It would be easy, particularly for a new reader to this blog, to get the sense that I’m encouraging kids to be less engaged with their college planning. Don’t overschedule yourself. Get enough sleep. Stop obsessing over famous colleges. Don’t polish every perceived weakness. Your GPA and test scores don’t define you. It’s all going […]
Read More >Skirt this law
Parkinson’s Law states: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” For students with college applications that still need to be completed over the holiday break, I recommend you skirt that law. Time (real or perceived) in front of you can chip away at your sense of urgency for a project. Even worse, […]
Read More >Hang in there—it’ll be OK
Many high school students received their early admission decisions this week. And to encourage those who got news that wasn’t what they’d hoped, CNN anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper tweeted some reassuring words. But what I really appreciated were the responses from successful people who’d experienced their own college rejections as high school […]
Read More >Find a way to contribute
A friend of mine who went to graduate school to earn an MBA at Columbia recalled how ill-equipped he felt for the heavy load of finance courses. And this mathematical discrepancy between him and many of his peers was never more apparent than during the study groups that formed. Those who came from finance and accounting […]
Read More >Getting in (to a famous college)
Seth Godin’s latest podcast episode, Getting In (to a Famous College), manages to explain how to get into a famous college, point out the risks of playing that game, and recommend alternative paths, all in just 30 minutes. It’s worth a listen for anyone who aspires to chase, or to detach from, that coveted offer of admission. That […]
Read More >Diminishing returns of overwork
Given that your average college-bound student probably works at least 40 hours per week between school, homework, and activities, you might check out this article and consider the referenced research that shows: Working more doesn’t mean working better. Productivity dramatically decreases with longer hours and drops off completely at 55 hours per week. On average, […]
Read More >What straight-A students get wrong
Adam Grant’s recent New York Times op-ed, “What Straight-A Students Get Wrong,” is pitched to college students. But just about all of the messages contained within (1) are equally true for high school students, and (2) make some people deeply uncomfortable. You can see it in the article’s comments. The defensiveness and outright anger from […]
Read More >The psychology of choosing gifts, and colleges
“How Psychology Can Help You Choose a Great Gift,” published by UC Berkeley’s Great Good Science Center, offers four tips to better gift giving: 1. Choose practicality over expense or quality. Usable beats fancy in the long run. 2. Go for long-term satisfaction, not initial enthusiasm. Parents have all seen a child react with joy to […]
Read More >How to withdraw 529 plan money
Saving money in a 529 plan is just the first financially astute step. You’ve then got to withdraw it—at that right time—and use it for the right expenses for you to reap all of the intended benefits. And trusted source Consumer Reports lays out the steps in this article.
Read More >It’s all going to be OK
Parents watching kids go through the college admissions process already know how the story ends. You don’t know the specifics yet. You don’t know which colleges will say yes or if your kid will hit it off with their future roommate. You don’t know what job your student will hold after college, where they’ll live, […]
Read More >- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- …
- 380
- Next Page »