TRANSCRIPT: Maximizing Your College Experience

Speaker: Rich Feller

Maximizing Your College Experience

I'm Rich Feller.

I study what it takes for students to succeed in college.

My goal is help you to maximize your college experience to be what I call future ready after graduation.

I hear students very concerned about college costs and debt, finding the right major, connecting majors to jobs.

They're worried about job forecasts.

They're considering what does it mean to work in a global economy?

And they're trying to figure out their voice and be able to self-advocate for themselves.

Moving From Concern To Excitement

I want to help you to go from being concerned to being excited about going to college.

I'll offer seven things to help you maximize your college experience.

First is a metaphor about how to stretch yourself in college.

Secondly, I'll talk about engagement.

There are six college experiences that research says increases your level of engagement.

Third, I'd like to talk about career and not job.

And I'll give you two definitions to help you think about the differences.

Four, I'd like you to be future ready.

I want to give you five questions that help you be future ready as you think about leaving college.

Five, I want to talk about success skills.

There's six success skills that make you ready for the workplace.

Number six, I want to talk about HEROIC mindset.

Those mental habits to help you navigate college and a lifetime of transitions.

And seven, I'm going to give you a reflective experience to help you clarify your intentions and your goals that are critical to maximizing the college experience.

Metaphor - Your College Experience

I want to talk about a metaphor.

It's interesting when you think about going to college, some people believe that you just follow all the right rules, go to the right school, take the right courses and get the right job, and then partner with somebody, and then buy the right house, and have the right child, and everything will go fine.

I don't find that that's true is all.

That is not how it works.

That in fact, a better way to understand, really, what happens in college is to think about this.

That, really, college is about being a slinky.

Because I find that, you know, sometimes we do really well, and then we have some bump in the road and something doesn't go well, and we have to kind of use our energy to get back.

We get a professor who is not really good for us.

Or we - we're in a relationship that doesn't go well.

Or we get a bad roommate.

But we've always got to find a way to bring ourself back and use our energy to do something with that.

So what I suggest to you, this metaphor says, don't think about it being a linear process.

It's really much more like a slinky.

And what I'd like you to think about the slinky, is, you've got to find a way, when you have those kinds of bumps in the road, to stretch a bit.

Get permission to try something new.

Experiment.

Ask for feedback.

You know, you're going to have lots of bumps in the road.

The question is how well do you recover?

And I think the slinky metaphor helps a little bit.

College is not a destination, it's kind of an approach.

It's an approach to school where you look for excitement, you try to get feedback, and you try to figure out those hidden assets that you have by having people tell you about those.

Or finding out about your blind spots because people give you more feedback.

The other thing to say is that when you go to college, it really is about experiences.

And it's those laboratories you live with that you have to recover from, and you have to learn from to get feedback.

That's why the metaphor is, how do we help stretch you when you go to college, because you're certainly going to have great times, and you're going to have times you have to recover from.

Engagement

The second insight I offer you is about engagement.

There are six college experiences that research says increases your level of engagement.

The first is find at least one professor who excites you about learning.

Secondly, find at least one professor who cares about you as a person.

Third, find a mentor that encourages you, let's you think about your goals and dreams, and lets you expand your network through maybe their contacts.

And fourth, work on a project that takes at least one semester or more to complete it so you'll have kind of a project orientation to it.

Five, gain an internship or get a job where you can apply what you're learning in class to real life.

Six, be extremely active in extracurricular activities, or leadership programs, or organizations so you can really get feedback about who you are.

We know that those six things will help increase your engagement on campus and has a lot to do with how much success you're going to have.

Career Is More Than A Job

Number three is I'd like to offer you two ways to define career as more than a job.

I'd like you to think about career as your current five best friends.

Now why do I say that?

Because we really become who we hang with.

So I'd like you to think about who your friends are.

You know, sometimes we think about what church to go to, what movie to go to, whether we'll get a doctor, what teacher to take, can I meet somebody who helps me with this?

Career really is something where you're really thinking about how do I keep learning, and your current five best friends are probably the folks who lead you the most to information you need.

You might even think about making a list.

Who are your five current best friends?

Because they're part of your social capital.

They're the group that helps you learn the information you need to move forward.

I have a second definition of career, and I'd like to read this to you.

Your career is the full expression of who you are and how you want to be in the world.

And it keeps on expanding as it naturally goes through cycles of stability and change.

Now when I think of the word full expression, full expression is I'd like you to think like not job.

But full expression goes beyond work to include your volunteer, your learning activities, all that you do.

If I think about who you are in this definition, that's really your desires, your aptitudes, your skills, your personal qualities, other people's influences, and those assets you have that we want to tell the story about.

If we think about how you want to be, most people know what they don't want to be.

And I'd like you to spend much more time thinking about what you want to do, what desires you have.

If you think about in the world, I'd like you to really think largely.

