Shift - College admissions in a changing world

What is the purpose of high school and college? Durga Suresh-Menon is the Head of School at New England Innovation Academy (NEIA), a forward-thinking independent school located near Boston that’s redefining how students prepare for the real world. In this episode, Durga talks about why you should consider rethinking high school and college, including where to start the process with your child in 9th grade, breaking their plan into ...

Want to send your kid to a prestigious college but are terrified of how much it will cost? Shellee Howard is the founder of College Ready, where she has helped over 15,000 students get into their dream school and afford it, including getting her own son into Harvard on a full-ride scholarship. She is also the author of The College Admissions PLAN Simplified: A Busy Parent's P.L.A.N. to a Debt-Free Degree and the Amazon best seller ...

Thinking about transferring to a different college or spending 2 years in a community college before transferring to a 4-year college? Jamie Smith is a Certified Educational Planner and the author of the book The Complete Guide to College Transfers. In this episode, Jamie covers all things transfers, including intentional vs. spontaneous transfers, finding a perfect transfer-fit college, maximizing transfer credits, and adjusting t...

Hyuk Chang is an Admissions Officer at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE). In this episode, Hyuk shares an admissions officer's perspective on what they want to see in an application and interview. This episode is a unique perspective on the other side of the table, especially for creative schools like AIE.

Achievable has ACT and CLT prep courses that use advanced adaptive learning to target weak areas and...

How can former military members make the most of going to college? Casey Vaughan is the Assistant Director of Military Outreach for Northeastern and has served in the Air Force. In this episode, Casey talks through veterans going to college, including how to get academic credit for your service work, how to juggle school with your other priorities, how to build a degree plan, and some success stories to show the way.

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Are you looking to go to college abroad from the US? Jim Pierson is the Senior Regional Manager for University College Dublin, a global university based in Dublin, Ireland. In this episode, Jim talks through going international for college as a US student, including why students want to go, what makes you a good fit, the advantages and disadvantages, and how it affects competitiveness and finances.

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How do you get the most out of college? Hamada Zahawi is the CEO and founder of Write Track Admissions, a global admissions consultancy with a 93% success rate. In this episode, Hamada shares his famous SLASH method to getting the most out of college: Social, Leadership, Academics, Study abroad, and Health.

Achievable has ACT and CLT prep courses that use advanced adaptive learning to target weak areas and boost your ...

Is there a trades revival going on with Gen Z? Joy McClure is the Director of Admissions for X, a beauty school. In this episode, Joy talks about the trend of Gen Z going to trade schools versus traditional colleges, including the cost of college, why Gen Z is picking hands-on careers, and what each path holds for a high school graduate.

Achievable has ACT and CLT prep courses that use advanced adaptive learning to ta...

With all of the uncertainty about foreign-born students attending US universities, what do they need to know now? Hamada Zahawi is the CEO and founder of Write Track Admissions, a global admissions consultancy with a 93% success rate. In this episode, Hamada covers everything international students need to consider when applying to US colleges, including financial aid, visa concerns, and the current political environment.

Admissions counselors are often serving hundreds of students per year - how can you get them to truly help you? Teege Mettille is the Director of Enrollment Success at EnrollML and the author of the book The Admissions Counsellor's Malaise. In this episode, Teege shares his strategies for getting the most out of admissions counselors, including setting your child up for success from day 1 and aligning with their goals to get better...

Looking to study abroad in Europe? Yasiara Ortiz, founder of MissStudy, has been helping students find their best fit university all over the world for years. In this episode, Yasiara shares her top tips for American students looking to apply to European colleges, including how to identify potential good fit universities for you, how to determine the best country for you, and tips for applying.

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Did you know that getting financial aid for graduate school is more common than ever? Howard Freedman, founder of Financial Aid Consulting, has been helping applicants get financial aid for over 20 years. In this episode, Howard shares how getting financial aid is more common thank you think, what types of financial aid you should apply for, and other tips.

Achievable has ACT and CLT prep courses that use advanced adaptive learning...

What are the biggest lies told to parents in college admissions today? Jayson Weingarten, Senior College Admissions Consultant at Ivy Coach and a former UPenn admissions officer, has helped hundreds of prospective graduate students get into the programs of their dreams. In this episode, Jayson shares some of the outrageous lies in college admissions, including what top schools care about, which essay is the most important, and more...

CLT questions are different from SAT or ACT Math questions, and we're going to teach you how to solve them. Clay Daniel, founder of Clayborne Test Prep and Tutoring, has spent significant time with the founders of the CLT and is one of the country's first and most prominent CLT tutors. In this podcast, Clay walks us through three challenging CLT Quantitative practice questions to teach you how to ace the CLT exam.

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Your child is already using ChatGPT - shouldn't you leverage it in the college admissions process? Teege Mettille is the Director of Enrollment Success at EnrollML and the author of the book The Admissions Counsellor's Malaise. In this episode, Teege shares his advice on how to leverage AI to make the college admissions process easier and more effective, including using it for research, essay writing, building your college list, an...

Are you an international student looking to apply to US universities? Yasiara Ortiz, founder of MissStudy, has been helping students find their best fit university all over the world for years. In this episode, Yasiara shares her top tips for international students looking to study in the US, including why you should consider schools beyond the Ivy League, how to show your personality and mission in your application, and how to rou...

What can families do with their 11th-grade students to help get into their dream college? Tom Ehlers is the founder of Method Learning and has helped students, families, and schools with every aspect of the college admissions process for decades. In this episode, Tom shares his advice for high school juniors and their parents, including maximizing their GPA while still starting AP and IB courses, getting a head start on test prep, ...

What can families do with their 10th-grade students to help set them up for college application success? Tom Ehlers is the founder of Method Learning and has helped students, families, and schools with every aspect of the college admissions process for decades. In this episode, Tom shares his advice for how to approach sophomore year of high school, including curriculum, extracurriculars, and more.

Achievable has ACT and CLT prep c...

The new adaptive SAT has had a few administrations now, so what advice can we give to 2025 SAT test takers? 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 episode, Sasha shares what the major changes are with the new adaptive SAT, whether or not they benefit students, and how it changes your strategy for getting a high score.

Achie...