Kevin McMullin

College admissions advice for students, parents, and counselors

The case for self-driven kids

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There’s a lot that resonates with me in The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives, but nothing more so than these three false assumptions they invite parents to confront. False assumption #1 is that there is one narrow pathway to success in life and that kids […]

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I’m speaking in Seattle on September 13

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I’ll be presenting this session in Seattle at the 2018 TINYcon, a conference about improving the employee experience: Humans Are Not “Resources”: Little Things That Make the Biggest Difference For Your Best People Presenter: Kevin McMullin Employees are people first, and real people care about more than mission statements on the walls, elaborate benefits packages, […]

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Tips to help kids thrive

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The “Parenting” section of the Challenge Success blog has a downloadable flyer, “Tips to Help Your Child Thrive,” and they include a contact person to get in touch with for counselors, schools, or parent leaders who’d like to order bulk copies. Don’t let the reference to children throw you, as the advice has broad applicability for both […]

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Does the apology make it better, or worse?

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While traveling last week, I checked into my hotel, headed to my assigned room, swiped my key and opened the door to find the room was still occupied by the previous guest, who was still clad in her pajamas. In my state of shock and embarrassment, I managed to blurt out something to the effect […]

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When you need a break

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Nobody can churn out great work without taking an occasional breather. Dan Pink, author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, has read the research and distilled the science into his latest short video, “These are the 5 ways to make your breaks more replenishing.” And here are a few past posts preaching the […]

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Telling your story vs. searching for it

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The University of Virginia comes through yet again with great advice on their blog, this time with tips for writing the UVA essays. I’m sharing it here because, as is often the case with their shared wisdom, applicants to many if not most colleges could benefit from their tips. Especially the first, “Don’t overthink the […]

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First, find the funny

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sThere’s a lot in this snippet Cal Newport shares of an interview Jerry Seinfeld did in 2014. “Let me tell you why my TV series in the 90s was so good, besides just an inordinate amount of just pure good fortune. In most TV series, 50 percent of the time is spent working on the […]

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Three interviewing tips

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Marcus Buckingham, author of several best-selling books about developing personal strengths, spent 10 years at the Gallup Organization helping companies design better interviewing processes. In this short video, he shares three tips for those being interviewed. It’s pitched to those applying for jobs, but the tips work just as well for students applying to college.

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Prep for college or prep for life?

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Who’s developing traits that will benefit them later in life? The student who loves math, or the student who asks for extra credit so he can get the A? The student who volunteers at the homeless shelter because she feels fulfilled serving others, or the student who’s there to fulfill her community service requirement? The […]

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