What! Me Worry? 0
Dear Class of 2027 and beyond,
One of the most popular humor magazines during my high school years was MAD magazine. Are you familiar with it? Staring out on each issue’s cover was the silly-looking young man on the left. He was Alfred E. Neuman with his perpetual gaped-tooth grin and his now universally known exclamation, “What! Me worry?” It was a timeless teenage sentiment. Can you identify with that? If you have completed your sophomore year, congratulations —you will shortly start your junior year, one of the most significant and most challenging college-bound classes in American history! Do not worry.
But do pay attention. You may be in the same place I was. Perhaps you are fifteen or sixteen years old with vague college aspirations? You may not have any specific reason to go to college other than it is the expected thing to do, and/or everyone else is doing it. Not everyone plans to attend college, and some of your classmates may not pursue higher education. That is, not a four-year liberal arts college. They may want to pursue technical training, education, or some certification, however.
Have you given much thought to your post-secondary school options? At this point in your life, I would be surprised that you have. However, if you are seriously interested in going to college, you might want to put a plan in place that will be affordable, practical, and lead to sure-fire acceptance letters from your top-choice colleges in less than two years from now.
Did you know that many kids go off to college without a clue? Many are like you. Bright teenagers who have made $300,000 decisions… alone! You don’t want to decide that magnitude without some help, do you? Especially if you have younger brothers or sisters who have similar aspirations!
Selecting a college is a process that involves several necessary steps. I will mention a few here. Hopefully, you are now taking high school courses that challenge your critical thinking skills. Apply those skills now. Take some time to examine your goals, values, interests, and abilities. Write them down. Begin a file for thoughts on college, or for that matter, any ideas you may have for what you want to do after high school.
College will offer a myriad of choices (both academic and non-academic) that may overwhelm you. To help you decide how to take full advantage of the college experience, an increasing number of educators suggest doing four in-depth, insightful self-assessments. To make it easy for you, we have found the personality assessment based on Dr. Carl Jung’s extensive study of human behavior to be one of the most reliable and a good starting point.
Jung’s work is the basis on which the authors of the book Do What You Are expound. (I love that name, don’t you?). This insightful assessment is one of four (4) that we have our students do. It will help you select colleges intelligently with a focus on the appropriate fields of study and other criteria you believe to be important. It will bring to light areas in which you have strong personal interest and potential for success based on your natural strengths. That is one of the most exciting parts of the college planning process. Thousands of kids before you can attest to that.
Incidentally, if you have already completed these self-assessments with me, now is the time to revisit them and review your results. Yes, yours! Remember, it is all about you, and the sooner you realize and appreciate what your natural strengths and innate characteristics are, the better.
If you are an athlete, you may understand that very well. That is, doesn’t your coach put you in positions where your natural skills best benefit the team? Also, doesn’t a coach advise taking advantage of the opposing team’s weaknesses? That is life, but life is not a game. You are here for a reason. Many of us who possess a certain level of spiritual awareness believe that we are all here to help one another, not to harm or hurt one another. I agree. Ultimately, you will determine the role you play in your journey. But I can help you get started in the right direction.
By the way, did you know that Alfred E. Neuman went to Cooper Union? Who would have ‘thunk it?’. The good news is that you do not have to go to such a competitive college to be happy or successful. There are many excellent colleges out there. Many of you have not even heard of them…yet. With our help, you will learn about them as you progress through the college selection process, which may be the first milestone step of your life.
Best wishes for happiness and success in college and beyond, Eric Goodhart (978) 820-1295 or email: ~ help@SmartCollegePlanning.org