Shift - College admissions in a changing world

Developing your passion and the skills you need for life, not just your college application

It's easy to get caught up in the 'game' of college admissions and doing things for admission's sake, but the best thing you can do for admissions and yourself is find genuine passions that you want to pursue in college. Gabriel Kadian is one of the owners at Westchester Prep, and directs their college advising team. In this mega-episode, Gabriel shares his thoughtful advice for developing genuine passions that last a lifetime, and make finding activities to pursue for college admissions easy and fun.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How to craft an excellent essay, with excerpts from top college admissions essays

You've heard about great admissions essays - now let's go over some real ones together. Claudine Vainrub is the founder of EduPlan, and she has been helping students apply to colleges for over 20 years. In this episode, Claudine walks you through multiple top college admissions essays and pulls out the key lessons that you can leverage to craft your own essays.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How international students can leverage their unique background to write great US college application essays

International students might worry they have a tougher time applying to US colleges, but they have a unique advantage: their international background. Erik Kolb is an independent college advisor that has worked with hundreds of international US college applications around the world. In this episode, Erik explains how international students can leverage their background and unique experiences to craft compelling essays, including tips for brainstorming and writing them.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How to get an internship or start a club at school that will actually help you get into college

It's easy to say 'get an internship' or 'start a club', but what's actually going to help you get into college? Valerie Erde is the founder of Veridian Prep, and loves to use data to inform the test prep process. In this episode, Valerie walks you through how to secure an internship or create a club that will actually help your application, including what colleges want to see, how to position what you're doing to match, and actually doing it.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

What to do the night before and morning of your ACT or SAT test

The 12 hours before your ACT or SAT can make or break your 'game day' performance. Alexis Avila is the founder and CEO of Prepped and Polished, a tutoring and test prep company with a focus on executive function coaching. In this episode, Alexis walks you through how to properly prepare for your ACT or SAT, including routine suggestions for the week of and morning of, and helpful tips for getting your mind right the day of the test.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Why using an error log can help you build confidence on the ACT and SAT

Using an error log is a crucial tactic for improving your standardized test scores, yet so few people actually do it. Claudia Chesler has been part of the Potomac Education Center for the last 17 years. In this episode, she walks you through what an error log is, how to create one for yourself, and how to use it to reduce mistakes and improve your ACT and SAT scores.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

How to handle failure and bounce back

Almost everyone gets rejected from a college, misses the mark on their SAT, or bombs a key exam. The key is what you do next. Mark Cruver, founder of Capstone Educational Consultants, has been helping students get into college for over a decade. In this episode, Mark shares his philosophy for handling failure and how to both take care of yourself during failure and then set yourself up for future success.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

What you get when you study for the ACT and SAT

When you study for the ACT and SAT, you don't just get into college - you get skills that can help you for the rest of your life. John Baylor, founder of OnToCollege, works with over 700 high schools around the nation to help their students get into college. In this episode, John shares his philosophy for why the ACT and SAT can be helpful to you now and also prepare you for college and beyond.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Your top college asked you to interview with an alumni - here’s what to expect and how to prepare

Did you know that colleges can ask you to interview with an alumni as part of your college application process? Kristie Beck is the founder of Savvy Strategies, a college admissions and test prep firm, and was a high school teacher for 15 years. In this episode, Kristie walks you through the process of interviewing with an alumni for college admissions, what to do, what NOT to do, and how to make sure the interview is a positive in your application.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.

Building a cohesive college essay

How do you write a college essay that connects the dots for admissions officers? Sarah Cook is the founder of College Bound Career Ready, and has 18 years of experience in education and college admissions. In this episode, Sarah shares her framework for building a cohesive college essay, including how to brainstorm properly, how to organize your many essays to cover the appropriate ground, and how to tie everything together into a cohesive story.
Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the ACT exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.