Shift - College admissions in a changing world

Walkthrough of how to maximize your financial aid when applying to college

College costs have risen to insane levels, even for formerly 'affordable' schools. Yet did you know that many students don't pay full price? Kailey Ossanna, owner of KO Tutoring, is passionate about helping students receive their maximum financial aid from her own experience with college. In this episode, Kailey tackles common misconceptions about financial aid, shares all of the options that students have for receiving financial aid, and explains how to go about obtaining the most financial aid possible.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Why you should take AP or IB exams to improve your college resume

In the test optional world we now live in, colleges are looking for new measures of a student's ability. For this, taking AP and IB courses isn't enough - you need to take the AP and IB tests to prove your mastery of the material. Scott Clyburn, founder and director of North Avenue Education, has been a professional educator since 2005 and advises tons of students on academics and the college admission process. In this episode, Scott shares why AP and IB exam scores are so important for differentiating yourself in the college admissions process, and how to strategize which AP or IB exams you should take.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How to use ACT and SAT practice exams and an error log to maximize your score

Randee Schneeberg, founder of JettPrep, has been advising students on standardized test prep for 24 years. Their student average on the SAT is a 1465, and a 32 on the ACT. How do they do it? In this episode, Randee shares some of her key strategies for improving SAT and ACT scores over time, specifically how to leverage practice exams effectively and using an error log to minimize your mistakes.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How brilliant people struggle as learners and how to unlock their potential

You would think that the smartest people will always be the best learners, but this is not the case. Often times, the confines of a classroom can lead to a student being unmotivated and uninspired. Ian Siegel, founder of Streamline Learning and author of School Sucks, Your Child Doesn't: The Secret To Unlocking Your Child's Potential, clearly has strong opinions on this topic. In this episode, Ian shares "how smart kids learn", how to support smart kids that are struggling in school, and how to get these smart kids to reach their full potential.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Hacking MIT admissions: how this college counselor got 100% of his MIT applicants admitted in 2020

How do you get into MIT? Nat Crawford, Stanford PhD, founder of Improve Your English and college admissions counsellor, knows something you don't - he got 3 out of 3 applicants he was advising into MIT in 2020. In this episode, Nat shares why doing well on the ACT/SAT isn't enough to get into the top schools, how to research what your first choice school wants to see, and how to shape your application to fit what your target school is looking for.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

The test optional landscape and recommendations for this year’s juniors and seniors

Should this year's juniors and seniors apply with ACT/SAT test scores or take the option to omit scores? Rachel Elmer and Emily Lubejko are testing and college admissions experts from Private Prep, a national test preparation and college admissions firm. In this episode, they share their insight into the test optional landscape and what factors should determine whether you submit scores to your target schools.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Mega episode: DEEP dive on how to get an internship that actually helps you get into college

Students looking to get into top schools already do the grades, sports, extra curriculars, and more, so how do you stand out? A killer internship is one of the best ways. Most internships don't help your college application, and this is a big missed opportunity. Sasha Chada is founder and CEO of Ivy Scholars, whose students have 7X the admission rate to Stanford, Columbia, MIT, and other top schools. In this mega-episode, Sasha shares his playbook for getting an internship that will actually make you a more competitive candidate for your dream school.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How to get merit aid scholarships when you aren’t eligible for need-based aid

College costs more than ever. One of the best ways to take the sting out of the price of your favorite school is scholarships, especially merit aid scholarships which you can earn for getting good grades, having good ACT/SAT scores, and more. Jamie Smith, founder of Jamie Smith IEC and an educator since 1997, has helped countless families get as much financial aid as possible. In this episode, she discusses how to research merit aid scholarships at the college you're applying to, how to apply for them, and how to manage for cost while making your college admissions decision.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Test optional policies and their impact

Test optional is the hot topic in college admissions today. Over a thousand colleges went test optional during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now that the pandemic restrictions have largely been lifted in the US, what does that mean for this trend? Joan Casey founded Educational Advocates College Consulting in 2004, and has been advising students of all backgrounds on college admissions for almost 20 years. In this episode, she covers the impact of the large shift to test optional admissions in 2020 and subsequent years, and what she thinks will change in the coming years.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Creating a roadmap for your life and planning your college application process

College is where you find yourself, right? Well nowadays, that's an expensive way to experiment. Tom Leahy's Optimum Education advises high school students not just on college admissions, but on how young people can prepare to launch into their adult life and do so successfully. In this episode with loads of tips for students and parents, Tom shares how to start thinking about college as early as eighth grade and how to think about your pre-college 'career' to maximize your outcome for both college admissions and your post-college success.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.