Every year, new calculations and complications impact the college application process. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2026.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. Is the enrollment cliff real, and what does it mean for the Class of 2026?

2. Which colleges and universities are becoming more popular?

3. With the science section in the ACT becoming optional, should students still take it?

4. Is building a balanced college list enough? 

5. With changing math standards and the introduction of data science in many high schools, should students still take calculus in high school?

MEET OUR GUEST

Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski, founder of Orlowski College Consulting, has worked in education for 35 years and has worked as an Independent Educational Consultant for 10+ years. She has a specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, a BA in Communicative Disorders from San Diego State, and two active teaching credentials. She taught deaf, LD, and 2E students for four years and was a college counselor at a small private school for 3 years. Rebecca specializes in gifted/2E, STEM, creative, homeschooled, and transfer students.

Rebecca first appeared on the podcast in episode 369 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE CLASS OF 2023, in episode 526 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024, and in episode 591 to discuss ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2025.

Rebecca can be reached at [email protected].

LINKS

‘You can’t create 18-year-olds’: What can colleges do amid demographic upheaval?

Northeast students are heading south for college 

24 years of UMich admissions: An inside look at acceptance rates and freshman profiles 

Will They or Won't They? Tracking Colleges' New ACT Requirements 

Admission 101: Why It’s Important to Let Us Know You’re Interested in Davidson

Calculus or Statistics: Does it Matter? 

Is calculus an addiction that college admissions officers can’t shake? 

RELATED EPISODES

THE DEMOGRAPHIC CLIFF IS HERE

A TEST TAKER’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENHANCED ACT

USING THE COMMON DATA SET

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.