All Episodes
PrepWell Podcast with Phil Black — 338 episodes
Ep. 318 | How The NCAA New Eligibility Proposal May Impact Youth Sports
Ep. 317 | What Is Your Child’s #1 Priority?
Ep. 316 | How College Dictates Your Child’s Launch Plans
Ep. 315 | Don't Get Stuck In The Middle
Ep. 314 | How To Secure Extraordinary Letters Of Recommendation
Ep. 313 | There Are Bigger Fish To Fry
Ep. 312 | How Will AI Impact These 4 Cohorts?
Ep. 311 | What To Expect From Your Child's Guidance Counselor
Ep. 310 | What Impact Will AI Have On College Graduates?
Ep. 309 | What To Do If Your Child Lacks a "Passion"
Ep. 308 | When Is It Okay To Spend $400K On College?
Ep. 307 | Case Study: Northwestern vs. UIUC?
Ep. 306 | The Hidden Challenge Of Early College Life
Ep. 305 | Have DI Scholarships Lost Their Luster?
Ep. 304 | How Do College Campus Cultures Shape Your Child
Ep. 303 | Necessary Skills In An AI World
Ep. 302 | ChatGPT = No More Excuses
Ep. 301 | The Death Of A Computer Science Degree
Ep. 255 Revisited | What If I’m Not Interested In Anything
Ep. 300 | Seeking Clarity Amidst The Chaos
Ep. 299 | Why Is College So Expensive?
Ep. 298 | Why Go To College?
Ep. 97 Revisited | The Magic (Or Miscue) Of Sophomore Year
Ep. 297 | Who Should Write Your Child’s Letters Of Recommendation?
Ep. 296 | How Will AI Impact Your Child's College Career And Beyond
Ep. 295 | When To Intervene With A Tutor
Ep. 294 | Should My Daughter Take The SAT Again?
Ep. 293 | How Much Student Loan Debt Is Too Much?
Ep. 292 | Is Your Child A Doer Or A Dreamer?
Ep. 291 | Why Are So Many College Grads Applying To Graduate School?
Ep. 290 | How To Prepare For The Coming AI Revolution
Ep. 289 | ChatGPT And The College Essay
Ep. 288 | Why Major In Accounting?
Ep. 287 | How To Write The "Why Us" Essay
Ep. 286 | Does The Free Khan Academy SAT Prep Program Improve SAT Scores Nationwide?
Ep. 285 | Is Your Child A Bad Test-taker?
Ep. 284 | How To Write Your Extracurricular Activities List
Ep. 283 | This Is The Year To Apply To The Ivies
Ep. 282 | What Is The PSAT And Why Should I Care?
Ep. 281 | How To Get The Most Out Of College – Even With A Mediocre GPA
Ep. 280 | Mid-Summer Check-in
Ep. 279 | What To Do If Your Child Is Not Athletic
Ep. 278 | AP Exam Scores Are In. Now What?
Ep. 277 | Which ECA Strategy Is Better?
Ep. 276 | SAT/ACT Strategies For The Summer
Ep. 275 | How Not To Waste $400K
Ep. 274 | How To Talk To Your Child About The Summer
Ep. 273 | How To Ease Into Leadership Positions
Ep. 272 | Don't Expect Help From Your Coaches
Ep. 271 | The Case for No-Name Colleges
Ep. 270 | Is Your Sophomore On Track? (Bonus: How to Handle Your Last Child Getting Their Driver's License)
Ep. 269 | What Happens When Colleges Lose Federal Funding?
Ep. 268 | The SAT & ACT Are Back!
Ep. 267 | Don’t Believe Them
Ep. 266 | How Julius Prepares For An AP Exam (Case Study)
Ep. 265 | Harvard Is Free If Income < $200K
Ep. 264 | The Gig Is Up
Ep. 263 | How To Create Unique, DIY, Extracurricular Activities
Ep. 262 | Have You Ever Heard Of A “Reading Team”?
Ep. 261 | Should You Go All-in On Sports?
Ep. 260 | Who Should Be In The Meeting(s)?
Ep. 259 | The Most Clever College Essay Question I Have Ever Seen
Episode 258 | How to Reach Escape Velocity
Ep. 257 | Which Personal Trait Trumps Them All?
