Making The Most Of College

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Making The Most of New Year’s Resolutions!

Happy New Year! And, what comes with the New Year? Resolutions, of course! You know, those promises we all tend to make and hardly ever keep. I don’t make them anymore because I find that I hardly ever follow through.  For me, the essential problem with resolutions is I tend to make them too big, too gray, and too immeasurable. I’m going to work out more, or read more, or call more – good intentions all around, but very hard to follow through with once the day-to-day craziness of life takes over again on January 2nd. Now, if I were to say my resolution is to lose 15 pounds, then I can at least measure that. I can set the goal, work out a couple times a week, make better food choices and celebrate my progress when I step on the scale each morning. Of course, that celebration only comes if I follow through.

I want you to think about your college process in the same way. Think about measurable goals that you can follow through on. Instead of saying, “I’m going to visit all the schools on my college list in the spring,” say, “I’m going to visit four schools from my college list in March.” Instead of saying, “I’m going to get better grades in the second half of the school year,” say, “I’m going to invest four hours every week in studying, working on homework and school-related projects”. Instead of saying, “I’m going to spend a lot of time preparing for the SAT,” say, “I’m going to take four practice tests to prepare for the SAT.” Each of these is measurable and doable if you follow through.

So, go ahead and make your resolutions. Celebrate the arrival of the New Year and look forward to what good things may come your way. Just take a moment to think about what it is you want to accomplish first. Then, set the bar high and go out and work your tail off to reach it. You will be so glad you did.

Happy New Year to you and yours! May the New Year bring health, happiness and good news to you and your families!

I invite you to post any comments or questions below. You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

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Eric Dec 29, 2011 No Comments
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Why Should You Go To College?

“If I want to start my own business, why do I even need a degree?”

This was a question posed to me recently and I was glad to see the student in question was really thinking about why he was going to attend college and what he may or may not get out of the experience. I thought it was a great question and while a degree itself may not end up amounting to much in the long run, the overall college experience absolutely can to many things:

1.) Develop Critical Thinking Skills: Any successful business owner will tell you that his or her day is spent solving problems. At any number of institutions, especially liberal arts colleges, one of the expected outcomes of their curriculum is to help you think critically. In other words, you should learn how to think outside the box, become a better problem solver, and be able to successfully navigate your way through issues involving moral dilemmas, diversity and conflicts of interest.

2.) Networking: While you are enrolled in school, one of the best things you can do for yourself is cultivate relationships with other students, faculty and staff. By expanding your network you will have the opportunity to share your ideas, gather support and fine tune what you want to do with your business. You may even identify future business partners or investors. Some schools like Yale even house entrepreneurial programs where students can develop their ideas into tangible businesses.

3.) Have a Back-Up Plan: More business fail than succeed and while you could turn out to be the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, the chances of this actually happening are not favorable. By going to college you can immerse yourself in a degree program that, should you need it, can help you put together a back-up plan in the event that your business venture doesn’t pan out.

Ultimately, college can offer so many benefits outside of just earning a degree. In fact, many of the greatest benefits may take place outside of the classroom. The people you will meet, the experiences you will have, the conversations you will take part in – all of these things and more will help you grow into the person you are in the process of becoming.

Have any thoughts, comments or suggestions on branding? Use the comment form below to tell me what you think!

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

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Eric Dec 04, 2011 No Comments