Beyond the Tassel

I think hustle, exploration, and throwing a 15-pound ball down 60 feet of hardwood is entirely underrated, vastly underappreciated but it plays a huge role in so many of the success stories we hear about. And not just the success stories that we hear about, but the quieter ones too. The ones that never appear in the national media or on the first page of a Google search. And, for the record, the success I’m talking about is the kind I heard defined by a man named Earl Nightingale many years ago. This episode may be a bit of a stretch, but listen carefully and you’ll hear its merit — the value of making the most of the journey, not getting too hung up on the destination before you’ve had a fair shot at considering the options.

If you’re going to make a dent in this world, you’re going to need to take a big, authentic swing at it. This week, we discuss the importance of positioning yourself as your own authentic brand with respect to your college applications. The aspects of your story you may find uninteresting or ordinary may often be the most differentiating aspects of how admission officers may see you. Your most extraordinary self is often hiding in plain sight in your everyday self. Sharing your interests and expressing them through bedrock authenticity can be a very compelling component of your college application, and we explore why that is through a few illuminating lenses.

Where will the money to pay for college come from? Some parents were able to sock away enough money from the time their children were very young to be able to draw on that account now, and fully fund college, but many families just didn’t manage to do that. In fact, about half fall into that second category. So when it comes time to talk about the college option, there’s usually plenty of anxiety and even more than a little panic to go around. I’m fond of saying where there’s a will there’s a way, and that formula works here too. In this episode, we jump in and sort out the big questions about college finance.

If you’re going to make a dent in this world, you’re going to need to take a big, authentic swing at it. This week, we discuss the importance of positioning yourself as your own authentic brand with respect to your college applications. The aspects of your story you may find uninteresting or ordinary may often be the most differentiating aspects of how admission officers may see you. Your most extraordinary self is often hiding in plain sight in your everyday self. Sharing your interests and expressing them through bedrock authenticity can be a very compelling component of your college application, and we explore why that is through a few illuminating lenses.

This week we go into full myth-buster-mode and explore some of the things you might have thought you understood about college as well as some of the things that probably never occurred to you. In short, we debunk some myths about what college is, what it isn’t, who goes, and who doesn’t.  Bonus: We break down the economics of what a 4-year degree can mean over your lifetime as compared to a high school diploma. And, newsflash, it isn’t quite as obvious as you might think.

The differences between the actual degree earned at a public institution versus a private one are fairly inconsequential. But between the two formats, there are plenty of variances to consider: Cost, selectivity, culture, social vibe, and more. We explore the primary differences in this episode between public schools and their private counterparts. Both have their strengths, and, in the end, the choice is yours and should always be about fit. Listen, as we provide you with a few insights you may not have considered.

In 1624, an Englishman by the name of John Donne wrote the words, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” What he meant was we are all connected, one-to-another. Not only connected, but dependent in ways we may not even entirely understand. And, while that sentiment may fly in the face of the the ascendant rugged American individualism so popular in some quarters today, the fact is, John Donne was right; we really do need each other. I’ll illustrate what I mean and then I'll walk through some thoughts on how and why connections really work. 

The college essay is an essential piece to your college application. The common app calls it your personal statement. And, in many ways, this essay is as personal as it gets. But more people than you’d imagine consider a request to write something meaningful as a stressor on-par with skydiving or giving ones self stitches. And, I get that. Writing something meaningful can be really hard. Most admissions people tell us that the college essay most applications require can be responsible for as much as 30% of the admissions decision. So it’s definitely something you’ll want to prioritize and give what I’ll call ‘a meaningful effort.’ But there’s good news, most of the essay you’ll ultimately write, is already in your possession; you’ve already constructed it and you probably didn’t even know it. Today, I pop the seal on this thing and explain what I mean as well as provide some proven strategies for putting your best foot forward with the college essay.

Heading off to college after high school is — let’s face it — a huge adventure in and of itself. But when a student leaves their family and the home they’ve lived in for 17 or 18 years to attend college in a completely different city, state, or even country, it is a genuine life-event. 

This week we explore the idea of attending college more than a short drive from home. There are enormous benefits in terms of confidence and independence building, as well as in seeing the world through a new set of eyes. We visit this idea through one student who overcame a significant challenge to attend, not only more than a short drive, but more than a long flight, from her hometown.

Ramping-up for the college application process is part preparation, part inspiration, and part anxiety navigation. This week, we discuss the steps of a solid application, the keys to making the most of each of them, and the importance of keeping your eyes on your own work, of being somewhat circumspect or even private about your progress toward admissions to your dream school. You’ll find supplemental content at our website, journey12.com.