Ep. 256 | Which Standardized Tests Matter These Days?
Ep. 255 | What If I’m Not Interested In Anything
Ep. 254 | 2024 Year-In-Review
Ep. 253 | Top 10 Reasons Your Child Probably Got Rejected From College X
Ep. 252 | Should My Child Attend This Summer Leadership Conference?
Ep. 251 | Why "Normal" May Trump "Super-selective" When It Comes To Colleges
Ep. 250 | Why I Love Teaching My 15-yr-old How To Drive
Ep. 249 | How Can Your Child Take Advantage of AI?
Ep. 248 | Using The Chaos To Your Advantage
Ep. 247 | Begin with the end in mind
Ep. 246 | ChatGPT/Chegg Take Over College Campuses
Ep. 184 Revisited | Too Much Attention vs Too Little Attention
Ep. 245 | 11 Alternatives to Paying $100K/yr for College
Ep. 244 | 7 Hottest Trends in College Admissions
Ep. 243 | Building Study Habits: Note-taking
Ep. 242 | How To Deal With An Injury
Ep. 206 Revisited | Why Teenagers Should Not Drink Alcohol
Ep. 241 | Are You Considering "Political Fit" When Selecting Colleges?
Ep. 240 | Why Ivies Might Be The Wrong "Fit"
Ep. 239 | College Admissions: Then and Now
Ep. 238 | How To Build a Signature Extracurricular Activity
Ep. 237 | My Daughter Will Get Into The Ivies, Right?
Ep. 236 | The Death of Reading
Ep. 235 | The New Digital ACT
Ep. 234 | Which Is Better, Public Or Private School?
Ep. 233 | Is ROTC Safe For My Son?
Ep. 232 | Rapid-fire FAQs
Ep. 231 | Irreconcilable Differences
Ep. 230 | Is Div I Worth The Effort (and risk)?
Ep. 229 | The Transfer Portal
Ep. 228 | More Of This...Less Of That
Ep. 227 | Transition and Big Announcement
Ep. 226 | Turning Down USC For Community College
Ep. 225 | A Silver Lining Amid The Chaos?
Ep. 224 | Blank Stares
Ep. 223 | Sports: Double-down Or Diversify?
Ep. 222 | Summer School For Smart Students
Ep. 39 Revisited | How Competitive Will Your Child Be?
Ep. 221 | Insights From 30 Hrs Of Consulting In 1 Week
Ep. 220 | Admissions Results, Explained
Ep. 40 Revisited | How and When to Research Colleges
Ep. 219 | The New Digital SAT Is Here (For Good)
Ep. 218 | The Cost Of College (From $100K/yr To $0/yr)
Ep. 217 | Duke No Longer Grades The College Essay. When will It End?
Ep. 216 | Yale Goes Back To Test-required. Anyone Else?
Ep. 215 | An Extracurricular Activity Cheat Code
Ep. 3 Revisited | 10 Life Skills Teens Must Learn During The College Admissions Process
Ep. 214 | Dartmouth Reinstates Requirement For SAT Score
Ep. 213 | Should You Bother Applying To UC Schools?
Ep. 212 | Do-it-Yourself Extracurricular Activities
Ep. 211 | How To Plan College Campus Visits
Ep. 210 | The New York Times Said What?
Ep. 209 | Is College Worth It? 51% of Americans Say, No
Ep. 153 Revisited | How Not To Get Scammed By Merit Aid
Ep. 94 Revisited | How Much Should I Push My Child?
Ep. 208 | How To Maximize The Time We Have Left
Ep. 207 | Does Your Child Know How To Write?
Ep. 206 | Why Teenagers Should Not Drink Alcohol
Ep. 147 Revisited | Your Child's Killer App, Revealed
Ep. 205 | How To Nudge Your Child To Take Action
Ep. 204 | Don't Sleep On Community Colleges
Ep. 203 | The Importance Of Your Intended Major
Ep. 202 | Is College Even Worth It Anymore?
Ep. 201 | Yup, I Did That
Ep. 200 | SAT Prep Gone Bad
Ep. 199 | What? You Don’t Have A Tutor?
