The College Checklist Podcast

Meet the new hosts of the College Checklist Podcast as we discuss all of the chaos and change in college admissions and test prep.

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Get ready for the SAT or PSAT this fall with Julia at Higher Scores Test Prep! Contact her here.

Or prepare for application season with Christina at March Consulting College Planners!

If you listened to the last episode featuring just-graduated-high-school-Adam, be prepared to teleport 3 years into the future and meet almost-graduated-college-Adam!

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Adam when he was a junior in high school. Not only was he thoroughly committed to improving his ACT scores, he then leveraged those scores for some really impressive merit aid awards.

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

About Lauren Gaggioli

After graduating from New York University with her B.F.A. in Theater, Lauren moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. To make time for auditions during the day, she called upon her academic roots from her high school days and began tutoring the ACT and SAT.

She quickly fell in love - not with the exams, but with the feeling that she was helping students put their feet on a firm path towards a big, bright future.

After 7 years working as an in-home tutor with a large test prep firm and then in her own independent tutoring company, Lauren distilled her experiences into the 4 different ACT & SAT prep programs that are now available through her company, Higher Scores Test Prep.

Resources Mentioned

Want to improve your test scores and earn more cash for college? Each of my four online test prep courses includes my free Cash for College workshop so you can raise your score and earn thousands of dollars in free tuition too.

Head to higherscorestestprep.comto learn more.

In my 13 years helping college-bound high school students, I've seen many students lose their way.Sometimes they lose connection with what they want and why they started on the path to college. They had direction once, but - over time - it slipped away.Or they realize that what they want from life is shifting, but the work they’ve done so far makes them feel locked into their current trajectory. Their progress is halting, taking two steps forward, one step back as they struggle to convince themselves that a few months of sunk cost is worth a lifetime on the wrong path.Or they’ve been checking boxes off their to do list but are losing momentum, getting angry, or feeling overwhelmed because they never stopped to think about what they really wanted on the other side of all their hard work. They’ve come so far only to find that they are struggling to fulfill the basic tasks they need to complete in order to get into college - like the personal statement - because they’re impossible to do properly without clarity about oneself.The common connection among these students? They’re all missing their Big Why. I finally have a way to help them. Head to BigWhyLife.com to learn more.

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About Lauren GaggioliAfter graduating from New York University with her B.F.A. in Theater, Lauren moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. To make time for auditions during the day, she called upon her academic roots from her high school days and began tutoring the ACT and SAT.She quickly fell in love - not with the exams, but with the feeling that she was helping students put their feet on a firm path towards a big, bright future.(Ok, maybe she fell a little bit in love with the exams too. Her dad didn't nickname her #2 Pencil Nerd for nothing.)After 7 years working as an in-home tutor with a large test prep firm and then in her own independent tutoring company, Lauren distilled her experiences into the 4 different ACT & SAT prep programs that are now available through her company, Higher Scores Test Prep.Lauren's love of teaching and compassion for what students are facing in today's complex, competitive college admissions landscape allows her to bring a little bit of calm to her corner of the college admissions process.

"If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable." - SenecaHead to BigWhyLife.com to join the next cohort before registration closes on February 11th.

If you're not hopeful about the future...

If your next steps feel forced...

If you feel your purpose lies on a different path than the one you're currently walking...

...then this episode is for you.

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

About Lauren Gaggioli

After graduating from New York University with her B.F.A. in Theater, Lauren moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. To make time for auditions during the day, she called upon her academic roots from her high school days and began tutoring the ACT and SAT.

She quickly fell in love - not with the exams, but with the feeling that she was helping students put their feet on a firm path towards a big, bright future.

After 7 years working as an in-home tutor with a large test prep firm and then in her own independent tutoring company, Lauren distilled her experiences into the 4 different ACT & SAT prep programs that are now available through her company, Higher Scores Test Prep.

Changing course can often be a great choice, but there are some risks that come from opting out of the first 2 years at a 4-year college. The most important thing is to have a clear understand of both the upshots and downsides of opting for a transfer track before making your decision.

