What does it mean to be a student leader in college? How does student government work and how do you get involved? When does it complement or compete with your studies? We dig into these questions and more with Macy Trout, a Senior at Temple University who shares her stories of meeting and representing students, building skills, and making an impact.

How can students with children not just survive college but thrive? What can colleges and universities do to support them? Kate Colbert and Dr. Joe Sallustio, authors of Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education, share their insights on these questions from their research and personal experience as students and faculty.

How can you understand yourself and what can that tells you about career paths to explore? What lights you up? Is what you’re pursuing right for who you are so that you can bring your whole self to work? We explore these questions with Carrie Young, the host of the Paths in Progress podcast and a former Executive Director of Academic Affairs and Student Success and Academic Advisor.

How do student success coaches help students and how can you best work with them? Dustin Ramsdell, former success coach and manager of coaches, describes the role of coaches and shares stories from his experience helping students get oriented, connecting them with other services, advising on degree and career planning, navigating new technology and policies, and building confidence and skills – and then hearing “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

How can your parents help you understand and play to your strengths? What assessments, conversations, or other resources can help with this? We discuss the role of strengths (and discomfort) in the college selection process with Winnie, a leadership development coach, and Sushil, a technology entrepreneur, who talk about their recent experience and how How to Get the Most out of College helped their family.

What do you want to be known for at the end of your internship? How will it complement your studies? What special projects can employers give interns to work together on to accomplish something? We discuss these questions and more in this special double episode, Greg Hoffman, author of Emotion by Design and former CMO of Nike, drawing from his own experiences as an intern and the programs he built at Nike.

How can students work with faculty on their research and build valuable skills and connections at the same time? How do you find these opportunities and do they need to relate to your classes? Recent graduate Natalie Passov talks about her experience as a research assistant, how she contributed, what she learned, and how this led to an internship and a career.

How can you best get oriented and find support as a first generation student? What can student affairs professionals do to connect with students, normalize getting help, and lead by example? Dr. Angela Simmons, VP of Student Development at University of South Carolina Beaufort discusses these topics and how she uses her background in counseling to help students succeed.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to a first year seminar about designing your college experience. In this 20 minute talk, I share the big ideas from my book: college isn’t just something you navigate – it’s something you create. It’s not just where, but how you go to college that matters. You can use research to make the important decisions about which classes to take or how to get involved. To succeed, make connections between classes, clubs, and careers.

How can colleges better support First Generation students and what can student do in the meantime? Deana Waintraub Stafford, Director of the Center for First Generation Student Success shares her insights into dismantling and learning higher education’s “hidden curriculum” and encourages students to ask the questions that will help them and others.

Here's where you can find the Center for First Gen Student Success

You can find the book How to Get the Most Out of College here.

Visit us at ElliotFelix.com for more.