If there is one bright spot amongst this pandemic, it’s that it has provided the opportunity to slow down and press the “pause” button in our lives. Maybe that’s why so many of my recent newsletters have focused on the theme of reflection.
Or maybe it’s just because “why” is such an important part of the pathway to college, or any pathway for that matter. Too often, we start with “what” we’re going to do and “how” we’re going to do it, instead of the reasons “why” we want to in the first place. “Why” we choose to do things provides the motivation to keep going and the resilience to persevere if it doesn’t work out the first time. It’s where I began when I was first started thinking about becoming a college coach. And what keeps me inspired every day!
The more you know and understand your “why”, the easier it is to figure out the “how” and the “what”. The “why” questions get to our core values, what we believe in and what is important to us.
Throughout the entire college planning and application process, there are numerous opportunities to engage in that type of self-reflection. The key is to pause long enough so that you can recognize those moments and think about “how” you want to apply them and “what” that means. In a past blog, I identified five different phases where this can be accomplished. Today, I’m focusing on 3 specific questions that can be asked and re-asked throughout the process:
1. Why is college important to you?
Talk about a core value question! Taking the time to pause and reflect on “why” you want to go to college in the first place can be the motivation behind getting you through all aspects of the application process - from completing all of the work to receiving your results and choosing where to go. Most recently, students who took the time last year to begin with that question are having an easier time figuring out “what” their plans are for their first term of college. Yes, they’re disappointed or frustrated but they are able to reflect on their “why” which helps them stay focused on their long-term goals and aspirations while working with “how” their college chooses to begin in the short-term.
2. Why do you want to attend “X” college?
Once you think about “why” you want to go to college and “what” you want to accomplish, you can then use that to figure out what you want to do, how you want to do it and what specific ways the college provides those resources and opportunities for you. Do you want to do research? What kind? Participate in activities, which ones? Work on projects with professors? Is your goal to be in smaller, seminar style classes? Engage in lively discussions with a diverse group of students? Thinking about all of the specific ways that a college provides that for you is helpful in choosing which colleges to apply to as well as being a great exercise to do when you’re making your final choice about where to attend. Plus, many colleges ask “Why do you want to go here” as part of their supplemental essays!!
3. Why do you want to major in “X”?
Even for students who know exactly what they want to do, thinking about “why” you chose that major is a great way to help students gain more clarity and further evaluate their decision. For example, if you ask a student “why do you want to major in biology?” they may say, because they want to be a doctor. But the reality is that you can major in almost anything as a pre-med student, as long as you get amazing grades, do well on medical school entrance exams and get the clinical and research experience you need. Thinking about “why” also helps students who aren’t sure what they want to do choose an area of interest and realize that there are many opportunities for majors in that area. I once asked a student why they wanted to major in environmental science and they said because they wanted to work on climate change but they weren’t excited about it because the major had so much math. After searching other colleges, they found a major that focused on environmental sustainability and design - which accomplished their “why” and also highlighted their skills as an artist.
“Why” is one of the first questions we ask as kids and then somewhere along the way, it gets asked less often. I’m all about bringing it back. The questions above are ones that can be asked throughout the entire pathway to college and the self-awareness and reflection these amazing teens gain by doing so can be utilized in college and throughout their lives.