasons to explain poor performance. But what if language comprehension and decoding skills really are the problem? In the second of a two-part series, Amy and Mike invited Erica Meltzer to share strategies for improving reading skills with struggling teens. What are five things...

The fact that selective admissions has become more and more of a high-stakes competition has never been more apparent than it is today. While competition inspires the best in some people, the struggle for extremely scarce and precious resources brings out the very worst in others. Amy and Mike invited authors Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman to delve into the depths of college admissions insanity....

Gender and sexuality are often assumed to be similar concepts, but they are definitely not the same. Since teachers and tutors depend on building strong rapport with students to facilitate learning, shouldn't some preliminary learning take place about how these factors play into self-image and identity? Amy and Mike invited gender specialist Rebecca Minor to clarify what educators should understan...

The Chinese philosophical concept of yin and yang describes how forces that appear opposite or contrary may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world. Can we observe this concept at work in the highly unnatural world of college admissions? Amy and Mike invited educator Belle Liu to explain the relevance of yin and yang in college admissions. What are five t...

In every country around the world, some student is dreaming of pursuing higher education at an English-speaking university. Admissions exams like the SAT and ACT may evaluate specific reading and writing skills, but say nothing about broad fluency, especially in regard to listening and speaking English. Luckily, another test assesses English as a foreign language very well. Amy and Mike invited te...

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Eileen Sullivan Studdert , owner of Performance Prep & College Admissions in western  Connecticut, is a rigorous academic who loves empowering students in their college-bound journey. She helps students reach top test score potential and builds upon their test success to assist...