Let's Talk College

Freddie deBoer is a freelance writer. He has a Ph.D. in writing assessment and has worked in administration in higher education. After Harvard announced they would stay "test-optional" through the class of 2026, his article "Why the Fuck Do You Trust Harvard?" had some interesting insights. Follow him on Substack: https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/ Find out about Cult of Smart: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/cult-of-smart/

We're starting off our 2nd year with a conversation with someone who has been doing test prep long enough to see the dramatic changes that have happened. Ben Sexton, owner of Sexton Test Prep, specializes in helping students trying to get into the top 5 percent of test scores. Check out his company at https://www.sextontestprep.com/.

Want to save $50,000 on college? It's been 1 year! (It's been 1 year?) In this anniversary episode, I look at 2 case studies of students we've worked with recently and the value of their test scores in their college admissions process. This podcast is in connection with my recent blogpost. https://bybeecollegeprep.com/college-applications/what-they-dont-say-about-test-scores/

TikTok stars, SAT prep experts, and now published authors. Josh and Jackie, owners of J&J Test Prep, sat down to talk with me about their new book, No B.S. SAT Math, their approach to helping students improve their scores, and other things going on in the world of college admissions. You can find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/B-S-SAT-Math-Joshua-Kariyev/dp/B09M5L78YB/ Find out more about J&J Test Prep here: https://www.jjtestprep.com/

Many parents and students have the dream of playing their sport in college. I sat down with Rusty Oglesby, one of the top soccer coaches in Texas, to talk about the process of becoming a college athlete and his experiences helping students achieve that goal.

Pranoy Mohapatra, owner of PM Tutoring, is an expert in online tutoring. We sat down to talk about how to make online sessions as effective as in-person tutoring and what parents should watch for in a quality online tutoring session. Find out more about PM Tutoring at https://pmtutoring.com/ Check out his demo video at https://youtu.be/mzCQH3CMYO4

Let's Talk LSAT! Dave Lynch is THE expert LSAT tutor! Check out his services at https://studylark.com/ We also talked about a fantastic web designer, Jason Armour. Shout out to Jason at https://jasonarmour.com/

Whether he is a college professor and part time tutor or a tutor whose side hustle is math professor, Vinny Madera is definitely one of a kind. It was great to sit down with him for an hour to talk about his unique perspective on this crazy college thing. Click here to visit Test Prep Wizards

Wendy Raynor is the expert I turn to any time I have a question about accommodations for the SAT or ACT. She sat down to talk with me about the way tutoring and testing is different for neurodivergent students.  Find out more about Wendy's programs at http://www.wrhcollegeprep.com/

In the world of test prep tutors, Tony Miglio is something of a unicorn. He was tutoring virtually well before a pandemic forced tutors to figure out how to make it work. He's built a thriving business focused primarily on helping students with just one section of one of the tests. If you're looking for an expert on ACT Math, Tony is your guy. Check out NKY Tutoring at https://nkytutoring.com/

Claudia Murga is on a mission to help 1st generation college students with the complicated college admissions process. It was exciting to find out more about how she created a program that has already helped hundreds of students realize their college goals. Click here to visit her Facebook page and find out more about her program.

With the rising costs and increased competition at universities in the US., some students are thinking about attending schools overseas. Kevin Newton, founder of An Education Abroad, sat down to share his insights into how the process of applying to a school in another country is similar to and different from applying to a school here, as well as what the advantages and disadvantages can be. You can find out more about An Education Abroad at http://aneducationabroad.com/.

No guest this week. Instead, I share 5 questions we ask to help build college lists and some key resources to help you find the answers. 1. What do you want to study? https://www.youscience.com/ 2. What are you looking for in a college? https://www.amazon.com/College-Match-Blueprint-Choosing-School/dp/1733578412/ 3. What colleges offer what you're looking for? https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ 4. What colleges fit your academic profile? (no link - College Name Common Data Set) 5. What is college going to cost? https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/paying-your-share/expected-family-contribution-calculator

John Irish is verifiably one of the top 5 educators in the country. That's not just me saying it. College Board selected him as one of 3 teachers to help rewrite the AP US History exam, and he was selected as the co-chair of that committee. He reads for the AP exam every year and spends his summers traveling around the southern US teaching other APUSH teacher how to teach the subject. I was lucky enough to get him to sit down with me, mostly because he was avoiding grading papers.

I had the chance to sit down with Aaron Golumbfskie, Education Director at Prep Matters based near Washington, D.C. Sometimes referred to as "the godfather of test prep", Aaron shares his unique perspective about helping students navigate the college admissions process.

