708. WHAT MAKES A GREAT COLLEGE TOWN?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Release Date: 02/24/2026
708. WHAT MAKES A GREAT COLLEGE TOWN?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Tremendous amounts of interest and anxiety are expended on answering the question of where a student might go to college. Usually, though, the focal point is the school and not the community around the school, when sometimes the setting makes all the difference. Amy and Mike invited educator Ryan Allen to explore the question of what makes a great college town. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is a college town? Why are some towns with colleges not proper college towns? What are some of the best college towns in the United States? What features or factors...
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707. OVERLOOKED TEST TAKING SKILLS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Every exam is designed to assess an obvious array of knowledge and skills. However, much more than the obvious is often needed to truly excel. Amy and Mike invited educator Mike Settele to review overlooked test-taking skills. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the obvious or well-known test-taking skills? What are some classic test-taking skills that influence the score? What are some overlooked test-taking skills? Are any of these skills hard or impossible to improve during the test prep timeline? What is the most important test-taking...
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706. COACHING FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
When you need expert individual support with skill, strategy, behavior, or body of knowledge, you’ll probably reach out to a tutor or coach. How do those roles differ, and how can you get the most out of them? Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Scott Clyburn to define coaching for academic success. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Is there a difference between teaching and coaching? What are simple conversation habits that keep students in the driver’s seat in learning? What is the best way to benchmark executive function skills? Why is it...
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705. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NEED A COLLEGE CONSULTANT?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
A DIY attitude can not only open the mind to new experiences and illuminate hidden strengths but also save a dollar or two. But we may not want to tackle every important task alone, particularly one as complex and chancy as a competitive college application. Amy and Mike invited independent educational consultant Jodi Rosenshein Atkin to help assess how to know if you need a college consultant. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Does every student need outside help in applying to college? What does a student’s high school have to do with the need for a college...
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704. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2026
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 this month? Where did Mike travel? What are Amy and Mike’s favorite family meals?...
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703. THE IMPORTANCE OF CALCULATORS ON THE SAT & ACT
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
There’s not a single question on the SAT or ACT that absolutely requires a calculator to solve. So are these powerful tools even necessary, and if so, where do they make a difference? Amy and Mike invited educators Vinny Madera and Tony Miglio to explore the importance of calculators on the SAT and ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How important is a calculator on the SAT and ACT? What are the best calculators to use on the tests? What skills are helpful to know for using DESMOS on the SAT and ACT? Is it better to take the digital ACT in order to be able to...
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702. WHAT IS THE CSS PROFILE?
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
The old saying that you won’t receive what you don’t ask for definitely applies to college financial aid. Nobody likes paperwork, but there’s one critical financial aid form that unlocks access to more than $14 billion in nonfederal aid. Amy and Mike invited financial planner Brian Eyster to explain exactly what the CSS Profile is. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the CSS Profile, and how does it differ from the FAFSA? Do all private universities require the CSS? How can I find out which colleges? Which assets and which income(s) do you need to...
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701. TEST SCORES: THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS EDGE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Even as many competitive colleges are returning to test score requirements for admissions, many others remain at least nominally optional. What does the near future hold for testing, and who stands to gain from improved exam performance? Amy and Mike invited educator Phillip Bates to explore the college admissions edge of test scores. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How significant are standardized test scores in today's increasingly holistic college admissions landscape? What strategies can students employ to maximize their test scores and gain a competitive edge in...
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700. CELEBRATING OUR 700TH EPISODE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
After 699 episodes devoted to amazing conversations about testing, admissions, education, and learning, it’s time for something completely different. Amy and Mike invited educator Scott Greenspan to help celebrate our 700th episode. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How did Tests and the Rest start, and how has it changed over time? What impact has the podcast had so far? What are Amy and Mike’s theme songs, mentors, and dream vacations? Who else would Amy and Mike be willing to host TATR with? What might the future hold for the National Test Prep...
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699. BEST COLLEGES FOR YOUR TUITION DOLLARS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
An assortment of institutions as diverse and differentiated as colleges and universities can be ranked and sorted in any number of ways. If not all listing criteria are equally relevant, which ones should you trust to find your best fit schools? Amy and Mike asked Washington Monthly editor-in-chief Paul Glastris to clarify his rankings for the best colleges for your tuition dollars. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What's wrong with the metrics that U.S. News and similar ranking systems use to rate colleges? What alternative metrics would be better to rate colleges? ...
info_outlineTremendous amounts of interest and anxiety are expended on answering the question of where a student might go to college. Usually, though, the focal point is the school and not the community around the school, when sometimes the setting makes all the difference. Amy and Mike invited educator Ryan Allen to explore the question of what makes a great college town.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
-
What is a college town?
-
Why are some towns with colleges not proper college towns?
-
What are some of the best college towns in the United States?
-
What features or factors make or break a college town?
-
Should more schools aim to create a full college-town experience?
MEET OUR GUEST
Ryan M. Allen is an Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education and Leadership at Soka University of America. His academic research centers on the internationalization of higher education, global mobility, and the intersections between education and urbanism, with a particular emphasis on the US and East Asia. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of College Towns, a Substack where urbanism meets higher education. He holds a PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MA from Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea), and a BA from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Ryan can be reached at collegetowns.org.
LINKS
Morrill Act (1862) | National Archives
The Education and Urbanism of Breaking Away
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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.