Ep. 198 | How I Got A Job With The NFL As A Teenager
Ep. 197 | How To Develop An Interest (Intended Major)
Ep. 196 | Toastmasters (Secret Weapon)
Ep. 195 | What Is Interest-probing?
Ep. 194 | My Pet Peeve
Ep. 193 | When Do You Want To Take The Pain?
Ep. 192 | Make Money Or Support Your Child’s Athletic Dream
Ep. 39 Revisited | How Competitive Will Your Child Be?
Ep. 191 | The Digital SAT Is Here. Now What?
Ep. 190 | How To Use ZPD To Accelerate Your Child’s Learning
Ep. 189 | Important FAQs Answered
Ep. 188 | Why Do Recruited Athletes Struggle When They Get To College?
Ep. 187 | Affirmative Action Ends. Now What?
Ep. 19 Revisited | How To Help Your Child With Their Summer Plans
Ep. 186 | Summer Goals (9-12th Grades)
Ep. 185 | $400K In Cash Or A College Education?
Ep. 184 | Too Much Attention vs Too Little Attention
Ep. 183 | Managing The Transition To A New Year
Ep. 182 | Time-sensitive: Parents Of 8th And 10th Graders
Ep. 181 | Top 6 Parenting Mistakes
Ep. 180 | How Prepared Is Your Child For Next Year?
Ep. 179 | How To Give Feedback To Your Child
Ep. 178 | The 6 Categories Of Colleges
Ep. 177 | Should I Go To XYZ Summer Enrichment Camp?
Ep. 176 | Describe Your Ultimate Fantasy Summer Camp
Ep. 175 | Be Careful About Campus Visits
Ep. 174 | Rapid Fire Q&A (Part II)
Ep. 173 | Rapid Fire Q&A (Part I)
Ep. 172 | How To Secure A Leadership Position
Ep. 171 | Thank You Notes
Ep. 170 | One Simple Message
Ep. 169 | Summertime ”Real Options”
Ep. 168 | The New Rules of College Admissions
Ep. 167 | How Do I Prioritize So Many Competing Issues?
Ep. 166 | Best Extracurriculars If You Love Sports/Journalism
Ep. 165 | Dear Teenager, Get A Summer Job
Ep. 164 | Should Your Child Enroll In Summer School?
Ep. 163 | ChatGPT and The Future of the College Essay
Ep. 162 | How Do I Help My Child Maximize Their Athletic Potential?
Ep. 161 | A High Level Review Of The Current Admissions Landscape
Ep. 108 Revisited | Parents: Don’t Miss Your Window
Ep. 160 | College And Career Talk With Your Teenager
Ep. 159 | Can Your Child Write A Coherent Sentence?
Ep. 158 | What To Do With Your Junior’s PSAT Score?
Ep. 98 Revisited | The Horses Have Left The Barn
Ep. 157 | How To Save Our Kids From Their Phones
Ep. 156 | What To Know About The New Digital SAT
Ep. 155 | Should Your Child Consider A Military Service Academy?
Ep. 154 | Checking Your Child’s Grades
Ep. 153 | How Not To Get Scammed By Merit Aid
Ep. 152 | Do I need to take AP Exams?
Ep. 151 | Is Your Child Too Comfortable?
Ep. 150 | Is Your Child A Grinder Or A Hustler?
Ep. 149 | How To Build And ”Rebuild” Your ECA List
Ep. 148 | How To Overcome Procrastination
Ep. 147 | Your Child’s Killer App, Revealed
Ep. 146 | The Art of Discipline
Ep. 145 | 3 ECA Buckets (Extracurricular Activities)
Ep. 144 | 10 Toughest Questions For Your Teen
Ep. 143 | Selecting A Sport
Ep. 44 Revisited | Mid-summer Check-in
Ep. 39 Revisited | How Competitive Will Your Child Be?
Ep. 142 | How To Get Recruited
Ep. 25 Revisited | Dumber By The Day
Ep. 141 | Who Will Win The Tug Of War?
Ep. 140 | How To Build An Extracurricular Activity From Scratch
Ep. 139 | A Change Of Heart
Ep. 138 | Mash-up Of Summer Advice
Ep. 137 | How To Save Reading
Ep. 136 | Lessons Learned From The Trenches
Episode Revisit | Should You Hire A Private College Counselor?
