Episode 40 | SAT or ACT? How to Actually Pick the Right Test for Your Kid

Episode 40 | SAT or ACT? How to Actually Pick the Right Test for Your Kid

Six moms hit reply on my last email asking the exact same question: which test should my kid even take, the SAT or the ACT? It is the right question, and almost nobody asks it early enough. In this episode I give you the honest truth about both tests in 2026, starting with the fact that almost everything you remember about them is wrong now. Both tests got shorter. The SAT is digital and adaptive and algebra-heavy. The ACT is quicker, has more geometry, and, here is the big one, the science section is now optional, which means the number one reason parents steer their kids away from the ACT no longer exists. I will also bust the prestige myth (colleges do not care which one your kid takes), and walk you through the single smartest, cheapest testing move you can make this summer: a free diagnostic of each test so your kid preps for their test instead of guessing. No pressure, no wasted year. What you'll learn in this episode * Why the SAT and ACT are genuinely different tests, not two versions of the same thing * Every big change to both tests in 2026, in plain English * The math difference that quietly decides which test fits your kid * The optional-science change that just reopened the ACT for so many families * Why colleges truly do not care which test your kid takes * The free diagnostic move that saves you a whole year of prepping the wrong test * A fast, grade-by-grade look at what to do right now The big takeaways 1. Throw out what you remember. Both tests changed, and a lot. 2. They reward different brains. SAT leans algebra, ACT leans geometry. 3. Both are all-calculator now, so that is not a reason to pick one. 4. ACT science is optional, so "my kid is not a science kid" is no longer a reason to skip it. 5. Colleges accept both equally. There is no prestige test. 6. Stop guessing. A free diagnostic of each test picks the lane for you. Try this this week Get a free diagnostic for both the SAT and the ACT. Have your kid take them on two separate, unhurried mornings. Compare the scores side by side, factor in which one felt less awful, and let that pick the test. Then prep only that one. Quick questions, honest answers * Should my teen take the SAT or the ACT? Whichever one their diagnostic scores and gut agree on. There is no universally better test, only a better fit. * Does it matter to colleges which one they take? No. Every test-accepting college takes both equally. * Is the ACT still the science test? No. The science section is now optional and does not count toward the main score. Quotes worth screenshotting * "There is no harder test. There is only your kid's test." * "My kid is not a science kid is officially no longer a reason to skip the ACT." * "You cannot figure this out from a chart. You figure it out from a diagnostic." * "Stop prepping for the test down the street. Prep for your kid's test." * "A free Saturday morning can save you a whole wasted year." * "Once your kid has tested once or twice, set a goal score. A goal gives them a finish line. Without one, testing never ends." This episode is for you if You have a teen heading toward testing, you are not sure whether the SAT or the ACT is the right call, and you would rather make that decision on purpose than default into the wrong one. Resources and links mentioned * The free weekly newsletter, with the plain-English version of every testing decision: https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up] * The free SAT and ACT diagnostics (reply to any newsletter and say DIAGNOSTIC) * The free SAT/ACT Testing Comparison & Score Tracker, with the side-by-side test comparison, 2026-2027 test dates, and a school score-range tracker: https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/testing-guide [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/testing-guide] * The College-Bound Parent Collective: https://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective [https://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective] If you’re a parent navigating high school, college admissions, or the many transitions that come with raising teens, you’re in the right place. I’m Lindsay, a college counselor and parent who believes thoughtful guidance matters—especially for the awesomely average kid. The student who isn’t chasing prestige, but still deserves smart planning, clear strategy, and a path that truly fits. You can explore ways to work with me, learn about upcoming programs, or find additional resources at www.thecollegecounselingmom.com [https://www.thecollegecounselingmom.com/] and sign up for my weekly newsletter here [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up].  If this episode was helpful, I’d be so grateful if you’d follow the show, leave a review, or share it with another parent who could use steady, grounded support. Thanks for being here. I’m honored to walk this season with you. Lindsay | The College Counseling Mom

Episode 39 | The July Draft That Saves Your September (Your Teen's Messy First Essay)

