PrepWell Podcast with Phil Black
Episodes
Ep. 35 | 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid in College Admissions
31 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I present the 5 biggest mistakes parents and students should avoid during the college admissions process. Not surpri...
Ep. 34 | Misallocation of Time
24 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I discuss the challenges that arise when students misallocate their time. Do you see anything wrong with the followi...
Ep. 33 | Letters of Recommendation
17 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I address the growing importance of letters of recommendation. What they are? When you should request them? Which t...
Ep. 32 | Does Test-Optional Hurt or Help?
10 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I address the fast-changing “test-optional” policies being adopted by colleges and universities across the count...
Ep. 31 | Rapid-Fire Q&A (20 Burning Questions)
03 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I rip through answers to 20 of the most common questions I’ve received during my 1-on-1 Office Hour sessions with ...
Ep. 30 | Student-Athletes' Summer Strategies 2020
26 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I focus on what student-athletes should do to begin, maintain, or improve relationships with college coaches durin...
Ep. 29 | How Does COVID-19 Affect Freshman and Sophomores
19 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I focus on how freshman and sophomores (and their parents) will be affected by COVID-19. I provide a macro-level a...
Ep. 28 | Do I Still Have to Take the SAT (and other misguided questions)?
12 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I address many of the most important questions that people are asking in light of the coronavirus shutdown. These ar...
Ep. 27 | Shark Tank After-Action-Report
05 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In today’s episode, I break down the process of getting onto Shark Tank, how long it takes, and the odds of your segment actually gettin...
Ep. 26 | Going Back on Shark Tank
29 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I announce the airing of my second appearance on Shark Tank where I pitch PrepWell Academy to the Sharks. The episode airs this ...
Ep. 25 | Dumber by the Day
22 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I add some meat to the bone of last week’s podcast. In the last show, we discussed how important it was for your high schooler...
Ep. 24 | How the Coronavirus Just Increased Your Child's College Prospects
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I provide a blueprint to help motivated juniors in high school who need a plan (or a backup plan) for Spring Break - especially ...
Ep. 23 | The Secret Weapon in College Admissions: The Guidance Counselor
08 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I explore an often overlooked secret weapon in the college admissions process - the high school guidance counselor. Guidance cou...
Ep. 22 | A Message For Your Teen
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I go right to the source - your teenager. In a departure from the usual format, I bring what I normally reserve for inside PrepW...
Ep. 21 | How Involved Should You Be as a Parent?
23 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I talk about how much input (or, how little input) parents might want to have in their child’s college admissions journey....
Ep. 20 | How To Help Your Child Develop a Theme
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: In this episode, we dig into what it means for a college application to have a “theme”? A theme is an overarching framework that h...
Ep. 19 | How To Help Your Child With Their Summer Plans
09 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s show, I try my best to help you, help your child, figure out what to do this summer. If you’ve been following this podcast for some...
Ep. 18 | How Is Your Child Wired?
02 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: I’ve identified three different types of teenagers and likened each one to a lightbulb: (1) Bright Bulb, (2) Flickering Bulb, (3) Dim B...
Ep. 17 | Is Your Child Apathetic About The College Admission Process?
26 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I review some of the reasons why a teenager might be less-than-enthusiastic to begin thinking about the college admissions process in...
Ep. 16 | When (Or If) Your Child Should Specialize In Their Sport?
19 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, I make the case for sports specialization - the process by which families decide that it’s in the best interest of their son (or daughter) to...
Ep. 15 | Why Colleges Love Leaders and How Your Child Can Become One
12 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Here is what I discuss in this episode: 0:01:03 Why do colleges seem to love leaders? 0:04:13 How can you help your child become a leader? 0:05:55 ...
Ep. 14 | Top 10 Things Your High Schooler Should Have done This Year
29 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I share with you what every 9th, 10th, and 11th grader should have done between June and December of this year (the first half of the...
Ep. 13 | How to Keep Track of your Child’s Extracurricular Activities
22 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I discuss how to help your child keep track of their extracurricular activities. There are many options - some of which your child (o...
Ep. 12 | Should my child take the SAT or ACT?
15 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re talking about how to approach the SAT and/or ACT - the two standardized tests that most colleges will use to assess your child’s read...
Ep. 11 | Everything you Need to Know About College Affordability
08 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I break down the financial terminology and buzzwords surrounding college affordability. Unlike most generic overviews, however, I exp...
Ep. 10 | What to Expect of Your Freshman
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast explores the life and times of freshmen in high school today. What are they up to? What's going through their minds? How motivated are th...
Ep. 9 | Phil Black Answers Most Popular FAQs
24 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I answer a ton of popular FAQs from parents, students, and PrepWellers. Check out the timeline below and see if any of these question...
Ep. 8 | Should I Seek College Admissions Advice for my Freshman or Sophomore?
17 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should you look for someone to help your freshman or sophomore with the college admissions process? If so, whom might that be, what might that person...
Ep. 7 | Myths and Realities of the Ever-Elusive Full-Ride Athletic Scholarship
10 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I talk about the elusive "full-ride” athletic scholarship to college. Does it really exist? Who gets one? What are my kid's chance...
Ep. 6 | How Extracurriculars Turn a Ho-Hum Application into a Home Run Application
03 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I take you “inside” a check-in session with one of my private PrepWell students (we’ll refer to him as John). John, who is jus...
Ep. 5 | Tips & Strategies for Writing the College Essay
27 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I discuss how to start, structure, and finalize a winning college essay. We start with how to generate ideas (brainstorming, essence ...
Ep. 4 | How Extracurricular Activities Impact the Strength of Your Child’s College Application
20 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s show, I discuss strategies and recommendations for Extracurricular Activities that take 2-3 years to plan and execute. They are not short...
Ep. 3 | 10 Life Skills Teens Must Learn During The College Admissions Process
13 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One key insight I’ve learned after working with hundreds of families over the years, is that the particular “college" a student attends, isn’...
Ep. 2 | Why Highly-Selective Colleges Seem To Prefer Specialists vs. Well-Rounded Students
06 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: One key insight I’ve learned after working with hundreds of families over the years, is that the particular “college" a student at...
Ep. 1 | Waiting Until 11th Grade To Prepare For College Admissions Is Too Late
29 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: If your child does what most students do - and waits until 11th or 12th grade to begin thinking about and planning for college - they will...
Welcome to the PrepWell Podcast - Meet Your Host, Phil Black
22 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes: Hello, PrepWellers. Welcome to the first-ever episode of the PrepWell Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show and stick around for all the exci...