Ep. 135 | Top 3 Priorities for 7th - 12th graders
Ep. 134 | What Should I Major In?
Episode 21 Revisit | How Involved Should You Be as a Parent?
Ep. 133 | Honest Answers To 10 Tough Questions
Ep. 132 | Is This Reckoning A Good Thing?
Ep. 131 | Do Un-hooked Students Get Into Harvard?
Ep. 130 | Why Are College Admissions So Out Of Control?
Ep. 129 | How To Handle Admissions Decisions
Ep. 128 | What Should I Spend Money On In High School?
Ep. 127 | Your First Call With A College Coach
Ep. 126 | Before You Go All-in On Sports...
Ep. 125 | Every Student Should Apply To Harvard
Ep. 124 | 10-Question Quiz
Ep. 123 | How Did ”She” Get In?
Ep. 122 | Does Your Child Need A Tutor?
Ep. 121 | How To Bump An 89.5 To An A
Ep. 120 | A Brand New SAT (Digital, Shorter, Easier?)
Ep. 119 | Does PrepWell Academy Work?
Ep. 118 | Winners & Losers With Test-optional Policies
Ep. 117 | How to Engage Your 14 and 15-Year-Old Son
Ep. 116 | Extracurriculars During Lockdown
Episode 69 Revisited: Critical Decision Points
Ep. 114 | Early Results Are In. Time To Panic?
Ep. 113 | I Got My PSAT Score. Now What?
Ep. 112 | Create the Ultimate Brag Sheet
Ep. 111 | How to manage your ”Ls”
Ep. 110 | Does Your Major Matter?
Ep. 109 | If Not The Ivies, Then Where?
Ep. 108 | Parents: Don‘t Miss Your Window
Ep. 107 | The Case for DIII Sports
Ep. 106 | Biggest Common App Essay mistake
Ep. 105 | How to Train Your Child Not to Lie
Ep. 104 | How Well (Or Poorly) Does Your Child Write?
Ep. 103 | Should Your Child Switch Sports?
Ep. 102 | For Juniors, Before It‘s Too Late
Ep. 101 | At Peace With My Messy Garage
Ep. 100 | 100 Best Tips, Advice, and Insights
Ep. 99 | What To Do The Day Before The SAT
Ep. 98 | The Horses Have Left The Barn
Ep. 97 | The Magic (Or Miscue) Of Sophomore Year
Ep. 96 | Do You Know Enough Math To Excel On The SAT Or ACT?
Ep. 95 | How To Build A Cheat Sheet For The SAT/ACT
Ep. 94 | How Much Should I Push My Child?
Ep. 93 | Plan to Major in Business? Be Careful.
Ep. 92 | When To Take SAT/ACT And How Many Backups?
Ep. 91 | Build Your College List In 4 Steps
Ep. 90 | How Not To End Up With A Skimpy Activity List
Ep. 89 | The Importance Of Coaches
Ep. 88 | Does your child have metrics?
Ep. 87 | Connecting today with tomorrow (and the next day)
Ep. 86 | The New California Lottery
Ep. 85 | How to Create a "Theme" for Your Application
Ep. 84 | How to Help Your Child Discover Their Path
Ep. 83 | A Blessing In Disguise
Ep. 82 | Should You Hire A Private College Counselor?
Ep. 81 | Sports, Kids, College (Discuss)
Ep. 80 | SAT: Plan-of-attack For Sophomores This Summer
Ep. 79 | The Absurdity Of Admit Rates And What To Do About It
Ep. 78 | My Deal With The Devil
Ep. 77 | How To Secure Leadership Positions In High School
Ep. 76 | Brace For Impact
Ep. 75 | GPA RIP
Ep. 74 | Should I Apply Early Decision?
Ep. 73 | The Financial Tipping Point
Ep. 71 | PLEASE take the SAT or ACT
Ep. 71 | The Ascendancy of AP Classes and Exams
Ep. 70 | Top 10 Most Important Admissions Factors
Ep. 69 | Critical Decision Points
Ep. 68 | Bye, Bye SAT Subject Tests
Ep. 67 | How Rick Should Prioritize Summer Options
Ep. 66 | Top Questions of 2020 Answered
Ep. 65 | Applications Are Submitted... Now What?
