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The grand illusion of college is created to support the value attributed to the school's name... aka Certificate Value.

My series on favorite quotes continues with #7, one of my own quotes. 

"During the college search process, turn the imaginary belief of college into its true sense for an expected education, experience, and outcome."   

By their design, college is presented to you as a grand illusion and an imaginary belief to get you to buy what they are selling—a heightened sense of certificate value.

It begins from the first moment of contact you have with them, perhaps on a college tour where they show you what they want you to see.

It extends into an information session, where they boast a 90% Job Placement Rate, which is pure fake news since they don't track it. But they know if they say it, you'll believe it. Could you not believe it?  

Otherwise, you may pay a hefty premium for unrealistic expectations, such as expecting to receive help with securing internships and landing a golden job afterwards.   

In the early stages, colleges own the process, your behaviors, and the outcomes. To change that, you'll have to break the patterns that they set out for you.

To begin with, don't believe everything you hear. You can be misled by volunteer graduate students leading tours, well-meaning high school guidance counselors, misinformed neighbors, friends, and family.

Please note the differences between the Admission and Financial Aid offices. You need to understand their different roles, official terms, policies, and protocol for how and when everything works. For example, you can't negotiate scholarships with the Financial Aid Office.

When meeting important people on campus, students must arrive well-prepared, ready to engage in meaningful discussions, and not just answer questions with abbreviated responses. 

Students need to have a list of important "Questions to Ask" while on a college visit to learn about:

• The educational opportunities of the college

• The way they conduct their business

• The way you can achieve your desired outcome

• The way you can maximize your financial package

This is being proactive. It will transfer ownership of the process to you, where it belongs.  

College doesn't have to be an imaginary belief or grand illusion. Instead, colleges should be seen in their true sense, as experienced by you.

If you would like to discuss how you can gain a true sense of college, I have the "Questions to Ask" to share with you. Let's chat.

The secret to managing change is to focus all energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

My series on favorite quotes continues with # 6. 

Life is busy. Things happen fast. Change is ever-present in our everyday lives. Everyone's choice is to either stay ahead of it or fall behind it.

Here is a quote of mine addressing the situation.  

"To succeed in today's times, your mind must progress faster than the speed of change."

Let that settle in and consider how it applies to high school students contemplating college ahead. 

The context of this quote is helpful when students are asked, "What interests do you have in college studies?"

While "I don't know" or "I'm undecided" are never acceptable responses, for the majority of unsure students, this response works perfectly-

"That's a great question. I think about it all the time.

When I think back to COVID, I've come to realize how fast life can change and how much the world changes in just five years. What used to take decades for things to change, significant changes now occur quickly. AI is a classic example.

With that in mind, I have no idea what the opportunities or challenges will be like in the 2030s, my go-to decade. So, how can I be expected now to know what I want to be doing then?

I don't know, though I do have some ideas. I'm considering combining studies in____, ____, and ____,

While the future remains uncertain, I want to be best prepared and qualified to seize the opportunities and overcome the challenges of the 2030s. Thank you."

That will certainly leave the admission counselor very impressed with your thoughtful response.

If you would like to discuss how your child can impress admission counselors, let's chat.

Do not focus on your final grades or SAT scores. Instead, focus on mastering the content. 

Students and parents often obsess over GPAs and SAT scores. That doesn't work. It will only cause frustration, stress, and anxiety within the family, which will compromise the desired outcomes.  

Instead, focus on mastering the content. The desired grades and scores will result. 

On that note, this week's featured quote comes from a wise man long ago ... about 2,375 years ago.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

We live in a world in which most people focus on the result, score, outcome, or final judgment. People tend to judge excellence based on their results.

I believe Aristotle refers to the result, score, or outcome as "an act," such as the act of winning.

I believe Aristotle refers to the mindful approach that leads to the desired outcome as "a habit," such as the months of practice that precede winning.

We can judge achievement based on our results. But we should judge excellence based on our approach, mindset, routine, and habits. 

Students need to build diligence into their habits as part of a mindful approach to create a pattern of excellence.

And, by the way, if you want to do well in your job one day, excellence will prevail. 

If you would like your child to create excellence in their mindful approach, let's chat.

If you indulge yourself today, you will compromise your goals tomorrow.  

This week, I'm featuring a quote from a great football coach, Lou Holtz. 

"Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Mental strength determines how well you do it."

This quote doesn't need my interpretation. It's spoken straight to the point, just like Lou Holtz coached.

With the recently heightened level of competition for college opportunity and related jobs thereafter, it applies to every student contemplating their future.

A student's success is often predictable, although it may not reach the desired level.  

It's not the lack of ability that compromises students' opportunities or outcomes, and it's certainly not colleges' lower acceptance rates.

The predictability of a student's outcome depends primarily on their motivation, mental resilience, and willingness to take on challenges that others are unwilling to undertake. 

This plays right into the hands of a student's constant dilemma: deciding between what they want now, such as having fun, hanging out with friends, sleeping in, playing video games, and relaxing, versus what they want most, such as a promising career, college success and achievement, respect, and life satisfaction. 

These two desires are at odds. It requires extra insight, motivation, and perseverance to overcome immediate desires and achieve long-term outcomes. 

Great results are available to the 20% most motivated, strongest-willed, and purpose-driven students who reliably choose what they want most. Half of this group is streamlining to success. Nothing will get in their way.

The other 80% of students will struggle to compete for less desirable colleges and jobs because they tend to choose what they want now. Half of this group will be heading home after college with little opportunity ahead of them.

You can choose the group that best suits your child. I recommend the 20% group, it's just a preferred outcome. If this interests you, let's chat.