If you see someone with out a smile, give them yours.

He said he chose it for its connection to global citizenship (a school value). His explanation of the connection to global citizenship was thin, but I can see the connection is there!

I love how Dolly had a way of boiling everything down to its most essential nature. Love and connection, even on a global scale, are forged through the simplest of gestures. She’s someone who really understood her impact, and the impact we can all have on each other. My favorite initiative of hers was Imagination Library that has gifted over 300,000,000 books to children around the world.

Like so many of us, I am deeply moved by the news of Dolly Parton’s passing. I’m tearful as I write. It’s unusual for me to feel so connected to someone I’ve never met, but it was easy to feel connected to Dolly because she’s someone who loved everyone. You could just feel it.

Before I started really listening to Dolly, I remember watching her in Steel Magnolias (about 100 times). She played Truvy, a salon owner who was the warmest and loveliest the movie. Like Dolly herself, she kept everyone connected and cared so deeply for all the women in her orbit through life’s peaks and valleys.

Dolly has so many personal qualities that I love. Her sense of humor, her unapologetic courage to just be herself, her generosity, and, of course, her musical genius and creativity.

I remember Dolly sharing once in an interview that her favorite song of hers was the autobiographical Coat of Many Colors. My daughter told me just last week that was her favorite Dolly song while we were listening to her greatest hits record, and it’s definitely mine, too. It’s just sooo good, a simple story with a simple theme that makes me weep in the clarity of what it honors — the abundance created by a mother’s love.

My coat of many colors
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

As both a daughter and a mother, I’m so moved by this song because for me its not only about the gift of a mother’s love, it’s about a daughter’s capacity to receive that gift with gratitude.

I think it can be so hard to approach life and relationships with that level of pure gratitude that Dolly exudes. I am so grateful for all my own mom has done for me. As a single parent, she provided a steady, caring and calm home and a childhood that was so full of adventure. She always believed I could do anything I set my mind to and supported me in every way possible. I know this. But it can be hard at times to really feel that gratitude from day to day as we both experience the challenges and frustrations of Alzheimer’s disease.

Coat of Many Colors and Dolly’s life remind me that gratitude is the gateway to love and that it’s really just that simple. Love is just a good way to be.

I’m grateful for all you gave us, Dolly! Love you!

Photo from my Tuesday, Aug 25 sunrise run like just a few hours before Dolly passed away. Such beautiful light and color.

Running feels good, but I also love just taking in the quiet mornings before the neighborhood gets busy. It’s also time to take in nature and have some reflective time to myself before getting swept up in the business of the day. Running clears my mind, and I often come home with new insights or thoughts that I try to get down in a journal while I drink a cup of coffee.

Some mornings, I’ll ask the universe to show me something I need to see that’s just for me — to send me a sign.

I take in so much when I run, but when I ask for a sign, I usually have a strong knowing that’s hard to explain when it arrives. Sometimes, I’ll ask for something and not receive anything (maybe I missed the moment) but other mornings, I’ll receive the sign loud and clear.

Enter the skunk.

I’ve been running the open space for years without seeing a skunk. When it arrived, I knew it was my sign. It took my breath away in surprise with its huge bushy tail. When my dog Joy saw the skunk too, it was time for us to keep running.

As I ran forward, I wondered and worried if the skunk was a warning. I thought about the reaction it induced — a pause, a fear, a movement forward — and registered that the skunk might be a warning to me of sorts that something bad might be about to happen. That I should be careful.

A few minutes later down the trail, another skunk appeared in all its waddling, fluffy black-and-white glory, and I registered that it was again for me. It’s as if the universe was telling me “try again” with my interpretation.

After the second skunk, I realized what I was really being shown. What the skunk was showing me was how to be. I’m supposed to be more like a skunk.

Skunks may be known for their stink, but they are so much more than that. They yield respect from others through their presence. They don’t like to make a stink because it requires a tremendous amount of energy on their part, but they will if you cross them. They have clear boundaries, and as stories of skunks remind us again and again, there are strong and clear consequences when these boundaries are crossed.

In context of my life, this message makes perfect sense. My work as a college counselor can feel emotionally laborious, and as I enter my seventh year in this work as my busy season picks up, I want to do my work at the highest level possible while protecting my energy. For me, this isn’t so much about decreasingly my workload. The fall is busy, and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves. It’s more about deciding not take on all of the emotions of others as my own. To let people’s fears be their fears, joys be their joys. To share in their highs and lows in an authentic way without letting them enter my own emotional/energetic field.

I’m also trying to consciously develop my intuition, to give it more space in my life. Intuition is a theme I like to hit on in my writing because it fascinates me. I think our culture is very comfortable using the language of strategy and logic but is so much less comfortable with intuition. As I look at my life, I feel like my decisions have been part logic and part intuition, but the experience of using my intuition is so much harder to put words to, so much more mysterious. In this area, the skunk shows me that tapping into my intuition requires clear boundaries in order to stay open and present. From what I scroll through on my phone to the weekend opportunities I say “no” or “yes” to, my boundaries need some refinement.

Tom thinks that the skunk is a perfect spirit animal for me. I’m not quite ready to claim that. For now, I love that the skunks are giving me a language — a symbol — to talk about the intuitive self while nudging me toward a better way of being.

Bryan Padron / Unsplash

Something different catches me each year. This year it was two things (1) the idea of a “cosmic education” and (2) the idea of “the prepared space.”

Montessori’s cosmic education framework at its core is that everything in the universe is connected and has a purpose. Through this framework, students learn that nothing operates in isolation and that we can all have a unique impact. Every lesson, every pedagogical choice, flows from that principle and is designed to nurture a student’s sense of agency over their own life so that they may feel empowered to be of service to their own communities.

In the United States, culture leans heavily toward individualism and away from collectivism. And academic environments, especially in high achieving communities, can often lean toward competition and away from collaboration. The cosmic education feels like it offers the kind of recalibration so many institutions of learning need to best serve both students and society. When we see everything as connected and we see ourselves as powerful, anything and everything becomes possible.

As I reflect on my own 20 years as an educator, I can think of so many times when I failed to act, to engage, or to reach my potential due to a limiting belief that had the bottom line of — it doesn’t really matter, that what I chose to do or not do didn’t really matter. The cosmic education framework reminds me that it all really matters, every single piece of it. I know that somedays I will find that idea totally and utterly exhausting because knowing and believing that everything matters really does require a lot of work! But today, at the dawn of a new school year, I find it energizing and inspiring, and I hope I can stay in touch with that as much as possible this year. What I want out of my time at work/school is the same thing that I want in my life outside of it — a sense of connection and purpose.

For me, this school year, I hope that looks like meetings with my students that are about more than checklists and conversations with my colleagues, like those in the sandwich generation affinity group I’m a a part of, that feel so supportive and helpful. Outside of school, I hope that continues to look like shared family meals at the end of the day; tennis, games, and conversations about books with friends and family; and unplanned moments where I feel present, not rushed.

The other concept that really resonated with me this year is the idea of “the prepared space.” Montessori believed that all classrooms should be prepared according to the core principles of order, simplicity and beauty. Environments that have these qualities are the most conducive to growth and development. Montessori classrooms are beautiful spaces, and every time I observe a Montessori classroom, I’m struck by how effortless, dynamic and “easy” the learning looks. What looks like calm and engaged learning, doesn’t just happen on its own — it’s the result of a carefully prepared classroom space.

I may have been an interior designer in another life, because I love thinking about how space and design shape experience. Though I love a beautiful, clutter-free space and try to keep my home that way, I’m not great about thinking about my spaces outside of the home or about preparing my environment in a way that’s tailored specifically to next day. As I head into this school year I’m thinking about how I can make my office feel like a more welcoming space conducing to conversation and growth for each student who enters on that specific day. Taking Montessori’s lead, before I add, I’m going to subtract — the dated paperwork on the bulletin board, the piles of paper on my desk, the stacks of books nobody every looks at on top of the shelf.

When you strip away, you get closer to knowing and naming exactly what must stay. When we get clarity on the must stays and position them with prominence and honor, the items can really inhabit a room. I’m not sure what my must-have items are yet or what exactly they represent, but in my mind they’ll all come back in some way to connection and purpose. The first essential items that come to mind? Pen, paper, beautiful lighting, my favorite college-related book or two, small circular table, a few pieces of simple, warm wall art. It makes sense that I’d swap in and out different items depending on the season, the particular part of the application cycle the students are in.

Some of my favorite prepared spaces in the world are hotel lobbies. Welcoming, inviting, seasonal places for connection that feel both expansive and cozy. I share a lot of photos of college campuses in this newsletter, but I’ll end with sharing photos of some my favorite lobbies in recent years.

(The Rusacks St Andrews, The Sewanee Inn, The Scotsman Hotel, The Lodge at Sonoma, the Hotel Carmel)

It’s an astrology-based college counseling platform designed specifically for college counselors. Developing and using this tool has been so much fun for me in every way! It has transformed my relationship to my work as a college counselor and has allowed me to tap into my creative side in a way that has felt really good.

