College Ready

Sharing strategies for student success, college readiness and academic coaching

Author Archives: lisa


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7 Ways to Retain College Transfer Students

This post is a re-print from Jo Hilman of Noel Levits. For the full post, click Campus officials rate retention programs for college transfer students less effective than first-year student retention programs

7-point checklist for retaining college transfer students, by Jo Hilman

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Understanding transfer students’ attitudes, receptivity, motivations, and level of satisfaction with services is important in supporting their needs. The key is to tailor student success programs to these needs. Below are ideas to consider.

Does your institution offer:

1.  Orientation programs tailored specifically for transfer students, including segments that address concerns such as transfer of credit, finances, major-related internships, and meaningful work experiences?

2.  Programs beyond the usual classroom and advising services that connect transfer students to faculty, staff, and native students within academic or co-curricular interest areas?

3.  Peer mentors for transfer students?

4.  Assignment of students to an advisor within the student’s major/area of interest with an early focus on confirming or further refining a written academic plan?

5.  An advising center devoted to transfer students?

6.  Career fairs for students who are undecided about a major?

7.  Academic support services based on areas of student need and receptivity?

All of these areas are solid ways to support transfer students and increase transfer student retention.

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Wrinkled Hearts: Bully Prevention Lesson

“It’s hard to fix a wrinkled heart.” Even just this display will give students (and adults, parents, coaches, teachers) plenty to think about. For the entire lesson plan from Squarehead Teachers, read the full post below.

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Squarehead Teachers's avatarSquarehead Teachers

Citizenship is crucial to the success of our society. But it’s not part of any standardized test, so sometimes it’s easy to skip over it. I absolutely loved this lesson plan by Character Education Partnership. This lesson, called “Wrinkle on my Heart,” teaches about empathy, taking responsibility for mistakes when they happen and learning from them, and thinking before you speak/act. It’s very simple, but effective, especially when the teacher posts the wrinkled heart somewhere in the classroom as a reminder. Check it out:

Wrinkle on My Heart

Salt Brook Elementary School

Overview

Engage students in a discussion of the power of their words.

Lesson Objectives

Students will learn about empathy.
Students will learn to take responsibility for their mistakes when they happen and to learn from them.
Students will learn to think before they speak and act.

Materials Needed

Red construction paper heart
Black marker

Procedures

Sit with the children…

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Simple, general solutions to college problems (just add data)

College costs, confusion, and the problems with data.

Cedar Riener's avatarCedar's Digest

“Get some burgers, get some beers data, a few laughs, Dude, our troubles are over.”

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/an-KDCB4bbmbh24m/the_big_lebowski_1998_walters_plan/

I thought of Walter’s line in the Big Lebowski while reading Dylan Matthews piece in the Washington Post wonkblog on college costs (part X: How do we fix it?) this morning. Matthews seems to think that better data on student outcomes, combined with a few readjustments of federal incentives will drive down college costs and tuition. I am not as well acquainted with college costs and financial aid as Matt Reed, Sara Goldrick Raab or Sherman Dorn. I do know enough to know that it is way more complicated than most pundits realize. I often invoke Archibald and Feldman for linking higher ed costs to the trajectory of costs in the rest of the service economy. Certainly higher education does have some differences from other services that require lots of education, like dentistry. But…

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Sunday, Smiling, and Why Being Nice Matters!

This is important: Be Nice to Yourself! Image

Sunday is a good day for a little reflection, a little relaxation, and a whole lot of being nice to yourself. Smile. Breathe. Take a minute to recharge and get ready for the week ahead. Remember, studies show that the brain on positive is over 30% more effective than on stressed, or even neutral.

How to get and stay positive: Be Nice…to YOU! Take some time to do at least one thing each day that is just for you. Even if that one thing is only 5 minutes in your day!

Have a great week. xo~Lisa


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Got Grit? Why Resilience is “THE” Essential 21st Century Skill

“More than education, more than experience, more than training, a person’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails.” D. Coutu, Harvard Business Review, 2002.

This is very true. It’s all about resilience. Resilience is the key to success in academics, in the professional world, and in life in general. You have to have the grit to get back up, every time someone, or something, knocks you down.

Because, it’s also true that you are going to fail. At some point in life, you are going to be the one that doesn’t make the team, or forgot to print an assignment that was due, or missed out on the promotion. It will happen and at that moment, you have that choice. To stay down. Where things are easy…or to get back up where it’s messy and hard. Get up, each and every time. Get up, and find a way.

That takes some courage. And I’m not saying that it’s always easy. But you just do it. You get back up. And each time, it gets a little easier. That’s what resilience is all about.

Simple ways to be resilient: Talk to your career counselors, tutorial center, mentors, friends, even parents, and find out strategies you can use this year when things get tough and sleeping in sounds so much better than going to class. Remember too, Michael Jordan’s words, “If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

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Make it a Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! I hope you all get to kick back and enjoy some time off. I’m making it a family day, but I’ll be back on Tuesday with more college ready strategies for you. Enjoy today!  xo~L

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The Only Writing Advice You Will Ever Need

Ernest Hemingway said, “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” 

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” ― Ernest Hemingway

There is nothing like the power of truth in writing. Writing in your own voice empowers you to tell your story in an authentic way. And don’t worry about what the critics say, there are always going to be haters. When you write your truth, it rings so clear and honest that readers pay attention. And the same is true in life, generally. There’s no substitute for authenticity…for the real.

Life can be messy. Writing is Messy. Life can be hard. Writing is Hard…but just start…with that one true sentence.

~~On Truth, Giving Back, and Free Stuff~~

I am amazed and humbled that even with very little publicity, and still pending a formal launch, this blog will reach 500 views over the weekend, maybe even today…and that’s how I was reminded of this quote. I decided to just start, to jump in, and to share my truth, after being in the planning stage for over a year. Eventually, you just have to take that leap (was the attitude I embraced while jumping!)

Why jump, and risk the fall? I want to give back a little of what my mentors and colleagues have given me. I want to model openness in the academic community. And I especially want to help young adults navigate a path to higher ed and opportunity. (You can read more about all of this in my first post.)

So to celebrate 500 views, from people all over the world, and to thank everyone for the support you’ve given me, I’m going to be offering a free academic coaching session to one new follower on my College Ready facebook page. So check out the details there, if you (or someone you know) is either in college or getting ready to launch their college career. Thanks for reading a little bit of my truth here!

xo, Lisa

PS: Curious as to the most popular posts so far? Here they are:

Students Just Say No to America’s Top Colleges 

Think Before You Share: 7 Rules for Posting Photos Online

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10 questions to help you become a better teacher…

Good questions to ask at the start of the school year.


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Books Worth Reading

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I’m reading The Book Thief. How about you? What are you reading?


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Tutorial: How to Make an Infographic using Piktochart.

This is an amazing tutorial, with step-by-step instructions, on “How to Make an Infographic” using Piktochart, by Mia MacMeekin. I always find her infographics engaging and easy to follow, so I was excited that she did this tutorial and thought it was worth sharing. Like she says, she finds them “simple” to do , but simple often means “hundreds of hours playing w Piktochart.” Still, it’s a skill all 21st educators are going to want to add to their toolbox…so here it is. Enjoy.

Mia's avatarAn Ethical Island

Hello, World!

Lots of my friends have been asking me how I make the infographics. I find it very simple. But, I admit that that simple mindset is after hundreds of hours playing with Piktochart. I think I know most of the quirks. Well that was I did until last week when Piktochart updated the website. BUT, I am getting used to the new platform and love it!

Here is a quick overview of how I make them…

How to Make a Piktochart infogrpahic

~Mia

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