Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Sep 10, 2026 · 24 min · 9 segments
While all teenagers are alike in certain ways, those at the very top and very bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum share some disconcerting similarities. How are these peer groups connected, and what…
Anthony VillaniGuestMike BerginHostAmy SeeleyHostSo what do we think is at the heart of that if we're seeing this trend in these two kind of very different demographic groups?
I think for the poorest, uh, kids, we can understand from what we've seen in the media the pressures that you have in schools without resources, communities that aren't safe, family units that aren't intact.
Uh, the girls, if anything, seem to have higher rates and are getting the worst end of the bargain than the boys.
Uh, it seems like the girls, like, uh, was it Ginger Rogers who had to do whatever- everything Fred Astaire did backwards and in heels?
The girls have to now out-compete the boys and- I think there's evidence that girls are more prepared than boys for college as a whole.
But there are also extra social pressures for them to be nice and kind and a good family member.
Boys can get away with, you know, being a, being poorly behaved a little bit better than girls can.
That's a, that's a really interesting distinction, the idea that society permits boys to externalize their suffering, but very often girls feel that they have to internalize them.
And then the, of course, the social media and the additional pressures are affecting teenagers in a way now that weren't seen in Dr. Luther's research 20 years ago.
Um, no one wants to blame anyone in particular, but certainly there can be parenting styles that increase a teenager's sense that their best is not good enough.
So that's a really interesting and, I think, fine point about the difference on both points of the U. Um, on my path to becoming a test prep professional, I spent years working in New York City public schools, uh, certain parts of the Bronx, and what I witnessed there was a lack of security, a lack of supports, kids that were literally so distracted and sometimes scared by everything happening in their environment that they couldn't learn.
So what do we think is at the heart of that if we're seeing this trend in these two kind of very different demographic groups?
I think for the poorest, uh, kids, we can understand from what we've seen in the media the pressures that you have in schools without resources, communities that aren't safe, family units that aren't intact.
Uh, the girls, if anything, seem to have higher rates and are getting the worst end of the bargain than the boys.
Uh, it seems like the girls, like, uh, was it Ginger Rogers who had to do whatever- everything Fred Astaire did backwards and in heels?
The girls have to now out-compete the boys and- I think there's evidence that girls are more prepared than boys for college as a whole.
But there are also extra social pressures for them to be nice and kind and a good family member.
Boys can get away with, you know, being a, being poorly behaved a little bit better than girls can.
That's a, that's a really interesting distinction, the idea that society permits boys to externalize their suffering, but very often girls feel that they have to internalize them.
And then the, of course, the social media and the additional pressures are affecting teenagers in a way now that weren't seen in Dr. Luther's research 20 years ago.
Um, no one wants to blame anyone in particular, but certainly there can be parenting styles that increase a teenager's sense that their best is not good enough.
So that's a really interesting and, I think, fine point about the difference on both points of the U. Um, on my path to becoming a test prep professional, I spent years working in New York City public schools, uh, certain parts of the Bronx, and what I witnessed there was a lack of security, a lack of supports, kids that were literally so distracted and sometimes scared by everything happening in their environment that they couldn't learn.
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