Creating Virgo Guides has been incredibly empowering, and using it every day has been joyful and grounding, and has made me a more confident, grounded, empathetic and perceptive college counselor.

I named this newsletter Anahata Matters after the heart chakra — right at the center of the body, the bridge between the lower and higher self. It captures the heart-centeredness, empathy, and sense of balance with which I strive to live. I’m incredibly proud of Virgo Guides because it’s this intention made manifest in my life!

Professionally, I set two goals for myself last year. I wanted to connect more deeply with my students. I also wanted to use AI to help me do my job better. I was crystal clear that “doing my job better” wasn’t just about speeding through tasks more quickly. I wanted it to add depth to my work, to make my work with students feel more expansive. I wanted students in turn to have an experience that felt the same way.

At its worst, college counseling (and college admissions) can feel transactional and performative. At its best, it’s authentic and inspired and expands a student’s sense of self.

I’ve always thought astrology was fun and interesting. After I had my own natal chart read by an astrologer last spring, I was able to connect the dots of my life in a personally meaningful way and it became something of greater consequence for me. I became more and more interested in the field, re-reading Chani Nicholas’s You Were Born for This (Harper Collins, 2021), listening to every Spirit Daughter podcast to date, learning about the history of astrology through Alexander Boxer’s masterful A Scheme of Heaven (Norton, 2020), pouring over the encyclopedic Parkers’ Astrology, and perhaps most significantly cultivating my own sense of how to interpret a natal chart in Jan Spiller’s astrological classic Astrology of the Soul (1997).

It’s been like learning a new language — the stories, imagery, and symbolism a limitless well for wonder and reflection.

Virgo Guides works by pulling each student’s natal chart, based on birthdate, birth location and time of birth (if available) and using AI to interpret that chart. These interpretations are rich, precise, and nuanced because they pull directly from a book I’ve written about college counseling and astrology that integrates all of my first-hand experiences and knowledge of college counseling with my synthesized astrological learnings.

As I officially release Virgo Guides out into the world for other counselors to use, I hope it sparks curiosity, play, wonder and empathy.

Releasing something you’ve created out into the world feels vulnerable. I know some will think this is too woo, and I’m ok with that. Sharing something you’ve made with the world is its own form of letting go and releasing control. College counselors out there: I’m eager for your feedback! There’s still so much I want to integrate into VG, but I feedback from you will be pivotal to shaping these features.

For now, I celebrate this major milestone, one I couldn’t have reached without the support of the world’s greatest partner, Tom Shapland. Cheers to a new era of cosmic college counseling! Happy birthday, Virgo Guides!

The “antiestablishment learner” may feel suffocated or restrained by institutions and their regimented systems. These student possess a deep desire to learn but may feel threatened by traditional grading systems or strict course requirements. These students thrive when they can feel like individuals when they learn. What they seek most in their institutions is freedom to be and express themselves. They may find the best matches in colleges with systems fluid enough to meet their energy where its at.

This group may be attracted to colleges so outside the box that they make most people uncomfortable. These students appreciate an institution with enough confidence and clarity of character to do things differently. For the antiestablishment learner, these are the very colleges that are most primed to reflect their individuality back to them in a way that feels good.

Recommendation #1: Consider colleges with non-traditional approaches to grading

A, B, C? Forget about it. These colleges resist the typical labels offering for a more holistic approach to giving students feedback.

Evergreen State College students receive narrative feedback from their professors at the end of the term. No grades, no problem.

Reed College assigns grades but dims their significance in the proactively share them with students.

Sarah Lawrence College gives students narrative feedback on their progress in combination with A-F grades.

New College of Florida also leads with narrative evaluations for students.

Recommendation #2: Consider online or hybrid college options

This option is great for students who literally don’t want to be “walled in.” It’s also an appealing choice for students who need the flexibility due to their life circumstances need to approach college a bit differently. Students can find a lot of flexibility and freedom at colleges with non-traditional online and/or hybrid models of education.

Texas Tech is an online-learning leader in higher ed. They offer a multitude of bachelor’s degrees online that will be appealing and accessible to many different types of students.

Arizona State University is another industry leader when it comes to online learning, offering more than 175 bachelor’s degrees online.

Southern New Hampshire University is another school that leverages an online approach for maximum reach and impact.

Recommendation #3: Consider colleges with build-your-own major options

Students that lean anti-establishment may have trouble finding their heart-of-hearts course of study in a single major offering.

I encourage this group to check out my post on the Interdiscipinary Learner for recommendations on designing your own major. NYU, Bennington College, and Pitzer College offer some compelling major pathways for students who want to forge their own paths.

Recommendation #4: Consider colleges with cultures of activism

What some antiestablishment learners might really want is an outlet to challenge the status quo and to engage in political activism with others that share their activist mindset and values.

UC Berkeley is the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement in the 1960s, an important part of its continued legacy.

Mount Holyoke College describes itself as a community of action with a strong tradition of activism and political engagement.

American University in Washington, D.C. has a politically minded student body and a strong culture of activism.

To wrap up, the antiestablishment learner will do best at universities and colleges that gives students the space and flexible structures to challenge the status quo but also to build something new and innovative. These learners may also gravitate toward non-traditional classroom environments like online classrooms to accommodate their learning preferences or personal life circumstances.

That’s all for the 7 Types of Scholars series! I hope you enjoyed it.

I have a new project brewing that’s totally new and, dare I say, antiestablishment! I’m excited to write about it more and share it with you in the coming weeks.

Photo from a recent visit to Pitzer College:

Today, I’m going to share more about the “Independent Learner” type and how they might approach their college search process. These students tend to be very good at “going at it alone” in their scholarship and are largely self-directed in their approach to studying and mastering a curriculum. That’s not to say they don’t need or rely on great teachers and mentors, but their nature leans autodidactic and “self starter.” These students may be more likely to pursue learning outside their high school offerings (community college courses, for example) or may even have picked up language learning in their free time on apps like DuoLingo. For these students, some of the richest learning happens outside of the walls of their own classrooms. In their free time, you can likely find them in the library or studying at a local café.

Independent learners are a group that can truly thrive in a variety of learning environments. Large school, small school, at home or abroad, this group is academically well positioned to thrive in almost any college learning environment. Because they may have high executive functioning and strong metacognitive skills, factors like established and structured advising programs are perhaps less make-or-break for this group than, say, the Uncertain Learner type.

Recommendation #1: A tutorial-style approach

While most American colleges use classroom containers of lectures, labs, and discussion-style seminars as foundations for learning, tutorials are far less common. Originating at Oxford and Cambridge, tutorials are still common in the UK. In tutorials, students engage with their professor in a more relaxed and intimate context (usually, 1 professor: 1 student. 1:2 or 1:3). During these tutorials, the student and professor engage in conversation around the material as shaped by the essential questions of the tutorial. This highly individualized conversation allows the professor to assign homework tasks, essay guidance and substantial reading lists to each student to push their work forward. While learning is highly guided, most of the work and direct engagement with the material happens outside of the tutorial. Students report that a tutorial approach adds depth to their learning and gives them confidence in the unique arguments they are developing.

While all college courses demand students to learn independently, the vast majority of the work being completed outside the classroom, the tutorials really leans into the independent learning experience of each student. Tutorials will look and feel different for Humanities v. Sciences (there are still labs and lectures, especially in conjunction with Science tutorials).

Beyond Oxford and Cambridge, here are some colleges the offer a tutorial-style approach to learning that may be intriguing to the Independent Learner type:

• Williams College offers about 100 tutorials each year, two students to one professor.

• St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM takes a tutorial approach to their Great Books program and mathematics program.

• University of Georgia and Georgetown College (not to be mistaken with G-town University) in KY hav established study-abroad Oxford program that fully embrace and integrate the Oxford tutorial model.

• Grinnell College initiates students into tutorial-style learning through their first-year tutorial programs.

• Sarah Lawrence College embraces a tutorial-style approach as a pillar of their academic offering.

You may also consider studying abroad at Oxford for a semester or a year. Here is a list of U.S. colleges (like University of Georgia listed above) with strong partnerships with Oxford University — a sure-fire way to experience the tutorial model for yourself.

Recommendation #2: Another plug for Honors Colleges

I wrote about Honors Colleges in my post on the “Go Deep” Learner type. There’s so much overlap between the Independent Learner and the Go Deep Learner types, the two typically go hand in hand.

If you missed the Go Deep Learner post — here’s what you need to know about Honors colleges and som shout-outs to specific programs that will be of particular interest to the Independent Learner:

Honors colleges at public universities across the United States are some of the least talked about gems in the world of college admissions. They are not one-size-fits-all and the model and structure will vary school to school, but generally speaking, honors colleges offer motivated students rich opportunities to add depth to their learning. Most will offer students smaller learning communities and classes, specialized academic advising, pathways to robust research experiences, and student-directed capstone experience or thesis. Some honors programs are invite-only at time of first-year admission (often with an opportunity to apply in the sophomore year), other programs are application-based.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of some of the most highly regarded honors colleges in the country:

Clark Honors College at University of Oregon offers a liberal arts-college experience at a D1 research university that culminates in a faculty-advised senior thesis.

