Tag: college success

On Starting College: You’re Supposed to Make Mistakes

You’re about to start college and you’re excited.

There is a whole new and exciting world that is about to open up for you. You’ll be living in a new place and taking fascinating classes and making new friends. It’s going to be awesome and you’re going crush it.

Really.

But here’s the thing…

You’re also going to make mistakes.

You’re going to do stupid things.

You’re going to do poorly on a homework assignment or a paper or an exam. Continue reading “On Starting College: You’re Supposed to Make Mistakes”

August “To Do” List: 5 Steps to a Successful College Transition

Okay it’s August and it’s getting real for all you students about to start college. The post-graduation buzz has subsided. Your summer job has moved past “so-so” and is rapidly closing in on “please-make-it-be-over.” You’re done filling out housing forms and medical history forms and course registration forms and every other freaking form they sent you during June and July. And while you are definitely getting excited and anxious for college to please just start already, it’s still too early to begin packing. So at this point all that’s left is to hang out with your friends and wait, right?

Well, sure, you could do that. Or not. Continue reading “August “To Do” List: 5 Steps to a Successful College Transition”

This and That: Some Things to Consider as You Prepare to Start College

Hey, I get it. It’s late on Friday afternoon in July. You’re thinking about beating the traffic and maybe getting an early start on your weekend. Fair enough.

But I know too that for the students (and parents/families of students) who will be starting college this fall, the day you have circled in red on your calendar is fast approaching and there is still a lot to do to get ready. And that nagging voice in the back of your head keeps reminding you that you are probably forgetting to do something that you didn’t even know you needed to do.

So, I thought I’d share some thoughts on a few random items that often fly under the getting-ready-to-go-to-college radar. I’ve even conveniently put them in a bulleted format so that you can print them out and have a tidy little list to stick under a magnet on the fridge. Here goes: Continue reading “This and That: Some Things to Consider as You Prepare to Start College”

Getting a Little Testy: A Few Thoughts about Standardized Tests

Have you seen the blog post circulating on Facebook (FB) with the headline: Our son got accepted at Stanford? It’s written by a tech blogger whose son got into Stanford after increasing his SAT scores 720 points using an online SAT prep course. It seems to appear in my FB news feed three times a day so I’m guessing many of you have seen it somewhere along the way as well. Continue reading “Getting a Little Testy: A Few Thoughts about Standardized Tests”

Roommate Knowledge

As if there weren’t enough to think about starting college – classes, books, dining halls, wireless access, etc. – on top of everything else you’re almost certainly going to have a roommate; most of you, for the first time. It’s pretty exciting. But also kind of scary. Sure you can check each other out on Facebook and figure out who’s bringing what and text about summer jobs and the classes you want to take. But still…right?

Okay, take a deep breath. It’s all good. People have been doing the college roommate thing for a really long time – way before X-Boxes and Yik Yak – so the odds are with you. And, as if the peace of mind afforded by cellular technology and the long arc of history were not enough to help you to rest easy, you can add to the list of advantages you have as you embark on your first college roommate experience, the wisdom and sage advice that I am about to impart on you. Continue reading “Roommate Knowledge”

Why College Matters: The World Needs You

Note to MCW readers: In light of the terror attack in Nice, France last night I want briefly to step away from my primary focus on offering information, insights, and advice about the college experience. Instead, today I offer the essay below as one way of understanding why college matters.

Here we are again. Another act of terror. Another staggering body count and extraordinary number of innocent men, women, and children – children – dead or lying in hospital beds battered and bandaged. Another community reeling, devastated by unimaginable brutality and incomprehensible loss. Another city – Nice – whose name will always be linked to tragedy – Dallas, Orlando, Paris, San Bernardino, Brussels, Istanbul, Charleston…the list goes on and on. To say nothing of Baton Rouge or Falcon Heights or Ferguson, or Chicago.

The totality of the violence and cruelty and death gets to be overwhelming. It is frightening and unsettling and disorienting. The realization that evil exists and its relentless intrusions into our daily lives shake us to the core and leave us confused and uncertain. And so we recoil. We despair. We grow defensive. We assign blame. We seek retribution. Or we change the subject and try to tune it out because it all feels too complex and fraught and hopeless.

This space is about helping you to navigate and understand and succeed in college. And more often than not it will focus on relatively narrow topics and issues – writing a good application essay, the relative importance of standardized tests, dealing with roommate issues, etc. But today, in the all too fresh aftermath of Nice and Dallas and Orlando and the rest, I want to speak to why college matters. Continue reading “Why College Matters: The World Needs You”

Thinking About Thinking

So you’re getting ready to start college. The seemingly endless onslaught of shiny view-books and postcards and pseudo-personalized emails from colleges is behind you. You’re done with campus visits and college fairs and application essays. You’ve received your fat envelopes and chummy congratulations from admissions deans and made your choice. Senior spring, prom, graduation – check, check, and check. The roommate questionnaire, health forms, and course pre-registration process are done, or soon will be, and now you’re pretty much monitoring your class Facebook page and hanging out with your friends until it’s time to start packing the car.

It’s July. Aside from the odd inquiry from the housing office or the people planning orientation there really isn’t anything else you should be doing to get ready for college, right?

Well, maybe. But then again, maybe not. Continue reading “Thinking About Thinking”

Welcome to My College Wisdom

IMG_0027Greetings and welcome to My College Wisdom – a blog devoted to providing advice, guidance, and insights into the college experience for students, parents and families, and anyone else who might be interested. The purpose of MCW is simple: to help students identify, apply and be admitted to, and succeed in college.

Okay, so that’s fine and all, but you may be wondering just exactly what qualifies me to be doling out wisdom about college. Fair enough.

For starters, though it should probably go without saying, I did go to college. And I graduated – in four years, no less. I also went to graduate school and have a master’s degree in higher education. So to the extent that being the rightful owner of framed diplomas lends credibility to my entering the blogosphere I suppose I can check that box and move on. Continue reading “Welcome to My College Wisdom”