I got the chance to sit down with Anam Iqbal and Karla Hernandez from the University of Texas at Arlington to talk about how the admissions process is unique to them and their mission. They shared the programs that make UTA special and insights into how they can help students and celebrated the university's recent designation as a Tier 1 research university in Texas. Find out more about UT-Arlington: https://www.uta.edu/ Contact Anam: anam.iqbal@uta.edu  Contact Karla: karla.hernandez@uta.edu 

Mike Bergin, founder and President of Chariot Learning, is a recognized leader in the field of test preparation. Among his many  endeavors, Mike is one of the founding members of the National Test Prep Association, an organization dedicated to establishing best practices and credibility for test prep professionals. He is also the co-host of a fantastic podcast called "Tests and the Rest". Chariot Learning National Test Prep Association Tests and the Rest

Gary Stocker is the founder and CEO of College Viability, an app parents can use to evaluate the financial viability of a university they are considering. It's not something most parents think about, and we discuss why it can be such an important consideration when selecting a school to attend. Find out more at their website: https://collegeviability.com/ Contact Gary at gary@collegeviability.com

We often talk to parents of students with good grades but low test scores - the "Good Student/Bad Tester" problem. What causes this? More importantly, what can you do to solve it? Here are some links referenced in the podcast: Khan Academy SAT Subreddit ACT Subreddit SATACTPrep Subreddit (Probably the most helpful)

We're taking a break from interviews for the next couple of weeks, and I wanted to share some tips on things parents can watch for here at the start of the school year to help keep their students on track. I discuss 2 specific things that seem to come up in the Fall semester each year and how you can help your student they make these mistakes.

Justin Doty, Dean of Admissions at Trinity University, sat down with me to talk about what is without a doubt one the top universities in the state of Texas. We discussed Trinity's admission process as well as how it has adapted to expand beyond its reputation as a liberal arts university.

Griffin graduated from THE Ohio State University in May of 2021 and started his first job with 49Financial this Fall. He shares how he chose his major and his university as well as his strategy for finding his first job.

In response to cancellations of the SAT and ACT administrations in the spring of 2020, many colleges and universities announced new "test optional" application processes. Now that the class of 2025 is moving into their dorms, what can we tell about the results of these policies?

Julie Neunreiter (nine-rider) Byrd is an expert on helping students write their college essays. We sat down to talk about the writing process, what makes college essays different, and how to help students get discover their own voice in the writing. If you want to contact Julia for more information, here's her information. Email: julia@essay-coach.com Website: https://essay-coach.com/ Phone: (571) 606-5325

This is the first episode in what I hope will be a series where I get to talk with admissions officers from colleges and universities. Of course, I had to start with my alma mater Texas Tech. Rex Oliver, the Director of Recruitment at TTU, and Jennifer Mauppin, Regional Manager for the Dallas-Fort Worth area sat down to talk about their unique approach to recruiting students to the Ivy on the Plains that is Texas Tech.

Headed into her Senior year at Texas A&M, Katherine has a unique major, Industrial Distribution, that is a combination of engineering and business. It's not the sort of major that most students know about when they think about majoring in engineering.

Having graduated from from Columbia just 6 years ago, Srishti makes me wonder what I've been doing with my life. Currently working at her 3rd start up, she's been involved in 2 others, both of which have had successful exits. Along the way she worked for Dell, but she found the atmosphere of a start up suits her better. She shares what that means for her and how she discovered that interest.

Sameer is a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army currently serving in South Korea. He attended Baylor University and earned his commission through an Army ROTC scholarship. In a era of continually rising college costs, and ROTC scholarship remains one of the best ways to pay for college. Sameer shares what it meant for him and how students can qualify.

Mike McGibbon is the founder and CEO of Mathchops, an online program that helps students improve their math skills. Mathchops approach to the process is to gamify the tasks in a way that is engaging and meets the student where they are. It helps math concepts on the SAT, ACT, ISEE, and others. Click here to visit the Mathchops website. Click here for a video walkthrough of the program.

Michael Cone has done a lot of things. Business owner, classroom teacher, youth minister. For 28 years now, he's been involved with Young Life, currently as an area director for the organization. Now as a parent of 4 girls, the oldest of whom is starting to think about college, he's looking at the entire process from a range of perspectives.

I often talk to students who are preparing on their own for the SAT or ACT. They are often making simple mistakes that, if fixed, could help them get higher scores faster. In this episode, I also reference an earlier College Insights where I talked about using QAS and TIR dates. Click here for that episode.

It's not every week you get to sit down with a Hall of Famer. Kendall Pryor was inducted into the University of North Texas Hall of Fame in 2017. She now coaches at Denton Ryan High School. She shares her experiences as a player at the Division 1 NCAA level, how she got to that level, and what it means in her approach to coaching today. We talked about overcoming adversity at all of those levels as well. https://meangreensports.com/honors/north-texas-athletics-hall-of-fame/kendall-juett/207

Kylie graduated from UT-Austin with a degree in Communications in May of 2020. The last year convinced her she wanted to do something different with that degree. When we got to talk for this podcast, she'd just finished her first week in her Educator Preparation Program (EPP) at SMU. In this wide ranging conversation, we also talked her unique college application, how she got into UT but was not in the top 6%, and the semester she spent at sea while getting her degree.