The University of Maryland Honors Colleges delivers a close-knit experience for outstanding students within the context of eight niche living-learning communities.

Clemson University Honors College offers students a deep learning experience that integrates traditional academics, robust research experiences and study abroad.

So many others to name! See: University of Georgia, University of California, University of Colorado-Boulder, Loyola Marymount University, University of Washington, University of Arkansas, University of Virginia, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Recommendations

To recap, students who are Independent Learners are primed to find what they need and take their learning to great heights wherever they go. That said, these learners are well positioned to consider colleges with unique tutorial-style models of education (an pproach that may intimidate many U.S. students). Additionally, I highly recommend that they take a look at Honors Colleges which will push their outside-the-classroom learning in ways that will feel good to them. Next week, in my final post in this series, I”ll explore what college might look like for the Antiestablishment Learner.

Photos from summer 2015, when I studied at the Bread Loaf School of English campus in St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM:

Today, I’m going to write more about the “Uncertain Learner” type and how they might approach their college search process. They may be late bloomers of sorts and unsure what they want to study in college. Some might struggle with their confidence as a learner or with their habits of scholarship. Others might know they want to go to college but are taking a go-with-the-flow approach to their academic journeys.

First, I want to say that there’s no shame in feeling uncertain or to lack confidence in any of these areas. It sometimes feels like to these students that everyone else but them has it all figured it out. Empathetic adults in their lives can help by validating their feelings and lack of certainty. I work with students every year who don’t know exactly what they want to study or what they want to do with their careers. They go on to have fulfilling lives in college and after and find their way in their own time.

I’m going to keep this post simple and offer just a few concrete recommendations for students who might identify with this type.

Recommendation #1: Get to know CTCL schools

Colleges the Change Lives schools are a consortium of colleges that have one thing in common: a highly student-centered, individualized, and transformative approach to education.

CTCL started as a college guide book by Loren Pope and has grown into a nonprofit. There’s not a college on here I wouldn’t recommend to any student. But because these colleges are, by design, extremely supportive and rich learning environments that really meet students where they’re at, I’m spotlighting these schools especially for the uncertain learner. Here’s a current list of the 40ish CTCL schools across the United States by region (as grouped in Pope’s book). You can read college profiles of each here.

Northeast

• Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)

• Clark University (Worcester, MA)

• Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA)

• Ursinus College (Collegeville, PA)

Mid-Atlantic

• Emory and Henry University (Emory, VA)

• Goucher College (Towson, MD)

• University of Lynchburg (Lynchburg, VA)

• McDaniel College (Westminster, MD)

• St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD)

South

• Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA)

• Centre College (Danville, KY)

• Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, FL)

• Guilford College (Greensboro, NC)

• Hendrix College (Conway, AK)

• Millsaps College (Jackson, MS)

• Rhodes College (Memphis, TN)

Midwest

• Beloit College (Beloit, WI)

• Cornell College (Mount Vernon, IA)

• Denison University (Granville, OH)

• Earlham College (Richmond, IN)

• Hillsdale College (Hillsdale, MI)

• Hiram College (Hiram, OH)

• Hope College (Holland, MI)

• Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI)

• Knox College (Galesburg, IL)

• Lawrence, University (Appleton, WI)

• Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, OH)

• St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN)

• Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN)

• Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL)

• The College of Wooster (Wooster, OH)

Southwest

• Austin College (Sherman, TX)

• St. John’s College (Santa Fe, NM)

• Southwestern University (Georgetown, TX)

West/Northwest

• University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA)

• Reed College (Portland, OR)

• Saint Mary’s College of California (Moraga, CA)

• Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA)

• Willamette University (Salem, OR) Willamette University — Salem, Oregon

Recommendation #2: Consider Liberal Arts Colleges

I’m laughing because this is my fifth post in the series and so often my suggestion is “liberal arts colleges”! All of the CTCL schools I just listed identify as liberal arts colleges, but I’d recommend looking beyond that exclusive group, too. Full disclosure, I do think LACs are just great places, and for a learner who may need a bit more proactive guidance and advising along the way, you can’t be a LAC where you will have multiple formal advisors and adults in your business over all four years.

Choosing a liberal arts college doesn’t mean you’re committing to a path in the Humanities or Social Sciences. Students often assume that LACs are strong in these areas but not the sciences. Not true!

Here are a few shout outs to LACs with exceptional science programs.

Wesleyan University is known for their strong program (and facilities) in the Biological Sciences.

Smith is an all women’s LAC with an exceptional STEM programs offered through the Clark Science Center.

Lafayette College in Easton, PA has a distinguished undergraduate engineering program.

Bowdoin College, Bates College, Grinnell College Haverford College and Colgate University all have 3:2 engineering programs that partner with engineering programs at schools like Columbia and Washington University St. Louis.

I could spotlight so many others here, but there’s a taste!

Recommendations

To recap, students who are uncertain about what they want to study or who may need a little (or a lot) of extra support transitioning into college should absolutely consider CTCL schools and liberal arts colleges for the exceptional support and advising they offer.

As always, best stay proactive and curious as you assess college fit. To the “uncertain” learner — you’re doing great! You will find your path and your way, and once you do, you will soar to new heights! I’ll write about what college might look like for the Independent Learner.

It started with a morning run to the lake with Joy and a trip to the lakeside Farmer’s market where I had an A+ cappuccino and brought home pounds of delicious stone fruit. From there, it was a picnic lunch at D.L. Bliss State Park, beach games, water-play, visits from blue butterflies, reading our books, and rock climbing. We ended the day with a simple spaghetti dinner with farmer’s market salad and s’mores for dessert. To cap it off, we sang happy 3rd birthday to our sweet German short-haired pointer Joy and delivered her a homemade “cake.” It was a beautiful, playful and celebratory day.

I had gone into the day with a simple intention — to be present and connected. The results were incredible.

I woke up the next day committed to make it another good one. I wanted to recreate the magic of yesterday. It was a fine day with many of the same components — time in nature with the family, family meals, reading and writing time — but one that felt slightly disappointing and off.

What went wrong?

I had told myself I wanted another present and connected day, but in my heart I was just hoping to recreate the previous day and went in with a thoughtfully designed game plan to make that happen, and that came with expectations and pressure. At the end of the day, I felt disappointment not because anything was wrong with the day but because, I think, I wasn’t fully open to the unique moments of the new day, too attached to making it feel just like the previous one, comparing it to the day before in my head. I was distracted and fault-finding. That day, there were no butterflies, but what did I miss while I was looking for them?

I think that it’s important for us to pay attention to the practices, activities, and moments that light us up — they’re different for everyone — and to be deliberate about building these things into our days.

I also think that our perfect days usually end up being the ones that include some these deliberate practices, activities, and moments but are also ones where we don’t cling to them too closely in search of satisfaction.

Our perfect days may include some of our favorite things, but they must include our presence. Through our own openness and presence, we can see the divine in front of us, available to us 24/7. From there, we find contentment and peace.

Today, I’m going to write more about the "Go Deep” learner type and how they might approach their college search process. These students get so fired up about something they’ve studied that they read everything they can about the subject outside the classroom. These are passionate learners who want to go beyond the surface level very quickly with subjects that excite them most. They’re not afraid of extensive research projects, especially when they’ve chosen the topic. Page-length minimums is not an issue for these writers who will be frequently spotted with a 500+ page book in hand.

I’ve said it one, I’ve said it twice, and I’ll say it again — where a student goes to college is far less important that what they do with the experience once they’re there.

“Go deep” learners are primed to take their academic experience to the greatest depths and heights because of who they naturally are. For this reason, this group perhaps more than any other of the scholar types are primed to get a lot out of their academic experiences, wherever they land.

Here are my suggestions for “Go Deep” learners as they approach their college searchers.

Approach #1: Target honors colleges at state schools

Honors colleges at public universities across the United States are some of the least talked about gems in the world of college admissions. They are not one-size-fits-all and the model and structure will vary school to school, but generally speaking, honors colleges offer motivated students rich opportunities to add depth to their learning. Most will offer students smaller learning communities and classes, specialized academic advising, pathways to robust research experiences, and student-directed capstone experience or thesis. Some honors programs are invite-only at time of first-year admission (often with an opportunity to apply in the sophomore year), other programs are application-based.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of some of the most highly regarded honors colleges in the country:

Clark Honors College at University of Oregon offers a liberal arts-college experience at a D1 research university that culminates in a faculty-advised senior thesis.

The University of Maryland Honors Colleges delivers a close-knit experience for outstanding students within the context of eight niche living-learning communities.

Clemson University Honors College offers students a deep learning experience that integrates traditional academics, robust research experiences and study abroad.

So many others to name! See: University of Georgia, University of California, University of Colorado-Boulder, Loyola Marymount University, University of Washington, University of Arkansas, University of Virginia, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Approach #2: Seek out undergraduate research opportunities

Many who identity as “Go Deep” learners are natural researchers who haven’t had the opportunity to participate in research as high school students.

