It was a travel-filled week as the Amazon AWS EdStart Builders’ Workshop in Palo Alto kicked off just as the Super ACAC conference in Arizona wrapped up. After such a terrific few days with fellow counselors and college admissions teams, meeting such innovative members of the EdStart Program got me thinking about new creative solutions to help counselors and students through the college process. There is so much happening on the technical side that can support our planned Corsava features, I cannot wait! Discussing trends in admissions, meeting with potential partners, and learning about technical innovations to support our new applications combined to make the jump to summer and lead into fall all the more inspiring.
My Alaska flight just hit 10,000 feet, the throngs of people that constitute O’Hare on a late Friday afternoon are behind me, and I am excited to be heading for an 80-degree and sunny (surprise!) weekend back home in Seattle. The IECA conference was valuable, Chicago was at its best, and I am excited thinking about what’s ahead for Corsava after getting such great feedback from so many users. The cards made it into the College Essay Guy’s popular (and fast!) “60 College Application Tips in 60 Minutes” session, and it always makes my day to hear user stories about the impact the cards have had on so many students.
As we approach the end of 2018, reflection comes naturally as we think about all that the past year has brought. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to a break from the hectic life of college admissions and all the accompanying stress it brings to our families. While our students race towards the finish line, we can take a breather as we reflect on how we supported our students in their goals, how we can make it even better, or in many cases, how we can avoid the subject entirely!
Let’s face it, College Fairs can be intimidating for students. We tell them that there is no better way to tackle that big convention center than going in with a plan. Easy to say, but more difficult when students are faced with countless rows of alphabetically laid-out booths and boatloads of students reminding them that, yes, there are a lot of other students applying to college.
Walking into the activity room filled with boisterous middle- and high-schoolers, I hear a greeting from across the room. “Hey, it’s Dr. B, and you’re here today!” More kids shout out their welcomes, and then I hear, “Did you bring snacks?” I love these kids; their priorities are in the right place. Give them food and they will be your friends for life!
I will admit it; I was ramped up and nervous, all wrapped up together. It was one thing to ask students I knew to test out the Corsava Cards and Reports, but it was another thing entirely standing up in front of 25 new students in a high school setting as they logged into Corsava Cards and took the inaugural group spin on our beta version.
