When my former students go above and beyond to help current ones…
Cole (UVA ‘22) gives Brian (UVA ‘26) a warm welcome
Remember Brian, one of my high school seniors? I highlighted him last week:
Brief reminder: After working diligently with me for the last year, Brian was accepted to his top-choice school, The University of Virginia, in December.
Brian is, understandably, excited. Even if his message to me letting me know was just a little downplayed (what can I say, he’s a humble kid):
But you know what can happen to the typical high schooler right around this time?
They start to get nervous. They start to overthink things.
Will I fit in? Do I even know anyone on campus? I’ll be leaving for this school in just 7 months…have I made the right decision?
I’ve seen the mental spiral for a decade now. Thinking about the next stages of life is always stressful, even when the next stage is the school you’ve been dreaming about for years.
You know what sometimes helps a 17 year old feel just a little more confident before heading off to that college?
When a 21 year old who currently attends that college writes them a personalized welcome note:
That’s a note from Cole. You may remember Cole from a few years ago. At one time, Cole was a high school senior. We worked together for years on the college planning process.
Now, Cole is a current senior at UVA. He’s a campus veteran at this point. He’s been around the block. He knows where to find the best campus food, how to navigate class selection, and where to go when you need to hunker down for some real, un-interrupted, deep studying. He also may just be able to introduce you to a friend or two on campus.
What I’ve found over the years of doing this is when students graduate from my program, I truly believe many of them they feel a special bond to it. Cole is a perfect example. I haven’t directly worked with Cole for 3.5 years now…and here he is, taking time out of his day to reach out to a younger DCC student, letting him know he’s there for him.
For a senior in high school, confidence is everything. The confidence a student (like Brian) can gain from an older mentor (like Cole) can be the difference between struggling through freshman fall and thriving.
In my program, I don’t say “goodbye” to students when they get into their dream school. I don’t say goodbye to them when they walk across stage at high school graduation. Students are only allowed to graduate from my program when they tell me they are thriving in college…only then have I done my job.
Thanks, @Cole for helping me out on this one!
-Jack
P.S. - Do you want your high schooler to experience college admissions success? Do you want them to have guidance into freshman fall of college to make sure they are thriving once they arrive on campus? If so, let’s talk!