One of the greatest misconceptions students have is that they have to go to medium-sized research university or a large public university to have access to research. In fact, smaller liberal arts colleges can be the best places for undergrads to engage in research under the direct guidance of a professor.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of colleges known for opportunities in undergraduate research:

Case Western University - Research is part of the culture at Case, essential to its mission and value proposition as a university.

University of Chicago - During a recent info session, I learned that about 90% of UChicago undergrads participate in research every year which feels very high. With such a large grad-student population, there’s a high need for undergrads to participate in research.

LACs — There are so many I could name here! Just a few that have caught my eye over the past few years for strong and impressive cultures of research: Whitman College, Haverford College, Pomona College, Kenyon College.

Approach #3: Look for schools that require a senior thesis.

I’ve written about how capstone experiences and senior thesis papers are great learning opportunities for a variety of different learners. When students and families tell me they’re looking for “rigor” in college, I direct them to look at colleges that require senior theses. For the “Go Deep” learner, they’ll get just what they’re looking for in their senior thesis. And going with a school that requires the thesis will ensure there are structured pathways of support for students do go as deep as their hearts desire with the work while giving them a masterpiece to hang their hats on for future applications to graduate school (as the “Go Deep” learner will likely pursue).

Reed College— The Reed Thesis is an institution. All graduates can find a hard copy of their thesis on the top floor of the Reed library.

Scripps— The senior thesis is a celebrated tradition at this small women’s college in Claremont, California.

Is a “go deep” approach right for you?

Here are questions for you to personally consider to assess how important pathways of academic depth might be to you.

1. Does the idea of research light you up?

2. Do you find yourself constantly writing and reading more than what’s required?

3. Are you committed to pursuing grad school?

4. Do you have a strong sense of your own academic and intellectual interests, or have you in the past?

If the answers to the above questions is mostly YES, then it’s time for you to go deep indeed!

Recommendations

To recap, students seeking a “go deep “ will find their way to depth wherever they go However, schools with honors programs, senior thesis traditions, and robust research opportunities might be your most natural fits.

As always, best stay proactive and curious as you assess college fit. To the “go deep” learner — remember that you can take your learning as far as you choose to wherever you land. Next week, I’ll write about what college might look like for the Uncertain or Reluctant Learner.

Photo from a recent visit to Case Western University

The past few summers have included a stead 8-9 weeks stream of various summer camps for the kids. As our kids get older and their interests become more particular, a steady stream of camps also historically has meant multiple camps at once.

I’m a HUGE fan of summer camp in all of its forms (day camp, sports camp, overnight camp) and have spent so many of my own young adult summers as a camp counselor. I feel so grateful that we’ve been able to send my kids to some outstanding summer camps over the years. Camp has added so much fun, connection and skill/character development to their summers.

Camp is also costly, high-energy, and high-effort in most cases, and can feel a bit of grind for kids and parents alike (especially when you have kids in different camps across the Bay week to week). That’s why this summer, we chose something different. We decided to put the money we would normally spend on camps into a monthlong vacation rental.

With a rising 3rd grader and a rising 5th grader (!!) who are increasingly independent, I saw an opportunity to dream about how a bigger and better summer might feel for our family. We knew we wanted to visit T’s parents in Chicago for a week, but beyond that, anything was possible.

Last January, in the middle of a demanding and challenging year, I felt a strong call to Lake Tahoe. Every time I thought about what I wanted the summer to feel like, I saw in my mind’s eye the lake and the mountains.

There’s something so relaxing and healing about being around any large body of water — we just felt that magic with Lake Michigan — and Lake Tahoe in particular feels like fun and relaxation to me because it’s a place I visited on vacation when I was a kid. I’ve had a lot of intuitive pulls away from home and toward the water this year, first Carmel, then Panama. A week into my time here, I’m feeling like my intuition definitely lead me just were I need to be this summer — to a most beautiful environment by the water and away from the tasks of home and in closeness with my family.

We were able to find the perfect dog-friendly vacation rental just a few blocks from the lake. I’m taking two weeks of vacation while we’re here and am otherwise working remotely, like T.

So far, so good. The kids have been bored at times, but that was to be expected and part of the plan. It’s been fun to witness their bond grow as I hear them creating games and various staircase challenges together while we work. We also came well equipped with Kindles, math workbooks, sports equipment, puzzles, games, Nintendo switch and art supplies.

I’m off this coming week and am really looking forward to falling deeply into vacation mode. So far, it’s been great to start and end my workday here. My morning runs with the dog have new life, and the kids and I have gone to the beach every afternoon before time in the hot tub, a simple but lazy dinner and a game of mahjong (thanks Rachel!).

From my friends with older kids and from the young adults I work with, I know that it gets harder and harder with increasing commitments to activities, teams, etc. for families to take so much time away from home in the summer. I’m trying to savor this special time up here this summer while the kids still feel like they’re “mine.”

There’s always a part of me that likes to fill spaciousness (the kind that comes from long summer days and the freedom from the tasks of home, a reduced workday and no commute) with a to-do list, but being up here, I haven’t felt the urge to do as strongly as usual, and I like that. I’ve been able to relax into watching Wimbledon and am trying to make choices for my day in real time. So far, I am spending a lot of time reading and writing (which I guess is doing, but it doesn’t feel like it to me).

I have a tendency to want good things in life to become traditions and can feel myself wanting this experience to “last” in this way. Maybe a month away at the Lake will become our new tradition. But maybe it won’t. For now, I like the idea of letting the plans for the future unfold in due time.

Today, I’m going to write more about the Interdisciplinary Learner type and how they might approach their college search process. These students believe that the best learning happens when the walls between subjects disappear and are drawn toward integrated approaches to learning, projects, and problem-solving. As opposed to multidisciplinary learning, which means learning about disciplines (still siloed alongside each other), interdisciplinary learners integrate the disciplines into their work.

You might be a natural interdisciplinary learner if you’re someone with many interests. You might also be an interdisciplinary learner if you appreciate “outside the box” approaches to problems.

For many reasons, interdisciplinary learning is an approach that makes sense in our modern world. More than ever, demands of the tech-infused workforce ask use to integrate multiple skillsets and disciplines in our work. Often, in the workplace and outside the classroom, blending the disciplines happens organically.

In my opinion, the students who take a deliberate and aligned approach to interdisciplinary learning in college will have a career edge when they graduate. They may also be the great connectors and innovators who push their fields forward, looking at stale pathways and structures through fresh, unique perspectives.

The ways to approach interdisciplinary learning in college are as varied as the concept itself. In this post, I’ll offer specific suggestions for ways students can make their college experience interdisciplinary and spotlight colleges with aligned structures or programs.

Approach #1: Design your own major

Perhaps the surest structure than can support an interdisciplinary approach is the self-designed major. Many colleges allow students to design their own major; however, some colleges have supports, flexible but defined structures and values-aligned faculty in place to support student learning along the way.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of colleges that do the self-designed major really well.

New York University — There’s nothing quite like NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, an entire college within the university devoted to supporting students who want to blend the disciplines with intention.

Bennington College — Interdisciplinary learning is the foundation of the education here. The “Bennington Plan” calls all students to take a design-based approach to their majors alongside a faculty mentor. Truly unique experience here. I love the text on the front page of their site: “You contain multitudes. So should your education.”

Pitzer College — While self-designed majors aren’t the norm at Pitzer (about 5% of students will design their own major). this liberal arts college has incredible support structures in place for students to take this approach.

Approach #2: Choose an interdisciplinary major

Designing your own major isn’t for everyone. There are many academic majors that inherently have their tentacles in different disciplines. Choosing one of these fields a primary focus of study is another way to make your education more formally interdisciplinary.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of interdisciplinary majors.

Neuroscience is a popular field with many of the students I work with. Blending both biology and psychology, it’s a growing field.

In some ways even more interdisciplinary is Cognitive Science which is a catch-all for some programs that blend learning in the biological sciences and psychology but also linguistics, computer science, philosophy, math and data science.

Urban Studies blends psychology, design, economics, and public policy.

International Relations blends political science, philosophy, economics and history.

Environmental Science & Policy brings together the study of biology, geology, anthropology, government and politics.

Approach #3: Choose an open curriculum with a capstone experience.

The concept of an open curriculum is not inherently interdisciplinary, but the course flexibility and broad exposure an open curriculum can set students up really well for an interdisciplinary experience, especially if they go to a college with an established capstone project program.

Sarah Lawrence College — With a highly regarded Open Curriculum that allows students to navigate their own academic experience, the entire SLC experience is geared toward weaving the disciplines together, culminating in a thesis project.

Wesleyan University — From open curriculum and First Year Seminar to capstone experience, Wes is an A-Z great home for an interdisciplinary experience.

Grinnell College — The perfect spot for your interdisciplinary studies! Grinnell’s “individually advised” curriculum is open with a final capstone experience available to the ambitious student ready to put it all together.

Is an interdisciplinary approach right for you?

Here are questions for you to personally consider to assess how important interdisciplinary pathways might be to you.

1. Are you already interested in some of the interdisciplinary fields named above?

2. Do you balk at the idea that you can’t have both depth and breadth?

3. Are you constantly making connections between your classes? Do you find connections often others don’t see?

4. Do the three approaches above sound exciting to you?

5. Are you interested in an area that’s popular among your peers (Biology, Economics, Psychology) and see the value of differentiating your own interests?

