Allow me to start with a confession: Both when I applied to college, and when I applied to graduate school, I ultimately chose the most prestigious institution I was accepted into both times. Each time, I did this to the exclusion of at least one other campus that felt like a better fit. While this has worked out well for the most part, if I had it to do over again, I would at least seriously consider making a different choice. Having advised hundreds of students over the years, if I can make only one suggestion about where your son or daughter goes to school, it would be to pick a campus that feels like a strong fit.

I know that prestige has allure. I understand bragging rights when you are talking about your son or daughter, or in terms of whatever sticker you put on the family vehicle. Under duress, I will even admit that Cardinal red or Harvard’s Crimson are nice colors.   But it’s not the way to choose a college.

During the next 4 (give or take) years of your child’s life, they will encounter people, ideas, and opportunities that will shape them significantly into adulthood. They will find fields of study and ideas that thrill them, some of which they will pursue, and some of which they won’t. They will eventually get jobs that may or may not relate to their field of academic study. They key thing to focus on is finding a college experience that helps them get pointed in a direction that resonates with who they are.

A longitudinal Gallup study released in 2014 came to a conclusion that surprised many people, but resonated with my own professional experience. Where you went to college matters much less than how you went to college. Did your experience connect you to a job or internship? Did it feature a study-abroad option that changed your life? Did student clubs or activities become the thing about college you would remember for the rest of your life? These were the things that mattered, along with one other absolutely huge factor, that we will save for another post- the presence of a mentor.

So, here’s my suggestion- shoot for the moon, and apply to some prestigious schools. See if you (or your child) gets in. Visit them. Try them on for size. But ultimately, be receptive to the possibility that the “right” school might not be the “best” one. A prestigious school, that is considered “one of the best” can confer many benefits- but, in terms of positively impacting the rest of your life, the more important question is whether or not it was the best school for you. I know such a decision might lack allure- but it just might change your life for the better.

-Jess

I’m only half-joking when I say that a certain amount of my value as a college advisor and essay tutor consists of repeating things to your child that you’ve said many times, verbatim, with the only difference being that they finally listen. I know, it can be frustrating, maddening even, but take heart- that’s essentially the way adolescents are designed, and it’s not your fault.

As college-bound adolescents begin to pursue the most independent step they’ve ever taken in their lives, advice from mom and dad makes it feel like they’re NOT making their own decision, or getting a chance to test their abilities. Please don’t take it personally, or as a sign that you’re not doing your job well as a parent- this is something where they want to figure a lot of it out on their own, and the ideal guide is someone who is not a parental figure.

That’s where I come in. I am great at the essay part of it, but I’m just as good at injecting sanity and stability into the process. The college application process is, in a word, insane. It’s so competitive. There are three times as many applicants as there were a generation ago. The Common Application has opened up a world of possibilities, and it’s hard to keep track of all the supplemental materials. What about letters of recommendation?!? Let’s not even get started on how incredibly expensive it is…

There is SO much about the process that can be overwhelming, and this often leads to arguments, unnecessary stress, and tension when you’re just trying to help put your child in the best position to succeed. This is where I can help, and provide value far beyond academic support.

Here’s what I do- I work with you, the family, and with your student in particular. I guide them towards identifying schools and fields of study they may be interested in, and in putting together incredibly strong applications towards those schools. I institute deadlines, keep you updated on progress, and take the stress and conflict out of your relationship with your teen, at least around the college process.

I have been through the stress of the college application process, and have developed expertise and insight around it. This will help guide your son or daughter through the process. That way, you and they can focus on the more important questions, and less on the difficult and stressful parts that are hard to navigate without professional expertise.

After all, if you have a 17 year-old in the house, there’s plenty to disagree about over the coming year- make this one less big thing, AND let us help give your child their best shot at their dream school.

-Jess

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” We’ve been asked this questions since our youth, and some of us have known from kindergarten, and some us of, as adults, are still looking for a clear answer. One of the challenges students face in picking a college is often that, at 17, they don’t have a clear idea of what they want to major in, or what they want to do professionally with their adult lives- and that’s perfectly OK.

College is intended to do many things- it’s there to broaden your worldview, to introduce you to a wider swath of people, and to expose you to folks from wildly different backgrounds than your own. Ideally, it should teach you how to become an active, engaged, and lifelong learner. Certainly, it teaches you how to be more independent, and (hopefully) how to learn and grow from your mistakes, and build on your successes and accomplishments.

The one thing every college students receives is that they learn how to delve into (at least) one subject in great depth, and this becomes your major. What to major in, however, is a subject of much stress and consternation for young adults. What should I study? What’s the right choice? Should I pick something I love, or something that’s easy to get a good job in? The broader question therein is this: How relevant is your major to your eventual professional path? The answer seems to be that, for most of us, the connection is rather loose, a notion that may seem daunting, but, we believe, should provide some reassurance.

According to US News and World Report, the average college student changes their major at least twice (which averages in all the people who do it 3 or 4 times with those who change it once, or not at all) and, according to a longitudinal study by Gallup, approximately half of us end up pursuing a career that’s related to our field of academic study. Another way to look at that is to say that half of us do not.

Ultimately, you should study what you are interested in. Perhaps you know what that is now, perhaps you’ve narrowed it down to a couple possibilities, or perhaps you’re interested in nearly everything, but almost nothing specifically. That’s OK- that’s part of what college is for. This is also why, at Catalyst, I encourage students to think about the college or university that’s going to be the best fit, rather than the “best” school- figure out what you’re looking for, find a school to match, pursue the people, activities and ideas you are excited about, and most of the rest of it will work itself out over time.

This blog will talk more about “best fit” schools in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading, and contact me if you could use some help.

-Jess