Strategic College and Career Planning: Recent Episodes
Leah Smith
Information and encouragement you need to prepare your high school student for what's next. From the super practical (e.g., how to identify what dual credit courses will fulfill college degree requirements) to more developmental (e.g., ways to nurture your student's hope), this podcast is designed to journey with you through the often confusing and anxiety-inducing college and career planning process.
The last characteristic that people need in order to make good decisions about their major and career is hope. Hope is the energy that keeps us searching for a best-fit major and career. It’s the conviction that there is something that we’ll actually enjoy and find success and fulfillment in.
For this episode, our working explanation of hope will be based on Steve Backlund’s definition, who I consider one of the most helpful voices on hope today. It is the conviction that while life can be hard, it is also good, there are good things ahead for us, and we have the “power” to help make our future good.
As I spoke about in the earlier episodes, I’d been very concerned about a lack of hope in our young people. Why does hope matter? Making decisions about college, major, and career takes a lot of thought, ownership, and investigation. It takes work! And if we don’t believe there will be a positive outcome from our work (i.e. if we don’t have hope), it’s really hard to actually do the work. This isn’t just a teenager thing, this is an all of us thing. So, if you feel like you’re fighting your student to show interest in the process of major and career exploration, it may be because they don’t have hope for what’s next. But they don't need to stay stuck there. They can develop hope and you can help them!
Want to learn more about my digital courses?! Sign up for announcements HERE
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
It’s really hard to make good decisions in a vacuum. In the wisdom literature of the Bible, there’s a proverb that says “...in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” In other words, we make good decisions when we listen to wise advice. So one of the best things that we can do for our students is help them know who to invite onto their life board of advisors, a.k.a. their team.
In this episode, we’ll look at who needs to be on your student’s team, and then we’ll cover how to help them think about creating the team in a positive, productive way.
Want to learn more about my digital courses?! Sign up for announcements HERE
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
In this episode, I define self-awareness and attentiveness as an understanding of one’s own strengths, weaknesses, personality, and interests and observation of the way they manifest in day-to-day life.
Self-awareness and attentiveness are mental muscles that develop over a lifetime. Realistically, a 16 or 17 year old will have limited self-awareness and may not know where to focus their attention, but there are tools and guidance you can use to help them develop these character traits that I cover in this short-and-sweet episode.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Most of the time, high school and college students are asked to consider potential majors and careers that they don’t know much about or have much experience in. Young people who make good decisions about their majors and careers are willing to try things before they’ve answered all their questions. In other words, they have a bias to action!
In this episode, we cover three ways students typically respond when they're asked to consider major and career options they don't already know much about. We want students to have a bias to action, to risk not enjoying an experience because they know that disliking an experience is just as much of a win as enjoying an experience. Both give direction! Both answer questions!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Curiosity is the first characteristic of someone who makes good career-related decisions that we'll be covering. In this episode, I explain what curiosity means in this context, why it's important for young people to approach their major and career choices with curiosity, and how to help them develop this characteristic.
No teenager is aware of all the career paths available to them, although they may disagree, but if they have curiosity and patience, they can discover options that will be a perfect fit for them.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
We've established that students feel a lot of pressure to make a perfect decision about their major and/or career, even though that expectation is highly unrealistic.
So, instead of feeding into this expectation, I propose that we focus on helping students develop the characteristics needed to be great decision-makers. These are characteristics that will help them navigate changes in life stage, position, employer, etc. And there's a lot less pressure involved when students understand their initial decision about major and career is just the first of many!
In this episode, I'm introducing five characteristics of wise, effective decision-makers. I add my own spin but borrow heavily from the book Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. Highly recommend!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Students feel immense pressure to decide on a career path by the time they reach college and certainly by the time they graduate from college. Once they've made the decision, they feel pressure to stick with that path for the long-haul.
In reality, we know that most people change they major, job, and even their industry multiple times during their lives. This is why the goal isn't for high school students to nail down exactly what they will do for the rest of their lives; the goal is to give them the tools and instill the character that will support their decision-making at each phase of their career journey.
Bob's story gives a great example of how to navigate making decisions about college, major, and career, and then how to know when it's time to change and what to do next.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Students feel immense pressure to decide on a career path by the time they reach college and certainly by the time they graduate from college. Once they've made the decision, they feel pressure to stick with that path for the long-haul.
In reality, we know that most people change they major, job, and even their industry multiple times during their lives. This is why the goal isn't for high school students to nail down exactly what they will do for the rest of their lives; the goal is to give them the tools and instill the character that will support their decision-making at each phase of their career journey.