If the answers to the above questions is mostly YES, then an interdisciplinary path is absolutely for you. I say GO FOR IT.

Recommendations

To recap, students seeking an interdisciplinary approach to college learning should choose their college wisely. Most colleges will claim an interdisciplinary approach, but some live and breath it. Look at the research of the professors, look at the major offerings, look at the work students are producing. If you’re not finding evidence of that magic that comes from the fusion of the disciplines in the capstones students are creating, in the research the professors are conducting or in the courses and majors/minors themselves, you might have to work a lot harder for the kind of academic experience you’re looking for.

As always, best stay proactive and curious. To all you interdisciplinarians: keep dreaming, keep connecting, and keep building. Next week, I’ll write about what college might look like for the “Go Deep” Learner.

Photo from a visit to Sarah Lawrence College

Today, I’m going to write more about the Traditional Learner type and how they might approach their college search process. Traditional learners aren’t looking for anything fancy when it comes to their classroom experiences — they love the rich, robust exchange of ideas that comes from classroom environments thoughtfully designed by teaching-oriented professors. Lectures and discussions are common modes of teaching and learner and writing is a common assessment. They may also gravitate toward traditional living/learning communities within residential college systems.

In this post, I’ll offer suggestions for students who are looking for dynamic teaching/lecturing and rich class discussions. These “traditional” modes of teaching and learning, when done well, can spark great ideas and innovation. As a former English teacher, I can attest that these environments can fall flat, but they environments can also be the liveliest and most inspiring of places to learn.

Many students I work describe class discussions as a highlight of school. They love learning from their peers and having text-centered discussions that challenge their thinking and allow them to explore big ideas. I love when they talk about how class conversations around Plato and Marx expand their idea of what they think a successful democracy looks like today.

Great teachers can help great texts come alive in the classroom when they ask great questions and guide students to grapple with these questions as they make connections that matter. This kind of classroom magic doesn’t just happen, it’s a result of thoughtful preparation, a thoughtfully structured curriculum, and caring teachers who are responsive to the particular group in front of them. These classrooms don’t approach writing just as an assessment but as a critical piece of the learning process.

If you’re looking for a superior classroom environment within the context of the “traditional” classroom, here are questions you might ask.

1. What is the school’s philosophy of learning and education?

2. How do current students describe what it’s like to be a student?

3. What does the physical classroom environment look like? What kind of conversations and learning does the design support?

4. If you are visiting the college in person, have you reached out to admissions to request the opportunity to observe a class?

5. Are course syllabi available on the website? What kinds of texts are assigned? What kinds of writing do students do?

6. How are student writers supported on campus? Does the college have a writing center? What is the writing center’s philosophy and how does it support students?

7. Does the college have a culture that celebrates teaching, research, or both?

8. What draws teachers and students to the college and are those reasons centered on classroom learning, ideas and/or relationships?

9. What choices do students have within the typical four-year curriculum for any major?

10. Is there a core curriculum that supports learning? What is the rationale for the core curriculum?

11. Is there a residential college system that integrates the living and learning experience of students?

Of course, the answers to these questions won’t natter for every student, but as a collective, they can offer a general sense of quality of classroom teaching and discussions.

“Traditional” learning: College spotlights

Again, by “traditional” learning, I don’t mean boring, stale or irrelevant. At their best, the kind of traditional learning experiences of reading, writing, listening, discussion are vibrant, dynamic and stand on their own two feet. Some of the most on-paper traditional classes I’ve taken have actually been the most most innovative, stretching my understanding of just about everything — identity, genre, language, consciousness, etc.

Here are some colleges with points of interest that lean traditional in some way.

Colleges with an established Core Curriculum

The idea of a “core” curriculum is somewhat traditional. The idea of “core curriculum” is that all graduates will have a similar academic background, usually designed to support a school’s value of a well-rounded liberal arts education. Most colleges have distribution requirements, but the idea of a core goes even further in curating a common foundational experience that unites all students.

• The University of Chicago has a famous Core. About 1/3 of an undergrad’s classes (or about 15 classes total in this quarter-system school) will work toward eight foundational intellectual areas (language, ancient civilizations, natural sciences, etc.) of the core.

• Colgate University is proud of a core curriculum with the purpose of instilling lifelong learning, inclusivity and engaged citizenship.

• St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico has a Great Books curriculum that exposes all students to the foundational texts in Western Civilization.

• Columbia University has an established Core curriculum that is designed to help students transcend the disciplines.

Core curriculums add structure to the undergraduate learning experience. Such a rigorous liberal arts foundation is not for everyone — some students prefer to take a more targeted approach to their learning — but for a traditional liberal arts experience, finding a college with a Core curriculum, is a great way to go.

Colleges with a Residential College system

There are different models of residential college systems, but it’s definitely an “old school” concept, originating centuries ago at Oxford and Cambridge before the Ivy League schools pioneered the system within the United States. Beyond the Ivy League, here are some colleges that stand out for their residential colleges.

Union College - Called the Minerva program/Minerva houses, I love the spirit and community Union’s seven residential colleges add to the student experience.

Vanderbilt - Vandy’s residential college system maximizes and emphasizes the power of student and faculty engagement outside the classroom.

Franklin & Marshall University — Think Hogwarts! The five faculty-lead College Houses really make for a special first-year experience at F&M.

University of Michigan — UMich doesn’t offer an exclusive RC model, but the LSA Residential College is an exciting option for student looking for an integrated and intimate four-year living and learning experience.

Colleges with Professors I (or you) could listen to all day

Follow your guides. Go where the interesting people are and take classes with them. These academic superstars will be different for all of us, depending on our interests, backgrounds, and goals. Who’s on your shortlist? Here are just a few of the colleges with professors who would draw me.

University of Virginia - I’m endlessly interested in listening to Marieta Phelivanova talk about her research on near-death experiences and altered states of consciousness.

Tulane University - I would love to take classes with author and National Book award winner Jesmyn Ward. Tulane also has master biographer Walter Isaacson as a history professor, which is an added bonus.

Carnegie Mellon University - Po Shen Lo is a math professor at CMU. He first caught my attention through his K-12 outreach work. He’s such a dynamic speaker and innovative thinker when it comes to contemporary education in the Age of AI.

Stanford - Bill Burnett & Dave Evans head the Life Design Lab team. I’ve been so influenced by their work. Stanford also have education professor greats like Carole Dweck and Denise Pope.

UC Berkeley - If I could time travel, I’d want to go back in time and take a class with Christopher Alexander whose wonderful book a Pattern Language got me thinking more broadly and deeply about design. Alexander may be gone, but many intellectual pioneers remain.

University of Wisconsin, Madison - Cartoonist and Macarthur Genius grant winner Lynda Barry is a prof in the School of Education. I’d take classes with her all day. She’s such an inspiring creative and helped me see myself in an entirely new light — as an artist.

Recommendations

To recap, students seeking a “traditional” academic environment that elevates the fundamentals of learning have many options. Students should consider the benefits of a core curriculum, a residential college system and the quality of the teaching faculty.

To the best of your ability, get to know the academic department(s) of most relevance to you. These departments, especially at larger universities, will really shape your academic experience.

As colleges scramble to adapt to a new learning reality that includes AI, consider the attitudes and actual uses of this tool at the colleges you’re considering. How might institutional policies and philosophies shape your learning experience for better or worse?

The “winning” colleges in the years ahead will be the ones who embrace AI as a tool that first and foremost helps and supports humans.

Next time, I’ll offer my takes on the The Interdisciplinary Learner.

Photos from a recent visit to University of Chicago.

Today is Tom’s birthday. We started our day with an easy stroll for coffee, admiring street art along the way. Last night, we went out for Turkish food while my father in law took my son to a White Sox games, an easy trip to Rate Field on the red line. During our time here, we’ve gone to three world-class museums. City life has so much to offer that it’s gotten me thinking — what if we lived here?

I have no real desire to move right now and am happy in the wonderful Bay Area suburb we’ve settled in. We’ve made thousands of decisions that lead us there, and we’re there for many reasons.

While we have chosen one path in this life time, there are infinite other paths we could have chosen. So many other places we could have chosen to call home. I like the idea that no matter what path we choose in this life, our souls are working toward the same “destination” or purpose. It takes the pressure off of any single choice we make. We end up exactly where we’re supposed to be.

I remember agonizing about where we would live when the kids were still in preschool. I felt really torn between to different places for a few years, feeling strong calls toward both cities. Then one day I felt clarity, took decisive action, and moved on.

There will always be parallel lives in parallel homes to consider — there’s the life where I’m a college counselor in Copenhagen, the life where I’m a PhD student in Davis, the life of writing and publishing in New York City.

Today, imagining parallel lives feels less like remorse or yearning and more like inspiration for flavors I can bring into my life today, maybe through future travel or maybe just through embracing the beauty and every unique opportunity of my chosen location.

Our relationship to place is so fundamental to our life experience.

