Although this blog post can stand alone, it is meant to accompany the webinar offered on August, 6th, 2024.

Recording | Passcode: t37i$MAr

Aspiration to Action Intro

Key features:

Individual Advising Resources

Description: suggestions for meeting outcomes; counselor pre-work; student pre-work; question banks and content guidance; links to resources
Location: Aspiration to Action → Resource Library → General

Description: packet with student facing handouts; activities focused on aspiration and application topics to be completed independently by students
Location: Aspiration to Action → Resource Library → General

Suggested Approach:

- Read a transcript, identifying critical elements of the transcript along the way.
- Identify trends in students’ grade point averages (GPAs), which can affect college admissions decisions.
- Connect a transcript to the “5Ps of College Admissions”.
- Ask probing and clarifying questions that illuminate student strengths.
- Explore career resources that help students link academic strengths and interests to possible careers and/or fields of study.
- Connecting co-curricular involvement to the 5 Ps of college admissions.
- Explaining the depth, breadth, and impact of co-curricular involvement.
- Strategies for assisting groups of students in mining for co-curricular involvement,
- Resources for assisting groups of students in writing impactful co-curricular involvement statements.

- Identify viable postsecondary pathways that lead to early career opportunities.
- Locate postsecondary opportunities in your state, county, or city.
- Define college match and college fit.
- Explain how college wish lists are created, with an emphasis on match.
- Compare college and university admission criteria to academic credentials to determine eligibility.
- Define college fit.
- Explore various aspects of college fit.
- Evaluate colleges for individual fit.
- Connect college entrance examinations to the 5 Ps of
college admissions.
- Explain the structure and format of the SAT & ACT.
- Sketch out a testing roadmap, including registering for exams, and figuring out when and where students should take them.
- Activate free test preparation resources.
- List general personal attributes that colleges ask about in essays and personal insight type questions.
- Match general personal attributes with particular essay and personal insight type questions.
- Generate specific examples linked to personal attributes.
- Visualize student attributes to create a narrative that forms a story relevant to their identity.
- Discuss the purpose of the counselor recommendation.
- Contrast the purpose of the teacher recommendation with the counselor recommendation.
- Identify effective elements of counselor recommendations.
- Develop approaches and strategies for writing effective letters.

- Common types of postsecondary credentialing.
- Linking a student’s interest with potential jobs and careers.
- Helping students explore a particular job or career of interest.
- Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.
- Identify benefits that are both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for a variety of postsecondary pathways.
- Types of enrichment opportunities.
- Effective search strategies to find enrichment experiences that connect to students’ personal and professional interests and strengths.
- Tips and strategies for setting up an effective enrichment program on your campus.
- Self-control techniques “change your environment” to help students avoid distraction and meet goals.
- Mindfulness techniques that can help students center their minds to bring themselves to a state of calm.
- Scenarios when students can activate self-control and mindfulness strategies.
- Identify goals and wishes that are worth pursuing.
- Identify barriers and obstacles that might get in the way of those goals and wishes. And,
- Develop a plan and strategy, utilizing Contigo Ed resources when applicable, for overcoming them.