collegepreppodcast's podcast

Did you know that many of the practice SAT & ACT tests offered by companies to help you study — are fake?! Don’t fall for fake tests!

Megan walks you through how to make sure the practice tests you are taking are legit… and will actually help you study effectively for the ACT and SAT.

Specifically, she walks you through:

* What advertisements to watch out for so you don’t get bamboozled by fake practice tests

* Legitimate methods for taking practice tests

* Creative ways to get your teen to take “kitchen table” tests proctored by you

* How to get a baseline result

* Whether or not the PSAT will be helpful for you to take

* and more!

Did you know that many of the practice SAT & ACT tests offered by companies to help you study — are fake?! Don’t fall for fake tests!

Megan walks you through how to make sure the practice tests you are taking are legit… and will actually help you study effectively for the ACT and SAT.

Specifically, she walks you through:

* What advertisements to watch out for so you don’t get bamboozled by fake practice tests

* Legitimate methods for taking practice tests

* Creative ways to get your teen to take “kitchen table” tests proctored by you

* How to get a baseline result

* Whether or not the PSAT will be helpful for you to take

* and more!

What does research teach us about the best ways for teachers to teach and students to study?

Guest experts Yana Weinstein and Megan Sumeracki, otherwise known as The Learning Scientists, school us on what research shows is is the best ways to learn, including some surprising myths about what doesn’t work.

Together with Gretchen and Megan, they discuss:

* The hilarious way that the Learning Scientists podcast got started

* Stories from the classroom of what students at the college level struggle with in regards to learning

* The three most effective strategies for learning, based on a research study from the NCTQ, which include retrieval, spaced practice, and dual coding.

* Why intuition is sometimes misleading when someone is trying to figure out how to study

* And more!

Here is the link for a cool way to use flashcards to do elaborative interrogation, which was mentioned at the end of the episode.

Find out more about the Learning Scientists Podcast at their website, www.learningscientists.org. Here is more information about each of them individually too:

Megan Sumeracki (formerly Megan Smith) is an assistant professor at Rhode Island College. She received her Master’s in Experimental Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Purdue University. Her area of expertise is in human learning and memory and specifically applying the science of learning in educational contexts. She also teaches a number of classes from first-year seminars and intro to psychology to upper-level learning and research methods courses. 

Yana Weinstein is an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from University College London and had 4 years of postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis. The broad goal of her research is to help students make the most of their academic experience. Yana‘s research interests lie in improving the accuracy of memory performance, and the judgments students make about their cognitive functions. Yana tries to pose questions that have directly applied relevance, such as: How can we help students choose optimal study strategies? Why are test scores sometimes so surprising to students? And how does retrieval practice help students learn?

What does research teach us about the best ways for teachers to teach and students to study?

Guest experts Yana Weinstein and Megan Sumeracki, otherwise known as The Learning Scientists, school us on what research shows is is the best ways to learn, including some surprising myths about what doesn’t work.

Together with Gretchen and Megan, they discuss:

* The hilarious way that the Learning Scientists podcast got started

* Stories from the classroom of what students at the college level struggle with in regards to learning

* The three most effective strategies for learning, based on a research study from the NCTQ, which include retrieval, spaced practice, and dual coding.

* Why intuition is sometimes misleading when someone is trying to figure out how to study

* And more!

Here is the link for a cool way to use flashcards to do elaborative interrogation, which was mentioned at the end of the episode.

Find out more about the Learning Scientists Podcast at their website, www.learningscientists.org. Here is more information about each of them individually too:

Megan Sumeracki (formerly Megan Smith) is an assistant professor at Rhode Island College. She received her Master’s in Experimental Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Purdue University. Her area of expertise is in human learning and memory and specifically applying the science of learning in educational contexts. She also teaches a number of classes from first-year seminars and intro to psychology to upper-level learning and research methods courses. 

Yana Weinstein is an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from University College London and had 4 years of postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis. The broad goal of her research is to help students make the most of their academic experience. Yana‘s research interests lie in improving the accuracy of memory performance, and the judgments students make about their cognitive functions. Yana tries to pose questions that have directly applied relevance, such as: How can we help students choose optimal study strategies? Why are test scores sometimes so surprising to students? And how does retrieval practice help students learn?

Many families are confused about where to start with college admissions, and Megan has noticed there is a lot of faulty information out there.

In this episode, she lays out, in concrete terms, what’s important when prepping for college and corrects some myths that many families have.

Specifically, she and Gretchen explore:

* 3 great underutilized resources for getting accurate information about colleges

* 3 main criteria colleges look at when determining if you are a good fit for their school

* 5 myths about the college admissions process (like: “you have to have top grades and great scores to get into any school”) and what is actually true instead

Many families are confused about where to start with college admissions, and Megan has noticed there is a lot of faulty information out there.

In this episode, she lays out, in concrete terms, what’s important when prepping for college and corrects some myths that many families have.

Specifically, she and Gretchen explore:

* 3 great underutilized resources for getting accurate information about colleges

* 3 main criteria colleges look at when determining if you are a good fit for their school

* 5 myths about the college admissions process (like: “you have to have top grades and great scores to get into any school”) and what is actually true instead

There are seven different types of students, in Gretchen’s experience, each with different approaches to school and studying.

As final exams approach, it’s a great opportunity to explore each type of student’s weaknesses in regards to studying, and what students, parents, and coaches can do to turn those blind spots around.

Listen in as Gretchen goes into much more detail about these 7 types of students:

* The Stressed Out Perfectionist

* The Fade Away Student

* The Brilliant-But-Bored Student

* The Meh Student

* The Disorganized Student

* The Artist

* The Athlete

* BONUS (at Megan’s Suggestion): The Over-Scheduled Student

There are seven different types of students, in Gretchen’s experience, each with different approaches to school and studying.

As final exams approach, it’s a great opportunity to explore each type of student’s weaknesses in regards to studying, and what students, parents, and coaches can do to turn those blind spots around.

Listen in as Gretchen goes into much more detail about these 7 types of students:

* The Stressed Out Perfectionist

* The Fade Away Student

* The Brilliant-But-Bored Student

* The Meh Student

* The Disorganized Student

* The Artist

* The Athlete

* BONUS (at Megan’s Suggestion): The Over-Scheduled Student

Do you worry whether your high school student has the right kind of activities to impress the colleges to which they’re applying?

Megan lays out an easy way to think about extracurriculars to help teens make the most of their time outside of school.

She shares:

* what it means to “start with the end in mind” with thinking through a teen’s activities

* choose an activity that makes sense for your kid without forcing them to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do

* four ways to find the right activities for your student that will be a) aligned with your kid’s interests and b) show them off in a good light to colleges

Do you worry whether your high school student has the right kind of activities to impress the colleges to which they’re applying?

Megan lays out an easy way to think about extracurriculars to help teens make the most of their time outside of school.

She shares:

* what it means to “start with the end in mind” with thinking through a teen’s activities

* choose an activity that makes sense for your kid without forcing them to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do

* four ways to find the right activities for your student that will be a) aligned with your kid’s interests and b) show them off in a good light to colleges