The College Prep Podcast

We love it when families reach out with questions! Today Megan and Gretchen tackle topics related to college admissions, the Duke TIP program for 7th graders, homeschooling, and more! Switching to ACT. My son thought the SAT would be his...
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Getting students to persist through college is as — or more! — important than getting in. But families often put so much effort into the first part of the process that they forget to pay attention to the second. Gretchen...
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Does college still work? Is the system designed just to protect the privileged and leave everyone else behind? Or can a college education today provide real opportunity to young Americas. Join us for an interview with journalist and author Paul...
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The most common question Megan gets from families is how to choose between the ACT, SAT or both? The answer is sadly not clear cut, so Megan walks parents through a number of considerations around the following three questions: Will...
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One of the hardest new habits for parents of middle and high schoolers to learn is how to talk to their students about grades. Last year in May 2019 Gretchen had an indepth email conversation with the parent of one...
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Gretchen’s former client Tatiana had a bumpy transition from her last two years of high school into college. She quickly dropped out of a college that she wasn’t very excited to attend, that that started a long but fruitful journey...
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The perfect planner is so elusive! Gretchen shares some reflections about the criteria that EVERY planner system must meet in order to help students organize their lives… especially if they executive function issues. Specifically she and Megan discuss: Four problems...
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Top students think they are the top of their class — so shouldn’t their admission into top universities be a sure thing? A look at the numbers tells a different story. About 35,000 valedictorians in US– not enough seats in...
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It’s time for another super relevant podcast from the archives! For juniors and seniors, there are so many important dates to remember and plan around related to academics, extracurriculars, and the college search. Megan walks you through how to sit...
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Parents: What if you know your teen needs coaching, but they simply aren’t interested? Gretchen gives you some pointers for how to get them ready to accept the idea of getting academic support. Specifically, she shares tips for how to:...
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