615. THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLEGE INTERVIEWS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Release Date: 12/17/2024
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. Sometimes, 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? What have Amy and Mike been up to in the last month? How is Amy using ChatGPT? What is College Eagle? What updates...
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The ACT has been a remarkably stable exam, administered in roughly the same way for decades. However, a new version is on the horizon, and some intrepid souls have braved the uncertainty of the field test to experience it. Amy and Mike invited someone who sat for the April 2025 Enhanced ACT to share the test taker’s perspective. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What were your general impressions about the enhanced ACT test experience in the digital format? What did you find to be the same on the enhanced ACT? What did you find to be different on the enhanced ACT? ...
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The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Economics is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Michael Rodriguez to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Economics exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the Macro vs Micro AP Economics exam? How do students score points on the AP Economics exam? What are the highest priority topics on...
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The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Precalculus is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Joey Lin to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Precalculus exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Precalculus exam? How do students score points on the AP Precalculus exam? What are the highest priority topics on the test? How...
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The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and the various AP World Language and Culture exams are no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Milton Alan Turner to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for AP World Language exams. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on AP World Language and Culture exams? How do students score points on AP Language exams? What are...
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AKA Not Just Your Tutoring Software–It’s Your Tech Team What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Wise? How does Wise work? Who currently uses Wise? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about Wise know about it? ABOUT WISE Founded by a former test prep tutor, is a feature-packed tutor management platform built for both online and in-person tutoring, supporting one-on-one and group tutoring formats. Backed by the founders of Teachable, Plaid, Rippling, and others, it is trusted by over 1,000...
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Mental math trains working memory, boosts confidence, supports faster problem-solving, enhances number sense, and facilitates everyday calculations. So why do so many teachers deemphasize this valuable academic and life skill? Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to explore the value of mental math and automaticity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why do you need mental math if you have a calculator? What does automaticity mean and why is it important? What are some examples of higher-level problem types that depend upon automatic math skills? What is math...
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A test platform by tutors and for tutors Better SAT and ACT Tests, Smarter Analytics with educators Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind ScoreSmart? Which tests does ScoreSmart support? Who currently uses ScoreSmart? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about ScoreSmart know about it? ABOUT SCORESMART is the brainchild of Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer. ScoreSmart is dedicated to giving discerning tutors tests they can trust, scores calibrated to the...
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You can’t please everyone, nor should you seek to, because then you won’t please anyone, least of all yourself. When actor Dylan Moran dispensed that bit of wisdom, he probably wasn’t aware of how aptly it applied to highly selective admissions. Amy and Mike invited education consultant Feiyang Liu to highlight the troubling college pleasing epidemic. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is college pleasing, and where does it originate from? How can students, parents, and educators spot signs of college pleasing? What are the hidden costs of college pleasing,...
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Learn everything you need to ace the AP U.S and World History Exams in One Day What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps? How do Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps work? Do you need to live in Atlanta to attend Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps know about it? ABOUT AP HISTORY BOOT CAMPS Every April, Edison Prep offers AP US and World History Bootcamps in preparation for the May AP exams....
info_outlineHow 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?
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What is typically meant by a college interview?
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How common and impactful are interviews in the current admissions process?
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What are the best ways to prepare for college interviews?
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Why should interviews be used more often?
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What are some of the downsides of requiring more interviews?
MEET OUR GUEST
Parke Muth has worked in education for over 35 years. Most of the time he served as a Dean at the University of Virginia in the admission office and in the English Department. He now works with companies, schools, families, and students across the world but mostly focusing on Asia where he spends about 1/2 of the year.
While at Virginia, Parke was, among other things, Director of Selection and Recruitment of Honors Scholars, Director of Application Assessment Training, and Director of International Admission. He’s been serving for over 25 years as a member of the Jefferson Scholars selection committee. This four-year, full scholarship is among the most elite programs in the United States. Parke also serves as an advisor for the Ron Brown Scholars Program, an elite scholars program that provides financial support and leadership training, networking, and career services for underprivileged black students.
Because of his experiences in admissions, Parke is a highly sought-after speaker He has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg, Associated Press, NBC, etc. He has had over 6 million people read his responses on the website Quora.com. He also has a blog with over 4,000 pages of content, all free, no ads or promotions: https://onlyconnectparke.blogspot.com/
Parke previously appeared on this podcast in episode 81 to discuss You Can't Handle the Truth: Secrets of College Admissions and in episode 148 to discuss Stop Making $en$e: The International Student Problem and in episode 292 for an IEC Profile.
Find Parke at [email protected].
LINKS
Can You Answer These 10 College Interview Questions?
Askwith Education Forum Details Impact of Wealth on College Admissions
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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.