collegepreppodcast's podcast

Accountability is a word that sounds dry and tedious. But what if it were inspiring and fun?

Gretchen reimagines accountability by telling a story of a sneaky way she supports her clients (adults and kids) to take action, and asks a deep question for all of us to reflect on.

Tune into this episode to hear about:

• the difference between accountability and inspiration,
• the importance of mentorship and community when it comes to following through,
• the new hashtag #GretchenMadeMeDoIt,
• and so much more!

Also, come to the next www.gretchenwegner.com/live, if you want to start getting a shot of inspiration from Gretchen and the anti-boring community. We’re here for you!

The post 390: A New-ish Take on Accountability for Students… and All Humans! appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

It’s not as complicated as you think to identify your college admissions weaknesses. But it CAN be confusing to figure out how to fix them!

Megan breaks down a simple process for figuring out how to look your best for your college apps. Specifically she discusses:

• How to find out how college admissions functions for each of the schools on your list (you might like to reference this article).
• How to identify what your specific issues are (grades, activities, purpose, etc).
• What to do to fix things, if you identify these challenges ahead of time
• What to do to fix things on your college application, if you neglected to identify it in advance
• How to understand the realities of admission at each school to which you apply.

The post 389: Identifying (and Fixing!) Your College Admissions Weaknesses appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

Some high schools are respond to the COVID crisis by allowing students to take some classes pass/fail. When does it make sense to do this, and when are you hurting your college admissions if you do?

Megan breaks down the differences between choosing pass/fail in high school versus college. Specifically she discusses:

• Background info about why high schools are starting to make this choice
• How colleges have shifted their own policies during COVID
• What the real purpose of pass/fail is when it comes to your transcript
• and more!

The post 388: Should You Use the Pass/Fail Option When It Comes to Grades? appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

The first tests of the school year are happening now for many students!

Check out these 7 tips for how to get prepped to take your first assessments, including:

1. Understand the study cycle. For more info about this, see www.gretchenwegner.com/actionguide
2. Find small ways to test your retrieval on a regular basis (homework? honing notes?)
3. Make sure you have the right supplies to help yourself encode in a new way
4. Make your study plan at least 3 days out (but preferably more, if you can
5. Plans are meant to be made, not necessarily to be followed exactly. Stay on track; don’t throw out the whole plan just because you didn’t follow the first few parts of it exactly. 6
6. Parents & students — study a bit more than you think you need — things get harder each year
7. Take a look at the test to understand where studying fell short

For more information about all these tips, download the free Study Cycle Action Guide at www.gretchenwegner.com/actionguide.

To ask Gretchen questions live about studying for your next test (if you’re student), or supporting students in studying (if you’re a parent, teacher, or academic coach), come to the next live Q&A. Sign up at www.gretchenwegner.com/live.

Note: This episode is from the archives. It originally aired on September 11, 2017.

The post 387: 7 Tips for Taking Your First Test This Semester appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

Have you heard of the new AP Capstone experience? Megan shares about what it is, whether it’s worth all the work for students and schools, and what’s truly impressive for colleges (and what isn’t).

This podcast episode was inspired by the following email we received last Spring:

I am a high school counselor. I listen to your podcast to and from work and you’ve become like friends to me. I would love to hear your opinion on AP Capstone and how impressive it is to selective colleges. I met with a student yesterday who is considering doing it but he is also taking several other AP courses. We haven’t had the program for too long and we haven’t had very many students become capstone graduates. I have not researched how much of a difference it makes on a student’s high school transcript. Thanks for any thoughts…)

Do you have additional questions for Megan or Gretchen? Feel free to email us at collegepreppodcast [at] gmail [dot] com. We’d love to hear from you!

The post 386: What’s Impressive for College Admissions?! appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

What’s the one question we should be asking students, and ourselves, this school year?

Gretchen shares what a simple question that is becoming more and more central in her work with students, educators, and coaches starting their own businesses. The conversation includes:

• Why there’s no such thing as “busy work”
• Why it’s important to understand the purpose behind every assignment
• Why it saves time, energy and aggravation to reflect on the purpose before taking action
• How this advice works for any kind of action, not just school work
• How teachers, parents and educators can support students

Want to discover what kinds of learning purposes students can choose from? Check out www.gretchenwegner.com/actionguide.

Got follow up questions for Gretchen about this advice?! If so, she has a new monthly Q&A event coming up. Sign up for the next one at www.gretchenwegner.com/live.

The post 385: The Most Important Question to Ask This School Year appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.