As I continue to choose a life of experience, having faith choosing experience will lead me just where I need to get, the choices of everyday are also the choices of places — from the community pool and Saturday farmer’s market to the local open spaces and baseball diamonds.

Cities feel so big, and this Chicago trip reminds me that our quieter California suburban life is big in its own way, with its own kind of character.

I used to teach an English class to seniors called the Classics of Horror. We looked at how all great literary and cinematic horrors and how they were so effective because they spoke to cultural fears of the moment. I began the class by asking students to name their own greatest fears. One student wrote, “My greatest fear is ending up an adult in the suburbs.” Ouch.

I remember thinking when I read that, you wait and see, the suburbs aren’t so bad. I still stand by that. And guess what I just learned? That former student is currently living and working in the suburbs!

Whether we choose cities, suburbs, or the country, the beach, the mountains, or the valley, we will be met with beauty, opportunity and inspiration where we look for it.

For today, I wish Tommy a very happy Chicago birthday of lattes, Oaxacan food, Lincoln Park Wiffle ball, and birthday cake overlooking Lake Michigan!

Today, I’m going to write more about the Experiential Learner type and how they might approach their college search process. The experiential learner loves “real life” learning. They gravitate toward academic experiences that will bring them outside the classroom and into the world.

In this post, I’ll offer suggestions for students with that expansive “doing” energy when it comes to learning, but I also hope to expand the idea of what experiential learning means to those who only think “internships” or “research.” I’ll also spotlight some colleges with unique programs/models and offer recommendations.

Many students I work with self-describe as experiential learners. They are eager for rich college experiences that offer models of active, hands-on learning. And it’s hard to argue that this isn’t a sound model.

Almost a century ago, educational scholar John Dewey called society to consider education at its most fundamental level as a form of experience — richest when it’s both social and interactive. I remember reading Dewey’s Education & Experience when I was getting my teaching credential at UC Davis. The book, I think, is still used broadly in teacher education programs across the U.S. We’re certainly all experiential learners whether we claim that or not because we are all human.

With Dewey’s framework and definitions, it’s entirely possible to have an experiential education within the walls of a “traditional” classroom, when that classroom is lead by invested teachers who curate classroom experiences (social, interactive, active) with sound pedagogy.

Experiences matter. They fundamentally inform learning. As students look at colleges, here are some questions that can help gauge what “experiential learning” might look and feel like at any given school

1. What is the college’s educational philosophy?

2. How do students who go to this college generally describe the classes in their major area? How do they describe their relationships with their professors?

3. Consider some of the programs and courses that interest you. Can you access a course syllabus? How detailed is that syllabus, and is there project-based work integrated?

4. If you are visiting the college in person, have you reached out to admissions to request the opportunity to observe a class?

5. Does the college have a co-operative learning program?

6. Does the college either require or have an optional capstone project? What do these projects look like? What experiences do they require students to integrate?

7. For outdoor enthusiasts, is there an outdoor education program, and what opportunities are there for students to get involved?

8. How do students partner with faculty on projects? What opportunities are there for students to participate in meaningful research?

9. What study abroad or study away options are available, and how do the programs leverage experiences that might be unique to their locations?

10. How do students spend their weekends and time outside of class? Do they stay on campus or immerse themselves in the broader city/community?

11. Does the college of a strong culture of community engagement or service learning?

12. How might the location of the college offer me experiences I haven’t had, or, might not otherwise have?

Of course, the answers to these questions won’t natter for every student, but as a collective, they can offer a general sense of experiential learning culture.

Experiential learning: college spotlights

I could spotlight soooo many schools here, but I’m highlighting some below for their collective variety in offering compelling answers to the questions I listed above:

• Northeastern University in Boston is a leader in experiential education with their innovative co-operative learning program.

• Dickinson in Carlisle, Pennsylvania is a small liberal arts college that offers robust experiential learning opportunities for those interested in agriculture and food through the Dickinson Farm.

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts takes a project-based approach to classroom learning across the disciplines.

• Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a robust and extensive co-operative education program.

• University of Cincinnati is a leader and pioneer in experiential learning with rich industry partnerships across sectors.

• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo offers a philosophically experienced-based experience that tailors experiential learning to subject-specific domains, especially strong in agriculture.

• Goucher College is a small, community-oriented school in Maryland known for integrating global and community-based experiences into the curriculum to serve the mission of nurturing global changemakers.

• Elon University in North Carolina celebrates its culture of experiential learning centered around innovation and has a unique peer mentorship model.

• Deep Springs in California is a tiny desert college with a rigorous and intimate educational model that has ranching as a cornerstone.

• College of the Atlantic in Maine offers one major — Human Ecology — and requires students to have a term-long internship in their chosen field and a self-designed capstone project.

• Occidental College in Los Angeles has a culture of “putting theories into practice” with students spend a lot of time off campus in the community, either for class or outside of class.

• Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee’s Cumberland Gap has one of the nation’s most impressive outdoor ed programs.

Recommendations

At the end of the day, we all get to choose what experiences we want to go after in life and certainly in college.

I hope that all students think first and foremost as an experience. That is my main recommendation here. Don’t chase prestige, don’t listen to the “you should’s” of others, don’t make decisions just based on projected outcomes five years away — you will be a different person then and the world will be different too.

When you focus on the kind of experience you want to have, you can’t go wrong. As you imagine and define that experience for yourself, I have a few recommendations:

1. Consider the value of choosing a college away from your home. There’s so much growth that can happen when we put ourselves in literally new and unfamiliar territory. I see students who choose “far” spreading their wings and growing into their independence in really wonderful ways. What “away” from home is will feel different to everyone, but I think there’s some inherent value to consider in the farther-from-home options.

2. Consider liberal arts colleges. Many students come into this process thinking that they want BIG and that schools that have huge undergraduate student populations will have the most to offer — and they often do, especially in the areas of D1 sports and course catalogues.

   But I ask everyone to think about what it is exactly they want about a “big” college experience and if it’s really a big college that can offer that experience. Happiness guru Gretchen Rubin writes about “choosing the bigger experience” as a decision-making guide when you’re on the fence about something like getting a dog or moving. What’s a “big” experience to one person might not feel like a big experience to another person.

   I say all of this, because I think that actually, liberal arts colleges, by design, will often offer students bigger experiences than their larger counterparts if they open their minds to reflecting on what that means for them and stay curious about options that are literally smaller.

3. Remember, experience doesn’t start in college. It’s happening right now! Seize the day in high school by choosing experiences you love when you can. Letting experiences guide you now, in high school, IS the roadmap to college. We’re always growing and changing, but no matter where you end up, you will bring yourself with you. The choices we make everyday matter. If we make choices from our own hearts and our own minds, we will continue to be met with a path that is just our own.

That’s all for now. May you have a day rich in experiences of your own choosing.

Next time, I’ll offer my takes on the Traditional Learner.

Photos from my recent visit to Sewanee.

We sometimes move through these “in between” moments in obvious community, perhaps as part of a graduating high school or college class off to pursue their next chapter. Or maybe as part of a labor and delivery course with other soon-to-be parents. Sometimes we plug into these communities unconsciously because they are so deeply embedded in how we’ve set up our institutions and society. Other times, we seek them out to support growth in a deliberate direction… This is what brings people to writer’s circles, to addiction recovery groups, to Cross Fit. Though we may not always see or notice them, others always play a role in our transformations.

I’ve chosen to support high school students through their college process as a career. What’s so meaningful to me about this work is the moment of “in between” it supports. Change is inevitable, but when we decide to make change a choice, not just something at happens, the experience of our lives is better. As a college counselor, I get to help others — in community and partnership — make change a choice in their in between, and that feels like exactly what I’m supposed to be doing right now.

What I’m helping others navigate is also exactly what I need help navigating myself right now in life: transition. What the teacher teaches, the teacher needs to keep working to learn.

Without going into too many details, I’m definitely going through my own “in between” moment right now. This transition feels so different from the others, but I suppose that’s exactly how big transitions always feel: new.

In these moments of uncertainty, I sometimes catch myself thinking “you’re alone, others don’t understand, this won’t work” The truth is that this isn’t true at all. Through every other transition I’ve been through I’ve been met by others with understanding. The path forward has always been two-fold: (1) show up as myself (2) find my guides.

So for now, that’s my plan because it has always worked. I actually think it really is that simple.

What gets in the way of that plan is only our desire to force certain outcomes or to speed up time.

For now, I surrender.

Like so many things in life, the more we’re clear about what we’re looking for, the more intentional we are about the questions we approach the world with. And with the right questions, we’re more like to find the “right” answers — or at least answers that will mean something to us.

It’s tempting to skip the research step or to overrrely on the opinions of others, but research is best done on one’s own. When students invest time in really getting to know the colleges that make it (or don’t make it) onto their final list, they always end up with options they feel good about in the spring. While students don’t have control over their admissions decisions, they have complete control over where they apply. Empowered and proactive applicants are thoughtful and clear about why they are applying to each college on their list.

While there are many reasons to go to college, some of which have nothing to do with actual classroom learning, this post is going to focus on varied approaches to learning in college. As students define what’s important to them about academics, they should reflect on and put language to what kind of learner they are to set some intentions for their college learning experience.

