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Rajkamal Rao

High school counseling teams in most public high schools are stretched - and private college counselors are expensive. High School to College is an in-depth course on college readiness to develop knowledge and skills in high school students in four areas: 1. Branding and Career Planning. Students identify interests and strengths, and map them to potential careers. Students explore macroeconomic indicators to research in-demand occupations and industries that are upward-trending, exploring college as a route to rewarding careers.

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High school counseling teams in most public high schools are stretched - and private college counselors are expensive. High School to College is an in-depth course on college readiness to develop knowledge and skills in high school students in four areas: 1. Branding and Career Planning. Students identify interests and strengths, and map them to potential careers. Students explore macroeconomic indicators to research in-demand occupations and industries that are upward-trending, exploring college as a route to rewarding careers.

2. Postsecondary Institution Analysis: Students evaluate the best institution type (Career School, 2-year or 4-year College) which meets their career goals.

4. College Admission Tips and Tricks - Students learn about different ways to maximize their chances of gaining admission to their favorite colleges.

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What's inside

Learning objective

It prepares high school students to become college ready and learn tools and techniques to be successful in getting in to their choice colleges.

Syllabus

Introduction
A Vote For College
Introduction to College
Elite Colleges & Universities
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Helps students identify their interests and strengths, which is crucial for making informed decisions about their future academic and career paths
Explores macroeconomic indicators to research in-demand occupations and industries, providing a practical link between education and career opportunities
Teaches students how to evaluate different types of postsecondary institutions, enabling them to choose the best fit for their career goals
Covers college admission tips and tricks, which can help students maximize their chances of getting into their preferred colleges
Examines factors in college admission decisions and graduation outcomes, allowing students to quantitatively evaluate their chances of acceptance

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Reviews summary

High school to college transition guidance

According to learners, this course offers a structured and practical guide for the high school to college transition. It provides valuable insights into career planning and evaluating institution types, helping students identify potential paths. A major focus is on college admissions, explaining what selective colleges look for through practical tips on grades, tests, essays, and extracurriculars. While praised for its clear overview and actionable advice, some students note that certain topics might lack sufficient depth for those seeking highly advanced strategies.
Easy to follow through the complex process.
"The course provides a logical structure to follow for college planning."
"It breaks down the overwhelming application process into steps."
"Found the timeline guidance particularly useful."
Explores potential careers and institution types.
"The section on career exploration gave me some useful ideas."
"Understanding the differences between 2-year and 4-year schools was beneficial."
"It made me think about mapping my interests to potential careers."
Provides actionable advice for applying.
"This course clearly explained what colleges are looking for in applicants."
"I found the guidance on essays and standardized tests very helpful."
"The tips for highlighting extracurricular activities were practical."
"Helped me understand strategies like Early Decision."
Good overview, but could offer more depth.
"While comprehensive, some areas could have gone into more detail."
"I felt some topics were covered only briefly."
"Might need to seek supplementary information for deeper dives into specific strategies."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in High School to College with these activities:
Review Macroeconomic Indicators
Refresh your understanding of macroeconomic indicators to better research in-demand occupations and industries.
Show steps
  • Identify key macroeconomic indicators like GDP, unemployment rate, and inflation.
  • Research the current values and trends of these indicators.
  • Analyze how these indicators relate to different industries and career paths.
Review: The Price You Pay for College
Read and understand Ron Lieber's 'The Price You Pay for College' to make informed financial decisions about college.
Show steps
  • Read the book and highlight key financial concepts and strategies.
  • Research the financial aid options available to you.
  • Create a budget for college expenses and explore ways to save money.
Career Exploration Project
Solidify your understanding of career planning by creating a detailed career exploration project.
Show steps
  • Identify three potential career paths based on your interests and strengths.
  • Research the required education, skills, and job outlook for each career.
  • Create a presentation or report summarizing your findings and comparing the careers.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Craft a Personal Brand Statement
Develop a strong personal brand statement to effectively communicate your strengths and interests to colleges.
Show steps
  • Reflect on your unique skills, experiences, and values.
  • Write a concise statement that highlights your key attributes and aspirations.
  • Get feedback from peers or mentors and refine your statement.
Review: Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be
Read and reflect on Frank Bruni's 'Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be' to challenge preconceived notions about college prestige.
View The Age of Grievance on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book and take notes on key arguments and examples.
  • Reflect on how the book's message relates to your own college aspirations.
  • Discuss the book with peers or mentors to gain different perspectives.
College Comparison Spreadsheet
Create a spreadsheet to compare colleges based on factors like admission rates, graduation rates, and cost.
Show steps
  • Identify key factors to consider when comparing colleges.
  • Gather data on several colleges of interest.
  • Create a spreadsheet to organize and compare the data.
  • Analyze the data to identify the best fit colleges for your goals.
Tutor Younger Students
Reinforce your understanding of college readiness concepts by tutoring younger students on these topics.
Show steps
  • Volunteer to tutor younger students in areas related to college preparation.
  • Prepare lesson plans and materials to effectively teach the concepts.
  • Provide guidance and support to help students achieve their goals.

