The College Prep Podcast

Families often mistake financial aid with scholarships, which can lead to confusion, disappointment, and wasted time as seniors choose their college and figure out how to pay for it. In this episode Megan breaks down how to think about the different pathways to paying for college, so that families can plan accordingly. Specifically, she discusses: * what exactly financial aid is * why you should never lie about your assets to try to maneuver more financial aid * how to calculate the amount of money your family will be expected to pay for college * how to decide whether you should apply for financial aid in the first place * why you should apply for scholarships even if you only have an “average” student * where to start when looking for appropriate scholarships * and more

It’s time for a mid-semester tune up! Take a couple hours this Thanksgiving Break to organize yourself, clean up any broken systems, and assess your study skills. Gretchen will teach you how, including: * How to tune up your organization systems, including what to file and what to throw away * Clean up your study space * Make sure you have enough supplies at home to get you through the rest of the semester and/or year * Assess several academic skills to make sure you’re learning in effective and efficient ways including your ability to: (1) make effective study plans, (2) Hone your notes well, (3) Create quizzable study tools, and (4) re-teach yourself information that you are having trouble remembering. If you need more support with any of this, feel free to check out Gretchen’s online course The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying, which you have lifetime access to.

Have you ever taken, or considered taking, online courses as a high school students? Megan describes her daughter’s experience taking on online course through the Duke Talent Identification Program and delivers her final assessment about whether these programs fulfilled expectations. She and Gretchen discuss: * what online courses promise they will deliver teens, including a) a fun learning experience with b) similarly motivated students that you can c) take while traveling * to what extent these promises were delivered in the course her daughter took, and * when it might be appropriate to take an online course, and when it might be better to find additional learning options.

How many note-taking techniques do you consciously use when learning from a textbook? Gretchen describes two specific strategies that you can use now in school, and the rest of your life too. Tune into this episode to find out: * how to skim your textbook chapters quickly * how to turn the information in a chapter into charts (strategy #1) * what it means to convert your chapter notes into “quizzable study tools” (strategy #2) * some examples of charts and quizzable study tools in the context of chemistry and history (see below for links to the textbook pages that Gretchen used as examples) * and more! Here are the two texts that Gretchen used as examples in the podcast: * pages 919-921 (Chapter 16.3) of Chemistry by OpenStax College * page 295-297 (Chapter 30) of U.S. History by Wikibooks.org  

From hurricanes to snow storms, sudden massive weather can disrupt your college application plans. Megan shares her personal experience of how the Houston area SAT, ACT and school calendars were disrupted by Hurricane Harvey. She also provides some tips for how families can handle weather-related disruptions in the future with minimal stress, including: * Who to call when it looks like weather might cancel the SAT or ACT tests * How to maintain your readiness to take the test while you’re waiting for the make up date, * Tips for planning ahead so you aren’t desperate if there is a weather disruption, * And more!

All the study and time management tricks in the world won’t help students if their minds are filled with damaging self-talk. Gretchen and Megan break down how the thoughts you think can sabotage your success. During this discussion they touch on: * Examples of the kinds of thoughts that limit student success * The difference between a limiting mindset and a growth mindset * How to transform self sabotaging thoughts * How adults can model growth mindset thinking * and more!

Everyone knows how much it costs to go to college, but there are some surprising hidden costs of applying to college too. Tune in to hear Megan tally the numbers and help you budget for the college application process. She’ll break down the costs in the following areas: * Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT * Test preparation coaching * AP Tests * College applications * College visits * Activities that “look good” on college applications, * and More! She’ll also break down what to do if you simply can’t afford to budget $3K-$5K for the whole process; there are options! For more information on this subject, check out this article from US News and World Report.

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 down for a few hours and map out the year on your calendar, so that you aren’t hit with last minute concerns — and can stress less through the school year. Her suggestions include: * academics– test calendar, major exams, etc * activities — performances, dates, games, etc * college concerns — SAT, ACT, PSAT, campus visits, college fairs, application deadlines (seniors), fafsa deadlines, etc * vacations / weekend travel — spring break is coming! Also, Gretchen adds some suggestions about how families can make sure that mom or dad isn’t the only one with these dates on file — but that teenagers have access to them too!

