Fostering Teens' Dreams into Reality

 by Katherine O'Brien, Certified College Planning Specialist, ThD Candidate

 

Post-COVID there are more options than ever for post high school education and training. Ages 18-23 is a key time in our lives.  This is wonderful, and challenging. Sorting through aspirations and hopes and their "wildest dreams" is essential. Some of those will be impractical while others will become lifelong passions and realities.

 

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” -Steven Spielberg

....and, this is easier to do when you are NOT their parent.

Teens know more about their aspirations than they realize. They know what “wicked problem” they want to solve. I help them come to know that, articulate it, then craft a plan with realistic paths to achieve their goals. We start to build a focused curriculum in high school which will be continued in trade school or college college and incorporate experiential learning opportunities into their process. I help teens “reverse engineer” their dreams into action steps they can take during their high school and college years.

 

Don’t do a “reverse transfer. Increasingly students are going to four year universities then transferring to a community college near their home. What a waste of time, effort, money, and what damage is done to their confidence! If a certificate or trade school program makes more sense than a four year degree, let's determine that with clarity during high school and craft a path to success, rather than trying college, failing or opting out (and feeling like a failure) in order to get onto a path better suited for the student and his or her aspirations.

 

80% of college students change their majors, at least once. People have come to think of this as normal. Unfortunately, taking six years to complete a four year degree has also become  "normal". For more than a decade, the average time to complete a bachelor's degree in the US has been six years!!!! The costs of not taking time in high school to discover your purpose is high.

 

THIS IS MY GOAL: to mentor teens who become thriving young adults with little to no debt and solid confidence after their college experiences and education, well equipped to make their contributions to society. To schedule a consultation to explore having Katherine mentor your teen click here.

College Visits Worth Making

by Katherine O'Brien, MA CCPS

Founder, Celtic College Consultants

Choosing a college is a complex tasks. Many people focus on external factors like reputation or rankings but fail to do the in-depth student focused analysis required in order to identify colleges where your teen can not merely get a degree but can also thrive during his or her college years. Students who thrive graduate with more confidence and are better prepared to deal with life after college with all its opportunities and challenges.

Students need to be engaged, connected, challenged, and cared about. On campus, these needs can be met in various ways. Ideally, they are met in through a variety of experiences. Every student is different so the optimal cluster of opportunities will vary significantly from student to student. Nonetheless, there are several modalities common between them.

Academic connections can be built with other students, professors, graduate students, tutors, as well as through clubs, internships, research and exploratory opportunities, and short and long term off campus trips of various kinds. Rich, lively discussion groups (both academically focused and interdisciplinary) are actively fostered in and out of the classroom on some campuses. These can be manifested through honors colleges, living/learning communities, and other campus groups. Explore those in his or her field of interest. Find some that appeal to your teen. Even introverts need to have some connections!

Becoming connected, challenged, and cared for can also happen through the faith community on campus. Working together to serve the poor, to pray, to deepen one's faith, to prepare for worship services, to go on retreats and mission trips and the like are all examples of ways nurturing relationships can be built on campus. Don't forget to visit the Newman center or campus ministry office when you visit campus. Does it feel like a "home away from home" for your student?

Intramural sports, clubs of various kinds, and other ad hoc groups on campus can also be a rich source of affirmation and belonging for students. These are often completely unrelated to academics, which can provide a healthy balance. After all, even the most dedicated students are not studying machine, but are human beings! Whether it's quidditch, golf, swing dancing, chess, kite flying, or something else, encourage your teen to find his or her niche on campus.

Lastly, immersive educations which include high impact practices often make a decided difference between attending college and thriving on campus. Unfortunately, many, many collegians never have even one of these experiences. Look for them as you explore perspective colleges: internships, service learning, hands on learning, project based learning, study abroad, and other experiential learning opportunities. These have been shown to have a positive and often profound impact on students' lives. Finding good mentors (academic, personal, spiritual, etc.), being involved in long term projects and activities, forming connections in multiple campus communities also have a significant impact on students' well-being and college outcomes.