{"podcast":{"title":"Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast","slug":"tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572","podcast_index_feed_id":563572,"rss_url":"https://testsandtherest.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://testsandtherest.com/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/2/1/f/6/21f67343a9e8c221/testsandtherestlogo2.png","author":"Amy Seeley & Mike Bergin","episode_count":743,"summary":"Welcome to THE college admissions industry podcast! Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts. Tests and the Rest is perfect for parents, students, counselors, educators, test prep professionals, college consultants, and just about anyone engaged in the college admissions process. You can subscribe to this podcast or stream it online via any podcast app, including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio. YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and Leap. Between the two of us, expect over 60 years of industry insight, expertise, insider news, and a bit of sarcasm.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-28T20:20:35.999563+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572"},"episode":{"title":"731. FINANCIAL AID HORROR STORIES","slug":"731-financial-aid-horror-stories","published_at":"2026-06-02T09:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572/731-financial-aid-horror-stories","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572","url":"https://testsandtherest.libsyn.com/731-financial-aid-horror-stories","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/testsandtherest/TATRFinancialHorrorStories.mp3?dest-id=1349983","summary":"Getting into your top choice college may feel like a dream come true, but figuring out how to pay for it can turn into a nightmare, especially when you don't know what you're doing. Amy and Mike invited financial aid expert Howard Freedman to recount some financial aid horror stories. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How can transferring assets to reduce assisted living costs hurt a student? How can failing to report reportable assets on a financial aid form reduce financial need? What is the impact of grandparents giving money to their grandchildren for college? How can failing to establish accountability lead to family stress? How can getting a jump on financial aid forms turn into a timely mess? MEET OUR GUEST Years after founding Financial Aid Consulting, Howard Freedman was recruited to oversee the ACCESS Program at Boston Public Schools. This position broadened his experience by providing financial aid services and scholarships to over 2,700 high school seniors at more than 20 schools. Consequently, he received a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He graduated from the College Board's Financial Aid Institute and completed ongoing training with experts from college financial aid and admissions departments. This helped me gain a better understanding of how these organizations are taught and operate. He was a member of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) and the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA), where he connected with college representatives and guidance counselors to gain diverse perspectives on higher education and student support. Howard assumed leadership roles in professional organizations while also becoming a public speaker and author for national publica…","meta_description":"Getting into your top choice college may feel like a dream come true, but figuring out how to pay for it can turn into a nightmare, especially when you do…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1472,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572/episodes/731-financial-aid-horror-stories/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572/731-financial-aid-horror-stories.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}