Ep. 64 | Making Sense Of This Year's Early Admissions Results
Ep. 62 | Success: Pay Now Or Pay Later?
Ep. 61 | How to Crush the College Zoom Interview
REVISIT Ep. 4: How Extracurricular Activities Impact the Strength of Your Child’s College Application
Ep. 60 | The Importance of Class Selection
Ep. 59 | What to do when the dream of a D-I scholarship dies
Ep. 58 | What Juniors Need To Focus On Right Now
Ep. 57 | Top 5 Lessons Learned When Filling Out College Applications
Ep. 56 | 20 Bad Decisions
Ep. 55 | ROTC Scholarships
Ep. 54 | Top 3 Tips for 9-12th Graders
Ep. 53 | 24 Rapid fire FAQs
Ep. 52 | How to avoid waking up in a panic your senior year
Ep. 51 | How Will Test-optional/Test-blind Affect Admissions?
Ep. 50 | What are my priorities now?
Ep. 49 | UC Schools Ordered to go Test Blind. What Does That Mean for You?
Ep. 48 | Top 7 Habits for Teens
Ep. 47 | What's The Plan?
Ep. 46 | The College Essay
Ep. 45 | Rapid-Fire FAQs
Ep. 44 | Mid-summer Check-in
Ep. 43 | Catch-up session for rising Juniors
Episode 12 Revisit | Should my child take the SAT or ACT?
Ep. 41 | When All Else Fails
Ep. 40 | How and When to Research Colleges
Ep. 39 | How Competitive Will Your Child Be?
Ep. 38 | Public or Private High School?
Ep. 37 | School's out. Now what?
Ep. 36 | Letters of Recommendation (Part II)
Ep. 35 | 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid in College Admissions
Ep. 34 | Misallocation of Time
Ep. 33 | Letters of Recommendation
Ep. 32 | Does Test-Optional Hurt or Help?
Ep. 31 | Rapid-Fire Q&A (20 Burning Questions)
Ep. 30 | Student-Athletes' Summer Strategies 2020
Ep. 29 | How Does COVID-19 Affect Freshman and Sophomores
Ep. 28 | Do I Still Have to Take the SAT (and other misguided questions)?
Ep. 27 | Shark Tank After-Action-Report
Ep. 26 | Going Back on Shark Tank
Ep. 25 | Dumber by the Day
Ep. 24 | How the Coronavirus Just Increased Your Child's College Prospects
Ep. 23 | The Secret Weapon in College Admissions: The Guidance Counselor
Ep. 22 | A Message For Your Teen
Ep. 21 | How Involved Should You Be as a Parent?
Ep. 20 | How To Help Your Child Develop a Theme
Ep. 19 | How To Help Your Child With Their Summer Plans
Ep. 18 | How Is Your Child Wired?
Ep. 17 | Is Your Child Apathetic About The College Admission Process?
Ep. 16 | When (Or If) Your Child Should Specialize In Their Sport?
Ep. 15 | Why Colleges Love Leaders and How Your Child Can Become One
Ep. 14 | Top 10 Things Your High Schooler Should Have done This Year
Ep. 13 | How to Keep Track of your Child’s Extracurricular Activities
Ep. 12 | Should my child take the SAT or ACT?
Ep. 11 | Everything you Need to Know About College Affordability
Ep. 10 | What to Expect of Your Freshman
Ep. 9 | Phil Black Answers Most Popular FAQs
Ep. 8 | Should I Seek College Admissions Advice for my Freshman or Sophomore?
Ep. 7 | Myths and Realities of the Ever-Elusive Full-Ride Athletic Scholarship
Ep. 6 | How Extracurriculars Turn a Ho-Hum Application into a Home Run Application
Ep. 5 | Tips & Strategies for Writing the College Essay
Ep. 4 | How Extracurricular Activities Impact the Strength of Your Child’s College Application
Ep. 3 | 10 Life Skills Teens Must Learn During The College Admissions Process
Ep. 2 | Why Highly-Selective Colleges Seem To Prefer Specialists vs. Well-Rounded Students
Ep. 1 | Waiting Until 11th Grade To Prepare For College Admissions Is Too Late
Welcome to the PrepWell Podcast - Meet Your Host, Phil Black