The College Prep Podcast is signing off after 12 great years!!!

Find out how Megan and Erin's businesses have shifted focus recently and why they are stepping back from the podcast.

Of course, you can still reach out to us. Megan (https://www.collegeprepresults.com) and Erin (https://www.seattlesuccesscoaching.com)

Some of our college prep advice is as good now as the date it originally aired. You might want to check out these episodes:

• 466: Should We Rate Schools Like Ski Slopes?
• 626: Five Things you can do RIGHT NOW to Make College Admissions Easier
• 524: Tips for Visiting Colleges: Notes from Megan's Recent College Visits
• 518: What We Mean When We Suggest You "Research Colleges"
• 473: How to Talk to Your Teachers
• 630: How to Build a Rigorous (But Not Crushing) High School Schedule
• 579: 5 Core Skills Every Student Needs BEFORE Day One of College
• 457: How to Find Meaningful Community Service Opportunities

If you are looking for new podcasts on college admissions, Megan highly recommends Drop In-- A Decision Drop Podcast (https://decisiondrop.com/dropinpodcast) with Josh Hudley and Lisa Clay.

For academic and study skill coaching, Erin recommends Crista Hopp of Connected Pathways coaching. (https://www.connectedpathwayscoaching.com/)

We are continuing with our shorter summer episodes and with Erin's series highlighting the ways in which students can learn key skills so they can live independently. Today's focus is on cleaning.

Now that we have covered decluttering (episode 481) and organization (episode 483), Erin shares some of her cleaning tips and even her special (super basic) room cleaning graphic!

Resource: Clean My Space YouTube channel

Questions?

If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for an upcomming show, we'd love to hear from you. You can email us at collegepreppodcast (at) gmail (dot) com

More about the hosts

Megan Dorsey is a parent, educator, and SAT/ACT prep expert. She graduated from Rice University and has over 25 years of experience helping students earn better scores and put together strong applications. Megan lives in Sugar Land, Texas and works with students in-person and on Zoom. You can find out more at CollegePrepResults.com.

Erin Tempest is the founder of Seattle Success Coaching where she and her team help families with a wide range of issues. Let Erin take the frustration out of learning with her academic support, exectuvie function coaching, and social/life skills packages. Her goal is to help parents get back to enjoying their kids. You can find out more at SeattleSuccessCoaching.com.

This summer Megan will focus on different college application essay topics, pinpointing common pitfalls and offering suggestions for strong responses. Today's topic: what excites you?

— don't overthink your response, but do take time to brainstorm the topic and how it fits into your overall set of application responses

— there are BAD answers to this question

— you can write about hobbies

— genuine enthusiasm comes through when you discuss topics about which you are truly passionate.

We are continuing with our shorter summer episodes and with Erin's series highlighting the ways in which students can learn key skills so they can live independently. Today's focus is on organization.

Moving from decluttering (episode 481) to organization, Erin shares her big tips for getting a space organized including what to buy (hint: nothing), where to put things, and the different organizational styles.

Resource: Clutterbug test - Cas Aarssen

This summer Megan will focus on different college application essay topics, pinpointing common pitfalls and offering suggestions for strong responses. Today's topic: discuss a "great" book.

— Not all colleges ask about books, but this question appears on a number of school's supplemental essay lists.

— Don't overthink your answer; be genuine. There isn't a right or wrong answer. (Trying to sound impressive isn't the goal.)

— Brainstorm the "why" part of your answer. Your thought process is a significant part of the essay.

— Look at your application essays as a whole and understand how this response fits into the bigger picture.

Questions?

If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for an upcomming show, we'd love to hear from you. You can email us at collegepreppodcast (at) gmail (dot) com

More about the hosts

Megan Dorsey is a parent, educator, and SAT/ACT prep expert. She graduated from Rice University and has over 25 years of experience helping students earn better scores and put together strong applications. Megan lives in Sugar Land, Texas and works with students in-person and on Zoom. You can find out more at CollegePrepResults.com.

Erin Tempest is the founder of Seattle Success Coaching where she and her team help families with a wide range of issues. Let Erin take the frustration out of learning with her academic support, exectuvie function coaching, and social/life skills packages. Her goal is to help parents get back to enjoying their kids. You can find out more at SeattleSuccessCoaching.com.

This summer Erin will focus on building skills that will help students in the present and are essential to transition to a functioning adult. Today's focus is on decluttering.

Did you know that decluttering, organizing, and cleaning are three very separate tasks? Erin tackles the first of these with some of her best tips from her favorite declutterer.

Resource: A Slob Comes Clean - Dana K. White

This summer Megan will focus on different college application essay topics, pinpointing common pitfalls and offering suggestions for strong responses. Today's topic: "how have your impacted your community?"

— No, you don't need to cure cancer to impact your community.

— Impact is far more about what you DO than developing an activity with an impressive sounding title.

— There are a lot of misleading rumors every year that try to crack the code on what activities sound good to college.

— Community can be defined very broadly.

— This topic should prompt younger students to start evaluating their own activities.

Questions?

If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for an upcomming show, we'd love to hear from you. You can email us at collegepreppodcast (at) gmail (dot) com

More about the hosts

Megan Dorsey is a parent, educator, and SAT/ACT prep expert. She graduated from Rice University and has over 25 years of experience helping students earn better scores and put together strong applications. Megan lives in Sugar Land, Texas and works with students in-person and on Zoom. You can find out more at CollegePrepResults.com.

Erin Tempest is the founder of Seattle Success Coaching where she and her team help families with a wide range of issues. Let Erin take the frustration out of learning with her academic support, exectuvie function coaching, and social/life skills packages. Her goal is to help parents get back to enjoying their kids. You can find out more at SeattleSuccessCoaching.com.

This summer Erin will focus on building skills that will help students in the present and are essential to transition to a functioning adult. Today's focus: self-care.

We want our students to grow up and develop the skills needed to successfully get themselves through college and live independently. This week we are talking about self-care. What does that mean? It isn't bubble-baths and me-time. And when does self-care turn into something that isn't actually helpful at all?

Resource: How to Raise an Adult - Julie Lythcott-Haims

This summer Megan will focus on different college application essay topics, pinpointing common pitfalls and offering suggestions for strong responses.

This summer Erin will focus on building skills that will help students in the present and are essential to transition to a functioning adult. Today's focus: habits.

This summer Megan will focus on different college application essay topics, pinpointing common pitfalls and offering suggestions for strong responses. Today's topic: "what do you want to study?" (This may also appear as "why have you selected this major?")

— Start with research. What majors are offered at this particular school? You don't want to spend an entire essay describing something not offered at this school.

— Understand the requirements for the academic path you are selecting. Look at the required courses for prospective majors.

— Take time to connect your experiences to your desired path. Show the college HOW you will fit into their academic offerings.

back to school in the fall.

This summer Erin will focus on building skills that will help students in the present and are essential to transition to a functioning adult. Today's focus: habits.

Learn

• How do you make change?
• How do you know you are ready?
• How do we form habits?

Here are some resources mentioned:

The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg

Atomic Habits - James Clear