Engaged students aren’t afraid to ask for help from teachers when they need it. And most teachers are happy to help a nice, earnest kid who’s struggling. But there are right ways and wrong ways to ask for that kind of help. Here are five wrong ways. 1. Forget that you’re asking for a favor. […]
Read More >Disagree and commit
When two parties can’t come to an agreement over a particular decision, here’s a way to help make the call and move forward with everyone (including those who disagree) on board: disagree and commit. According to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s recent letter to shareholders, one of the principles that keeps Amazon working like an innovative […]
Read More >In the business vs. on the business
The most important job of a college counselor is, not surprisingly, college counseling. Sitting down with families and helping them manage a more successful, more enjoyable process isn’t just what people hire us for; it’s also what we do best. But we can’t meet with students all day because they’re in school. And our busiest […]
Read More >Small adds up
I love this message in one of my favorite blogger’s recent post. Doing something small every day adds up to big changes over time. As he puts it, “A small thing, repeated, is not a small thing.” Whether you want to get a job one day as a game designer, make the hockey team, or […]
Read More >Accomplishments vs. attitude
The most successful, fulfilled people didn’t get where they are through accomplishments alone. They paired their great drive to achieve with an equally great attitude. It’s true in the workplace, and in college admissions. You have two applicants with near-perfect GPAs. One is a grade grubber who only cares about getting the A, who whines […]
Read More >Catastrophe, or catastrophizing?
Catastrophizing is the irrational act of believing that something is a lot worse than it actually is. There are two kinds, and both show up regularly for anxious students and parents going through the college admissions process. The first creates a catastrophe out of a current non-catastrophic situation. You get a C on one test […]
Read More >If you want more responsibility…
…take more responsibility. You can spend a lot of time waiting for someone else to give you authority. But responsibility is there for the taking.
Read More >Parents: how to build better parent/school relations
Parents, here’s a simple exercise that will help you engage productively and appropriately with your student’s high school, forge healthy relationships with faculty, and even give you a nice mood lift. 1. Identify five positive things you’ve witnessed, experienced, or appreciated in the last three months at your student’s school. Maybe the chemistry teacher spent […]
Read More >Want to attend college outside the US?
Updated 4/18/17: I wrote in my original post that this webinar was free. That was my mistake–we’re charging $10. I promise this wasn’t my attempt at a blogging bait and switch (though my lack of attention to blogging detail is almost as frustrating). Thanks for being patient with me. We’re increasingly hearing from families […]
Read More >Real people
Some high school students are so driven to get accepted to selective colleges that they actually morph into full-time applicants. They’re not actually applying to college 24/7. But they talk about their life in terms of GPAs, test scores, activities, accolades, etc. The college applicant displaces the real person. You’re not a college applicant; you’re a […]
Read More >- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- …
- 380
- Next Page »