609. IEC PROFILE: Feiyang Liu
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Release Date: 12/02/2024
616. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2024
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. Once in a while, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own 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? How was the NTPA Winter Workshop? How did Amy celebrate the end of Mike’s term as NTPA President? How will...
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615. THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLEGE INTERVIEWS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
How odd is it that one of the most effective ways to learn about college applicants tends to be among the least frequent steps in the process. How valuable is direct conversation for evaluating prospective members of an educational community and what might the future hold? Amy and Mike invited college admissions expert Parke Muth to explore the importance of college interviews. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is typically meant by a college interview? How common and impactful are interviews in the current admissions process? What are the best ways to prepare for...
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614. QUALITIES OF GREAT EDUCATORS AND COACHES
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Just about anyone can become an educator or coach, but can anyone become great at it? Amy and Mike invited educator Dan Lerman to enumerate the qualities of great educators and coaches. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the foundational qualities of a great tutor or coach? What can be taught to tutors and how? How do you know if you are not a great tutor or coach? Beyond a test, what does a great tutor teach? What is the current state of tutor training? MEET OUR GUEST Dan Lerman is a professor of Cognitive Science at Columbia...
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613. IEC PROFILE: Alison Merzel
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alison Merzel. Alison Merzel is the founder of AHM Advising LLC, an independent educational consulting practice focused on helping high school students and families find their best-fit post-secondary educational options. Prior to launching her business in 2019, Alison was at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business for 15 years, most recently as the Senior Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions. Alison holds a BS from Northwestern...
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612. IEC PROFILE: Julie Spak
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Julie Spak. Since 1985, Julie has been connecting students to their futures in her work as a College Admissions Officer, Financial Aid Officer and Honors Program Counselor at the University of New Hampshire, where she received her M.Ed in Counseling and BA in Communication and English. Julie also worked as a School Counselor, so she knows how to help students and families from "both sides of the desk." She is a Past President of New Hampshire School Counselors...
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611. IEC PROFILE: Stef Mauler
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Stef Mauler, founder of the Mauler Institute™ and author of . She began working in Ivy League admissions over 30 years ago. She met thousands of high school students and their families as they went through the mysterious Ivy League admissions process. Discovering that the majority of applicants had the academic record, but were not accepted, she set out to find patterns in what differentiated the students who were accepted from those who weren’t. Stef holds a B.A....
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610. IEC PROFILE: Michelle Siddons
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Michelle Siddons. Michelle is an Associate Member of IECA, a new member of NTPA, and has her Masters in Education from Seton Hall and undergraduate degree from Colgate University. Michelle has been helping high school students for over twenty five years with test prep and the past five years with college counseling. She completed her certificate in college counseling from UCLA. She and her husband live in Mountain Lakes New Jersey, have three young...
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609. IEC PROFILE: Feiyang Liu
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Feiyang Liu. As a naturally introverted high school student, Feiyang felt immense pressure to adopt a bubbly, inauthentic persona for my college applications. This led to a lack of fulfillment and a realization that pretending to be someone he wasn’t came with significant consequences. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and from USC with a Master's in Education (Enrollment Management and Policy), he grappled with people-pleasing while...
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608. HOW TEST PREP PREPARES YOU FOR COLLEGE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The successful outcome of preparing for the SAT & ACT can yield a massive return on investment, but the real value lies in the process itself. Amy and Mike invited educator Rob Pollak to explore how test prep prepares you for college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is test prep all about tips and tricks? How is standardized test prep more than just preparation for one isolated exam? In what way does test prep challenge students to think more strategically about their learning and approach to studying? How do the skills students develop during test prep...
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607. THE DIFFERENT ROLES OF SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COUNSELORS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Teens on the road to college tend to encounter a variety of counselors positioned to support them on their journeys. However, not every one of these counselors has the same job. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Margaret Rothe to define the different roles of school and private counselors. What are five things you will learn in this episode? In what ways are school and private college counselors the same? Do you have to be a high school counselor to be a private college counselor? What is something high school counselors do that IECs don’t or can’t do? What is something...
info_outlineReady to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Feiyang Liu. As a naturally introverted high school student, Feiyang felt immense pressure to adopt a bubbly, inauthentic persona for my college applications. This led to a lack of fulfillment and a realization that pretending to be someone he wasn’t came with significant consequences. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and from USC with a Master's in Education (Enrollment Management and Policy), he grappled with people-pleasing while working in admissions and student services at UC Berkeley from 2019 to 2023. The burnout from constantly putting others' expectations above his own led to a pivotal moment of self-reflection.
In 2023, Feiyang relocated to New York, where he finally had the space to rethink my identity and values. This journey of self-discovery ignited a passion for genuine mentoring and ultimately led him to found Your Epic Consulting. His mission is to help students avoid the trap of "college pleasing" and instead showcase their true selves in their applications.
Feiyang combined his personal experiences and professional expertise to guide students toward holistic success. At Your Epic Consulting, they don’t coach you to say what 'sounds good' for college admissions. Instead, they empower you to express your authentic self, ensuring that self-acceptance and college acceptance go hand in hand.
Find Feiyang at https://www.instagram.com/yourepic.consulting/.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.
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.