599. TEST PREP PROFILE: Sara Kohn
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Release Date: 10/11/2024
600. CELEBRATING OUR 600TH EPISODE with educator Susan Powers
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
After 599 episodes devoted to amazing conversations about testing, admissions, education, and learning, it’s time for something completely different. Amy and Mike invited educator Susan Powers to help celebrate our 600th episode. Get ready to hear from the ghosts of podcasts past, present, and future along with a modified Colbert questionnaire! What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the biggest things Amy and Mike learned since the beginning of the podcast? What were some of our favorite episodes? What will our podcast tombstones say? What are Mike, Amy,...
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599. TEST PREP PROFILE: Sara Kohn
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Sara Kohn, who was raised in South Florida and attended Florida State University, where she obtained a degree in marketing. She later pursued a master's degree in exercise science. About two decades ago, She began tutoring about 20 years ago and eventually established her own company, Ready Set Prep - now called Advanced Test Prep, focusing on high level preparation, particularly for National Merit and the PSAT/NMSQT. She has conducted successful...
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598. TEST PREP PROFILE: Reema Chitalia
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Reema Chitalia, a dedicated test prep expert passionate about shaping the futures of students pursuing education abroad. After earning her Master's degree in the United States and working as a consultant at Deloitte, she recognized gaps in global education systems and utilized technology to tackle these challenges. Before long, she established Edufit, an innovative online test prep platform that offers bite-sized lessons designed for Gen Z, ensuring thorough...
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597. TEST PREP PROFILE: Dan Cozzens
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Dan Cozzens. Dan has worked at for almost twenty years: first as a Tutoring Associate, then Operations Director and now COO and Head of Tutoring. Building on individual subject tutoring mastery (including the standardized tests, Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Humanities, Executive Function Coaching and Homework Help), his experience now extends to most facets of the tutoring world: hiring, training and managing tutors; building relationships with families and...
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596. TEST PREP PROFILE: Mary Bassey
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Mary Bassey, a multi-passionate professional whose education and experience has spanned multiple subjects and standardized test types in the tutoring industry, in traditional education, in presenting literature from neuroscience spaces, and in music. After 15 years as a tutor, she founded Tutoring With Mary in 2022, a business that offers academic support in STEM and English-Language Arts school subjects, test prep support, college essay coaching, and scholarship...
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595. TEST PREP PROFILE: Kate Fisher
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Kate Fisher, who grew up in Englewood, NJ, and graduated cum laude from Horace Mann School, where she remains an active part of the community and is a member of the Alumni Council. Private tutoring is not Kate's side hustle; rather, she deliberately chose to pursue it as a full-time career because she loves teaching and values cultivating genuine and impactful relationships with her students and their families beyond the boundaries so often required by traditional...
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599. TEST PREP PROFILE: Sara Kohn
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Sara Kohn, who was raised in South Florida and attended Florida State University, where she obtained a degree in marketing. She later pursued a master's degree in exercise science. About two decades ago, She began tutoring about 20 years ago and eventually established her own company, Ready Set Prep - now called Advanced Test Prep, focusing on high level preparation, particularly for National Merit and the PSAT/NMSQT. She has conducted successful programs across...
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594. IS ROTC FOR YOU?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Many young adults grapple with the decision to either pursue undergraduate education or enter a branch of the U.S. military. Why choose when doing both can pay off in so many different and meaningful ways? Amy and Mike invited college counselor Phil Black to explore answers to the question, “Is ROTC for you?” What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is ROTC and why is it getting so popular? What type of students should consider ROTC? Does an ROTC commitment improve admissions outcomes? How much money do ROTC scholarships offer? What’s the commitment like as an...
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593. THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
We all know that getting into and paying for college represent two very different challenges. But what if you could focus on factors that improve your odds of accomplishing both at the same time? For a surprising number of schools, you can! Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to explain the role of test scores in college merit aid. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What's the difference between need-based aid and merit aid? Can people with incomes too high for need-based aid still qualify? What are merit aid grids? How have they evolved over the last 20...
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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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Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Sara Kohn, who was raised in South Florida and attended Florida State University, where she obtained a degree in marketing. She later pursued a master's degree in exercise science. About two decades ago, She began tutoring about 20 years ago and eventually established her own company, Ready Set Prep - now called Advanced Test Prep, focusing on high level preparation, particularly for National Merit and the PSAT/NMSQT. She has conducted successful programs across South Florida, contributing to around 10% of all semifinalists in the state annually. Expanding on her passion for education and helping students achieve their academic goals, Sara’s journey in the field of tutoring and test preparation has been both fulfilling and rewarding. Through her company, Advanced Test Prep, she has been able to make a significant impact on the educational landscape of South Florida.
Sara has had the privilege of assisting educators and school districts nationwide in establishing their test preparation programs, aiding them in seamlessly incorporating test preparation into their existing curriculum. Additionally, she has collaborated with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army, and the FIU Upward Bound Program. This enables her to offer elite private school services to individuals who may not have access to them otherwise.
Find Sara at www.advancedtestprep.com.
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.