Picture two versions of you. July you, iced coffee on the porch, essay not written but honestly not worried about it. September you, up at eleven at night while a blank personal statement blinks back and the supplements pile up out of nowhere. The only thing standing between those two women is one rough, messy, kind of bad first draft, written in the next two weeks. The Common App opens August 1, so let's use the calm while we still have it. In this episode I give you full permission to aim low on purpose. We get into why a bad first draft is exactly the right goal, why September is the worst possible month to start something this personal, and the simple talk-it-then-type-it method that moves your rising senior from a blank page to a real, usable draft in about a week. No perfectionism. No essay police. No blank page. What you'll learn in this episode * Why the goal right now is a bad draft, not a good one * The reason September is the hardest month to write anything honest * The perfectionism trap that keeps smart kids from ever starting * How to turn one small memory into an actual first draft * The talk-it-out trick that beats the blank page every time * How to get a stuck kid to start when they will not even sit down * What a healthy, ugly, totally normal first draft looks like Why this one, why now The Common App opens August 1, and the calm summer window is closing. This episode gets your rising senior an ugly, usable draft done now, so the fall is for shaping instead of scrambling. The big takeaways * You cannot edit a blank page. The whole job right now is words on paper. * A first draft is supposed to be bad. Rough means real. * September you has nothing left in the tank. July you still has room to think. * Your role is witness, not editor. Point at the gold, do not mine it for them. * Momentum beats quality. One true sentence today beats a perfect plan for Tuesday. Try this this week Have your teen pick one small moment, tell the story out loud into a voice memo, let the phone transcribe it, then spend forty-five minutes making it a little less bad. That is a first draft. Done. A few traps to avoid * Treating the first draft like it has to be good, so your kid never starts at all. * Rewriting or "just cleaning it up," which makes the essay sound like a 45-year-old. * Waiting for September, when there is no calm left to write in. * Asking for the whole essay instead of one true sentence. * Agonizing over which moment is the "best" one. Pick one. Any one. Quick questions, honest answers * When should my teen write the college essay? A rough draft now, shaped in August, polished before the fall gets loud. * What if their first draft is bad? Perfect. It is supposed to be. You cannot edit what does not exist. * How do I help without taking over? Ask "why did that matter to you," then listen. Curiosity, not corrections. Quotes worth screenshotting * "You cannot edit a blank page. You can only edit words." * "The messy draft is the clay. You cannot sculpt without it." * "A first draft is supposed to be bad. Rough means real." * "Your job is witness, not editor. Point at the gold, do not mine it for them." * "Ugly and usable beats beautiful and imaginary every single time." * "Make the ask so small that saying no to it feels ridiculous." This episode is for you if You have a rising senior, a personal statement that is still a blank page, and a quiet dread about what September is going to feel like if nothing gets written in the next two weeks. Resources and links mentioned * The earlier episode this one builds on, How to Help With the College Essay Without Starting World War III * The free weekly newsletter, with the prompts and timelines to walk your family through the essay step by step: https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up] * The College-Bound Parent Collective, where moms do this season together and the kids get essay support: https://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective [https://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective] Work with Lindsay When you want a warm room of moms walking through senior year together, plus a dedicated place for the essay so you never have to be the essay police, the College-Bound Parent Collective is home base. Come see if it is your people: https://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective [https://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective] If you’re a parent navigating high school, college admissions, or the many transitions that come with raising teens, you’re in the right place. I’m Lindsay, a college counselor and parent who believes thoughtful guidance matters—especially for the awesomely average kid. The student who isn’t chasing prestige, but still deserves smart planning, clear strategy, and a path that truly fits. You can explore ways to work with me, learn about upcoming programs, or find additional resources at www.thecollegecounselingmom.com [https://www.thecollegecounselingmom.com/] and sign up for my weekly newsletter here [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up].  If this episode was helpful, I’d be so grateful if you’d follow the show, leave a review, or share it with another parent who could use steady, grounded support. Thanks for being here. I’m honored to walk this season with you. Lindsay | The College Counseling Mom

Episode 38 | Welcome to Your New Grade: The One Thing Each Class Should Focus On This Summer

