Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast Amy Seeley & Mike Bergin

Getting into your best fit school usually feels like the prize at the end of a long and grueling journey, but the next step in the undergraduate adventure has really just begun. Will you emerge victorious, degree in hand? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Beth Howland to share insights into how to persist to college graduation.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
What is the difference between retention and persistence and how is each related to graduation rates?
What are the most common reasons students leave college?
How should families think about college readiness?
What can families do before a student leaves for college to increase their persistence?
What can families do if their student is talking about leaving college? 
MEET OUR GUEST
Prior to founding College Navigators LLC, Beth A. Howland spent 25 years advising and mentoring undergraduate students at several institutions.  Most recently, Beth worked for 14 years at Cornell University in both direct service and leadership roles in student development within the College of Engineering, the Hotel School, and the Office of Undergraduate Biology.  Beth graduated with honors from Ithaca College and is a two-time NCAA National Champion, Academic All-American, and Hall of Fame inductee in women’s soccer. After earning her undergraduate degree in psychology, she worked for five years as a Family Caseworker for Family and Children’s Service in Ithaca. She then completed an advanced degree in health and human performance with a concentration in sports psychology. 
Over the course of her career, Beth served as a pre-major mentor, major advisor, and faculty advisor at both Duke University and Cornell University; and as a Crisis Manager and Residential House Fellow at Cornell University. She provided advising and support for thousands of students, including those who identify as BIPOC, first-generation, pre-health, under-prepared, and high-achieving, as well as Division I student-athletes and students who were managing a variety of challenges or disruptions throughout their college experience. During her career Beth founded and directed comprehensive academic advising, career development, and community engagement programs for Division-I student-athletes at Cornell University, Tulane University and Duke University. Beth transitioned out of athletics in 2005. Prior to returning to Cornell Beth worked as the inaugural Assistant Director of Student Development for the Robertson Scholars Program, a multi-campus, cohort-based, collaborative leadership development program with Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill.  
Throughout her career in higher ed, Beth prioritized advocating for university policies, procedures and opportunities to be more inclusive, equitable, transparent, and visible. During the pandemic Beth confirmed that she is most energized by coaching individual students as they discover themselves, negotiate life’s ups and downs, and prepare for their careers. Beth’s passion for working intensively one-on-one with students and extensive understanding of and ability to assist students navigate the complexities of institutions within higher ed, led her to start College Navigators LLC and invest full-time in college student success coaching…decision to degree.
Beth previously appeared on this podcast in episode # 455 to discuss What To Do When A Student Struggles In College.
Find Beth at beth@college-navigators.com.
LINKS
Persistence and Retention
How America Completes College
Student Persistence vs. Retention in Higher Education
Student survey gauges importance of a college degree
RELATED EPISODES
THE W-CURVE MODEL AND NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS
COLLEGE READINESS ADVICE FROM A COLLEGE PROFESSOR
THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF COLLEGE SUCCESS
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 presi

The artificial intelligence genie is out of the bottle, and there’s no way to put it back in. All we can do is learn to live with AI as productively as possible. No surprise, today’s youth are leading the charge from middle school to college. Amy and Mike invited ed tech expert Annie Chechitelli to describe how students use generative AI.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
How are students using generative AI? 
What are positive and productive ways to use generative AI?
What are less-productive ways to use generative AI?
Are current detection tools keeping up with AI-generated work?
How can educators promote positive adoption and use of AI tools?
MEET OUR GUEST
Annie Chechitelli has spent the past two decades innovating with educators to expand access to education, meet the quickly changing needs of learners, and empower students to do their best, original work. As the Chief Product Officer at Turnitin, Annie oversees the Turnitin suite of applications which includes academic integrity, grading and feedback, and assessment capabilities. 
Prior to joining Turnitin, Annie spent over five years at Amazon where she led Kindle Content for School, Work, and Government and launched the AWS EdTech Growth Advisory team, advising education technology companies on how to grow their product and go-to-market strategies with AWS. Annie began her career in EdTech at Wimba where she launched a live collaboration platform for education which was ultimately acquired by Blackboard in 2010. At Blackboard she led platform management, focused on transitioning Blackboard Learn to the cloud. Annie holds a B.S. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. and M.S. from Claremont Graduate University. She resides near Indianapolis, Indiana with her youngest child and husband, with two children attending college on the East Coast.
Annie can be reached at LinkedIn.
LINKS
Resources For AI Writing 
Empowering Students for Tomorrow with AI Writing
Solving The AI Writing Puzzle
RELATED EPISODES
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
HOW CAN TUTORS USE AI?
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. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Computer Science is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Edward Lee to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Computer Science A exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
What is tested on the AP Computer Science A exam?
How do AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles differ?
What are the highest priority topics on the test?
How should students prepare for the AP Computer Science A exam?
What are the best prep materials for AP Computer Science A?
MEET OUR GUEST
Edward Lee is the owner and founder of Lee Tutoring, which he built from the ground up to make online test prep and academic tutoring as engaging and valuable as possible for digital natives. He has nearly a decade of experience in test prep and a bit more than a decade with computer science tutoring. While he originally intended to earn a degree in Computer Science, his love for teaching won out and he earned his degree in Philosophy instead, which he completed alongside a thesis on Samuel Beckett's novels and learning as overcoming "good sense." He's been tutoring full-time ever since!
Edward's life mission is to reconcile his interest in both the cutting-edge field of computer science with his interest in classical education. In 6th grade, his father packed a copy of The Iliad into his backpack for some "light reading," but it hardly fit next to the Arduino project Edward had constructed for his physics class. His commitment to a socratic approach is symbolized by the Ionic column motif in Lee Tutoring's logo and his approach to technology is evident in the source code he writes to keep his business running!
Edward and his team at Lee Tutoring have helped well over a thousand students achieve their goals on the SAT and ACT. Edward has personally helped dozens of students prepare for the AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Calculus AB/BC exams.
Edward can be reached at leetutoring.com.
LINKS
AP Computer Science A
CodingBat
AP CSA Java Course — AP CSAwesome
Albert.io
AP Computer Science A Premium, 2024: 6 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (Barron's AP Prep)
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
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. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
 