Bob's story gives a great example of how to navigate making decisions about college, major, and career, and then how to know when it's time to change and what to do next.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Hi friends!
Just wanted to let you know that I'm taking a few weeks off from podcasting in honor of the end of the school year and start of summer.
Big congratulations to those of you celebrating milestones with your students!
I'll be back in June!
Leah
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Finishing up my conversation with Kallie Terrana about navigating in the on-campus living experience. In this episode, we cover practical ways to help your high school student become the kind of person who will thrive in this environment and prepare them for some of the opportunities and challenges they may face. Also, we jump forward in time a bit and talk about how to help a current college student who may be struggling in their on-campus experience.
Kallie is full of wisdom, and I know that putting her advice into practice will be really helpful for you and your student!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Living on campus can be one of the best - and worst - experiences that your student has in college. That’s why I’ve been looking forward to sharing this conversation with you! This and next week’s episode will be an interview with Kallie Terrana. Kallie has been a higher education professional for almost a decade and has served in residence life specifically for the past six years. She is a wealth of wisdom regarding the on-campus living experience and has positively impacted hundreds of students in their own dorm life.
In this conversation, we discuss characteristics that set students up to thrive on campus, ways you can help your student develop those characteristics, and some common struggles students encounter while living in a residence hall.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
You know I’m biased. I believe in the benefit of higher education because of the personal development, social mobility, and career opportunities it provides. But I’ve also seen way too many students try to fit themselves into college like a square peg in a round hole.
We’ve got to stop feeding into the cultural narrative that demands students attend college in order to “make something of themselves.” In this episode, we'll cover alternatives to a traditional college experience that are still conducive to kids maturing into successful adults
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Culture is changing! Some people used to say “college isn’t for everyone” with condescension and even pity. Now, however, more and more families are learning that there is just as much dignity, intentionality, and promise in choosing NOT to go to college as there is in making the decision to attend college.
Since we spent the last two weeks covering WHY young people choose to attend college, I want to flip the script and talk about why high school students and their families may steer away from college, why that can be a great idea, and how to get some of the benefits of college while choosing a different life path.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
The second installment from my conversation with Maddie Whitmore on the purpose of college. In the first episode, Maddie covered the history of higher education in the US so we would have context for how the purpose of college has shifted over the past several hundred years.
My hope is you will recognize you and your student's reason for attending college and that will in turn help you make decisions that lead to accomplishing that purpose.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Our very first interview episode! In this episode, I interview Maddie Whitmore. Maddie is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Studies & Leadership program at Baylor and brings a wealth of knowledge and thoughtfulness to this conversation about the history and purpose of college in America.
My hope is that you will find yourself and your student in this broader context of higher education and that it will lead you in making more confident, informed decisions as you move forward.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
How do you know if your student is taking the RIGHT AP, IB, and/or dual credit courses? Many students and parents make decisions about these classes based on high school requirements, which works, but if you want to make sure they’re going to be helpful in college, it takes a bit more work and research.
In this episode, I’ll walk you through what to look for and how to find it! We'll cover....
- What to look for with dual credit vs. AP/IB courses
- Researching each prospective college or university
- Integrating your student's intended major?
- Determining if these classes save you or cost you money in the long run
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
So many students get to college with credit from AP, IB, and Dual Credit. This works out really well for a lot of them, but I've also seen some very common and avoidable pitfalls related to college credit, pre-college.
In this episode, we'll talk about:
- Misunderstanding college degree requirements
- Taking foundational major classes in high school because they’re easier
- Special considerations for pre-med students
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Lots of high school students complete college credit in the form of AP, IB, or dual credit because it seems like a good thing to do. And it can be a great thing to do! But too many students and parents either expect something out of it that they don’t get or they don’t make thoughtful decisions about it and miss out on what it could provide for them.
In this episode, we’ll cover the reasons why taking these classes could be the right thing for your student and how to approach them strategically
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
In this episode, we take a really practical look at one of the most important tools you’ll need to use as you’re researching colleges, helping your student think about completing college credit in high school, and then navigating any problems or questions you have while they’re in college. The college or university catalog!
The catalog functions like a contract between the school and the students. Just like any other contract you enter into - or your student enters into - you need to understand it and understand how to make it work for you!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory are two of the most widely used personality and career assessments used today. They’ve been used for decades to help people understand themselves; find enjoyable, fulfilling careers; and relate to others. In today’s episode I’ll explain what they are and how they are helpful for students in more depth.