What do you want to do in terms of your deepest wishes?

Where can you meet your daily reality every day?

Expand your world when you go to college.

Let's take the word expanding.

If you've ever thought your career is contracting, think again.

There's no mistakes, only expanding clarity about what you want more of and what's emerging for you in terms of - from your past experiences to where you're going.

When you think about naturally goes through cycles, I'd like you to recognize it's perfectly natural that who you are and what you want changes.

Think about the slinky.

And cycles.

And circles.

And spirals rather than a straight line.

Like the tape measure.

If you think about stability, whatever the duration, six months or six years, stability lets you make a difference by using your gifts.

And if you think about the word change, whether self or externally generated, many reflect back on periods of change as a blessing in disguise providing career and life clarification for them.

So I think that second definition really allows you to look at the big picture of who you are, and where you're going, and how college can help you get there.

Be Future-Ready

The fourth thing I want to offer you is the notion of being future ready.

And I'll give you five questions that help you be future ready as you leave college.

There's a neat book called Life's Greatest Question, and I'd like you to think about that title.

It's about discovering how you can contribute to the world.

Rather than think about jobs, think about what challenges excite you.

What captures your interest.

Because a job is nothing more than a problem to be solved.

So rather than think about a job title, think about what's the greatest question you can face, which is, how do I really contribute to the world?

And what challenges do I want to work on to contribute to the world?

The second question are, what are your natural aptitudes?

What are those competitive advantages you have that always show up to help you solve problems?

Now, I know we often talk about how important your interests are, and your passions, and they are very important, but they really create a problem.

Because if you don't have a lot of experience, your eyesight toward your interests is pretty narrow.

As you get more interests, you have a much bigger perspective about the kind of things that drive you.

And our goal is to say, how do we help your aptitudes shape your interests, because aptitudes really shape your success.

One thing I encourage you to do is explore a program called YouScience which is free through schools which allows you to identify what are those brain games that really help me understand the natural aptitudes I have.

The third question, can someone do it cheaper than you?

Now that we live in a global economy, the real question is we have a world wage.

So as you think about working, how can you figure out a way that you can do it cheaper than your competition, which is really, how do I add a value to what we do cheaper than somebody else?

The fourth question.

Can a computer do it faster than you?

When you think about all the standard, mundane, and routine tasks in the world, if they can be standardized with the zero and one of a computer, we really automate that work.

So we have to say, can you do it better than - faster than a computer to make sure you still can add value.

The fifth question, is what you're selling in demand in an age of abundance?

Think about when you put a service out there, when you do something, what keeps you in demand when there's so much competition and there's such great abundance in terms of the choices we have.

So the fifth question really is, is what you're selling in demand?

6 Success Skills

The sixth thing I want to offer you are success skills.

There are six success skills that make you ready for the workplace.

I would call them design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning.

Design

The first skill is design.

When you think about selling something or trying to persuade somebody, it's not just a function of what you do, it's also about connecting with a customer emotionally.

You know, function can be done by computers.

The real question is, can you do it with some sense of flair, or flash, or design?

Story

The second skill is this whole notion of story.

You know, sometimes we try to win an argument, but it's really about how do we tell a story that connects and touches someone to keep their attention as you try to win them over or try to get something that convinces them.

You know, Google has all the facts now.

Anybody can find any information.

The real value is when you can tell a story that conveys facts.

Stories touch emotions.

There's an example of a wonderful video put out by Honda that I'd like you to take a look at that really shows a remarkably-cool story to make this point.

Symphony

The third skill is symphony.

It's not just focus, focus, focus, and analyze all the time.

It's about synthesizing to see the context of what it is you're trying to figure out and see.

Synthesizing is much more important many times than even analyzing.

If you've ever seen a FedEx go by, you'll notice there's a wonderful sign.

You know, you can focus on FedEx as a logo, but think about the larger context, you're going to see something very interesting.

On this particular screen, you're going to see there's an arrow going in the direction.

And since FedEx is really transportation, it's really - when you look at the symphony, you understand what that arrow is all about.

Empathy

The fourth skill is empathy.

It's not just logic.

It's also about being able to feel what others feel.

To empathize with what people need.

It can't be outsourced.

It can't be automated.

And great sales people, great teachers, great people who work in helping other folks understand who they are, they need a lot of empathy.

Play

The fifth skill is play.

It's not about just being serious all the time, it's about bringing humor, and creativity, and zest into those things you do.

If you think about it, when people are laughing, good things are happening.

So, being able to play, and relax, and bring humor and zest is critical to being a skill that really will help you in the workplace.

Meaning

The sixth skill is meaning.

It's not just about accumulation of things today, it's about what's that about?

I want to think about what's the why behind what I do.

People are continually searching for more meaning and a sense of purpose.

How can you bring meaning to a person's life?

