This podcast episode talks about the ramification of a majority of colleges going test-optional, which colleges have changed their minds and is requiring SAT or ACT scores for 2023 applications, as well as some of the benefits that students gain when submitting their scores and who should consider studying for these tests. We also talk about the unintended benefits that students can gain from preparing for the SAT or ACT test that impacts their lives far beyond just a score they can submit to college We interview our former student and podcast host, Lily, about her experience increasing her ACT test score from the low 20's to 32 and how that impacted her ability to be admitted into a prestigious college (and what kind of timeline did it really take to get that kind of score growth).

In this interview with Strive to Learn's founder, Josefine Borrmann, we discuss the qualities that have helped her small business of 5-8 people win Best of Orange County in tutoring for seven years. In this interview, we talk about how mentorships and self-efficacy help high schoolers succeed. How empathy and holistic approaches help reduce employee turnover, and how the best tutors and college admissions consultants aren't necessarily the kids who got perfect SAT and ACT scores and graduated from elite colleges.

Which UC PIQ prompt should you pick? In this episode of Mindful Admissions, college consultant Amanda Merrifield helps students overcome the hurdle of procrasto-perfectionism (where you procrastinate because you are a perfectionist) by outlining the steps that she uses to help students break through writer's block and craft compelling and vulnerable Personal Insight Responses.