687. FOREIGN LANGUAGES AS A SUPERPOWER IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Most college-bound teens tend to focus on core English, history, science, and math classes as the keys to the schools of their dreams. Little do they know how important or influential their language studies can be. Amy and Mike invited educator Rachèle DeMeo to explore foreign languages as a superpower in college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What’s the best way for students to make their language proficiency really stand out on a college application, so it doesn’t just look like another bullet point? How can students highlight their language...
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686. BEST & WORST EXTRACURRICULARS FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The choices a high schooler makes about how to spend their time outside of classes tell prospective schools a lot about what kind of college student they’ll be. However, in terms of admissions, not all activities are created equal. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Marlena Corcoran to review the best & worst extracurriculars for high schoolers. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the worst extracurricular activities for college-bound students? What are the runners-up for the prize? Are there any harmless extracurricular activities? ...
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685. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: STUDYSPACES
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
What if your PDFs could grade and track themselves? with educator Jam Mirzakhalov What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind StudySpaces? How does StudySpaces work? Who currently uses StudySpaces? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about StudySpaces know about it? ABOUT STUDYSPACES StudySpaces helps tutors create, assign, and track student work in one place. It connects directly with your existing curriculum, automatically pulling in your PDFs and materials so you never have to start from scratch....
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684. HOW TO PLAN FOR YOUR COLLEGE TRANSFER
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Believe it or not, over one-third of college students transfer at least once while earning their degree. So why do so many students assume their first school will be their forever school? Amy and Mike invited college advisor Jaime Smith to share insights on how to plan for your college transfer. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Where do students most commonly struggle when preparing to transfer schools? How easy is it to transfer credits between colleges? What might students do in advance if a potential transfer is in their future? Do transfer students need SAT or...
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683. WHAT DO FEDERAL POLICY CHANGES MEAN FOR FINANCIAL AID?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The ability to pay for a college education usually depends on stable economic conditions and clear, predictable rules. But what happens when everything seems to change every day? Amy and Mike invited financial aid advisor Ed Recker to explain what federal policy changes mean for financial aid. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What federal policy changes will have the potential biggest impacts to students? What federal policy changes will have the potential biggest impacts to colleges & universities? Has the U.S. Department of Education’s reduction in force (RIF)...
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682. CULTIVATING AND RECOGNIZING ACADEMIC CURIOSITY
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The primary goal of our formative years is often seen as figuring out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Why, then, do we focus so much on what we want to *be* instead? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Matthew Jaskol to explore the importance of cultivating and recognizing academic curiosity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the development process for a curious but undecided student? Why does fostering intellectual curiosity get overlooked in traditional education systems? What are ways to encourage students to explore or engage...
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681. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2025
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The Tests and the Rest podcast is always focused on exploring essential 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 and ongoing adventures 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 busy was last month for Amy and Mike? How can educators balance work and family? Should high school prepare teens for the work world? What is...
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680. SCHOLARSHIPS, MAJORS, AND HOW CLARITY CAN UNLOCK MORE COLLEGE AID
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
While high schoolers don’t need to know exactly what they’ll be doing with the rest of their lives, those students who make intentional, well-informed major choices before applying to college can unlock more merit-based and private scholarship opportunities–including specific awards based on intended major. Mike moderated a conversation with Dave Peterson and Lisa Marker-Robbins to explore Scholarships & Majors: How Clarity Can Unlock More College Aid. What are five things you will learn in this episode? If scholarships aren’t just awards for past achievements, how should...
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679. How Do Female Students Benefit From Female Educators?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
If learning and testing weren’t already challenging enough in and of themselves, success can often depend on the level of congruence between students and teachers. For example, is gender an influential factor in academic success? Amy and Mike invited educator Megan Fitzwater to explore how female students benefit from female educators. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the key differences in how girls learn when they work with female mentors? What factors likely contribute to girls feeling like bad test takers? What role do standardized tests play in shaping...
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678. HOW PARENTS CAN SUPPORT (NOT DERAIL) THE COLLEGE PROCESS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
For many college applicants, the dream of higher education would be unattainable without the support of their parents and guardians. That doesn’t mean, however, that these well-meaning adults can’t become an adverse influence in admissions. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Lisa Hillhouse to discuss how parents can support and not derail the college process. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What non-negotiable terms should be established at the beginning of the process? 2. How can parents support the exploration phase of the college search process? 3. What...
info_outlineDuring a period of American education history where most standardized tests fell at least momentarily out of favor, one series of exams seems to be growing in popularity with no end in sight. Amy and Mike invited educator Rob Franek to explore the explosive rise of Advanced Placement testing.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
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What has inspired the recent increase in AP tests and testing?
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What is College Board’s strategy with the Advanced Placement program?
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Will AP tests replace the need for SAT and ACT in admission considerations?
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Where do these developments leave students without access to AP programs?
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Will digital APs be cause for applause?
MEET OUR GUEST
A national expert on colleges and higher education, Rob Franek is a publisher, editor, lecturer, media contributor, and author as well as a former college admissions administrator.
As Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, he oversees the company’s 150+ Princeton Review books distributed by Penguin Random House. He also directs the company's annual surveys of students, parents, and school administrators. The survey findings are reported at dozens of education conferences and by hundreds of media each year.
Over his 33-year career, Rob has visited more than 1,200 high schools and more than 1,000 colleges and graduate schools. It is his interactions with students, parents, and counselors that he cites as his most inspiring professional experiences. He gives more than 100 talks a year to audiences of students, parents, educators, counselors, and advisors. He has chaired panels and presented keynotes at many National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) conferences and delivered commencement addresses at three universities.
Rob is author of four books: The Best 390 Colleges; The Best Value Colleges; College Admission 101; and Colleges That Create Futures. He also spearheaded the publications of The Ultimate Guide to HBCUs and The College Wellness Guide .
As director of The Princeton Review's surveys, Rob has polled millions of college and graduate school students for the company’s school rankings which are based on student ratings of their schools and tallied in dozens of categories. Rob also oversees the company’s annual College Hopes & Worries Survey of thousands of college applicants and their parents as well as its annual College Administrator Summer Survey .
Rob has hosted 140+ videos on The Princeton Review's YouTube channel . which collectively have received more than a million views. Among them: The New SAT: 15 Must-Know Answers About the Test , The ACT is Changing: 5 Things to Know , and Key Concepts for Spring 2024 AP Exams .
Sourced by the AP, Voice of America, New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education , and other media, Rob has also appeared on hundreds of broadcasts including more than 30 appearances on NBC TODAY. Hoda Kotb, the show's co-anchor, has introduced him saying “ He talks. We listen!” Rob has also appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NPR, PBS, and NHK (Japan) as well as the Emmy-award winning show Teen Kids News.
Rob earned his B.A. at Drew University (NJ) and serves on its Board of Trustees. Prior to joining The Princeton Review in 1999, he was a college admissions administrator at Wagner College (NY) for six years.
A resident of Manhattan, Rob is a New York history buff and an avid runner.
Rob can be reached at robert.franek@review.com.
LINKS
Advanced Placement - College Board
AP Test Prep - The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review Reports Findings of Its 2024 College Administrator Summer Survey
RELATED EPISODES
BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
CONTROVERSIES AROUND NEW AP PROGRAMS
CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS
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.