Here is a little secret from my school counselor years: the new school year does not really start in August. It starts now. The first couple weeks of July are when the system quietly rolls every kid up to their next grade, no ceremony, no announcement. So congratulations, mama. As of this week, you are officially the parent of a brand-new freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. And if there is a little voice asking what you are supposed to be doing about it, this episode is your answer. I walk you through the single most important thing to focus on this summer, grade by grade, so you can find your kid, take that one thing, and let the rest of the noise go. You do not have to do everything. You just have to do the next right thing for the grade your kid is actually in. What you'll learn in this episode * Why the new school year really begins in July (and what that means for you) * The one thing rising 9th graders should focus on (hint: it is not college) * How to keep sophomore year from quietly going to waste * The three small moves that make junior year the calm engine instead of the panic year * The single highest-leverage thing a rising senior can do this summer * How to match your effort to your kid's actual season so the whole process gets calmer Why this one, why now Early July is when every student gets promoted in the system, so it is the real start of the new year. This episode meets you right at that turn, before the fall noise starts, with a calm plan for whatever grade your kid just stepped into. The big takeaways 1. The new year starts in July, not August. 2. Ninth grade: settle in and build steady habits. 3. Tenth grade: go deeper, not wider. 4. Eleventh grade: run the engine (testing plan, list, grades). 5. Twelfth grade: get a messy first draft of the essay down before August 1. Try this this week Find your kid's grade on the list, write their one focus down on a sticky note, and put it on the fridge. That is the whole summer assignment. A few traps to avoid * Parenting the grade the forum moms are panicking about instead of the grade your kid is in. * Treating 9th grade like the race has already started. * Letting sophomore year drift because nobody warned you it mattered. * Waiting until October to start the senior essay. Quick questions, honest answers * My kid is going into 9th grade, are we behind? Not even a little. Ninth grade is for settling in and building habits, not college prep. * What is the most important thing for a rising senior this summer? A messy first draft of the personal statement before the Common App opens August 1. * Is sophomore year really that important? It is the year to go deep on one or two things your kid loves. That focus matters more than a long list later. Quotes worth screenshotting * "You do not have to do everything. You just have to do the next right thing for the grade your kid is actually in." * "The new year does not start in August. It starts the day the system rolls your kid up to the next grade." * "A rough draft now takes the October pileup off the table." * "Bored kids get curious, and curiosity is the whole ballgame." Who this episode is for Any parent of a high schooler who just looked up, realized their kid is suddenly a grade older, and quietly wondered, okay, what now. Free weekly newsletter: https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up] Work with Lindsay If you want the calm next step each week, the free newsletter is the easiest place to start, and when you are ready for more hands-on help, the College-Bound Parent Collective is where I walk moms through every grade one step at a time. If you’re a parent navigating high school, college admissions, or the many transitions that come with raising teens, you’re in the right place. I’m Lindsay, a college counselor and parent who believes thoughtful guidance matters—especially for the awesomely average kid. The student who isn’t chasing prestige, but still deserves smart planning, clear strategy, and a path that truly fits. You can explore ways to work with me, learn about upcoming programs, or find additional resources at www.thecollegecounselingmom.com [https://www.thecollegecounselingmom.com/] and sign up for my weekly newsletter here [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up].  If this episode was helpful, I’d be so grateful if you’d follow the show, leave a review, or share it with another parent who could use steady, grounded support. Thanks for being here. I’m honored to walk this season with you. Lindsay | The College Counseling Mom

Episode 37 | How to Help With the College Essay Without Starting World War III

Picture it: dinner table, and your well-meaning person lobs another "what about writing about your Eagle Scout project?" across the table while your kid slides so far down in their chair they're basically eating horizontal. Friend, I have lived this exact scene, in my own kitchen, with my husband Jeff and our son Jake. If "how's the essay going" has become a fighting word in your house, this one's for you. I'm walking you through how to actually help your teen with the personal statement without writing it for them: the do's, the don'ts, and the simple brainstorm-and-story-chunks system that finally got Jake to sit up straight. It's the same one I use with my own students. Spoiler: your real job here is so much lighter than you think. Here's what we get into: * Why handing your kid a topic, even a brilliant one, makes them freeze * The DO list: brainstorm together, ask better questions, proofread the commas * The DON'T list: rewrite it, make it sound 45, or touch the actual content * The "story chunks" trick that beats a blank page every time * Why disappearing supplemental essays make the personal statement matter even more * Your actual job in all of this (hint: it's not "writer") Why this one, why now: Common App opens August 1, and summer is the window to get the essay drafted before the school-year chaos hits. This one hands you a calm way to help, starting tonight. Go ahead and screenshot these: * "You can fix the commas. You cannot fix the story." * "The fix isn't a better topic. It's getting out of the driver's seat." * "Seventeen is supposed to sound like seventeen." * "Your job isn't to be the writer. It's to be the guide." Try this this week: Sit down with your teen and ask one open question, not "what's your topic." Try "tell me about a time you surprised yourself." Then zip it and just listen. That's the whole brainstorm. This episode is for you if: your dinner table has turned into a standoff over this essay, and you're stuck between wanting to help and accidentally making it worse. A few honest answers to what you're probably Googling: * How do I help without writing it? Brainstorm together, ask open questions, proofread typos and grammar only. Don't touch the content or the voice. * What if my teen is totally stuck? Stop asking for "the essay." Ask for one small story chunk at a time. Small and specific beats big and overwhelming. * Do colleges care if a parent helped? They can smell an adult-written essay, and it works against your kid. Help with the process, not the words. Come do this with me, free: I'm walking parents through this exact system live at my free workshop, Tuesday July 1 at 8 PM. Register and you'll leave with a real plan and a lot less dread. https://coaching.thecollegecounselingmom.com/application-webinar-sign-up If you’re a parent navigating high school, college admissions, or the many transitions that come with raising teens, you’re in the right place. I’m Lindsay, a college counselor and parent who believes thoughtful guidance matters—especially for the awesomely average kid. The student who isn’t chasing prestige, but still deserves smart planning, clear strategy, and a path that truly fits. You can explore ways to work with me, learn about upcoming programs, or find additional resources at www.thecollegecounselingmom.com [https://www.thecollegecounselingmom.com/] and sign up for my weekly newsletter here [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up].  If this episode was helpful, I’d be so grateful if you’d follow the show, leave a review, or share it with another parent who could use steady, grounded support. Thanks for being here. I’m honored to walk this season with you. Lindsay | The College Counseling Mom