My hope for every student is that they feel like the learning experience is a good match for their needs and preferences.

I’ve created these 7 Types of College Learner descriptors to push the conversation and reflection about learning in college beyond the “I like lectures” v. “I like small discussion-based learning” preference binary I often hear it reduced to.

Most people will identify with at least a few of these types. Which resonates the most with you?

1. The Experiential Learner — These are students who generally like to do learn by doing. They may have already had formative experiences outside the classroom, like paid work, or study away experiences. These students may be generally more oriented life to the practical and have a keen eye on career outcomes. To many students, having real-world work experience in their college years is attractive.

2. The Traditional Learner — These are students who have perhaps done well within the prescribed curricula of their high schools. They learn best within the context of a thoughtfully structured progression of courses and in traditional classrooms that may employ both lecture and discussion. Assessments may lean toward traditional writing assignments and/or pen-and-paper exams.

3. The Interdisciplinary Learner — These are students who love finding and making connections between the subjects they are studying. They may enjoy, for example, bringing their knowledge of psychology into discussion about literature. Or perhaps they very naturally and enthusiastically turn their learnings from a Neurobiology class into a project for their Data Science course. They students believe that he best learning happens when the walls between subjects disappear. Because interdisciplinary learners appreciate broad exposure across the curricula, they may naturally end up picking up a double major or multiple minors.

4. The “Go Deep” Learner — These are those special students who get so fired up about something they’ve studied that they read everything they can about the subject outside the classroom. These are passionate learners who want to go beyond the surface level very quickly with subjects that excite them most. They’re not afraid of extensive research projects, especially when they’ve chosen the topic.

5. The Uncertain and/or Reluctant Learner — These are students who might struggle to answer questions about what their favorite classes are. They may be late bloomers of sorts and be uncertain about what they want to study in college. Some might struggle with their confidence as a learner or with their habits of scholarship. Others might know they want to go to college but are taking a go-with-the-flow approach to their academic journeys.

6. The Independent Learner — These are students who are good at “going at it alone" in their scholarship or like to be able to have maximum flexibility to build learning experiences for themselves. These students may have already pursued and done well in independent study courses in high school. Autodidactic in nature, they may also have picked up learning languages in their free time on DuoLingo and have rich reading lives outside the classroom. Maybe they’ve even taken a course outside their high school that wasn’t offered at their school

7. The Antiestablishment Learner — These are students who may feel suffocated or restrained by institutions and their regimented systems. These student possess a deep desire to learn but may feel threatened by traditional grading systems or strict course requirements. These students thrive when they can feel like individuals when they learn.

Which learner are you? I lean Traditional Learner & Interdisciplinary Learner, and I think those types reflect the choices I made throughout my college experience.

What types of learners am I missing? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. In future posts, I plan to write more about each type or learner and offer suggestions on colleges that suit the learning type. I have so many thoughts to share!

Our visit included a tour of their state-of-the art medical simulation lab classrooms, their impressive new (also state-of-the-art) clinical hospital, and many conversations with motivated, kind and ambitious students and faculty who impressed me in so many ways! We also got to attend a very moving graduation ceremony for the English-speaking program that crystalized my sense understanding of the PUMS community as driven and hard-working but also collaborative and caring. If you want to work hard in a supportive learning environment on your journey to M.D., PUMS is the place!

Poznań is the third largest city in Poland with about half a million residents. In a nutshell, it’s lively city with a beautiful urban forest, wonderful transportation via their tram system, and an adorable and bustling old town. With so many universities in Poznań, it is definitely a “young” city. It’s also frequently ranked one of the safest cities for women to travel alone in Europe.

There are so many reasons that PUMS is a special spot. Here are the top three reasons U.S. students and college counselors should know about PUMS:

1. PUMS offers a 6-year internationally recognized M.D. This is significantly less than the typical 8-year path to M.D. (B.S. + medical school) it takes students in the U.S. PUMS offers a consolidated experience and integrated program that is perfect for the driven student who is committed to becoming a doctor. Graduates of their English-speaking program will typically complete their residency in the United States, Canada or Europe depending on their preferences and goals, and PUMS has partnerships with with clinical hospitals around the world.

2. PUMS offers a world-class medical education at a truly exceptional value. While most U.S. doctors graduate med school with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, PUMS students do not. The cost of education is less than 25k USD a year!!! You heard that right. This is an exceptional cost savings for U.S. students and a HUGE reason to consider taking a global path to M.D.

3. PUMS offers a truly exceptional and collaborative learning experience. Throughout my visit, it was abundantly clear the community is invested in each other. The bar is exceptionally high for students, but through my conversations and observations, I felt how invested the students were in each other’s success. And I also felt how strongly the faculty were invested in their success as well.

PUMS takes a holistic approach to admissions. They look closely at academic preparation on the high school transcript. As you would imagine, a strong foundation in Biology, Physics, Math and Chemistry are all helpful. PUMS also requires an interview a 60-question entrance exam. They offer these interview and exam opportunities in person in the U.S. beginning in March each year. (Note: they offer an exam preparation course through Kaplan for students to prep for this exam.)

More than ever, I think global education and global experiences in general are great ways for students to cultivate the kind of complex, empathetic, cross-cultural communication skills they will need in the future. An international education offers a great foundation for students not only to build these global skills but to be able to “sell” these skills to future employers with a personal global story.

A PUMS education isn’t for every U.S. student. But for the highly motivated, directed and global student who can think outside of the box, PUMS is an incredible option!

But sometime between my then-nine-year-old son getting braces and my seven-year-old daughter getting her first retainer, I made the leap into the world of adult orthodontia.

On July 4, 2025, a few days into braces and becoming the third member of my family working with Dr. Masuda, I sat at home on my couch crying and feeling very, very bad for myself. Braces were the tipping point to what had been a hard several months. It wasn’t so much that I regretted the decision, I was just angry that I felt like I had to make it in the first place. The braces didn’t feel good in my mouth, and I missed my old smile.

Here’s what led up to that moment:

1. My dentist tells me my teeth are moving. It’s creating issues. I should get braces. “You might only need them for 18 months.”

2. I return to work in total disbelief. Insist I will not be getting braces and gather “evidence” from my colleagues that I in fact do not need them. “Your teeth look fine!” they say.

3. I return to dentist 6 months later. She tells me again — I should get braces.

4. I return to work in total outrage that she told me this again. Insist I will not be getting braces and gather more “evidence” from my colleagues that this idea is ridiculous.

5. I go home and start thinking about getting braces.

6. I think about getting braces every day for the next four months. I Google, I Reddit, I scour the internet for clarity about what I should do, reading real-life experiences of adults who choose to get braces.

7. I can’t stop thinking about getting braces.

8. I book a consultation with my kid’s orthodontist.

9. She sends me for a special x-ray. Creates a treatment plan that includes heavy rubber bands. (!!!) She explains to me why Invisalign is a not an option. Only braces. “I need the torque,” she says.

10. I decide to get the braces. Mostly because I can’t stop thinking about them. It must be my destiny, and I just want to get it over with already. I opt for clear ceramic ones to keep them discreet.

11. I decide that if I really do this, I’m going to really reward myself for it. I’m going to treat myself to a fancy gold watch and a vacation to Tulum.

12. I schedule and appointment to get the braces installed.

13. I cancel the appointment to get the braces installed. I am supposed to be on vacation the following week! Just one last vacation before braces.

14. I reschedule the appointment to get the braces on.

15. I get the braces on.

Flash forward to me on the couch on July 4th. I had sent my kids and husband to the pool to enjoy sunshine and festivities so I could be alone in my misery. I didn’t want to face my friends and acquaintances at our local pool. That would make the braces too real. I just wanted to hide.

When they return, my husband asks me what I need, what he can do. He doesn’t like to see me so sad.

“I want to get a dog.” I tell him.

A week later we adopt Joy, a two-year-old German shorthaired pointer.

I stop thinking so much about my woes — my sore teeth, my own embarrassment, my own vanity — because I have a sweet high-energy 38-pound baby to take care of. She makes me laugh, gets me out running even more, and transforms me by giving me a new identity that is louder than the “middle aged woman who wears braces” identity.

Because of Joy, for the first time, after twenty years with my sweet cat Fernando, I become someone completely new: “dog person.”

Today, I’m almost one year into having braces and the orthodontist says they’ll be off by the end of the year.

Here’s the thing — It hasn’t been so bad. I got used to them. My bite already feels a lot better. I feel confident that I will be able to say it will have been worth it at the end of this.

My braces journey started long before I actually got them. It’s taught me that I can make things way worse in my mind than I actually experience them over time in real life, and I think that’s true for a lot of us.

It’s also teaching me that investing in myself, in this case my oral health, is a worthy endeavor and a privilege. It’s not a choice I wanted to make, but I feel very grateful it was a choice I could make.

When the time comes for my braces to come off this fall, the reward won’t be a vacation or a watch — it will be a mouth with teeth that are aligned and positioned to do the work they’re meant to do. I can already smile about that.

Photos from that “last” vacation before braces. I love Ojai.

