How often does a thorough college search process involving hours of research and weeks of onsite college visits take an unexpected last minute twist because of fuzzy criteria and gut feelings? Shouldn't certain statistics inform better choices? Amy and Mike invited ed tech entrepreneurs Braden and Cooper Weissman to explore how data is transforming the way students navigate college decisions.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. Why does the college admissions process feel more complicated today?

2. How can counselors help students think about choosing a college beyond rankings and prestige?

3. What are the risks of relying on guesswork or outdated information during the admissions process?

4. Where do students tend to struggle most when applying to colleges and making school decisions, and how can counselors help address those gaps?

5. How might data and technology improve the college search process?

MEET OUR GUEST

Braden Weissman is the co-founder and Co-CEO of Nerd Apply. A competitive athlete and team builder at heart, Braden brings a performance-driven mindset to everything he works on. He was named Arizona's Student and Athlete of the Year in 2021 and carried that same discipline and leadership to the University of Michigan, where he co-founded multiple ventures alongside his brother, including Dorm Doctor AI, Dynamic Purchasing Solutions, and WEIDEV.

Braden was later accepted into the University of Miami's four-year MD/MBA program, but chose to defer to fully commit to building Nerd Apply. He is passionate about creating tools that reward collaboration, integrity, and real-world outcomes. Braden lives in New York City, where he enjoys staying active and spending time with close friends.

Cooper Weissman is the co-founder and Co-CEO of Nerd Apply. A lifelong builder, Cooper began teaching himself to code at a young age and launched businesses while still in high school, some of which had to be registered in his older brother's name because he was not old enough to open a bank account himself.

At Dartmouth College, Cooper immersed himself in entrepreneurship and leadership, serving as a student leader at the Magnuson Center and winning the Global Venture Capital Investment Competition. His curiosity and systems-oriented thinking continue to shape Nerd Apply's product vision today. Cooper lives in New York City and is driven by experimentation, thoughtful problem-solving, and building communities around shared ideas.

Find Braden and Cooper at nerdapply.com.

LINKS

Nerd Apply

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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.

The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What have Amy and Mike been up to this month?

2. Where did Amy travel?

3. What are Amy and Mike's time-sensitive tasks this month?

4. What's one principle you try to live by every day?

5. What's coming up in the next month for Amy and Mike?

We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let's get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!

LINKS

Wild & Wonderful Ramp Chowder {with Dairy-Free & Vegan Options)

RELATED EPISODES

EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2026

EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2026

EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2026

EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2025

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.

Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Leann Westin to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Biology exam.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What is tested on the AP Biology exam?

2. How is the AP Biology exam structured and scored?

3. What are the highest priority topics on the tests?

4. How should students prepare for the AP Biology exam?

5. What are the best prep materials for AP Biology?

MEET OUR GUEST

Leann Westin is a Master Tutor at Open Door Education in Massachusetts, where she also serves as the Tutor Success Coordinator. Leann earned a BS in biology with a minor in Spanish from Wake Forest University, and she specializes in biology, environmental science, statistics, SAT/ACT prep, and organizational coaching.

Leann has over a decade of full-time experience helping students prepare for the AP Biology exam through both one-on-one tutoring and small group classes. Her favorite AP Biology topics to teach are evolution and ecology. Outside of her work at Open Door, Leann has been an education volunteer at her local zoo for almost a decade, and she enjoys helping people better understand the natural world.

Leann can be reached at https://opendoor.education.

LINKS

AP Biology Exam

AP Biology Exam – AP Students

AP Biology (Pearson Education AP) by Fred W. Holtzclaw; Theresa Knapp Holtzclaw

AP Biology — bozemanscience

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BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025

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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.

Pressure is a privilege, according to Billie Jean King, who said it's what you do with it that matters. Millions of students, however, may beg to disagree about the privilege part, and what many of them do with it impedes rather than elevates their performance. Amy and Mike invited ed tech specialist Deanna Oliver to explore what happens when academic pressure turns into behavioral issues.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. How does academic pressure typically show up in schools?

2. Why do some students "act out" while others withdraw or disengage?

3. What are the most common warning signs that adults miss until the situation escalates?

4. What does a healthy system of school-based support look like?

5. If a parent could implement just a few changes at home, what would make the biggest difference?

MEET OUR GUEST

Deanna Oliver is the CEO & Co-Founder of Psyflo, an AI-powered youth mental health platform that helps schools shift from reactive crisis response to proactive, early support. With a background in public health and health technology, she focuses on practical systems that fit real school constraints—supporting student wellbeing through scalable check-ins, skill-building, and clear safety workflows that reduce burden on counselors and educators.

Deanna can be reached at [email protected] or https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannaoliver/.

LINKS

Feelwell

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) | CDC

Calling All Perfectionists: This Advice Just Might Heal You

Expectation overload

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BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS' LIVES

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CULTIVATING AND RECOGNIZING ACADEMIC CURIOSITY

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 the 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.

It's been said that pain in life is inevitable, but we can choose whether to suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. How can we help learners make the right choice when enthusiasm or available time wanes? Amy and Mike invited educator Athena Savino to explore what motivates students in test prep.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What's the biggest misconception tutors and parents have about what motivates students to engage?

2. What is the best way to assess student needs and sequence instruction?

3. Why should goals and expectations set the foundation for preparation and coaching?

4. What time frames work best to maintain enthusiasm and focus?

5. What separates the students who hit their goals from the ones who don't, and how much of it is within a tutor's control?

