After years of thinking about ways to scale and make our work with students more meaningful, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Growing feedback from counselors in all settings has allowed our nimble team to add and upgrade features, as well as develop and test new ones. The collective knowledge and culture of support from counselors gives us the opportunity to make an impact in a big way.
Feedback is so rewarding, as students are having fun and counselors are getting meaningful information to move forward, with a positive feeling on all fronts. Our goal is to change the model, help level the playing field for all students, and give all of us the tools we need to make a difference. My determination has never been stronger. Let’s work together to make Corsava something that works for students everywhere and is sustainable for all of us.
Tip #1: Use Online Sorts
Getting students engaged and excited about this phase of their lives—a time when they have so many transformative options—is my goal, and that means making it fun. Students love it when I pull out the hard-copy cards with the funny emoji faces. I had to start listening to my own advice, though, and that means some fresh changes. It has been interesting to see how my workflow continues to change as we add features to the platform. I don’t want to have to input the results of the student’s card sorts manually after each meeting, yet I want to make sure I have a record of their preferences. How could I achieve this goal in just one meeting and also help students in their future research and choices, without overburdening them with more work that they may choose not to do?
So, I tested it out. My student finished the card sort, and the four piles (Must Have, Would be Nice, Don’t Care, and No Way) were lined up in front of us. We had some discussion of his preferences while his parents looked on, and we chatted about the next steps. I mentioned that his preferences will undoubtedly change as time goes by and he explores and evaluates his needs related to his college choices. I suggested he might want to do an online sort at home so that he would be able to check back using his own account—whether it was to update his card sort with new choices, to write the “Why This School” essay, or simply to think about what mattered most to him alongside his evolving college list. With the definitions included on each card online throughout the random sort, he could spend more time understanding that a major like analytics/statistics in big data might be a good fit for someone who loves baseball stats. And lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised he actually wanted to do this; it mattered to him.
Here’s what I do, and it seems to work well:
1. I add the student to my account
2. Click the send invite button
3. I’m finished.
The student’s account will automatically be linked to mine, and when they have completed a sort, I get an email with a link to sign in and view their results.. Our goal is to focus every day on making it as easy as possible for busy counselors, no matter how they use Corsava.
With the college exploration features we are currently working on, students will be able to rate their Must Haves and Would Be Nice cards at each of the colleges on their list. Encouraging them to have access to their priorities with their own account tied to mine means I could support them in the future. It’s a win-win situation. And the fact that I now get an email telling me when they have completed the sort makes my life a lot easier. It’s a bit like a gift arriving at your front door from the UPS truck—lots of surprises. I really enjoy opening up their new card sort and seeing how things have evolved. And, it means they have not only taken ownership, but have also thought more about what matters most to them and learned a few things about what unique attributes colleges offer along the way.
I have noticed that when students complete an online sort after our meeting and discussion, their answers change, as you will all understand. After discussions of location, learning styles, campus culture, and support services, students visualize things they had never considered, and their preferences change organically. That makes seeing their online sorts after our meeting so interesting—what changed and why? My counseling philosophy is clear—I want my students to take ownership of the college process. I am not a micromanager, and frankly would not be good at it. Now the students have their own place to let their college dreams grow, and that makes me happy.
Tip #2: Check out the Interactive Map
A number of counselors shared that tracking location preferences by region was too broad, that they wanted something more granular. Many students want to make sure their in-state option is included, some had specific states near family that they preferred, and others had family that might be transferring to another state—the stories were varied and compelling. That is why we created an interactive map for students to share their location preferences by state and visually track which states they like (and don’t like) in a fun way.
It’s great to be able to pull up the map on my computer or iPad and sit with students to review their thoughts about the states they prefer. Students can change their preferences at home using their accounts, and any updates automatically appear on my account. There is also a cool widget on each student’s profile page that highlights their preferences by state.
A special shout-out goes to the counselors who shared that they really missed seeing location choices on the report. We heard you and updated reports to include any states where a student selects a preference.
Tip #3: Share Your Registration Link
Many counselors are posting their personalized Corsava registration links on their websites, assigning students the sorts by simply asking them to click on the link, tying the accounts automatically to their own. It’s fun to see students exploring preferences on their own, reading the definitions, making choices, and coming to their counselor meetings or family discussions with more self-knowledge. Now that we have added several easy ways to on-board students, it is exciting to see that even those with 500 students can easily post the link and then view student results, if time allows. Knowing that their students have thought about the process can be rewarding, particularly in situations where counselor loads are high and engaging each student can be a challenge.
