“Picture yourself here.”

“Become all you can be.”

“This will be the best four years of your life.”

The college pitch to high school seniors is alluring—though it doesn’t sketch a very clear life plan for a young person entering higher education. As Heights Headmaster Alvaro de Vicente points out, a successful time in college can be measured in growth: Are you physically, spiritually, and intellectually stronger by the end of these four years? In order to answer yes, students will need to embark upon college with a plan and a healthy way of measuring those dimensions of growth.

This week on HeightsCast, Mr. de Vicente shares incredibly practical advice for spending the college years well, drawing on a letter he sent this summer to the newly graduated Heights class of 2024.

Chapters:

• 1:45 The best four years of your life?
• 6:44 Old truths remain fresh
• 9:17 College success measured by growth
• 12:05 Five battlefronts, five tools for success
• 12:36 One: Shower and eat breakfast
• 15:30 Two: Look at your day as a 9-to-5 job
• 19:26 Mr. de Vicente’s study plan
• 25:32 Three: Find the right peer group
• 30:04 Four: Chart a path for spiritual growth
• 32:00 Five: Have a mentor
• 35:27 A reasonable study load, being effective without overloading
• 41:26 Laptop distractions in class
• 44:25 Breaking out of the “self-focused” college attitude
• 50:40 A truer pursuit of happiness

Featured Opportunities:

• The Art of Teaching Conference at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2024)

Also on the Forum:

• Considerations for College-Bound Students featuring Dr. Peter Kilpatrick of The Catholic University of America
• The College Experience featuring Dr. Jonathan Sanford of University of Dallas
• Rethinking College: Why Go? How? When? featuring Arthur Brooks