The College Prep Podcast

Sometimes a family can overlook a key characteristic in a college that makes it an extraordinarily bad fit for a student. In this shorter summer episode, Megan tells a story about a student who ended up choosing the exact wrong college for his learning needs, and how this student adjusted. The post 380: When the College You Chose Ends Up Being a Bad Fit appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

What happened when one of Megan’s students got kicked out of college his first semester of freshman year? Megan walks us through what happens you a student gets too much freedom too soon, and includes some tips for the types of conversations parents can have with their students before college to mitigate disasters like this in the future. The post 378: When You’re Kicked Out of College...

The impact of teaching a study skills class to middle school students has some surprising benefits! In this Summer Case Study episode, Gretchen shares about an innovative Study Skills program for 7th graders. Not only did the requests for one-to-one support drop by 80%, but worried parent calls dropped as well. Tune in to hear how it was done! The post 377: Case Study – How One School Achiev...

What happens when you assume you’ll get into all your college choices and don’t include a back up school? Sometimes you can get rejected from every school you apply to! In this shorter summer episode, Megan walks us through this sad-but-real story about one of her clients, and leaves you with some tips to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. The post 376: When You Get Rejected fro...

Expert academic coaches come in all shapes and sizes! Over the years training folks to start their businesses, Gretchen has encountered a surprising array of reasons that people shift their careers and become coaches. In this Summer Case Study episode, she outlines 8 of these reasons, and gives families advice about how to think about what kind of a background might be right for you, and provides...

What happens to students who don’t heed Megan’s warnings about how to approach their SAT’s, ACT’s and other standardized tests? In today’s shorter summer episode, Megan walks us through some disaster scenarios that actually happened to some of her student clients. Tune in to hear all the gory details. The post 374: Disasters in Standardized Testing appeared first on T...

Are you confused about all the collegiate jargon? Maybe you are an international student or a parent who hasn’t been in school for many years. Maybe you are trying to navigate all the terms and graduation requirements for your new university. Listen in as Megan outlines many the terms you should know and what they mean. Recently we received this email from a student who will be a freshman in...

Have you ever thought about why schools are structured the way they are, from grades to homework and more? Researchers and authors Jared Cooney Horvath and David Bott chat with Megan and Gretchen about their latest book 10 Things Schools Get Wrong . Together they unpack topics like: the difficulty and the importance of good teaching, a why grades are a good motivator but a bad learning indicator (...

If it seems like there are changes every few months in colleges admissions testing, there are! Megan walks us through the latest shifts, and gives advice for families who are transitioning their students to college in the next few years. She discusses: essay requirements for the SAT and ACT how many times you can take the ACT to get the score you want whether or not to take subject tests and more!...

Many students are exhausted with learning during a pandemic, and more and more are considering taking a gap year between high school and college. In this episode, we chat with Rebecca Barr from www. EFGapyear.com about how gap years work and ways to structure them to infuse inspiration back into life and learning. Specifically we chat about: The benefits of a gap year and busting some myths about...

Do you want a college that supports your religious beliefs? Or would you prefer a college that is not religious at all? Today Megan walks us through several tips for how to do a college search if you do or don’t want religion to be a major factor. She discusses: reasons why a student might or might not want a religious component in college the four categories of religious affiliation at the...

It’s the end of the semester! Here are 6 straightforward tasks that will help you wrap things up, and position yourself to take a full break this summer, and then rock the next school year. Gretchen and Megan chat about: How and why to clean out your files and get set for the next school year the importance of verifying the accuracy of grades and transcripts how to reflect about what worked and di...

This has been the worst school year ever, and students and parents are barely hanging on as we near the end. Learn a few nervous system tools to help you stay as regulated as possible… and get all that missing work turned in. Specifically, Gretchen walks Megan and listeners through: a definition of the nervous system, and the three major “states” that human move through an explan...

It’s a month until final exams in the United States. What can teachers do to help set students up for less stress and more success this finals season? Listen in as Gretchen lays out 5+ tips including: how far in advance should you get students starting to prepare for finals what kinds of tasks are best to ask students to do (that don’t take much planning on your end) and more! Please f...

Families are sometimes so desperate to afford college that they jump at “opportunities” that are actually scams. Megan walks you through four types of offers families will want to say no to, including: Scholarships for a fee and financial planning promises “Exclusive” activities with overstated benefits “Honors” that families have to pay for and a lot of people...

Students’ mental health is struggling more than ever at this stage of the pandemic. Gretchen and Megan discuss the available resources to support students, along with tips and trick for everyone to make it through to the end of the semester. Specifically, Megan & Gretchen discuss: Reports Megan has received from parents of college age students Why students are feeling the pinch How to ta...

Too many students struggle with multiple choice tests. Often, this difficulty is  not  that they don’t know the material but  rather  because they haven’t learned how to take those tests well. Listen in as Megan provides her top five tips so you stop losing points on tests. Specifically, she discusses habits for how to: pay attention to the design of the test make sure you...

Today’s podcast is a special interview with school leader, consultant and author Taryn Fletcher. She and Gretchen will be discussion Dr. Fletcher’s new book In All Lanes: Action Steps for New Leaders to Empower Black and Brown Students, Rethink School, and Transform Behavior . Although this book is technically written for school leaders, we’ll be discussing Dr. Fletcher’s b...

Parents and educators often ask, “What order should we teach our students what academic skills?” In this episode, Gretchen rethinks whether the Study Cycle, her model for teaching students how the brain learns, really should be the center of her academic toolkit. In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, she and Megan discuss: how one Independent Study school is choosing to structure...

If you want to prepare your student to get in the perfect college for them, there really is a clear front runner that you absolutely should be paying attention to. In this episode, Megan breaks down the importance of making sure your core academics are as strong as possible. We cover: the two criteria for “success”: (1) getting INTO college and (2) graduating FROM college why a strong...

Many students don’t want to start thinking about college until they’re a junior (or even a senior!) in high school. However, it’s important to start them exploring college, and improving their academic track record, when they’re in middle school and early high school. How do you engage your reluctant teen? Megan and Gretchen chat about it, covering the following topics: How...

Note: This podcast episode originally ran on November 24, 2014 as Episode #18. Are you stressed out at this point in the semester? It’s hard to stay motivated in the face of increasing pressure, but it’s not impossible if you consider this checklist of motivation strategies. The College Prep Podcast cohosts have a fun time breaking down Gretchen’s top 10 list: Look back at your ro...

The college search process is intimidating for any families; add an “undocumented” status, and it becomes even more complex. In this episode, Megan walks us through some basic things to think about for any undocumented students and families, as well as the professionals who support them. We discuss: the definition of undocumented the college-related challenges of being undocumented col...

There is more and more demand for academic coaches! If you are a family considering whether to hire one, listen in to this discussion about how to find the right one… and how to set your student up for success. In this episode, Gretchen engages in conversation with five Anti-Boring Approach Trained Coaches in her community about their best and worst experiences with families considering acad...

Concerned about the high cost of college? Join the club. Megan walks families through seven strategies to reduce the cost of college. This is a “must-listen” for anyone getting started with the college search journey! She covers topics like how to: Collect lower cost credits Weigh choices like tuition vs housing/food and being an RA vs. living off campus Identify “feels like&#822...