Odyssey newsletter: self-awareness . mental health . nature

Volume 2 Issue 8

by Michael Wagner

Knowledge Pilot, Launch Global Education

This week’s Odyssey newsletter has an underlying theme of elements that go into the creation of a college list. All three articles in their own way relate to the importance of creating a college list, but they each hold their own unique aspect. This is exactly what we try to achieve each week with the Odyssey newsletter, bringing key articles to our followers. Through these articles our readers can keep up to date on subjects or learn something totally new. Often, like this week, the articles may not directly connect but there is a certain nexus.

We hope you enjoy the information shared as much as we enjoy bringing it to our readers.

Discoveries

A college list is one thing, selecting a college is another

One of the most stressful aspects of the college going process is the creation of a college list. I have students come to me all the time and express how difficult it is to create a college list, they share the difficulty in understanding the process and the necessary steps, often with more frustration than stress. The process sometimes seems too arduous for students to follow through. Alcino Donadel, staff writer for University Business, discusses the recent survey results from The Princeton Review's 2023 College Hopes & Worries Survey Report regarding the college selection process.

Survey: Students and parents stress cost and career prep when picking a college

The importance of mental health support on campus

There is a basic set of criteria that I suggest young adults use when they begin creating a college list. I have identified fourteen key aspects; however, since the pandemic there has been one aspect of the college list planning process that has gained popularity when considering a school and that is the quality of mental health services available, both on and off campus. Jon Edelman of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, reports the results of The Healthy Minds Study.

More students are having mental health problems, but more are asking for help

Do what you love

There are many steps in planning the next journey after graduation from high school. Ultimately, as we highlight often, choosing the right school with the right fit is the number one goal. But there is also the element of happiness that students should look for inside the college selection process. In an Op-Ed article, Matt Read of Inside Higher Ed outlines the need for students to have the skill of self-awareness.

Self-awareness as a career skill

Tip of the Week

The summer slide

In academia there is an often-discussed phenomenon that occurs after the school year ends called the summer slide. What it really means is learning loss.There are countless studies and papers on the subject, but the focus of the discussion is that it is a disadvantage for students when they don’t exercise their minds during the summer. This does not mean that kids should be taking formal academic classes, though for the right student it could be fine.

One way to prevent a summer slide for students is to simply be moving. That could mean actively being involved with a volunteer activity, giving back to your community. It could also mean having a part-time job over the summer to begin to earn money for college. Or it could be as simple as reading a book. But to avoid the summer slide, students need to apply themselves to worthwhile activities. Do something!

In preparing for summer, I ask students to consider how they would answer this question at the end of it – Tell me, what did you do this summer?

Before you go...

The power of mother nature’s beauty

The world we live in is one that seems to be moving at a speed so fast many of us just can’t seem to keep up. The technological advances reported every day are mind boggling, not to mention the most powerful two letters that dominate the news these days: AI. What will the future hold?

Sometimes we all need to stop and look around at the constant beauty mother nature displays. The city of Storm Lake, Iowa recently shared a video of the beauty of the geese migration.

Astounding geese migration as Storm Lake

Bonus video:

Spring migration in full swing at DeSoto

Source: The North Platte Telegraph

I must express how much I enjoy researching, creating, and finalizing the Odyssey newsletter each week. There is always so much happening in the world of higher education and lately one of the important topics is the mental health and well-being of college students. As students begin assembling their college lists, comprehensive counseling services should be an important consideration. Simply asking some basic questions to admissions representatives will give you a good idea of what kind of support they can expect. We encourage you to understand what each school has to offer.

We hope you enjoy this week’s issue. And enjoy the week!

Mr. Mike

Michael Wagner, MAED is a founder and the Knowledge Pilot for Launch Education. Mr. Mike has assisted hundreds of students around the world on their college pathways.