The College Prep Podcast

How does a student recover from “hitting bottom”, and failing a class and tests multiple times? In this final Summer Case Study, Gretchen shares a success story from a college student she worked with last semester. Tune to in to hear about her exciting about face!

Many students believe that they’re supposed to “check off” as many impressive extracurriculars as possible, if they want to get into a good college. But actually, there are some smarter (and more fun) ways to think about your extracurriculars. Megan walks you through two student case studies.

Many students come into Advanced Placement classes with skill deficits when it comes to learning. How can schools help bridge this “preparation gap”? Gretchen shares a real-life story about an AP teacher who did just that for her 97% economically disadvantaged students. Learn how in this episode.

Sometimes a family can overlook a key characteristic in a college that makes it an extraordinarily bad fit for a student. In this shorter summer episode, Megan tells a story about a student who ended up choosing the exact wrong college for his learning needs, and how this student adjusted.

What happened when one of Megan’s students got kicked out of college his first semester of freshman year? Megan walks us through what happens you a student gets too much freedom too soon, and includes some tips for the types of conversations parents can have with their students before college to mitigate disasters like this in the future.

The impact of teaching a study skills class to middle school students has some surprising benefits! In this Summer Case Study episode, Gretchen shares about an innovative Study Skills program for 7th graders. Not only did the requests for one-to-one support drop by 80%, but worried parent calls dropped as well. Tune in to hear how it was done!

What happens when you assume you’ll get into all your college choices and don’t include a back up school? Sometimes you can get rejected from every school you apply to! In this shorter summer episode, Megan walks us through this sad-but-real story about one of her clients, and leaves you with some tips to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

Expert academic coaches come in all shapes and sizes! Over the years training folks to start their businesses, Gretchen has encountered a surprising array of reasons that people shift their careers and become coaches. In this Summer Case Study episode, she outlines 8 of these reasons, and gives families advice about how to think about what kind of a background might be right for you, and provides some advice to folks who are wanting to start their businesses too.

What happens to students who don’t heed Megan’s warnings about how to approach their SAT’s, ACT’s and other standardized tests? In today’s shorter summer episode, Megan walks us through some disaster scenarios that actually happened to some of her student clients. Tune in to hear all the gory details.

Are you confused about all the collegiate jargon? Maybe you are an international student or a parent who hasn’t been in school for many years. Maybe you are trying to navigate all the terms and graduation requirements for your new university. Listen in as Megan outlines many the terms you should know and what they mean. Recently we received this email from a student who will be a freshman in college next year, which inspired this question: I want to better understand all the college terminology and lingo admission advisors and recruiters throw around. What does stuff like college credit, difference between courses, electives and workshops, what does it mean to register for classes, etc.? Where do I learn more about this stuff? I can’t seem to find any reliable resources for understanding these things other than just googling the dictionary definition (which isn’t all that helpful). I actually want to understand how this terminology system works and why it’s used. Please let me know how you might be able to help.I am an Indian citizen but I’m completing high school in Nigeria. I am going to university in Canada to study 3D Animation at Emily Carr University. I am the second person in my immediate family (other than my sister) to have the opportunity to study abroad. Right now, I am preparing to register for classes and generally planning for college but I’m struggling to interpret most of the technical collegiate jargon and it’s really slowing down the process.  Tune in to hear Gretchen and Megan lay out all the technical jargon they can think of! We hope this helps.

Have you ever thought about why schools are structured the way they are, from grades to homework and more? Researchers and authors Jared Cooney Horvath and David Bott chat with Megan and Gretchen about their latest book 10 Things Schools Get Wrong. Together they unpack topics like: * the difficulty and the importance of good teaching, a* why grades are a good motivator but a bad learning indicator (and should probably be abolished)* the reason that growth mindset is not the magic bullet we’d all hoped it might be,* and more! To access follow up resources for the book, check out the book’s official web page or this YouTube channel. Jared Cooney Horvath is a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in human learning, memory, and brain stimulation. He earned his Master’s degree from Harvard University and his Doctorate from the University of Melbourne. In 2018, Dr. Horvath co-founded LME Global to bring his pioneering brain and behavioral research to teachers, organizations and professionals looking to boost their performance and gain a competitive edge. To inquire about booking Dr. Horvath for a speaking engagement, or to view his online courses and training material, visit www.lmeglobal.net. You can also find him on twitter at @jchorvath. David Bott (PGDipEd, PGDipPsych) is the Associate Director of the Institute of Positive Education. As an expert in applied wellbeing science, David has supported thousands of educators across the globe in designing and implementing system-level approaches to wellbeing. David sits on the Dubai Future Council for Education and has published in prominent academic journals and industry periodicals. He currently serves on the board of the Positive Education Schools Association. You can find him on twitter at @davidbott.

If it seems like there are changes every few months in colleges admissions testing, there are! Megan walks us through the latest shifts, and gives advice for families who are transitioning their students to college in the next few years. She discusses: * essay requirements for the SAT and ACT* how many times you can take the ACT to get the score you want* whether or not to take subject tests* and more!

Many students are exhausted with learning during a pandemic, and more and more are considering taking a gap year between high school and college. In this episode, we chat with Rebecca Barr from www.EFGapyear.com about how gap years work and ways to structure them to infuse inspiration back into life and learning. Specifically we chat about: * The benefits of a gap year and busting some myths about gap years!* Her own own experience taking a gap year in Turkey, and* The structure of our global EF Gap short-term, semester, and year programs Ever since taking her own gap year in Turkey, Rebecca has been passionate about the benefits of a global education. Now as the Strategic Partnerships Manager at EF Gap Year, Rebecca works with institutional partners including counselors, educational partners, and colleges to make more gap experiences possible. Having lived, studied, and worked in countries across the globe, she loves to use her global skills as a part of the EF Gap Year team to help other young people find their passions through a gap. She believes that no matter who you are, where you want to go, or what you want to do with your life, a gap will make your path better, clearer, and much more interesting. A gap year is for everyone!

Do you want a college that supports your religious beliefs? Or would you prefer a college that is not religious at all? Today Megan walks us through several tips for how to do a college search if you do or don’t want religion to be a major factor. She discusses: * reasons why a student might or might not want a religious component in college* the four categories of religious affiliation at the college level* what to ask during your college search process to find out if this school is, or isn’t, the right one for you

It’s the end of the semester! Here are 6 straightforward tasks that will help you wrap things up, and position yourself to take a full break this summer, and then rock the next school year. Gretchen and Megan chat about: * How and why to clean out your files and get set for the next school year* the importance of verifying the accuracy of grades and transcripts* how to reflect about what worked and didn’t in a way that helps you remember for next year* a trick to making sure summer assignments get done well* the importance of updating your resume with all your school year activities, and* (for juniors only) how and when to ask teachers for recommendations. Have a great summer everyone! This From the Archives episode originally aired on May 23, 2016 as episode #106.