Forward Thinking: How looking for a job after graduation begins during the campus tour
Three weeks ago my cousin and uncle from Chicago came to visit my family in Los Angeles. Yet, this was no ordinary, visit. They were on a mission to check out five Southern California colleges in five days. That’s doable, I thought to myself. Each night, I would ask my cousin what he thought about the school he visited that day. During one conversation, he shared that his tour guide opened up the tour by stating that there are “dreamers and doers” and that on this particular campus, students who identified themselves as “doers” thrived. The next night, he shared how the tour guide began his tour by boasting to all prospective students that last year’s senior class entered jobs where the average starting salary was around $70K. While I am unsure if my cousin has any remote idea what he see himself doing five years from now, his observations made [...]
If the School Fits…
The Los Angeles Times ran an article, where fashion columnist Adam Tschorn interviewed Neil Patrick Harris from “How I Met your Mother” who discussed how much he loves his Paul Smith and Dolce & Gabbana suits, because they fit and flatter his tall and narrow frame like no other. The article reminded me of the time when I purchased a suit the summer before my first year of college. Though it was one size above my true suit size, the store manager said that I would grow into it. After four years, and some occasional ribbing by former co-workers who made a habit of noting that my suit was too big each time I wore it to work, I never, “grew into my suit.” At BetterGrads, we think the idea of a great fit extends beyond the fashion world. Around this time of year, when prospective students begin to receive [...]
A decision you can sleep on
On Thursday, the New York Times ran an article describing a growing trend among senior citizens: sleep overs! After spending the daytime acquainting themselves with the facilities, retirement communities are offering prospective senior residents the opportunity to take in evening social events and the opportunity to spend the night. For senior citizens, this is a great way to gauge social life and other nuances associated with retirement homes that one could not glean from a brochure. Retirement communities are not the only institutions to offer this opportunity. Colleges do too! I dedicate this post to one of the great (and relatively uncelebrated) pre-college traditions: prospective student overnight visits! Why you should do it: College overnight visits offer prospective students (or more cutely known as, prospies) an unfiltered, in-your-face opportunity to experience collegiate social life in a way that guidebooks or facebook photos could never showcase. For example, such visits give [...]
Save the Date. Meet Cool People. Mixer. 1/12/2010
BetterGrads kick-off mixer on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.
BetterGrads Week(s) in Review #2
With many exciting recent developments to share, including the first (inter)national BetterGrads team meeting, a presentation to the Rotary Club of Pleasanton North, upcoming presentations at Oakland Tech, initial feedback from GHS, it’s time for another update on BetterGrads!
Students + Students = A Winning Combination
We believe high school students need college student advisors who are close to their age and connected to their schools. As “experts” on the topic of college, college students are uniquely positioned to impact their younger peers. Thus, we offer local student-to-student peer advising in California. We connect high school students with local college student peer advisors to prepare them for the college experience and long-term success. Through student-driven “College 101” Presentations and this website, BetterGrads will offer high school students the information and support they need to succeed in college. BetterGrads creates, organizes, and helps facilitate College 101 Presentations, delivered by local college students at nearby high schools. Our college student peer advisors will be able to contribute content to this website where students can explore college and engage with peer advisors online. Our goal at BetterGrads is to give college students the platform and the tools they need [...]
100+ Fans on Facebook!
Tonight, BetterGrads reached over 100 fans on Facebook after Kevin, our Executive Director, started a “100 fans / 24 hours” challenge across Facebook and on Twitter, so that we could get more people involved in our mission and register our own Facebook vanity url! So be sure to check out our new page and become a fan if you haven’t already: http://www.facebook.com/BetterGrads
