675. Unlocking Automatic Scholarships With PSAT, SAT, & ACT Scores
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Release Date: 09/23/2025
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...
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677. How Ikigai Can Help To Choose a College Major
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Ikigai, a Japanese concept that translates to "a reason for being" or "a reason to live," focuses on the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Doesn’t that sound like a critical consideration for college students and applicants? Amy and Mike invited admissions expert V. Peter Pitts to explore how ikigai can help to choose a college major. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is IKIGAI? How can an Ikigai exercise help in narrowing down your major? Do students really need to choose a major before...
info_outlineThe process of applying to college can be so cumbersome and time consuming that applicants have little time left over for elaborate scholarship applications. Luckily, students can qualify for abundant merit aid just by excelling on admissions tests they should be prepping for anyway! Amy and Mike invited educator Shaan Patel to explore how to unlock automatic scholarships with PSAT, SAT, & ACT scores.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
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How directly do SAT and ACT scores translate into guaranteed scholarship money?
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How does the PSAT connect to the National Merit Scholarship program?
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What score ranges typically unlock the biggest automatic scholarships at public and private universities?
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How can families use their College 529 Savings Plans for test preparation?
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What are the most effective strategies for students to maximize both their scores and scholarship opportunities?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dr. Shaan Patel is the Founder and CEO of Prep Expert. On ABC’s Shark Tank, he closed a deal with Mark Cuban for an investment in Prep Expert. He created Prep Expert to help high school students achieve their own dreams. Prep Expert has helped more than 100,000 students improve their SAT and ACT scores, get into top colleges, and win over $100 million in scholarships. Prep Expert offers online SAT and ACT courses, academic tutoring, and college admissions consulting.
Shaan can be reached at prepexpert.com.
LINKS
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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, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. 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, get in touch through our contact page.