I know many people who are very happy career teachers. They’ve found their calling in the classroom and have no desire to leave that context. I also know many people who feel a little trapped in their careers as teachers and want to explore something else, but struggle to figure out where to go next. This post is about how I felt my way to “next” — working as a college counselor.

After I decided on a gap year, I knew I wanted to treat it as time for discovery. I didn’t want to rush into my next thing. I wanted to be intentional about the change and make decisions that aligned.

Always eager to find wisdom in books, I got a copy of Designing Your Life: How to Live a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, two Stanford professors who teach a class of similar title at Stanford. Their book offered a concrete structure and approach to take stock of myself and bring my big ideas down to Earth. I was inspired by how they positioned career within someone’s life more broadly and how they call readers to think like designers as a critical mindset:

“Designers build their way forward. What does that mean? It means you are not just going to be dreaming up a lot of fun fantasies that have no relationship to the real world — or the real you. You are going to build things … try stuff, and have a lot of fun in the process.”

Their book provides a lot of exercises, recommendations, and templates — journaling, noticing when you’re in a “flow state,” values-naming to help you name a 360 degree accounting of what qualities you’re looking for in your next job. Once you’ve grounded your dreams in a few pathways, going out and saying yes to any opportunities to explore these paths is key. Too often we go “all in” before really testing the waters, and for Burnett and Evans, this is a critical step.

Without going too deep into my step-by-step, I’ll share that my reflective process helped me realize that there was a lot about English teaching I wanted to keep with me. I wanted my next career to be communication-oriented, I wanted to guide people in their writing, I wanted to work with young people. I wanted more day-to-day flexibility in my schedule than I had with high school English teaching. I wanted to work with others in a more intimate setting, on a 1:1 basis.

These desires ultimately lead me to two possible career pathways: working as a college counselor or working in a university writing center.

So in my gap year, I decided to invest time and energy in pursuing both paths. I wouldn’t have thought to do so had I not read Designing Your Life. I would have falsely felt like I had to pick one from the get go. Too often we cut ourselves off from options too soon.

I struck out building relationships with university writing centers in France (my lack of French fluency undoubtedly got in my way) but I was able to have conversations with professionals in the field, conversations that lead me to apply to two PhD programs — one in Education and one in Linguistics — as I learned that background would be helpful to securing a job as a university writing center director.

I also interviewed college counselors working in high schools about their work and felt inspired. I learned that getting a firmer background in college admissions would be helpful, so I decided to apply for a job as an application reader for a university, and guys, I got the job!!! It was part-time, remote work I could do from France and was the best immersive experience I could have asked for in the world of college admissions.

When I returned home, I eagerly awaited hearing back from the PhD programs I had applied to while I started to apply for college counseling jobs at local schools.

It all came to a head in March 2020, just before the pandemic.

When all three doors opened for me — a job as an associate director of college counseling, and PhD paths in two different programs — I was thrilled. But I was also terrified of making the wrong decision and let that get in my way. My best friend Jess who is so wise and wonderful and funny in all the ways has told me several times that the idea there’s a “right” and “wrong” decision is false, there’s just your decision. It’s a simple concept but it has helped me tremendously over the years.

At the time, I struggled to see the gifts of the opportunities presented to me, bogged down by the emotional overwhelm of choosing “right.” I couldn’t see the situation clearly and struggled to stay centered, having many tearful conversations with friends and family. The choice felt particularly heavy because of the impact it would have on my entire family — one path would require a move to a city an hour away with economic sacrifice (I was offered a teaching fellowship, but I wouldn’t be bringing in that much), the other path would require me being away from home for 10-11 hours a day (including commute) which would be a huge lifestyle shift for my family (my kids were still in preschool).

I quietly chose the PhD path the moment I turned down the college counseling job, too afraid of the commute. Immediately after turning down the job, I felt the mistake deep in my stomach. I had made the wrong choice: I really wanted the job more than I wanted to be a grad student, but I had let the fear of a commute get in the way.

When my now-boss called back an hour later, offering the job to me, again, this time with a bit more flexibility to soften the commute, it was a gift from the universe. I said yes.

Looking back, I can’t believe I almost let this job get away. It has meant so much to me. But I can also see the situation differently; perhaps the pit in my stomach was just a deep aching wish that the circumstances had been different. I’m not sure I would have made the same decision of saying “no” the first time again (a few days later the Covid lockdown hit, and I had NO commute! It was a non-issue in the short term). But I can be proud of the old me who had such a high bar for her career — a career that works for the big picture of her life. I want to continue to be someone who holds the bar high for herself, not necessarily in an achievement kind of way as much as a big-picture, well-lived life kind of way.

I also take comfort in the idea that what is meant for you will find you, if you keep moving toward it. The job I literally said no to found me again, in this case, just an hour later. But even if I hadn’t gotten that call, I would have gotten another from someone somewhere someday as long as my desire to the work continued to feel truly aligned. I’d already taken a lot of action to realize and feel that alignment.

College counseling has been amazing and rewarding and challenging in ways I hadn’t anticipated, but that’s a story for another day.

I’d love to hear from some of you! Did you change careers? What did that path look like for you?

-Hayley

Middle Path at Kenyon College:

The dream, of picking up and leaving à la a Frances Mayes novel — had always been there. But the reality of actually doing it had felt to me not only inconvenient but absolutely impossible. After all, I had only one tie to the country, one reason to go: an affliction called francophilia. It was easy for me too easy for me to dismiss the dream.

But as I approached my 14th year of teaching at the truly wonderful all-girls high school where I had what had been for many years my dream job of teaching English, I started to feel an intense and confusing desire to leave.

As someone who is generally cautious and careful with all decision-making and who is also fiercely loyal, my desire to leave felt at odds with my natural operating system and values. This conflict felt agonizing to me. But a clear inner voice, that it was time to go, kept nudging me to leave the job. As I started to talk out what leaving the familiar would and could look like for me with my husband and friends, I started gaining confidence to leave. In February 2019, I let my principal know I wouldn’t be returning the next school year.

My dream of France started to really take root the more information I gathered and the more financial modeling I did. I spent hours pouring over longterm rental options on Airbnb. I became an expert in how to successfully apply for a longterm visa. I cut spending and started saving aggressively. As a two-income household of four, we depended on my income and making this dream a reality would be possible but tough. As a remote worker, my husband had the flexibility to continue working from France for which I was and am incredibly grateful. While I wrung my hands about the decision for months, once I fully committed to the dream, everything started falling into place.

With a budget in mind and a vision of how I wanted the experience to feel — I wanted to feel the freedom of a year away from the U.S. and from full-time work. I wanted to feel like a mom spending precious time with her young children (at the time, age 1 and 3), I wanted to feel the challenge of living in a French-speaking country while experiencing ease of travel with kids and having access to the benefits of city experiences (library, parks, etc.) that didn’t require a car. I wanted to feel rich while living on a strict budget.

These feelings lead me to Nice, and wow did the city deliver. As a mid-sized city right on the Mediterranean, I found an affordable two-bedroom flat just a 15-minute stroll to the sea and a block away from a market, park, and boulangerie. It felt like the perfect location for our family adventure. And it was. We were able to live simply and richly.

Our mornings consisted of time at the Promenade du Paillon park and picking up pain au chocolates and a cappuccino for me at the local bakery. On market mornings, we’d buy fresh vegetables and eat hot soca. After an afternoon nap, we’d go to the library, stroll the port, or spend time at the beach. There was also always the option of getaway adventures to the Monaco aquarium or the Matisse museum in Cimiez. As I remember my time, I experience it through the five senses — the beautiful pinks and greens of the old town buildings, the striking brilliance of the sea, the warmth of my kids cheeks against mine, the smell of bread yeast, my daughter’s pink stroller she pushed around the cobbled streets, the 5pm chatter and fishy scent of the Monoprix as we shopped for dinner. Even doing the laundry was memorable, entertaining my kids with coins and hot wheels and games of “I Spy.” My time in Nice was sensational in every regard.

We returned to California in 2020, just before Covid hit. I started back at work soon after, finding my way to a new career (more on that later), and my days took on new routines shaped by the pandemic.

I’ve been back home in the Bay Area for six years now. I have so many wonderful, beloved memories of my kids’ early childhood here. But a lot of these memories blur together. My Nice memories remain much more vivid than my home memories. There’s something about travel, about novelty, that helps us remember. In breaking up our ordinary routines of home, we awaken our senses in new ways. We experience the present just a little more awake, with a beginner’s mind. Time slows down. These are the lasting gifts of travel and of having the experience of temporarily living in another place.

My francophilia has calmed; perhaps I scratched that France itch for this lifetime. For now, I’m feeling grounded in my Bay Area suburb in the best possible way and have no immediate plans for a future gap year. I look back on my 37-year-old self and am proud she was so brave to make such a leap. And I’m so deeply grateful I had so much support from others to realize the dream.

In the meantime, I remain open to letting my intuition guide me to new places. This March, it lead me to Panama for a one-week yoga + meditation retreat for the week of a lifetime. Whatever and wherever is next, I now know I can count on myself to lead me there.