Foreword
There is a well-worn blue and tan plaid shirt hanging in my closet. A gift from my late mother-in-law (who I adored), it is one of those beloved wardrobe items that is as much an old friend as an article of clothing – ideally suited for reading the Sunday paper or trivia night at the local bar and grill. For well over a decade I wore that shirt in the evening after work or on the weekend at least once most every week. I had it on a little before 10pm on the night of Sunday, April 27, 2015 when the phone rang and the dean on-call (I was vp/dean of students at Colby College at the time) told me that one of our students had killed himself in his dorm room. Continue reading “College Student Suicide and the Relentless Chorus of What-Ifs”
The Summer Between
Author’s Note: The post that follows was originally published on July 31, 2016. As we prepare for our youngest, Henry, to head off to college in a little less than a month, this piece feels particularly relevant again to my family’s circumstances. As such, I wanted to share it with others among you who may be navigating your way through the wild emotional ride that is the summer between finishing high school and starting college. -JST
The Summer Between
The summer between high school and college is a unique moment in time. It is punctuated at either end by massive life moments and a flood of competing emotions which cover the full spectrum, from pride and joy to nostalgia and loss. And confusion. And for parents, it is at once wonderful and awful.
High school graduation is simultaneously a celebration of achievement and the passing of a mile marker on life’s journey that requires special acknowledgement. It’s much more than successfully completing a prescribed set of courses and collecting a diploma on a sun splashed football field while an under-staffed school band croaks out a tinny version of Pomp and Circumstance. It is unmistakably the official end of childhood. And for parents, it is at once wonderful and awful. Continue reading “The Summer Between”
The Transfer Window: Living in Interesting Times
You know the oft-repeated Chinese curse that goes, “May you live in interesting times?” Well, the first year of college is interesting times for just about every student – and their families.
Many, if not most, new students and their families reasonably assume that the hardest part – the most interesting of times – is going to hit sometime in September or October. Or maybe during the fall exam period when students get their first real taste of academic stress on a large scale. It stands to reason that new students would struggle most at the moment the big changes are hitting for the first time, right? Continue reading “The Transfer Window: Living in Interesting Times”
Home for the Holidays
In our house the countdown starts on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The day our kids go back to college/school after Turkey Day is when we start thinking about having them home for the extended holiday break. We circle their respective dates of return on the calendar and allow our spirits to be lifted by the promise of three weeks of family dinners, game nights by the fire, trips to the movies, and when the weather cooperates maybe even a day or two on the ski slopes at nearby Sugarloaf. Continue reading “Home for the Holidays”
Phoning Home: Reflections on Sunday Night Calls from College
When our boys are away at school we are practitioners of the Sunday night phone call ritual. In the age of cell phones, I’m not entirely sure how or why this age-old tradition has taken hold for us, but it has.
Most weeks John, our college senior, calls somewhere between 7 and 9 p.m. He updates us on the week that was. His mother passes along the news from extended family, fishes for random bits of information about his social life, and covers the transactional business (e.g. banking, online shopping, doctors’ appointments that need scheduling, etc.). I ask about the weekend, we talk sports (usually the Red Sox as well as some other seasonal happening – how his fantasy football team fared, March Madness, etc.), and make travel arrangements for when he comes home on breaks. Continue reading “Phoning Home: Reflections on Sunday Night Calls from College”
Survive and Thrive: Navigating the End-of-Semester Crunch
December is officially here. Snow is falling in central Maine. It will be dark by 4:15 – just one of the many benefits of living within spitting distance of the arctic circle. The last of the Thanksgiving leftovers are either gone or inedible. And the fall academic term is drawing to a close at colleges across the United States.
With end-of-term assignments coming due and exams fast approaching, campus coffee consumption and late night pizza sales are on the rise, sleep and laser printer cartridges are in short supply, and literally millions of students are taking part in the centuries old tradition of putting off their school work by cleaning their dorm rooms for the first time since parents’ weekend. Continue reading “Survive and Thrive: Navigating the End-of-Semester Crunch”
College and the 2016 Election: Protests, Policy, and a Better Brand of Politics
The result of the US Presidential election is impacting college campuses in a variety of ways. Student activism and protests have erupted on numerous campuses including Yale, Stanford, UCLA, and the University of California at Berkeley.
There is also uncertainty about what kinds of policy implications may be in store for the higher education community under a Trump presidency. Questions about funding for student loans, impact on international students, consequences for federal funding of research, and the future of the Department of Education are all on the minds of people associated with higher education today.
I find myself reflecting on what the profound political divide in the United States says about the ways in which we conduct our politics. Among the many objectives of a college education is preparing students to be thoughtful and engaged citizens. Colleges espouse free, open, and respectful dialogue as core values, and promote campus life as a laboratory in which students can learn, practice, and develop the skills of citizenship. Continue reading “College and the 2016 Election: Protests, Policy, and a Better Brand of Politics”
This I Believe: An English Major’s Search for Inspiration in the 2016 Presidential Election
If you’re anything like me, you just want it to be over. The drama. The uncertainty. The seemingly endless stream of carefully crafted direct mail pieces meant to entice and draw you in. The swirl of competing and conflicting opinions. The hype and hyperbole. To say nothing of the anxiety. Uggh – the anxiety. Please, just make it end.
No, I’m not talking about the college search and application process. I’m talking about the 2016 Presidential election. Continue reading “This I Believe: An English Major’s Search for Inspiration in the 2016 Presidential Election”
The 2016 All-Time College Playlist
The waiting is finally over. The nominations have been verified, the legitimacy of the electorate certified, and the votes counted. Yes, the results are in on the 2016 My College Wisdom All-Time College Playlist. Continue reading “The 2016 All-Time College Playlist”
The Inside Scoop on College Admissions Interviews
There was a time when the college interview was as much a staple of the application process as taking SATs and writing essays. As colleges work to attract bigger, more national and international applicant pools, though, interviewing prospective students has become increasingly costly and logistically challenging. Still, many colleges value direct, personal interaction with prospective students and include interviews as part of the process. As a result, colleges employ a wide range of different approaches to interviews for prospective students. Continue reading “The Inside Scoop on College Admissions Interviews”