Shift - College admissions in a changing world
The college admissions landscape is undergoing massive change. Our mission is to help you navigate these changes and get into your dream school. We give you tips and tactics for mastering the college admissions process, from application essays, to acing the ACT and SAT exams, to campus visits, mental health, and much more. Whether you’re just starting your college search or ready to submit your applications, we’ve got you covered. Achievable is a modern prep program for the ACT exam. Visit https://achievable.me to learn more.
Episodes
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Thursday Jul 11, 2024
Thursday Jul 11, 2024
ChatGPT and other tools are all the rage right now, but should you use them to help with your college admissions essays? Elton Lin, founder of Ilumin Education in California, has helped students get into top programs nationwide for over a decade. In this episode, Elton shares how schools are handling AI and how to use AI to help you with your essays while still following the essay rules for all colleges.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/#s=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
The new digital SAT is just a year old, so there aren't as many resources out there yet for people looking to practice it. How do you find the good ones? Dave Lynch, founder of StudyLark, has tutored students on the SAT for almost 20 years. In this episode, Dave shares his advice for finding good practice questions for the new digital SAT.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Looking for an edge on the SAT Math section? Jeffrey Dalton has been a teacher and SAT tutor for 14 years, and works with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education. In this episode, Jeffrey shares his top 5 tips for acing the SAT Math section on the digital SAT.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday Jun 12, 2024
Wednesday Jun 12, 2024
Ready to conquer the SAT Reading and Writing section? Jeffrey Dalton has been a teacher and SAT tutor for 14 years, and works with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education. In this episode, Jeffrey shares his top 5 tips for acing the SAT Reading and Writing section on the digital SAT.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Friday Jun 07, 2024
Friday Jun 07, 2024
In response to the SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action, Harvard added a new essay topic asking specifically about how your background influenced you. Nat Crawford is a Stanford PhD, founder of Improve Your English and college admissions counselor. In this episode, Nat shares why Harvard added this new optional essay to their application, why you should always answer it even if you are not from an underrepresented background, and tips for getting the biggest impact from your essay.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday May 29, 2024
Wednesday May 29, 2024
Getting into the top schools is tough enough, but if you make one of these key mistakes it can severely hurt your chances of getting admitted. Sam Hassell is one of the owners at Westchester Prep, and directs their college advising team. In this episode, Sam shares the 9 key mistakes he sees when students apply to the top colleges in the country and how to avoid them.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/#s=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday May 22, 2024
Wednesday May 22, 2024
The SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action was monumental, but how did it actually affect admissions? Elton Lin, founder of Ilumin Education in California, has helped students get into top programs nationwide for over a decade, and weaves life coaching and career advice into his practice. In this hour-long episode, Elton walks through the impact of the SCOTUS ruling on admissions chances for different students that he worked with and what he is hearing from other counsellors.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/#s=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday May 15, 2024
Wednesday May 15, 2024
For many, college is the pinnacle of your academic career, so how do you make the most of it? Louis Newman is former Dean of Academic Advising at Stanford University and now the author of the new book "Thinking Critically in College: The Essential Handbook for Student Success." In this episode, Louis shares advice for making the most of the academic part of your college experience, both to learn and to set you up for a successful career.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday May 08, 2024
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Looking to ace the SAT Evidence-based Reading section? Dave Lynch, founder of StudyLark, has tutored students on the SAT for almost 20 years. In this episode, Dave shares his best tips for simplifying and solving the various problem types you'll find on the SAT Evidence-based Reading section.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.

Wednesday May 01, 2024
Wednesday May 01, 2024
The biggest challenge that students face when they go to college is being on top of everything on their own. 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 explains the fundamental importance of organizational skills and executive functioning - not just for college, but for the rest of someone's life - and how teens can develop these skills ahead of college.
Achievable's ACT prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/act/overview/?utm_source=podcast to try it for free.
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About Achievable
The Shift podcast is hosted by Achievable, a modern prep program for the ACT exam. Achievable offers modern, guided, and personalized test prep that delivers better results in half the time. Our platform guides you through a personalized learning experience, reinforcing what you’ve learned as you study, and giving you certainty that you’re ready to ace your exam. We guarantee you'll ace your ACT exam on your first try, or your money back. You can try our course for free at https://achievable.me.