As a recent college graduate now pursuing his Master's degree, Kadeem makes me wonder what I've done with my life. Growing up in Jamaica, Kadeem was a featured cellist who often performed for visiting heads of state. At Seton Hall, he was the principal cellist in the university orchestra. He also has a real estate business. Oh, and he just published his first book, The Full Student. In this episode, Kadeem share his process for deciding to attend Seton Hall as well as how he is trying to help other students be successful themselves. You can find out more about Kadeem on his website, The Full Author: https://thefullauthor.com/

It doesn't take thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to prepare for the SAT or ACT. In this episode I outline 4 key things you need to do to be ready for the tests. 1. Decide on Fall or Spring testing 2. Determine which test to focus on 3. Select the dates that work for you 4. Plan for focused prep Link to a free ACT practice test: https://cloud.e.act.org/free-practice-act-test Link to more information on QAS and TIR dates: https://bybeecollegeprep.libsyn.com/some-sat-and-act-dates-are-better-than-others-college-insight-7

Al's son is headed to the Colorado School of Mines next year. As a parent, he has just guided his student through this process and shares the insights he gained along the way. He shares how his son ended up choosing this particular school from the list of 21 schools he applied to as well as the things he found most important as a part of the process. 

A parent recently asked me for help. Her 8th grader was having to fill out her high school plan and had a limited idea of what careers were out there. She knew what mom and dad did and what she'd seen on TV. Where should she start? I didn't know, so I invited Lisa Marker Robbins, founder of Flourish Coaching, to sit down and share her insights into how parents can help their students with those decisions. Click here to visit Flourish Coaching's website Click here to join Lisa's Facebook group

Chris is one of the first students I ever helped with the college admissions process. He had many tough decisions to make when applying to college, not the least of which was the best way to share how he overcame a significant obstacle. When he was done, he had offers from Georgia Tech and Duke. Instead he chose the University of Texas at Dallas. For some great reasons. He now works at Microsoft working on AR and VR headsets for underwater exploration. It's a fascinating story of how he got there.

If you've ever heard that some test dates are easier than others, the person saying it doesn't know what they're talking about. On the other hand, you can get more out of some test dates than others because of a special service both College Board and the ACT offer. Find out how to incorporate those opportunities into your college admissions plan.

Ronell Smith is about to start the college admissions process with his older daughter. We talked about what they've focused to this point in the process and what his and his daughter's conversations have been about their goals.

Jordan was determined to graduate from UT-Austin, so when the offer via the CAP program came, he took it. He graduated from UT-Austin in 2019 with a degree in Economics. The road had its bumps, and he shares insights into how he got to the job he's working at now.

Parents and students find the ACT and SAT frustrating. Unlike many things in the student's college prep process, parents can actually get an understanding of what a student is up against when it comes to these tests: take a free one for themselves. You'll get a better idea of how your student is being asked about rectangles and commas. Click here for a free ACT Click here for a free SAT

It was great talking to Natalie about what she's doing at Raising Cane's. She's even had the chance to be in one of their commercials. It's fair to say that working as an "internal support specialist" wasn't what she thought she'd be doing when she started college, but she's found a career she loves. Find out how she got there.

We see the headlines about students who "got into all the Ivies". We read stories about how college acceptance rates are going down. Are those stories the template or the outlier? In this College Insight episode, I focus on 5 things that create a compelling college application.

Maddy has always been passionate. While studying at Northeastern, she has focused that passion towards social equality, particularly with a couple of causes in her home town of Southlake, TX. The two of us represent very different perspectives on the world we're living in, and we had a great conversation about how disparate perspectives can coexist.

Find out about our new program called Parent University. Stef Mauler, founder of The Mauler Institute, and I discuss the community we're building that we call Parent University. We talk about the successful launch of our live event and the Facebook group we've built as a result of it. Click here to find out more about an upcoming Parent University live event Click here to join the Parent University Facebook group Click here to find out more about The Mauler Institute

Ariel is a Computer Science Ph.D. candidate at MIT. He dreamed of going to MIT while he was in high school. He shares how the path he took to get there and the decisions he made along the way that helped him realize that dream.

This time of year parents of high school seniors are experiencing sticker shock. Their students worked hard to earn an admission to their dream college, and then the financial award letters start coming in. Researching the cost of attending a particular school needs to be a critical part of that process. It can be a difficult conversation to have with your student, but if cost will be a factor, the earlier you can have that conversation the better. Links mentioned in the episode. College Navigator TuitionFit.org College App Spreadsheet Click here for my blog post on this topic

What are your options for to prepare for the SAT and ACT? What are the different approaches companies take to creating their programs? What should you look for in finding a test prep partner? I sat down with two of the best test prep professionals in the country to get their perspective on the SAT, ACT, and college admissions as they are today. Brian Eufinger owns Edison Prep, based in Atlanta, GA, with his wife Silvia. Pranoy Mohaptra owns PM Tutoring, based in central New Jersey. Both also offer online tutoring. We talked about our different approaches to how we do this test prep thing and what it means for students.

Selective colleges are now expecting students to have completed courses in high school that require planning to take that course several years in advance. In this bonus episode, I share what those expectations are and when that planning needs to take place.

When Eric started in the theater program at USC, one of only 12 students selected for that program, he was confident his path was clear. Then life happened. He shares the amazing story of how he went from 2005 Best One-Act actor in the state of Texas to working behind the scenes as he builds his own dream in a different way. This episode is a fabulous look at working through the plans when the plans don't work as planned.