{"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":"741. WHAT IS AN IEC AND WHO NEEDS ONE?","slug":"741-what-is-an-iec-and-who-needs-one","published_at":"2026-07-21T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572/741-what-is-an-iec-and-who-needs-one","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572","url":"https://testsandtherest.libsyn.com/741-what-is-an-iec-and-who-needs-one","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/testsandtherest/TATRwhatisanIEC.mp3?dest-id=1349983","summary":"Most people know–or at least think they know–the role of a school-based counselor. What about all of the professionals in private practice who support families on their admissions journeys and more? Amy and Mike invited IECA CEO Stephanie Simpson to learn what an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) is and who needs one. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What role do Independent Educational Consultants (IECs) play in a student's academic journey, and how do they How can IECs complement the contributions of school counselors, especially in districts where high counselor-to-student ratios make individualized support difficult? At what point in a teen's academic journey can IECs be most valuable? What else do IECs offer beyond application coaching? What does a qualified, ethically grounded IEC practice look like in today's landscape, and how should educators and school counselors help families evaluate who they choose to work with? MEET OUR GUEST Stephanie Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the leading professional organization representing independent private college and career counselors who support students and families navigating postsecondary education pathways. Previously, she served as CEO of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), the world's largest and oldest professional association dedicated to helping middle school educators cultivate the potential and possibilities of young adolescents. Stephanie's nearly 15 years of association leadership experience includes senior roles at the American College of Cardiology and the American Psychiatric Association. She holds a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a BA from DePaul University. Stephanie…","meta_description":"Most people know–or at least think they know–the role of a school-based counselor. What about all of the professionals in private practice who support fam…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1457,"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/741-what-is-an-iec-and-who-needs-one/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-563572/741-what-is-an-iec-and-who-needs-one.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}