The 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 Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Literature exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
What is tested on the AP Literature exam?
What are the different approaches required by each essay?
What strategies lead to higher scores on the AP Literature exam?
How should students practice and prepare for the AP Literature exam?
How has AI impacted student readiness for the AP Lit exam?
MEET OUR GUEST
Christy Shriver is an educator from Memphis, TN. Currently, she produces the How to Love Lit Podcast, a tool to support IB and AP students in preparation for their exams. She has been teaching both AP and IB in public and private schools in the Memphis area for the last 20 years. 
Christy graduated from the Escola Americana de Belo Horizonte as an IB student and has lived much of her life internationally, primarily in the country of Brazil. Although she is a strong advocate of the IB program, she is currently an AP Language teacher and AP reader. 
Christy first appeared on this podcast in episode 199 to discuss Choosing Between AP and IB Programs and episode 472 to discuss Getting Ready For The AP Language Exam.
Find Christy at christy@howtolovelitpodcast.com.
LINKS
AP English Language and Composition Exam – AP Central | College Board
AP English Language and Composition Exam
What is the Test Format of the AP® English Language Exam?
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
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. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

The 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 Shayda Moshirvaziri to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Calculus AB or BC exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
What is tested on the AP Calculus exam?
How important is a calculator on the AP Calculus exam?
What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
What are the best prep materials for AP Calculus?
How should students prepare for the AP Calculus?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shayda Moshirvaziri is the founder of Pivot Tutors Shayda graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering in 2003. She was accepted at MIT, John Hopkins University, Stanford, and UCSD for Ph.D. programs in Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering on full fellowship. She chose to attend UCSD for graduate school and received her Masters and Doctorate in Bioengineering in 2007 and 2010, respectively.
Shayda has over 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience with all levels of mathematics and science for middle school, high school, and college-level students. She has a passion for teaching young students and has taught undergraduate courses at UCSD, including Introduction to Bioengineering, Human Physiology, and Computer Science. Before starting Pivot Tutors in 2012, she developed an ACT boot camp course for a private high school in San Diego and taught as a premier level ACT and SAT instructor for different test prep centers. After recently selling Pivot Tutors, she has returned to tutoring students across the country.
Shayda first appeared on this podcast in episode #303 as the subject of a Test Prep Profile.
Shayda can be reached at shaydamoshirvaziri@gmail.com.
LINKS
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
Test Preparation Books - GET 800
AP Calculus AB/BC designed to help Students get a Perfect Score  Chung, Dr. John
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
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. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
 

The 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 Dan Corrigan to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP United States Government and Politics exam.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
What is tested on the AP Government and Politics exam?
What are the highest priority topics for this exam?
How should students prepare for the AP Government?
What are the best prep materials for the AP Government exam?
Is there anything distinctive about the AP Government exam?
MEET OUR GUEST
Dan Corrigan graduated from Princeton University in 1982 with a degree in History. He received his Masters in Teaching from Marygrove College. He has been a teacher at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio for 40 years, where he has taught AP US Government and Politics for 30 years and also AP European History.
LINKS
AP United States Government and Politics
AP U.S. Government and Politics | C-Span
AP®︎ US Government & Politics (College-level) | Khan Academy
RELATED EPISODES
GETTING READY FOR THE AP LANGUAGE EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP US HISTORY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP STATISTICS EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
GETTING READY FOR THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM
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. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.