Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

Most students matriculate directly from high school to college. But what if you’re not like most students? Amy and Mike invited education consultant Julia Rogers to explore how to plan a gap year. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. Is there a typical profile of "who" takes a gap year? 2. What are the biggest benefits of taking a gap year to this particular sub-generation of students? 3. How does a student get started with planning a gap year? 4. What steps should students and families take to ensure the gap year is structured and meaningful? 5. What are the financial implications of gap years? MEET OUR GUEST Julia Rogers is a traveler, business owner, and experiential education expert who has spent the last 16 years as a professional gap year counselor. As the founder of EnRoute Consulting, Julia oversees a social enterprise dedicated to fueling the gap year movement and developing a generation of compassionate, driven and resourceful global citizens. She partners with educators, service-learning organizations, non-profits, government entities and families around the world to develop creative educational pathways that result in young adults being better prepared to succeed in life and work. Julia is a TEDx speaker, a podcast host, and President Emeritus of the Gap Year Association, a US-based nonprofit dedicated to the intentional growth of the gap year option through research, standards-setting, and advocacy efforts. Find Julia at https://enroutegapyear.com/ [https://enroutegapyear.com/]. LINKS Gap Year to Freshman Year - En Route Consulting [https://enroutegapyear.com/gap-year-to-freshman-year/] Gap Year Radio [https://gapyearradiopodcast.com/] Gap Year Association [https://www.gapyearassociation.org/] Academic Outcomes – Gap Year Research Consortium at Colorado College [https://sites.coloradocollege.edu/gapyearresearchconsortium/gap-year-research-outcomes/academic-outcomes/] Global Gap Year Fellowship [https://globalgap.unc.edu/] RELATED EPISODES WHY TAKE A GAP YEAR? [https://gettestbright.com/why-take-a-gap-year/] GAP YEAR ALTERNATIVES DURING COVID [https://gettestbright.com/gap-year-alternatives-during-covid/] BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME  [https://gettestbright.com/building-an-a-extracurricular-resume/] ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Kristen Lefebvre, the National Director of Education at StudyPoint, an educational services company that supports students across the U.S. on their journey to college by providing one-on-one academic and test prep tutoring services and college admissions coaching. Kristen graduated from Bates College and earned her master’s degree at Tufts University. Always interested in education, she joined StudyPoint in 2002 as a program manager for the Greater Boston area. In addition to her responsibilities working with families and tutors, Kristen began tutoring as well, working with students preparing to take the SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT, and ACT. She loved helping students learn the ins-and-outs of the tests and reach their score goals. More than twenty years later, she’s still at it! In her role as National Director of Education, Kristen oversees StudyPoint’s curriculum and program development, as well as tutor hiring and training. In her free time, Kristen enjoys spending time with her husband, three daughters, and their dog. They are a big soccer family, so Kristen spends an unreasonable amount of time on the sidelines of soccer fields, either coaching or watching her daughters and their teams play, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. When not at the fields or work, she enjoys reading, traveling, running, and hot yoga. Find Kristen at https://www.studypoint.com [https://www.studypoint.com/]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Allen Tsao, who started out as an Electrical Engineer (BS at UC Berkeley, and MS at Stanford University), and worked as a full-time engineer for 11 years before switching to tutoring full-time. He loves helping students improve their problem-solving ability, especially in difficult classes. His business (Bothell STEM Coach) specializes in AP Physics, with around 150 students studying with him each academic year, along with about 30 AP Calculus students each year.  His goal is to make physics a lot more accessible to students and easier to understand, which is why he also releases a ton of free materials on his YouTube channel as well. He has a wonderful wife, 3 kids, and a dream job that he loves doing day in and day out. Find Allen at allen@bothellstemcoach.com [allen@bothellstemcoach.com]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/], Roots2Words [https://roots2words.com/], and College Eagle [https://college-eagle.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Margaret Duden, Founder of Twin Cities Test Prep Tutor, is a full-time test prep and writing tutor who specializes in helping highly motivated students hone their writing skills, achieve their score goals on the ACT and SAT, and gain acceptance at their top choice colleges. Margaret conducts all tutoring sessions herself and prides herself on customizing lessons to meet each student’s unique needs and goals. She is a member of the National Test Prep Association (NTPA), the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and Phi Beta Kappa. Before starting her tutoring business, Margaret's career centered around writing, editing, outreach, and research in the educational and nonprofit sectors. She has worked for the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Stanford University, Concordia Language Villages, the Smithsonian Institution, and Twin Cities Public Television. Margaret graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Anthropology. In her free time, she loves practicing yoga, learning about sustainable food production, and reading fantasy novels. She lives in Minneapolis. Find Margaret at twincitiestestpreptutor.com [http://twincitiestestpreptutor.com]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/], Roots2Words [https://roots2words.com/], and College Eagle [https://college-eagle.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Ren Abraham, the founder of Telos Tutors [https://telostutors.com/], a test prep and academic tutoring company serving students in the Philadelphia suburbs and beyond. With nearly two decades of teaching experience across both the humanities and STEM, Ren brings an interdisciplinary approach to SAT and ACT prep. After experiencing the limitations of one-size-fits-all SAT prep as a high school student, Ren resolved to craft more responsive, student-centered experiences—grounded in the belief that anyone can learn anything with enough time and the right support. Since founding Telos Tutors in 2016, he has helped students consistently reach their goals on the SAT. Ren lives with his wife and four children. When he's not working with students, he enjoys reading, TV, singing, and cooking. Find Ren at ren@telostutors.com [ren@telostutors.com]. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page [http://testsandtherest.com]. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning [https://chariotlearning.com/] and founder of TestBright [https://gettestbright.com/], Roots2Words [https://roots2words.com/], and College Eagle [https://college-eagle.com/]. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros [https://seeleytestpros.com/] and LEAP [https://www.leaprogram.com/]. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page [https://gettestbright.com/contact/].