When you think about purpose, I would suggest to you every day it's a matter or waking up and helping people realize what do they give and what do they grow because we're all looking for a meaning, and to the degree you can bring that into the workplace, you'll be very fortunate.

10 Stretch Questions (1-3)

I want to provide you with ten stretch questions that will help you stretch, as I talked about, and get feedback, and seek feedback, and learn from your experiences.

And the questions are these:

1. What will you do to discover what motivates you?

2. What will you do to get the people skills needed to work in teams?

3. How will you demonstrate that you can persuade and change another person’s attitude or opinion?

Think about the questions presented. Take a moment to brainstorm and write down your answers to these questions.

10 Stretch Questions (4-6)

4. How will you demonstrate that you embrace technology (how are you moving beyond email, PowerPoint, and social media)?

5. What are the toughest math, science, and art courses you’re willing to take?

6. Where will you gain speaking and presentation skills outside of required classes?

Think about the questions presented. Take a moment to brainstorm and write down your answers to these questions.

10 Stretch Questions (7-10)

7. Outside of class, how will you demonstrate clear and persuasive writing skills?

8. What will you read daily or weekly to access other people's opinions?

9. What activities, be they new roles, or committees, or volunteer projects, or travel, will you complete to push yourself, interact with those unlike you? Those not of your age, or those of your socioeconomic class, or whatever.

10. And what three professors will you make an appointment with to interview them about how they succeeded in college into their careers?

I want to help you stretch, and those questions might be useful.

Think about the questions presented. Take a moment to brainstorm and write down your answers to these questions.

HEROIC Mindset

I'd like to offer you a sixth idea called HEROIC mindset

What are the mental habits to help you navigate college and a lifetime of transitions.

If you think about the word HEROIC, it stands for Hope, self-Efficacy with a capital E, Resilience, Optimism, Intentional exploration, and Clarification and Curiosity.

Let's go back.

A HEROIC mindset is really a set of mental habits.

Really, Hope is about a thinking process to help you pursue goals.

It's the will and the way you think about a process to help you pursue goals.

Self-Efficacy is often called confidence.

You trust your ability to organize and execute what you need to get things done.

So I like the word self-Efficacy.

Resilience is the ability to reframe something.

To reframe, and negotiate, and navigate stress differently.

To construct meaning about a situation.

If something bad happens, are you able to reframe it to navigate stress and construct meaning.

Optimism is really seeing the upside.

Being a solution finder.

Solutions of things that went wrong, you now can see a better way to do it.

Intentional exploration is really watching for clues.

Paying attention to your environment.

Getting input so you can decide, am I exploring intentionally?

And the C stands for both Clarification and Curiosity.

Are you clear about your intentions when you get up in the morning?

Are you clear about the intentions in your relationships?

And Curiosity is asking you, are you asking why?

Because if you ask why, you're always learning.

And curiosity is critical as a mental habit.

Purpose & Life Design Statement

The seventh and last thing I want to offer you is a reflective experience.

To help you clarify your intentions and goals critical to maximize your college experience.

We call it a Purpose in Life Design Statement.

As you see on this screen, it's going to ask you to consider these questions.

What do you perceive as your strengths?

What are your present activities and interests?

How do you evaluate where you want to have impact?

And what are your expressed values?

And how will that statement help you?

Review

So as a review, I've tried to cover seven things that might be helpful to help you maximize your college experience.

First is metaphor.

How do I help you take permission to stretch, and get feedback, and try things, and take risks?

Secondly, engagement.

What do we know from research that are keys to helping you get more engaged while you are on campus?

Third, I want you to think about career, a holistic perspective of who you are and just job.

Four, what about being future ready before you leave college?

Five, we talked about some success skills that make you ready for the workplace.

Six, we talked about HEROIC mindset.

Those mental habits to help you navigate a lifetime of transitions.

And seven, a reflective experience that helps you clarify your intentions and goals to critically think about maximizing your college experience.

Give Yourself A Hand

As we end, I just want to say I hope these seven ideas were helpful.

And I want, if you don't mind, to clap with me.

I want you to clap.

Because I want to thank you for exploring how to maximize your college experience, but I want to ask you something more important.

When you clapped, you clapped the same way you always did.

I'd like you to now clap with your less-dominant hand on top.

See what happens.

It's quieter, doesn't feel right, and we probably give up soon.

Just like anything we try to change a new behavior.

So, if we're going to college to really try to stretch, and try to get some feedback, and new behaviors, then we've got to think about changing our behaviors.

And we can only change when three things happen.

You have to get some new idea, some new thing you're going to try or learn.

You're going to then practice it differently.

You're going to practice it differently.

And we typically only practice new things of people we trust.

So I'd like you to think about being excited to go to college, and surround yourself with people you trust that will help you think about getting feedback, trying new things, taking experiments almost like college is a laboratory.

And with that, I have a sense you'll maximize your college experience.