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show notes
When it comes to helping parents navigate the college application process, I can’t think of a better guide than Lisa Heffernan. Not only has she been through this process herself a few times, but she and Mary Dell Harrington are the co-founders of one of the largest online parent communities, Grown and Flown. Their Facebook group has, as of this recording, over 50,000 members. The group offers parents support, guidance, and just a ton of great ideas for other parents who have gone through or are currently going through this process. Oh, and by the way last year Lisa and Mary Dell were named 2 of People magazine’s 25 Women Changing the World. On this podcast we discuss:
Why parents should stop telling their students that there are tons of school and to not worry about where they will go
Why (and how) to limit the amount of time you spend talking about college
When the best time to start talking about college is
The three most stressful parts of college admissions for students--and how to mitigate that stress
What Lisa is most and least proud of as a parent when it came to helping her own kids through the college application process
Enjoy.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
2:13 Introducing Lisa
2:58 How Grown and Flown started
5:03 Why students entering college is a difficult time for parents
5:19 How important time management is for students
5:58 How can parents be a part of the solution?
7:17 Why parents should stop telling their students that there are tons of school and to not worry about where they will go
8:43 The key to making the school-finding process much easier
9:13 Constrain the amount of time you spend talking about college
10:33 Don’t talk about how easy it was to get into college in the 80s
11:53 The importance of starting the college process no sooner than 11th grade
12:58 The #1 source of accurate and useful information about college admissions
15:02 How to help students in ninth and tenth grade
15:40 The three most stressful parts of college admissions for students
18:31 Grown and Flown: the Facebook community Lisa cofounded (now with 50K+ members)
18:55 How the group started and what surprised her the most about it
20:36 How the group can help with unique problems
24:00 Lisa’s most and least proud moments as a parent helping her kids through the college application journey
26:25 One thing that Lisa wishes she’d done differently
27:23 The help that Lisa’s family received on the college essays
29:21 How college coaches can make the process easier for students
30:12 Other kinds of success besides admissions that can come out this process
34:22 Two things that Lisa wants to leave with students
36:40 Lisa’s Show and Tell: a yellow legal pad
37:58 Ethan’s Show and Tell: How Not to Die
39:32 How to connect with Grown and Flown