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

About Kat Clowes

Kat is the founder of March Consulting. She holds several degrees, including an MBA from Mount Saint Mary's College, a BA in Communications from Santa Clara University, and a post-graduate certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from UC Irvine.

An associate member of the Independent Educational Consultant's Association (IECA) and the Higher Educational Consultant's Association (HECA), she visits college campuses throughout the United States to discover more about the great options available to a variety of different students. She brings that knowledge home with her to help students discover the schools best fit for their needs.

Her favorite part of her job is watching clients discover that they have something to offer the world and find the means of communicating it.

To learn more about Kat, her team, and her services, head to MyMarchConsulting.com.

Resources Mentioned

• Put College To Work [Book]
• Big Why Life Workshop

Recorded long before the pandemic hit, this episode seems rather fortuitous given the biggest challenge we're currently facing in lockdown: focus.

Our dear friend and fellow bookworm Jen Hoffman joins us to share her incredible tips for cultivating the practice of focus.

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

About Jennifer Hoffman

Jennifer Hoffman is a Certified Personal Trainer-Restorative Exercise Specialist (CPT-RES) , a Registered Yoga Teacher (eRYT-500), and founder of HealthyMoving.com. Jen has worked with thousands of students sharing tips to help them make lasting improvements to their health and wellness. Everything she teaches is based on one crazy truth: that you don't need to exercise to be healthy. Instead, for lasting wellness, she encourages us to weave Healthy Moving into the fabric of our day so we can feel amazing in and about our bodies.

To learn more about Jen and her work, visit HealthyMoving.com.

Resources Mentioned

• 5 Minute Stress Relief Practice
• Headspace App
• Jen's Homeschool PE Curriculum

Living in times of great uncertainty is no easy feat. The good news is that there are skills and practices that you can cultivate that can help you not only cope but thrive.

Whether it's a year when the waters are rough and choppy or a momentary bobble, the tips the Dr. Maggie Wray shares with us today will help you learn to thrive in these (and all) uncertain times.

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

About Dr. Maggie Wray

Dr. Maggie Wray is a certified ADHD Coach & Academic Life Coach and the founder of Creating Positive Futures. She and her team help high school and college students learn how to earn better grades with less stress and empower students to develop the mindset, organization, time management, and study skills they need to achieve their goals.

You can learn more about Dr. Wray and her work at CreatingPositiveFutures.com.

Resources Mentioned

The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal

Networking. It's such a daunting topic for so many people, but - as hard as it is to network in person - it's made even more challenging at a distance.

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

‪ About Derek Hoffman

After a successful career at one of the Big 4 accounting firms, Derek has changed tacks and is now climbing the ranks at a large entertainment company. Derek is a high achiever and problem solver who has been recognized by both guests and leaders for his exemplary service in his new position. The 3 main reasons I think he receives such accolades is due to his insatiable curiosity, his creativity, and his remarkable people skills.

He also makes a mean chicken alfredo. Seriously, don't miss out on the super easy recipe at the end of the episode!

Resources Mentioned

A few books to add to your bookshelf...

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnagie
• The Greatest Salesman In The World by Og Mandino
• The Go Giver by Bob Berg
• The Platinum Rule by Tony Alessandra

Last spring was incredibly challenging. The upheaval of our normal day-to-day lives unsurprisingly took a toll on the work we did.

Thomas Frank from CollegeInfoGeek.com will be joining us to help us improve our productivity as we get the new school year underway.

Earn the SAT or ACT score that will secure admissions and scholarships to the college of your dreams!

About Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank is an author, YouTuber, musician, and podcaster who is passionate about helping people become more capable and productive.

Most of his work today is done at College Info Geek – a site he created in 2010 in order to share his experiments in becoming a more effective student. Today, College Info Geek is one of the world's largest and best-loved resources for students, and includes a blog, podcast, and a YouTube channel with over 1.7 million subscribers. Learn more about Thomas at CollegeInfoGeek.com.

Resources Mentioned

• Gain access to Thomas's 2 courses on productivity for free at CollegeInfoGeek.com/courses.
• Check out Thomas's YouTube Channel.