258. Avoiding The Pageant Approach To College Admissions
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Release Date: 11/05/2021
569. HOW TO PERSIST TO COLLEGE GRADUATION
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Getting into your best fit school usually feels like the prize at the end of a long and grueling journey, but the next step in the undergraduate adventure has really just begun. Will you emerge victorious, degree in hand? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Beth Howland to share insights into how to persist to college graduation. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the difference between retention and persistence and how is each related to graduation rates? What are the most common reasons students leave college? How should families think about college...
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568. HOW STUDENTS USE GENERATIVE AI
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The artificial intelligence genie is out of the bottle, and there’s no way to put it back in. All we can do is learn to live with AI as productively as possible. No surprise, today’s youth are leading the charge from middle school to college. Amy and Mike invited ed tech expert Annie Chechitelli to describe how students use generative AI. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are students using generative AI? What are positive and productive ways to use generative AI? What are less-productive ways to use generative AI? Are current detection tools keeping up...
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567. GETTING READY FOR THE AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Computer Science is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Edward Lee to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Computer Science A exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Computer Science A exam? How do AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles differ? What are the highest...
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566. GETTING READY FOR THE AP LITERATURE EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Literature exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Literature exam? What are the different approaches required by each essay? What strategies lead to higher scores on the AP Literature exam? How should students...
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565. GETTING READY FOR THE AP CALCULUS AB OR BC EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Shayda Moshirvaziri to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Calculus AB or BC exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Calculus exam? How important is a calculator on the AP Calculus exam? What are the highest priority topics for this exam? What are the best prep...
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564. GETTING READY FOR THE AP GOVERNMENT EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Dan Corrigan to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP United States Government and Politics exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Government and Politics exam? What are the highest priority topics for this exam? How should students prepare for the AP Government? What...
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563. GETTING READY FOR THE AP PHYSICS 1 EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Physics 1 is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educators Jennifer Boughton and John D’Alessandro to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Physics 1 exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Physics 1 exam and how does it differ from the other physics APs? How important is a calculator on the AP...
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562. TESTING POLICIES AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY REVISITED
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Theories that standardized testing impeded equity in admissions decisions drove the pandemic-era test optional movement. With a few years of real-world data, we can now examine the accuracy of those theories. Amy and Mike invited student advocate Dr. Yoon Choi to revisit the review of testing policies and educational equity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What does the research say about testing and equity? 2. How do standardized tests help predict college readiness? 3. Why do many states and school districts in the U.S. use the SAT and ACT tests as part of their...
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561. POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Students and their families anxiously awaiting acceptance letters often feel helpless throughout the college admissions process. Little do they realize how quickly the advantage can shift in their favor. Amy and Mike invited educator Debra Landesberg to explore the concept of power dynamics in college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. Why are power dynamics worth considering in the admissions process? 2. Who holds the most power before applications are submitted? 3. Who holds the most power once applications are submitted? 4. Who holds the most power once...
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560. BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Some rumors about the costs of college are true. For example, some colleges this year will establish record highs in tuition and fees. But does that mean you can trust everything you’ve heard? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Garcia to bust some pervasive myths about how to pay for college. What are five myths that are busted in this episode? Myth #1: We're not poor and our student isn't an athlete, so we're stuck paying full price for college. Myth #2: I have a 4.6 GPA so I will get merit scholarships wherever I apply. Myth #3: My Student Aid Index/EFC is what it will...
info_outlineTraditional beauty pageants typify the kind of competition where contestants do everything possible to be judged positively by a group of complete strangers. Unfortunately, selective college admissions can feel like this as well, unless applicants learn a better way. Amy and Mike invited educator Neill Seltzer to discuss how to avoid the pageant approach to college admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What's wrong with the beauty pageant approach to admissions?
- What are some eternal truths of college admissions?
- Why is an empowerment model of admissions the best approach?
- What is the dual role of a college admissions office?
- How is authenticity the secret to successful admissions?
MEET OUR GUEST
Neill Seltzer is the TestPrep Director for Mindprint Learning. Neill is a long-time test prep veteran who got his start as an SAT tutor in Hong Kong in the early 90s. Since then he has run test prep and tutoring companies around the country and internationally including stints as the COO of Test Services Inc, Chief Product Officer at Inspirica, CEO of Noodle Pros, and the National Content Director at The Princeton Review.
Neill has written or contributed to over twenty books on standardized tests, built test prep apps, designed testing engines and score reports, trained hundreds of tutors, and tutored or taught thousands of students. He has a BA in English from Vassar and a Masters of Architecture from Pratt. Now, as a father of three, Neill is navigating the world of standardized tests in a whole new, eye-opening role: parent.
Find Neill at [email protected].
LINKS
3 Underrated Facts About College Admissions
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TRANSPARENCY 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.