MEET OUR GUEST

Athena Savino is the founder of Top Marks Prep, a platform that partners with tutoring centers to help students achieve better outcomes on the SAT, ACT, HSPT, SHSAT, ISEE, and PSAT through smarter practice and data-driven instruction.

The daughter of immigrant parents who came to the US to expand educational opportunities for their family, Athena grew up with a deep appreciation for what access to the right tools and support can do. She earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

She began tutoring while pursuing her MBA and discovered that what actually moved the needle for students was simple but underappreciated: repetition and the motivation to keep improving with each attempt. That observation led her to build TopMarksPrep, which now provides tutoring centers with a student-facing study platform and an admin platform that delivers actionable, insightful data — helping tutors and center directors enhance every session and personalize instruction at scale.

Athena lives in Chicago with her husband and is expecting her first son in April 2026.

Athena can be reached at [email protected] or LinkedIn.

LINKS

Academic buoyancy: Towards an understanding of students' everyday academic resilience

Newsletter for Tutoring Center Owners & Directors

RELATED EPISODES

HELPING TEENS FIND MOTIVATION AND INSIGHT

HOW DO I MOTIVATE MY STUDENT?

TECHNIQUES TO MOTIVATE UNMOTIVATED STUDENTS

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.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Brooke Daly. Brooke is the founder and CEO of Advantage College Planning, a nationally recognized college counseling firm that has helped thousands of families navigate the admissions process with clarity and confidence. With more than 20 years of experience in college admissions and financial aid, Brooke works closely with students to develop thoughtful college lists and authentic applications that reflect their strengths and goals.

Brooke is an instructor in the College Counseling Certificate Program at the University of California, Berkeley, a past president of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and the co-founder (along with her husband) of CollegePlannerPro, a widely used software platform for independent college counselors. She currently serves as Vice President of Education and Training for the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).

Through her work with families, counselors, and national organizations, Brooke is passionate about helping students find colleges where they will thrive!

Find Brooke at advcp.com or on LinkedIn.

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.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Sarah Abaza. Cairo-based Sarah Abaza founded Quest Consulting to help international students find their path to universities across the U.S. and beyond. Before discovering her calling in education, she spent years as an entrepreneur, where she learned the value of curiosity, communication, and resilience — lessons she now brings to her students. With a background in political science and a lifelong love of writing, Sarah blends structure with storytelling in her advising approach. A mother of three, she guides each student's journey with empathy and strategy. Sarah is a certified IEC (Independent Educational Consultant), and holds a certificate from UCLA. She is a member of IECA ( Independent Educational Consultants Association), NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling), and HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association).

Find Sarah at [email protected].

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.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Ingrid Latham. Ingrid has been advising students on the college process since 2004. She enjoys learning about her students' activities and how those might relate to ideas for majors and careers. Navigating the college process can be more manageable with Ingrid's assistance in creating timelines for completing each task. In addition to college applications and essays, Ingrid also helps with high school and college course selection, which can be an excellent opportunity for students to explore different interests. Many of her students return for Ingrid's advice on preparing their LinkedIn profiles and practicing for internship interviews.

Ingrid has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University, during which time she worked as a math and chemistry tutor. After working in engineering for seven years, Ingrid decided to follow her true calling of helping young adults to fulfill their dreams. Having lived and worked in a variety of settings, Ingrid has an extensive network of former colleagues and students who serve as great connections when her current clients want to learn firsthand information about a college or career.

Originally from Ohio, Ingrid was the captain of her high school's swim team, a newspaper editor, and a baton twirler. Ingrid now lives in Wisconsin, where she enjoys nature, walking her dog, reading, rollerblading, and singing in a local chorus. A fun fact about Ingrid is that she was an announcer for her son's high school and college lacrosse teams!

Find Ingrid at leaprogram.com.

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.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Steve Tapper, who serves clients nationwide through Tapper College Counseling. Steve obtained his College Counseling Certificate with Distinction from UCLA and then served as a seasonal reader with the Emory University admissions office, where he analyzed students' curriculum rigor and grades and assessed applications as a partner in the Committee-Based Evaluation process. Steve then worked as an essay specialist for College Essay Guy and with another college counseling firm before founding Tapper College Counseling.

Steve received a B.A. with Honors from Brown University, where he was on the swimming team, and a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. He also served as an alumni admissions interviewer for Brown. As an independent college counselor, Steve loves helping students position themselves for success (including taking the right classes and finding meaningful extracurricular activities), find great-fit colleges, and tell their stories in college applications.

Steve is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). He also attended HECA's Professional Development Institute and is certified by the Myers-Briggs Company to administer the Strong Interest Inventory and Strong Interest Inventory 244 assessments.

Steve lives in Atlanta with his wife. They have two children, a recent college graduate and a rising college senior, and a standard poodle named Zeke.

Find Steve at https://www.tappercollegecounseling.com or [email protected]

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.

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Beth Kraemer. Beth is the co-founder of In College Consulting and has spent more than a decade helping families navigate the increasingly complex world of college admissions. With a background in journalism, education, and law, she brings both storytelling expertise and strategic thinking to her work with students.

Beth earned a journalism degree from Northwestern University, a master's degree from The Ohio State University, and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law. She first became involved in admissions as a Northwestern alumni interviewer. She is a Professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association and regularly visits campuses to stay current on admissions trends.

In addition to her consulting work, Beth serves on the board of the Pinpoint Scholars Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access and leadership in STEM education.

Find Beth at incollegeconsulting.com.

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.