We are draining our brains of much needed energy and attention, thanks to social media and the way new communication technologies work. Tune in to discuss a single act that all families can do to help preserve parents’ and students’ ability take control of their attention, have more energy, and likely be happier too. Gretchen shares some scary brain facts from this article about how notifications are changing our brains. She then suggests that families work together to ban all notifications from computers and phones, except for notifications related to the calendar and reminders. Is your family up to this task? It’ll pack a huge payoff if you are game to try.

Most admission disappointment start now, with families who don’t take time to create the right college list. Listen in as Megan walks you through the 6 kinds of schools you should definitely apply to, to make sure that you get into a college that is right for you. She shares: * The top mistakes families make when compiling their own college list. * The six kinds of schools that should be on your list including: 1. the most affordable option, 2. the assured admission option, 3. good match schools, 4. the highly competitive option, 5. scholarship potential, and 6. and in-state option. * What order you should apply to those schools so that you don’t burn out. Megan also shared a resource for how to google a school to find out if it’s an “assured admission” or “highly competitive” option.

The PSAT is practice for 95% of test takers. But for the other 5% it is an important test that qualifies students for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Learn more during this episode about how to tackle the PSAT, whether you’re in the 95% or the 5%. Specifically, we will cover: * What is the PSAT and how does it compare to the SAT? * What type of recognition is available for students who score well on the PSAT? * Who is eligible to take the PSAT, and to be in the running for National Merit Scholarships? * What scores to students need to be considered for the Scholarships * What do students win if they get a National Merit Scholarship?

The first tests of the school year are happening now for many students! Check out these 7 tips for how to get prepped to take your first assessments: 1. Understand the study cycle. We explain it in this episode, or you might like to watch this video. 2. Find small ways to test your retrieval on a regular basis, using assignments that your teachers are already giving you, so you don’t have to do anything extra. 3. Make sure you have the right supplies to help yourself encode in a new way. 4. Make your study plan at least 3 days out (but preferably more!). 5. Plans are meant to be made, not necessarily to be followed exactly. Stay on track; don’t throw out the whole plan just because you didn’t follow the first few parts of it exactly. 6. Study a bit more than you think you need — things get harder each year, and so you need to plan to “step it up” compared to the ways you studied last year. 7. After you get your grade, take a look at the test to understand a) the ways you studied well and b) the tasks you could have spent  more time on, so that you can study more effectively next time.

There is so much stress at the beginning of the school year! In this episode Megan and Gretchen normalize how hard the transition from summer to academic life is for educators, families, and students. Tune is as they discuss: * Some rarely talked about realities about how and why many folks suffer at the start of the school year * The contrast between the “rah-rah” of new beginnings contrasted with the truth that many folks have very real struggles that impact their ability to transition well (including psychological diagnoses, learning differences, and more) * The prevalence of anxiety as a motivator for doing well in school * The importance of self-care and compassion during transitions

The right study space can make or break a student’s ability to follow through, beat procrastination, and get high quality work done at home. During this episode, Megan and Gretchen detail six things to think about when designing a study space for the school year. Tune in to hear details and descriptions of the following: * How to identify where in the house you should study * What supplies should have immediately accessible in your study space * What additional school and study supplies should be available somewhere in the house * The importance of deciding on a filing system that works for you * How to choose the right school bag * Some sample resources to print and put on your wall

Parents, do you often feel a lot of anxiety about your kids grades and academic habits? Do you suspect that your student feels anxious too? Or maybe it makes YOU anxious that your kiddo doesn’t seem anxious at all. There are some simple routines parents can help put in place to greatly reduce anxiety at home. Listen in to Megan and Gretchen’s list of small tweaks that will help both parents and their kiddos be happier and healthier at home in relationship to their school work: * Set a schedule for when/how you will check online grades, and then keep to that schedule. * Agree on homework times and policies. * Establish a regular family meeting during which everyone shares what’s on their calendars. * Create a family technology policy. * Create an easy way to share the family calendar with your teen. * Make a list of expected non-academic duties.