Career center

Learners who complete High School to College will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
High School Counselor
A high school counselor assists students in academic, career, and personal development planning. This course is very useful for a professional seeking the role of a high school counselor given its content on brand development, interest assessment, and career research, which are useful to help students explore their career choices. A high school counselor can also assist students with post-secondary planning using the course's material covering the analysis of different institution types and college selection. A high school counselor could also put the course’s tips and tricks regarding admissions to good use.
College Admissions Counselor
The role of a college admissions counselor involves advising students and their families through the college application process. This course's focus on college selectivity, admission factors, and strategies for gaining admission into choice colleges is highly relevant to this role. A college admissions counselor often advises students on how to maximize their chances of acceptance; this course’s material about grades, tests, essays, and recommendations is very helpful. This course may be helpful for a counselor to better understand the college admissions cycle.
Career Counselor
A career counselor guides individuals in exploring career options, developing job search strategies, and making informed career decisions. This course can be beneficial to an aspiring career counselor as it covers brand development, interest profiling, and career research, all of which are critical in helping clients identify their strengths and potential career paths. A career counselor might find the course content relevant to understanding how students can map their interests to potential careers and explore in-demand occupations.
College Test Prep Instructor
A college test prep instructor prepares students for standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, required for college admissions. This course is very relevant for the role of college test prep instructor who would want to be able to cover a wide range of concepts and understand the scope of the college application process. The course discusses elements of college admissions, like grades, tests, and essays, which can be very useful to the instructor. Also, the course touches on factors that selective colleges look for, which may be helpful to a test prep instructor.
Educational Consultant
An educational consultant assists students and families in navigating the educational landscape, providing informed guidance on school selection and educational planning. The course helps an educational consultant by covering key aspects of college readiness such as branding and career planning, as well as the ins and outs of the college admission process. An educational consultant might find the materials on college selectivity, admission factors, and tips for maximizing chances of admission very pertinent. This course may be useful since it provides a structured approach to college planning and admissions.
Admissions Officer
An admissions officer is responsible for evaluating applications and determining which students are admitted to a college or university. The course's content on college admissions factors may be helpful for an admissions officer. The course material on grades, tests, and essays provides a framework for understanding the process from the student perspective, which is vital to the admissions officer. This course may be helpful to the career of an admissions officer for providing an understanding of college preparation and the student's perspective.
Student Affairs Professional
A student affairs professional works in higher education institutions to support students with their academic, personal, and professional development. The course's content on college readiness and college admission tips may be beneficial to a student affairs professional. Student affairs staff often provide guidance to students using the college application process and helping them understand the importance of branding and career planning. This course may be useful for a student affairs professional wishing to provide better support.
Academic Advisor
An academic advisor supports students in achieving their educational and career goals. This course on college readiness and planning may be helpful to an aspiring academic advisor. The course's content on branding, career planning, and postsecondary institution analysis allows academic advisors to better assist students in exploring career options. Academic advisors may also use the college admission tips and tricks to guide students in maximizing their chances of acceptance.
Education Administrator
An education administrator manages education programs, staffing, and resources in school systems or institutions of higher learning. The course’s in-depth look at college readiness and admissions could be helpful to an education administrator. An education administrator may wish to create better systems for assisting the transition from high school to college, and this course may provide a model to use. Additionally, the course’s coverage of branding and career planning can inform administrative decisions on how to support students in their academic and career journeys. This course may be helpful for higher education administrators.
Curriculum Developer
A curriculum developer designs and creates educational materials and programs. The course's content on college readiness, career planning, and college admissions provides a framework that a curriculum developer can use to create useful programs for students. A curriculum developer can apply the course’s approach regarding career selection and its exploration of postsecondary institutions to develop materials for students seeking a higher education path. The course may be helpful to a curriculum developer as inspiration.
Education Program Coordinator
An education program coordinator plays a key role in the development and implementation of educational programs, ensuring their effectiveness and alignment with organizational objectives. The course’s content on college readiness, branding and career planning, and postsecondary analysis can help a program coordinator understand the needs of students and incorporate effective strategies into the programs they manage. This role may be a good fit since it offers an opportunity to help students navigate the transition from high school to higher education.
Recruitment Specialist
A recruitment specialist is responsible for attracting, screening, and hiring qualified candidates for various job roles within an organization. While this course is focused on college admissions, the skills and knowledge gained from this course help a recruitment specialist better understand college education pathways and how these may relate to an applicant's qualifications. The course’s discussion of a student’s brand, their chosen post secondary institution, and the selectivity of that institution, may help a recruitment specialist to accurately and sensitively assess candidates.
College Professor
A college professor teaches courses in their field of expertise at the collegiate level. While the course's focus is on college preparation, a professor must understand their students’ backgrounds and reasons for attending college. A college professor can be more effective in their role by knowing what factors impact college selection, and the course’s content on college admissions, selectivity and other aspects of postsecondary analysis may be helpful. This course may be useful to a professor for a general overview of how to better understand their students.
Human Resources Specialist
A human resources specialist manages an organization’s employee relations, compensation, and benefits. While this course is not directly related to human resources, the skills and knowledge gained from this course may be useful for human resources specialists who are involved in talent acquisition and career development. A human resources specialist may be interested in how the course covers areas like career research, brand building, and the college application process, which can be used in the field of employee development. This course may be useful to them, particularly those involved in talent acquisition.
Training Specialist
A training specialist designs and delivers training programs for employees to improve their skills and performance. While this course is geared towards college planning, the knowledge of career planning, branding and the value of various postsecondary paths that the course provides is useful for a training specialist to better understand the needs of employees seeking career advancement. This course may be helpful for a training specialist in understanding employees' career goals.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in High School to College.
Provides a comprehensive guide to navigating the financial aspects of college. It covers topics such as financial aid, scholarships, student loans, and the true cost of attendance. This book is particularly useful for students and families who want to make informed decisions about college affordability and avoid unnecessary debt. It adds depth to the course's section on outcome-based college selection by providing a detailed look at the financial implications of different college choices.
Challenges the notion that attending a highly selective college is the only path to success. It explores the lives of successful individuals who attended a wide range of colleges, emphasizing the importance of hard work, resilience, and personal growth. This book is valuable for students to broaden their perspective on college selection and focus on finding the right fit rather than chasing prestige. It serves as additional reading to complement the course's focus on outcome-based college selection.

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