In this episode, we examine the College Application Process as a Metaphor for the challenges student face in college and in life. The application is the gateway to a student’s future.

The complex process of applying is the beginning of academic and personal independence that requires all kinds of executive function skills such as Critical Thinking, Planning and Prioritization. 

We discuss what the process should look like, what to do if you get stuck, why some students get stuck, and the role parents play in the process. Focus Collegiate Founder and Principal Grant Leibersberger and Enrollment and Outreach Director Ann-Marie Stripling give candid advice to parents and students. 

College readiness is a subject in the hearts and minds of students and their parents across the country. A Google search for College Readiness produces nearly 235 million results. 

This is the foundation of the work Focus Collegiate does in the areas of Academic Independence, Life Balance (personal skills and mindset), Social Integration, and Motivation and Decision-Making. 

Focus Collegiate Founder and Principal Grant Leibersberger and Enrollment, Outreach Director Ann-Marie Stripling, and host Jane Taylor discuss the three pillars of college readiness: Self-Awareness, Independence, and Practice.

The episode ends in a lazer round of questions about how to practice Academic Independence, Life Balance (personal skills and mindset), Social Integration,  Motivation, and Decision-Making.

In this episode of College UnBound, Focus Collegiate Founder and Principal Grant Leibersberger and Enrollment and Outreach Director Ann-Marie Stripling discuss the Focus Collegiate Summer Cohort and the importance of college prep. 

The Summer Cohort is a three-week in-person college readiness experience in Boston designed for rising college first-years who need extra support before they land on campus in the fall.  The program addresses academics, life, digital literacy, and independent living skills. Students take classes, work on study habits, and basically get a taste for college life. See sample schedule here. 

The staff at Focus Collegiate knows that in the novel setting of college, some of the assumptions a student has about their own learning profile can start to fall away. In the Summer Cohort, before they are inundated with the new responsibilities of college, the student and our staff start to see where a student might struggle and begin to shore up their strengths, creating long-term strategies for college success. 

At the Summer Cohort, students practice in a safe environment what college will be like and how they will face its rigors. “It’s very important for both students and parents to practice what it is going to be like going away to college…For students, it’s about previewing all the things they will need to learn; for parents, it’s about ‘what am I going to do with myself now that my son or daughter is gone? What kinds of things are going to change for me as a person?’” said Ann-Marie Stripling.

“Forming great relationships is an important output of the Summer Cohort… particularly for the students who are going to be getting to know the staff they are going to be working with in the fall,” said Grant Leibersberger. 

Today our subject is Motivational Interviewing. In short, Motivational Interviewing, or MI as we might call it in this conversation, is an evidence-based communication model that employs empathic, active listening to empower positive change.

Here is a longer definition from MI originators Stephen Rollnick and William R. Miller: “MI is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.”

Through Empathic, Active listening, MI empowers students to change using their own meaning, importance, and capacity for change. The staff at Focus Collegiate is incorporating Motivational Interviewing into the work it does with students and their parents. 

Listen in for more information on how this practice benefits college students with complex learning profiles. 

Welcome to College UnBound Season Three, Creating Context for Independence. Today our subject is Career. Focus Collegiate uses the college experience as a metaphor for life, so while few first-year students are focused on life after school, it makes sense to bring career into the picture. Because, of course, college is just the beginning.

Early career awareness among students helps them identify their passions and prepare for future jobs. It also correlates to school success. Research shows that students are more engaged when they can see the connection between their studies and real-world applications.

Our guests are Focus Collegiate Founder and Principal Grant Leibersberger and our Managing Director, Rich Davino. 

Join us as we discuss:

·      How a student knows if they are on the right path

·      How to pivot when they are not

·      How Focus Collegiate career services and approach differ from those traditionally provided by college career services offices

·      How parents can talk to their student about career and why “What are you going to do when you grow up?” is the wrong question

Welcome to ‘You don't know what you don't know – An Occupational Therapist’s Perspective.’ Our guest is Registered Occupational Therapist, Brooke Howard. Brooke is the Clinical Director and founding partner at Skills for Life and is the Director of Transition to Adulthood at the Ivy Street School, in Brookline, Massachusetts. She has an MS in Occupational Therapy from Sargent College at Boston University and an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Oberlin College. She has been working as a licensed Occupational Therapist since 2005 and has been at Ivy Street School since 2009. 

Her background (including a minor in theology) is the perfect foundation for understanding human behavior, how we make meaning, why we act the way we do, and how we understand the world. 

Brooke is drawn to individuals who think differently than she does and is driven by her desire for more inclusiveness in our society. She approaches her work from two different directions: personal and societal. She seeks to understand each student she works with by learning about their individual experience so that they can find their own path. At the same time, she seeks to help communities understand and engage the young adults she works with.

In this episode, we explore the acquisition of life skills from tooth brushing and laundry to motivation and self-determination.