**In honor of this episode, I’m running a special offer from March 2nd - March 10th on the MBTI and Strong assessment package with me. As long as you schedule within the week (we don’t actually need to meet this week, you just need to have something on my calendar by the end of the week), you’ll get $50 off the package. That includes the access to the official assessments and two meetings with me - one 90 minutes and one 60 minutes.
To take advantage of this offer, email me at leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com!**
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
This episode finishes up the conversation on helping your teen find hope for their future. If you're finding that they're not very engaged in conversations about college/career, it could be that they are experiencing an underlying current of hopelessness. These tips will help reverse the current and nurture hopefulness.
- Talk with them about the disappointments they’ve experienced.
- Set them up to succeed in something hard.
- Help them see beyond themselves.
There are more ways to develop hope, and my guess is that you can identify some additional ideas perfect for your student. I also know that implementing these things can be really tricky, so grace for you and for your student! This is a process!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
In this episode, we’re focusing on the first three ways to instill and develop hope in teenagers and young adults. (As a caveat, if your student has experienced significant grief or trauma, it may be really beneficial for them to work with a professional counselor or therapist in order to get to the point where developing hope is possible for them.)
- Give them opportunities to try new things.
- Help them get to know themselves.
- Help them understand and visualize what’s possible for them.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
Hope for their future matters so much as your student makes decisions about what’s next! Unfortunately, hope seems to be dwindling in young people today. In this episode, we’ll start the conversation on hope by talking about why hopelessness is such an epidemic and why it matters.
I mention two books in the episode -
The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson (https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Giver-Bruce-Wilkinson/dp/159052201X)
The Journey of Desire by John Eldredge
(https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Desire-Searching-Always-Dreamed/dp/0718080785)
Highly recommend!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
I have lost track of how many parents have told me things like, “I don’t know what I’m doing!” “The college process is so complicated!” “This isn’t at all like it was when I was applying for college!”
In this episode we’re addressing some of the “why’s” behind that frustration.
- So many more students are earning so much more college credit in high school. This provides more opportunities but also adds to the complexity of researching colleges, majors, and making decisions about those things.
- Increased cost of college tuition. Need I say more?
- Modern technology completely changes the search and application process.
- The increase in mental ill health among teenagers creates additional difficulties and considerations for everyone involved.
Fortunately, nothing we’ve talked about creates an insurmountable problem, and once you learn the higher education system, you can make it work for you and your student. Please know you’re not alone - I hope you find this podcast super helpful, and if you’d like one-on-one consulting, please reach out to me!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
When you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast! This really helps me connect with more families. You can leave a rating and review here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/strategic-college-and-career-planning/id1663288299
In 2020, the average 6-year graduation rate for students at a US college or university was 64%. Forget graduating “on time,” only 64% students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in six years! So much attention is placed on students getting into college, and it obviously matters because a student won’t graduate if they can’t get admitted in the first place. But there’s not nearly as much chatter around setting students up to actually GRADUATE.
Graduation is not a guarantee for anyone, no matter how high achieving they’ve been in high school. There are a lot of reasons for this, but there is one specific reason this episode highlights and some ways you, as a high school parent, can respond.
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
Every parent wants their children to thrive, but most people have big questions about what thriving means for their individual child and how to prepare them for life after high school. Add to this the complexity of college selection and admission, understanding college graduation requirements, and making it affordable and you have yourself a stressful situation.
This is where the Strategic College and Career Planning Podcast comes in! In this very first episode, you’ll hear the vision of the podcast and what to expect in future episodes, and you’ll get to know me and my background a bit.
As their parent, you are the perfect person to walk with your student through the process of identifying and taking their next steps after high school. So much is possible for them, but very little just happens. I’m here to help you make those things happen!
I'd love to chat! The best way to contact me is through email - leah@callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
You can learn more about working with me by visiting my website at www.callingandcollegiateconsulting.com
Every parent wants their children to thrive, but most people have big questions about what thriving means for their individual child and how to prepare them for life after high school. Add to this the complexity of college selection and admission, understanding college graduation requirements, and making it affordable and you have yourself a stressful situation.
This is where the Strategic College and Career Planning Podcast comes in! In this very first episode, you’ll hear the vision of the podcast and what to expect in future episodes, and you’ll get to know me and my background a bit.
As their parent, you are the perfect person to walk with your student through the process of identifying and making their next steps after high school. So much is possible for them, but very little just happens. I’m here to help you make those things happen!