253. The Unexpected Allure Of The Most Expensive Colleges
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Release Date: 10/19/2021
674. How And Why To Perform Your Best on the PSAT
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The PSAT/NMSQT may not influence college admissions decisions, but the test matters in more ways than you might think. Amy and Mike invited educator and author Brian Stewart to discuss how and why to perform your best on the PSAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What role does the PSAT play compared to the SAT or ACT? What are some of the most common mistakes students make with the PSAT and how can they avoid them? What study strategies or prep resources are most effective for the PSAT? What are some ways students can effectively use the embedded Bluebook tools to...
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673. Preparing For A College Admissions Interview
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Someone once said that interviewing is tough, especially if you don't know what you're looking for. Another complicating factor is having no answer to predictable questions–a regrettably common occurrence for higher ed applicants. Amy and Mike invited educator Alison Slater to explore the importance of preparing for a college admissions interview. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is it important to prepare before an interview? Are interviews impactful considering that many schools don’t offer them? Should students who are offered interviews take them? Who...
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672. From Stage To Test: What Performance Teaches Us About Test Anxiety
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
All the world’s a stage, which means that performance anxiety can be debilitating in a variety of contexts. What does it take to silence your inner critics and do your best when only your best will do? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Christine Gangelhoff to explore what performance teaches us about test anxiety. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the core similarities between test anxiety and performance anxiety in musicians or athletes? How can students pace their test prep the way performers pace their practice to avoid last-minute panic? What...
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671. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2025
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What have Amy and Mike been up to this month? How has the addition of the September SAT affected test prep calendars? ...
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670. Intentionality On The Road To College
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
It’s been said that when we set an intention, somehow the world seems to magically come to meet us. Does that apply in college admissions? You'll never find out if you don’t try. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Cadwallader to outline the impact of intentionality on the road to college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does intentionality mean in the context of the high school experience? How does course selection tell a story? What really matters when choosing extracurricular activities? What does the choice to work or volunteer during high...
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669. College Essay Secrets
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Few writing assignments loom as large or feel as significant as the application essay does to a college-bound teen. But what if the keys to a statement that makes a difference were both simple to understand and easy to implement? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Susan Knoppow to reveal valuable college essay secrets. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the real essay prompt every applicant needs to respond to? How are college essays used in the admissions process? Do they really matter? What are the biggest mistakes students make when writing college...
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668. STRATEGIES FOR THE COMPUTER-BASED ACT
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Starting in September 2025, the ACT will be administered nationally both on paper and on digital devices. Should you take the ACT on a computer? If so, what do you need to know in advance? Amy and Mike invited educator Adam Snoza to review Strategies For The Computer-Based ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What should test takers know about the digital interfaces? What are the differences in platforms between the in-school and national digital ACT? Even with the majority of test prep providers recommending the paper test, what are unique benefits to the digital...
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667. THE IMPACT OF DUAL ENROLLMENT
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Imagine two models of education, one of which reserves opportunities for college credit for college students and another which allows high schoolers to also earn college credit. Which do you think most college-bound students would prefer? Amy and Mike invited admissions professional Audrey Moreno to explore the impact of dual enrollment programs. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is an early college high school? Are there different models of dual enrollment offerings? Why is access to dual enrollment programs so important? What makes dual enrollment such a...
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666. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: July 2025
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What have Amy and Mike been up to this month? Why is summer always so busy? What’s the new college student housing...
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665. HOW TO MANAGE PROCRASTINATION IN THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Procrastination does not necessarily stem from laziness or disorganization. Sometimes, we put off important tasks to cope with negative emotions associated with their outcomes–perfectly understandable but highly undesirable when it comes to complex college applications and strict deadlines. Amy and Mike invited education consultant Michelle McAnaney to understand how to manage procrastination in the admissions process. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why do students procrastinate? Are there any benefits to procrastination? How does procrastination affect the...
info_outlineHigher education resembles most other goods and services in that price often increases with scarcity. In other contexts, though, the industry seems to defy economic principles. Amy and Mike invited editor Hilary Burns to explain the unexpected allure of the most expensive colleges.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- Are college prices continuing to increase?
- What relationship cost and selectivity?
- Are the most expensive schools seeing more or fewer applicants?
- Why is the total cost of attendance still an important consideration?
- What surprising tier of college has also seen an increase in enrollment?
MEET OUR GUEST
Hilary Burns is the founding reporter and editor of higher-education newsletter, The National Observer: Higher Education Edition, which launched in September 2020. Burns’ higher-education coverage is published in more than 40 business publications owned by American City Business Journals.
Previously, Hilary served as associate editor of the Boston Business Journal, where she covered higher education in Greater Boston and managed the paper’s special industry sections. She has also been in reporting roles for American Banker, The Charlotte Business Journal, and Bizwomen.com. Beyond those publications, her work has appeared in the Cape Cod Times, USAToday, Huffington Post, Charlotte Magazine, and USAirways Magazine. She has also been featured on local tv stations, NPR, and Bloomberg radio stations in Charlotte and Boston.
Hilary graduated from Wake Forest University, where she was editor of the student newspaper the Old Gold & Black, and now lives in Cohasset, Massachusetts, with her husband and rescue dog.
Find Hilary at [email protected].
LINKS
Are 'best' rankings detrimental to the US higher-ed system?
National Observer Higher Education Newsletter
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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.