591. ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2025
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Release Date: 09/10/2024
592. MAKING YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYS COUNT
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
As short as college application essays have to be, they still contribute heavily to holistic admissions decisions. Don’t waste a single word! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Sheree Gravely to discuss how to make your college essays count. What are five things you will learn in this episode? When should students start the college essay writing process? How can students find great ideas to write about? How are the common app essay topics different from supplemental essays? Should parents participate in the writing process? What topics should students avoid writing about? ...
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591. ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2025
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Every year, the conventional wisdom about getting into college gives way to painful, new truths and exciting, new opportunities. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2025. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are colleges and students using AI and AI detectors in college admissions and college essays? Are more colleges requiring test scores this application cycle? If so, why? Why is there a dearth of SAT centers despite more colleges requiring tests, and what can...
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590. HOW TO PREP FOR THE DIGITAL PSAT
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Every October, the PSAT is administered in high schools. Even though the test has no bearing on admissions, college-bound students should still take–and prepare–for it. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Stewart to explore how to prepare for the digital PSAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How has the PSAT changed over the past couple of years? What are some resources students can use for PSAT preparation? Besides "test prep," how can students improve their PSAT readiness? What are some of the most common mistakes high-achieving students make on...
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589. THE ROLE OF RAPPORT IN EDUCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
When learners work with teachers, tutors, consultants, and coaches, developing domain mastery and a strategic plan is an obvious component of success. Less obvious, however, is the instrumental roles personality and chemistry play in the learning process. Amy and Mike invited Jagmohan Durganandan to explore the role of rapport in educational relationships. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does rapport mean in an educational or coaching context? Why does rapport matter? How can educators and coaches cultivate effective rapport? What is the role of students in...
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588. BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Advanced Placement courses have set the standard for accelerated subject studies in many high schools, but next year’s offerings may look very different from what teachers and students are used to. Amy and Mike invited educator John Moscatiello to explain the big changes–both in testing platforms and course options–in AP tests in 2025. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why did the College Board revise the scoring of AP tests? How has the College Board recalibrated AP test scores? What new AP tests will be available in the 2024-2025 school year? How is...
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587. SHOULD I APPLY EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
SHOULD I APPLY EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION? When applying to highly selective schools, every advantage makes a difference. Why, then, would a student pass up one of the biggest multipliers in acceptance rate? Amy and Mike invited education consultant David Parker to explore the existential college admissions question: should I apply Early Decision or Early Action? What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are all of the ways to apply early and why do colleges offer so many options? What are the differences between early decision and early action? What are the benefits...
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586. WHAT DOES THINKING CRITICALLY IN COLLEGE MEAN?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The standard high school education covers a broad and deep array of state-mandated subjects but doesn’t necessarily cultivate strong critical reasoning skills. That’s a shame, because those skills are essential to success in higher education. Amy and Mike invited college dean Louis Newman to explore what thinking critically in college means. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Do teens typically arrive at college with sufficient critical thinking skills? What does critical thinking mean in an academic context? What kinds of critical thinking do college...
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585. HOW PREPARATION AND MINDFULNESS GO TOGETHER
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Some people embrace practice and coaching in order to be ready for a certain moment, while others train to be fully present in any moment. When it comes to the most important moments, why not both? Amy and Mike invited educators Claire Russell and Aproteem Choudhury to explore how preparation and mindfulness go together. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How do test prep tutoring and mindfulness coaching overlap? What are the primary reasons a student would benefit from mindfulness preparation in test prep? How does mindfulness help students achieve in...
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584. USING THE DESMOS CALCULATOR IN DIGITAL TESTING
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Powerful graphing calculators can provide potent math problem solving advantages for students that know how to use–and can afford–them. What is the impact, then, when everyone has free access to leading edge calculation tools? Amy and Mike invited educator Kyle Terracciano to explore using the Desmos calculator in digital testing. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the Desmos calculator, and what can it do? How is Desmos integrated into college admissions testing? What are the best resources to learn Desmos for the Digital SAT? When is it best to utilize...
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583. THE VALUE OF THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
When Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters, he may not have had higher education in mind. That said, applicants often overlook what really matters on the road to college. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Arthur Smith to explore the intrinsic value of the college admissions process. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does the college admissions process entail in general? What is actually involved when you focus on “the process” instead of the outcome? How can focusing on “the process” lead to more...
info_outlineEvery year, the conventional wisdom about getting into college gives way to painful, new truths and exciting, new opportunities. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2025.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
How are colleges and students using AI and AI detectors in college admissions and college essays?
-
Are more colleges requiring test scores this application cycle? If so, why?
-
Why is there a dearth of SAT centers despite more colleges requiring tests, and what can students do about it?
-
How will AP’s recalibration of scores influence admissions decisions?
-
Will the FAFSA be a disaster like it was for the Class of 2024?
MEET OUR GUEST
Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, founder of Orlowski College Consulting, has worked in education for 35 years and has worked as an Independent Educational Consultant for 10+ years. She has a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, a BA in Communicative Disorders from San Diego State, and two active teaching credentials. She taught deaf, LD, and 2E students for four years and was a college counselor at a small private school for 3 years. Rebecca specializes in gifted/2E, STEM, creative, homeschooled, and transfer students.
Rebecca first appeared on the podcast in episode 369 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE CLASS OF 2023 and in episode 526 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024.
Rebecca can be reached at [email protected].
LINKS
U.S. Department of Education Announces Schedule and New Process to Launch 2025-26 FAFSA Form
Is next year’s FAFSA already off the rails?
Incorporating AI into the Admissions Process
Testing Policies in the Spotlight
I live in Northern California. Why do I have to travel hundreds of miles to take the SAT?
Colleges are using AI in admissions. How can they do it right?
RELATED EPISODES
HOW STUDENTS USE GENERATIVE AI
WHAT DO TRULY TEST OPTIONAL COLLEGES FOCUS ON?
BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE BETTER FAFSA
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.