Imagine you’re struggling in a class, so you ask your teacher if you can get some extra help at lunch. Your teacher agrees, but when you arrive, ready to explain where you’re struggling, they say, “I’m just going to grade these papers. But keep talking.” You sit down with your college interviewer who says, “Tell […]
Read More >You see what you look for
Families tend to see what they look for as they move their way through a student’s college preparation process. If you look for perceived advantages others received that somehow hurt you, you’ll find them. If you look for experiences that left you smarter, more mature, or otherwise better prepared for college, you’ll find them. If […]
Read More >Giving kids agency
It’s a difficult balancing act for parents to help their kids develop the skills to be successful while simultaneously letting go enough to allow them to develop the agency to become capable young adults. If you’re a parent struggling with this challenge, give this 40-minute interview with author and former Stanford dean of freshmen Julie […]
Read More >You know the list
At my first job out of college, a colleague gave me an invaluable tip. Our boss ended each day by writing a list of things he wanted to check in with us about the following day to make sure we were on track with our work. He’d leave that list on his desk as he […]
Read More >Just one more thing
My four-year-old has discovered the stall tactic–some version of which many kids embrace growing up—“Just one more thing.” Whatever undesirable task we lay in front of him, from putting on shoes, to heading to bed, to cleaning his room, there’s always “just one more thing” he instantly has decided must be accomplished before addressing the task at […]
Read More >If you have a micromanaging parent
I write often here about the risks and effects of overparenting. When a parent assumes a role that’s part manager, part agent, and part personal assistant on behalf of their kid, the student loses all opportunities to learn by doing and to assume agency for their own life and education. Naturally, most of those posts […]
Read More >Regularly ask “why?”
In response to my post last week with data demonstrating why teens need to get more sleep, a parent replied with an earnest and totally reasonable question: How? As she pointed out, getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep is a challenge with school, classes, activities, part-time jobs, etc. For a concerned parent who agrees […]
Read More >A guide to basic financial aid terms
It’s helpful for students just starting their college search to understand how financial aid works. Without that knowledge, you risk making faulty assumptions about which schools you can and cannot afford, how much aid will be available, and when to apply for it. I always appreciate when a knowledgeable source makes a complex idea easier […]
Read More >Love it, or just good at it?
Sometimes we’re good at things that we don’t actually love doing. As you progress through high school, how can you tell if you really love an activity, class, project, etc., as opposed to just being good at it? Here are three questions to consider: Do you look forward to it, or try to put it […]
Read More >Act as if you need something
I loved Seth Godin’s recent post that asked: “That meeting on your calendar, the one scheduled for tomorrow. What if it were the final interview for a job you care about?” That litmus test—showing up with the same posture as if we were asking for something important—can change your approach to a lot of things. […]
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