I was on an early morning call Friday with one of my great students who I'll refer to as T. She and I were talking about how things have changed over the past few months related to her college search.

T said that she is starting to see what's right for her much more clearly than she had 3 - 4 months ago.

I asked her how she thought that has happened.

T said- I don't know. 

I said- I know.

Here's what I know-

The path to gaining clarity comes from better understanding our feelings, not thoughts. 

The college process always begins with intellectualizing the possible colleges and majors to choose. Clarity is gained best upon emotionalizing those interests.

Intellectualizing the college process is easy. It's based on what you think and that comes from what you hear, read, or watch. It's what happens when you listen to other people, view college websites, and watch videos. While this is good, it's only a beginning.

Emotionalizing the college process can only be achieved by experiencing the college and its people. It happens during college visits and personal meetings. It happens on Zoom calls with people from their community. It happens by engaging in live human interactions. It extends to how you feel when you're in their environment.

Experiencing the situation will always lead to better understanding your feelings. Only then can true clarity be achieved.

T has been visiting colleges with the intent to experience how she might feel as a student. She's focused on what feels right for her. Her senses for what will be right for her are gaining in clarity.

That's how you land on the right campus for the right reasons, being in the right environment for achieving success and satisfaction!