PrepWell Podcast Ep. 89 | The importance of your coaches
Jun 19, 2021
Show Notes:
This episode is a continuation from last week's theme of athletic recruiting. We review the importance of relationships with your coaches, why it's important to communicate a consistent message, and why coaches hold so much power in the process.
0:01:50 Academic metrics disappearing
0:02:41 The recruited athlete's path
0:03:23 Importance of your coaches
0:04:15 Importance of a coach's phone call
0:05:30 Which coach matters more?
0:06:40 Due diligence
0:07:20 The club coach
0:08:10 Not just fun and games
0:08:48 Parents get assessed, too
0:09:28 How to be a good parent
0:10:00 Communication flow
0:11:30 Action items
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PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 88 | Does your child have metrics?
Jun 11, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I offer a step-by-step method to help you determine your child's odds of becoming a recruited college athlete. I break down the competitiveness of certain sports, the importance of metrics, whether or not an athlete "projects well", and the athlete's mindset. If you have a child who may be a college prospect in their sport (from DI - DIII), this is the episode for you.
0:01:24 What are metrics?
0:02:51 High school level metrics
0:04:22 Div III level metrics
0:05:40 Div I level metrics
0:06:50 Your child's metrics
0:08:00 Freshman year matters
0:09:10 "...if I get recruited"
0:10:14 Exceptions to the rules
0:11:35 How competitive is the sport?
0:12:08 Your child's metrics
0:13:15 Do they "project"?
0:14:44 Are they committed?
0:15:30 Sample family decisions
0:16:08 Case Study #1
0:19:13 An athlete or athletic?
...
PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 87 | Connecting today with tomorrow (and the next day)
Jun 04, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I challenge high school students to take two important steps. Step #1: Think about their future and what they want the next 6-8 years to look like; Step #2: Decide whether their actions today are consistent with that vision for the future. I speak directly to the students in this episode, as opposed to parents.
0:01:14 Do you have prospective?
0:04:10 What will your future look like?
0:05:54 Upgrade your middle school vision board
0:06:25 Personal agency
0:07:20 Connecting vision with behavior
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- Enroll your 9th or 10th grader in the program
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PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 85 | How to create a "theme" for your application
May 22, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I review a student's college application and the process of building a "theme" over three years. Learn what the theme was, what extracurriculars helped to fortify the theme, and whether or not it was successful.
0:02:00 Putting lipstick on a pig
0:03:00 What's left for admissions officers?
0:03:48 What is a theme?
0:05:25 Case study
0:05:50 The 10 Extracurriculars (ECAs)
0:07:00 Aspirations in 9th grade
0:09:35 The student's theme: defined
0:12:50 Context and background
0:14:25 10 Extracurriculars (quick-read)
0:15:33 An Admissions Officer's perspective
0:22:40 Did you detect a theme?
0:24:00 How will your application turn out?
0:24:45 What's the trick?
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PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 84 | How to help your child discover their path
May 15, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I review the process PrepWellers go through to help them discover what they might want to major in, what career they might enjoy, and what kind of lifestyle to pursue.
0:01:11 What do you want to major in?
0:03:55 What kind of engineering?
0:04:45 Top 3 reasons to become an engineer
0:07:00 Why this mental exercise is important
0:08:40 How do I get my child to engage in this process?
0:10:10 How to refine a teenagers' thinking
0:11:45 The writing exercise
0:12:57 What if you hit a dead-end (Big Future)
0:15:25 How to fortify your research
0:17:20 Books
0:17:50 Podcasts
0:18:30 Jobs & Internships
0:20:28 Online learning platforms
0:21:35 No frame of reference
0:22:00 Students need to take control
0:22:35 Why this improves the college application
0:23:15 Get your child on board
0:24:00 How this process inoculates...
PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 83 | A blessing in disguise
May 06, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I argue that this year's ridiculous admissions cycle is actually a blessing in disguise. It should cause us to take stock of where we are, where we're going, and how to get there.
0:01:23 Admissions as we know it - is broken
0:03:55 The new mindset
0:05:10 How to optimize for the new reality
0:06:00 The old-fashioned strategy
0:08:00 We must think differently
0:08:10 Hard-charger or status quo?
0:09:15 Motivation and ambition
0:10:37 Status quo students
0:11:45 What to do with a status quo student
0:12:45 What to do with a hard-charger
0:13:20 Institutional priorities
0:13:50 The athletic profile
0:14:48 Other profiles?
0:15:45 Will your child own a viable profile?
0:16:20 Summary review
0:18:15 What's the through-line?
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PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 81 | Sports, Kids, College (discuss)
Apr 23, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I discuss what motivates us to put our kids into sports. Then, I break down the three types of athletes: Div I, Div III, and recreational athletes. Finally, how do each of these athletes fare in the college admissions process?
0:02:10 The Div I athlete
0:05:50 The Div III athlete
0:08:43 The recreational athlete
0:10:20 #1: Follow the crowd
0:11:07 #2: Exercise
0:11:23 #3: Love of sports
0:11:40 #4: To pay for college
0:13:16 #5: To get into college
0:14:57 #6: For ROTC or SAs
0:17:00 Are sports a prerequisite?
0:19:00 When to decide? DI
0:20:15 When to decide? DIII
0:21:10 When to decide? Rec athlete
0:22:00 My four sons
0:22:15 My twins
0:24:55 My sophomore
0:24:55 My 6th grader
0:26:26 Audit your child
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PrepWell Podcast - Ep. #80 | SAT plan-of-attack for sophomores
Apr 13, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I make the strong case that every sophomore should dedicate 4-6 weeks this summer studying for the SAT or ACT. Learn the reasons why and how to map out a plan of attack.
0:02:40 Why study for SAT this summer
0:05:44 Why it may not make sense
0:06:55 Will you be smarter in the Spring?
0:07:40 Plenty of time to recover
0:08:22 Early SAT score to coaches
0:08:55 Early is always better than late
0:09:28 You get an early signal
0:10:22 Get bulk of studying done
0:10:49 Superscoring
0:12:00 Step 1: Take practice SAT and ACT
0:13:20 Step 2: Do you want to invest?
0:13:45 Step 3: Map out a plan
0:14:15 Step 4: Register for exams
0:14:30 Step 5: De-conflict
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PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 79 | The absurdity of admit rates and what to do about it
Apr 09, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I walk through the reasons why some of the most selective schools are only admitting 3-4% of the applicants. Once we establish the reasons why, we then tackle the tougher question of - what can you do about it?
0:02:00 Why admit rates so low?
0:02:18 College Rankings
0:02:54 Artificial number of applicants
0:03:55 Definition of applicant
0:04:22 QuestBridge
0:05:10 Common App
0:06:00 Growing population
0:06:22 Growing interest in college
0:06:49 Standardized test prep
0:07:22 Remote learning
0:08:10 Test optional
0:10:30 Step #1: Audit
0:13:00 Supernovas
0:16:38 Very highly qualified student
0:19:20 Qualified students
0:16:38 Very highly qualified student
0:19:40 Recruited athletes
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PrepWell Podcast - Ep. 77 | How to secure leadership positions in high school
Mar 25, 2021
Show Notes:
In this episode, I discuss why this year's admissions results will be the toughest in years. How you should prepare for the results and what to do next.
0:01:13 Why colleges love leaders
0:03:00 7 Common leadership roles
0:04:40 How to secure leadership roles
0:11:52 Inside the mind of an admissions officer
0:14:15 Two strategies for leadership positions
0:16:30 Final advice
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Podcast Host: PrepWell Academy's Founder, Phil Black, has spent a lifetime cracking the code on the world's most competitive programs:...