Brooke reminds us that when teaching life skills, we need to afford young adults grace and compassion because they are busy doing a lot of things such as individuation from parents and adapting to a new environment, new schedules, new demands, and expectations. 

Listen in for insights into:

• Self-assessment
• Prioritization
• Visual Mapping
• Linking habits to goals
• Breaking goals down into small steps
• Accountability
• Interdependence versus independence

Her parting advice is applicable to all of us: slow down, take a deep breath, and celebrate the victories. 

Welcome to ‘You Don't Know What You Don't Know – A Learning Disabilities Specialist’s Perspective.’ Our guest is author and speaker Elizabeth C. Hamblet. 

Elizabeth has worked as a learning disabilities specialist in college disability services offices for more than two decades. In addition to working at a university, she is a nationally-requested speaker on preparing students with disabilities for successful college transition. She is the author of a book and a laminated guide on this subject, and her work has appeared in numerous journals and online. 

In this episode, we learn her origin story (special education was her second master’s degree) and discuss some of the important differences between high school and college. We also discuss why some students do not request accommodations: some students don’t think that have a disability; others want to shed the disability part of their identity as they transition to college.

Here are some highlights:

• The biggest thing parents should worry about is their student’s willingness to seek help.
• Accommodations won’t matter if the student does not understand the content.
• College is not meant to be an extension of high school. It is hard.

When assessing the appropriateness of a school, parent and students should check documentation requirements and call the disability services office to ask questions. Parents may be surprised at how independent students are required to be. Disability services notwithstanding, a good fit is still paramount. 

The landscape of disability services is evolving. Elizabeth’s research on these changes will feature largely in the Third Edition of From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities available from Rowman & Littlefield this summer.

Learn more about our guest at LDadvisory.com. 

Our guest, Liz Cooper, is an Independent Educational Consultant who helps high school students with learning differences strengthen their self-advocacy skills, navigate the college admissions process, and transition to colleges that will support their learning needs, thus enabling them to achieve academic success.

Liz and her colleagues at the College Consulting Collaborative (CCC) college-readiness consulting work focuses on six areas of essential skills:

1. Academic and Study Skills
2. Executive Function – time management
3. Independence
4. Self-Determination – goal setting and self-advocacy
5. Social/Emotional Skills – effective communication and self-regulation
6. Motivation and Resilience

We discuss what Liz calls the American obsession with college, i.e., the acceptance letter. She suggests that “Getting out is more important than getting in,” and that students should focus on elements that will support their long-term success in college such as the learning environment and their continuity of care.
 
We also discuss the matter of parents letting go. It’s a parent’s instinct to try to smooth the way for their child, but by making it easier for their college-age student (especially those who learn differently), parents can make it harder for that student to gain important self-advocacy skills.
 
And we cover the components of the right college fit. Are you college-ready? Which college is the right fit for you?

Listen in. 

What role will your academic major play in your life? This important question is one our guest recommends you begin to think about answering in your very first semester of college. Rich Davino, the Managing Director of Focus Collegiate, has been working in higher ed for more than 25 years and has a great perspective on what works, and sometimes more importantly, what does not work in higher education.

Rich advocates that getting career direction support early on can make a difference in academic success. When you understand the relevance of your subject matter to your life beyond school, study becomes more engaging and meaningful.

In this episode we discuss:

• The importance of distinguishing between what you're good at and what you're passionate about. 
• Gathering information to make informed decisions about your future—pursuing internships, volunteering, working on campus, studying abroad
• Clarifying the 'why' of collegiate learning objectives

Because graduation is not the goal of college - a more fulfilling and purposeful life after college is. 

Our subject is ‘You don't know what you don't know – A Disability Services Perspective.’ Our guest is Dee Singly. Dee is the Director of Disability Services at Ursinus College. She facilitates accommodations for students under the Americans with Disabilities Act. She has a B.S. in Psychology, from East Stroudsburg University, an M.Ed. in Counseling and Human Services, and a Ph.D., in Special Education from Lehigh University. She has also worked in Disability Services at Cedar Crest College, Moravian College, and Chestnut Hill College.

The best disability service supports start with student self-advocacy and self-determination—skills that are often new to first-year students. Dee tells us that “The most important part of connecting a student with what they need in college is that very first conversation [in the disability services office] … This may be the first experience a student has had talking outside of the family about their disability. A student needs to feel comfortable, and this takes practice.”

The ratio of students to DSS support staff can vary wildly, but 400:1 is not uncommon. Under these circumstances, self-advocacy is crucial. It starts with self-awareness. When a student knows the answers to the following questions:

 -       What is my diagnosis?

-       How does it impact my life?

-       What impacts does my diagnosis have in the classroom?

-       What are the impacts from a social perspective?

They are more likely to get the support they need.

We also discuss decreasing the stigma of asking for help and the differences between support in high school versus college. Accommodations in college are meant to create access whereas in high school, they are focused on success. In college, success is dependent upon the student.