Shift - College admissions in a changing world

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.

How to stick to an SAT / ACT study schedule even when it’s hard

Junior year is a crazy time for students: they have AP classes, varsity sports, extracurriculars, and oh right, the ACT or SAT exam to study for. Chris Sanderson founded Sanderson Test Prep in 2011 and has seen a lot of students succeed and fail at studying over his decades of test prep experience. In this episode, Chris shares his tips for planning your SAT/ACT studying and how to stick to that plan as the school year gets busier and busier.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

ChatGPT changes the college admissions game

ChatGPT3 was released to the public in December 2022 and immediately became the talk of the education world. It is by far the most advanced and comprehensive tool for AI-assisted writing, and can write you an entire college admissions essay in a few clicks. David Blobaum is one of the co-owners of Summit Prep and a nationally recognized expert on the SAT, ACT, and college admissions. In this episode, David and I talk about the impact of ChatGPT on academia and how it'll change college admissions forever.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Deep dive on the SAT’s place in college admissions

With the pandemic, many more universities went test-optional or test-blind than ever before. Alan Sheptin, founder of Sheptin Tutoring Group, has been advising college applicants on admissions and the SAT and ACT exams for over 30 years. He's seen a lot. In this episode, Alan explains the impact of this shift to test-optional admissions on both admissions and school rankings, how students and parents should navigate it, and what the SAT or ACT exams places are in the new paradigm.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Everything you need to think about when building a college list: competitiveness, financial aid, fit, and more

Shane Bybee has run Bybee College Prep for almost a decade and has helped thousands of students get into colleges all around the country. He's seen a range of students from all walks of life, and at all GPA, SAT/ACT, and financial levels. In this episode, Shane breaks down what you need to think about as you're building your college list: what schools can you afford, what state scholarships and admittance programs can you take advantage of, how can you build a list of competitive schools for your GPA and SAT/ACT bracket, what's the best fit for your career, and more.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

What extracurriculars and AP classes matter in the college admissions process

Students can choose from a wide array of AP classes and extracurriculars when trying to build our their college resume - but which ones will actually move the needle? Steph Shyu, founder of Admitsee - a crowdsourced database of college applications, has seen thousands of college apps, including extracurriculars. In this episode, she shares which AP classes are worthwhile and which extracurriculars stand out to admissions officers.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

When to apply with or without a test score to a test-optional college

The test-optional debate is raging in the college admissions world, and students are often getting conflicting advice on whether or not they should submit scores. In this episode, Marc Gray, founder of Odyssey College Prep and the author of Achievable's ACT course, shares how he thinks about the context for test-optional admissions, how he advises families on whether or not to submit test scores, and advice for people facing a similar decision.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

ACT vs. SAT difficulty and choosing the right test for you

Brian Eufinger, cofounder at Edison Prep, has tutored ACT and SAT full time for over 15 years and has a wealth of experience with both exams, including taking each test annually himself. In this episode, Brian outlines how to evaluate which of the two tests you should take, including where you are on the score spectrum, whether you have test anxiety, and how the subject matter differs.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

What extracurricular projects are worth it for college admissions?

Sure, you should be pursuing extracurriculars that you are actually passionate about. But which ones are going to help boost your college application? How can you take your passion and apply it in a way that gives you the best positioning for success? Marc Gray, founder of Odyssey College Prep and the author of Achievable's ACT course, shares how he thinks about building a resume for the college admissions process, his approach to targeting extracurriculars, and how to build for impact that will impress a college admissions officer.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How to get a great letter of recommendation

Steph Shyu, founder of Admitsee - a crowdsourced database of college applications, has seen a LOT of recommendation letters. In this episode, Steph outlines why colleges look for in letters of recommendation, what makes a recommendation letter stand out, and the best way to set up your letter writer to produce something great. 
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.