Episode 36 | The 7 Things You Can Stop Stressing About This Summer

Okay, real talk. It's 10 PM, you swore you'd put your phone down, and instead you're deep in a college admissions thread reading about somebody's kid who's apparently curing diseases between AP exams. And there it is. That pit in your stomach. The one whispering that your kid isn't doing enough and you're already behind. Friend, that feeling is lying to you. And this episode is your permission slip to put it down. I'm not handing you one more to-do list today. I'm handing you a to-DON'T list, the seven things you can officially stop stressing about this summer. And I'm telling you all of this as someone who teaches this for a living and still caught herself spiraling over her own kid last week. So come for the relief, and stay because somebody is finally telling you the truth: you're doing so much better than you think. Here's what we get into: * Why "well-rounded" is quietly out, and the one thing colleges actually want instead * How many AP classes your kid really needs (go ahead and exhale) * Whether a "perfect" test score is the make-or-break you've been told it is * The expensive summer programs you can skip with zero guilt * Why real impact beats a fancy title every single time * The comparison trap that's quietly stealing your summer, and how to walk away from it Why this one, why now: We're a month into summer, the Common App opens August 1, and the comparison spiral is in overdrive. Consider this your reset before the back half of summer gets away from you. Go ahead and screenshot these: * "You're not behind. You're exactly where you need to be." * "They want pointy, not perfect." * "Put down half the list. I promise the sky stays up." * "Expensive is not the same as impressive." Try this this week: Pick one thing off this list you've been white-knuckling and set it down, on purpose. Just one. Then notice that the world keeps right on turning. This episode is for you if: you love your kid, you've read all the things, and you're quietly exhausted before senior year has even started. Come take a breath with me. I've got you. A few honest answers to what you're probably Googling at midnight: * Is it bad that my teen hasn't picked a major? Not even a little. It's normal, and it often makes for a more genuine application anyway. * Does my kid need a perfect test score? No. Plenty of schools are still test-optional, and a strong-but-imperfect score rarely sinks a thoughtful app. * Do colleges really want a ton of activities? They want depth, not a laundry list. Two things your kid truly loves beat eleven they don't. Your free download: Grab my free Common App Timeline [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/common-app-timeline], the simple "what to do and when" roadmap so you can stop guessing and stop Googling at 10 PM. (insert link) Want me in your corner? If you'd love a calmer, clearer way through all of this, come see if the College-Bound Parent Collective is your people. That's where I walk moms through it one doable step at a time. cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective [http://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective] If you’re a parent navigating high school, college admissions, or the many transitions that come with raising teens, you’re in the right place. I’m Lindsay, a college counselor and parent who believes thoughtful guidance matters—especially for the awesomely average kid. The student who isn’t chasing prestige, but still deserves smart planning, clear strategy, and a path that truly fits. You can explore ways to work with me, learn about upcoming programs, or find additional resources at www.thecollegecounselingmom.com [https://www.thecollegecounselingmom.com/] and sign up for my weekly newsletter here [https://freebie.thecollegecounselingmom.com/newsletter-sign-up].  If this episode was helpful, I’d be so grateful if you’d follow the show, leave a review, or share it with another parent who could use steady, grounded support. Thanks for being here. I’m honored to walk this season with you. Lindsay | The College Counseling Mom