Graduation and Beyond

What is a college education?

A college education is two things: a means to a diploma, which is a valuable credential in career and life, but it is also an intrinsically meaningful four years, a culmination of the developmental phase of life. In college students acquire learning and knowledge, but more importantly acquire behaviors, skills, habits of mind, maturity, experience, and a network of friends, mentors, and colleagues.

What is the goal of a college education?

Wise students balance their nurtured dreams alongside a pragmatic end to which their education is directed. After all, undergraduate education is a significant investment and the future beckons. Balance is key. Students should critically analyze their college choice in light of both career prospects and personal happiness.

Is it worth it?

A bachelor's degree (B.A or B.S.) is the globally recognized symbol of undergraduate attainment. Studies show that individuals holding bachelor's degrees earn significantly more, on average, than those without. The earnings gulf widens even more for advanced degree holders (M.A, M.S., J.D., M.D., Ph.D.).

What comes next?

Every student aims to graduate from their college or university in four years, and every student expects to utilize their education to advance their prospects for career and life. But to achieve these goals requires diligent and sustained effort, and a pragmatic mindset. Beyond the personal growth and evolution that will occur during four years of college, a student must attain marketable skills in preparation for the first stop of career. Today, colleges tout the value of their alumni network and career services programs.

Wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Success in college begins well before freshman year.

Students can develop interests and passions in high school which will relate to college admission success and even career and earnings prospects. Beginning in high school, students can develop skills, strategies, and a mindset, conducive to success at college and beyond - a thoughtful college counselor can facilitate this process.

Skills obtained and refined in high school will serve one throughout life: time management, realistic goal setting, periodic reflection and assessment of results, creative visualization, physical activity, healthy diet, rest and sleep. After all, "health is wealth and peace of mind is happiness." Today students navigate a world of pitfalls and distractions. Education is the path forward. Guidance is essential to support a student's path to, through, and beyond college.

"The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the Kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.

"Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.

"From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides."

-Confucius, The Great Learning