657. DOES IT MATTER IF YOU TAKE CALCULUS IN HIGH SCHOOL?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Release Date: 06/24/2025
667. THE IMPACT OF DUAL ENROLLMENT
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Imagine two models of education, one of which reserves opportunities for college credit for college students and another which allows high schoolers to also earn college credit. Which do you think most college-bound students would prefer? Amy and Mike invited admissions professional Audrey Moreno to explore the impact of dual enrollment programs. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is an early college high school? Are there different models of dual enrollment offerings? Why is access to dual enrollment programs so important? What makes dual enrollment such a...
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666. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: July 2025
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 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 this month? Why is summer always so busy? What’s the new college student housing...
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665. HOW TO MANAGE PROCRASTINATION IN THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Procrastination does not necessarily stem from laziness or disorganization. Sometimes, we put off important tasks to cope with negative emotions associated with their outcomes–perfectly understandable but highly undesirable when it comes to complex college applications and strict deadlines. Amy and Mike invited education consultant Michelle McAnaney to understand how to manage procrastination in the admissions process. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why do students procrastinate? Are there any benefits to procrastination? How does procrastination affect the...
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664. TESTING GAMEPLAN FOR THE CLASS OF 2027
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
When tests change, so should the conventional wisdom about timelines and options. How will the Enhanced ACT factor into your admissions exam plans? Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to review a testing gameplan for the HS class of 2027. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the main issues for students in the high school class of 2027? What are the timelines students should keep in mind? Have test score policies changed over the last year? Should ACT test takers sit for the optional Science section? Should students focus on only one test? MEET OUR...
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663. ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2026
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Every year, new calculations and complications impact the college application process. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2026. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is the enrollment cliff real, and what does it mean for the Class of 2026? Which colleges and universities are becoming more popular? With the science section in the ACT becoming optional, should students still take it? Is building a balanced college list enough? With changing math standards...
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662. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FOR THE STUDENT ATHLETE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The path for high school athletes seeking to play at the next level becomes more uncertain every year. The increasing complexity of college sports recruitment is matched only by the uncertainty of every other part of the application process. Amy and Mike invited college advisor Barb Smith to share answers about college admissions for the student athlete. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the primary mistake that student-athletes make when they go through the college selection process? What are common myths about the college selection process that trap...
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661. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: VEGA AI
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
AI-first data-driven platform to build, deploy, analyze, and personalize any course. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind VEGA AI? How does VEGA AI work? Who currently uses VEGA AI? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about VEGA AI know about it? ABOUT VEGA AI lets educators build Duolingo-style engaging courses in minutes. It creates personalized tests, grades them, flags learning gaps, recommends next steps, and even deploys your AI-avatar to answer doubts 24/7. The smartest educators across the Globe...
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660. HOW ARE POLITICAL CHANGES SHAPING HIGHER ED?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The walls of academia have always seemed distant and distinct from the corridors of political power. But even the ivory tower isn’t safe during periods of dramatic societal change. Amy and Mike invited educator Dominique Padurano to explore how political changes are shaping higher education. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What have been some events that have catalyzed change in higher education during the past two years? What could be the biggest changes to US colleges and universities in the coming months? What impact have these developments had on...
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659. HOW MUCH AI IS JUST RIGHT IN THE COLLEGE ESSAY?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Smart college applicants know not to let artificial intelligence agents write their entire personal statement but might shudder at the idea of ignoring these tools entirely. How much is too much? Amy and Mike invited educator Razi Hecker to explore how much AI is just right in the college essay. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Should students avoid AI entirely when writing their college application essays? At what points in the writing process can AI be most helpful? What tasks can be AI-assisted and which ones should never be? Is there a danger that use of AI...
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658. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: June 2025
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 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 Conference in Minneapolis? Where did Mike go after Minneapolis? What projects are Mike and Amy working...
info_outlineIf you’re applying as a STEM major or looking at selective colleges, there’s no question that you should consider taking advanced or accelerated math courses at the secondary level. The question instead revolves around which course to take. Amy and Mike invited researcher Adam Tyner to review whether taking calculus in high school is absolutely necessary.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
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What are the typical pathways for showing math rigor in high school?
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Does the choice between calculus or statistics matter?
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In what cases would one of these choices be more advantageous to an applicant?
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Do students who have taken calculus in high school outperform their peers?
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Are their equity issues wrapped up in this decision?
MEET OUR GUEST
Adam Tyner is the national research director of research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he helps develop and manage Fordham’s research projects. Prior to joining Fordham, he served as senior education analyst at Hanover Research, where he executed data analysis projects and worked with school districts and other education stakeholders to design custom studies.
Adam has also spent several years leading classrooms, teaching English as a second language in both China and California and teaching courses at the University of California, San Diego. His work has appeared and been cited in national and international media such as The Economist, The New York Times, Forbes, Education Week, Education Next, and The Diplomat, as well as in numerous local outlets. Adam holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, San Diego, where he completed his doctoral dissertation on the integration of rural-to-urban migrant workers in China’s cities. He also holds a bachelor of arts in international studies from the University of Oklahoma.
Adam first appeared on the podcast in episode 140 to discuss Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension and in episode 295 to discuss Would Eliminating Tests Make Education More Equitable.
Find Adam at fordhaminstitute.org.
LINKS
Calculus or Statistics: Does it Matter?
RELATED EPISODES
CHOOSING HIGH SCHOOL MATH COURSES STRATEGICALLY
MATHEMATICAL MATURITY AND TEST SUCCESS
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CALCULUS AB OR BC EXAM
GETTING READY FOR AP PRECALCULUS
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
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.