Growth Mindset and College advisement

Exhibited by:

• Allison Cohen

PLO Attended:

• Manhattan School Counseling Mentoring Series

Coached by:

• Heather LaValle

PLO Goals:

I wanted to see how using a growth mindset could empower students during the college application process.

PLO Learnings:

Values are essential to college advisement. In applying growth mindset concepts, I realized I needed to identify and respect the role of unique, embedded values in each college advising process – both mine and the families. Then, I can better advise them to ‘best fit’ institutions.

Implementation of Techniques and Practices:

I changed the structure of my family college meetings. I introduced a short ‘do now’ activity to identify student and parent/guardian values around college by asking them identify what college represents to them and why going would be meaningful. This reflection activity helps set the tone for the meeting and the value of having a growth mindset. Some families didn’t understand why we couldn’t just dive right in to talking about the SAT or their first choice campus. But, I explained that doing the reflection activity first could help us build a higher quality and more efficient list in the long run.

Past Practice:

 Meeting got right to business talking about GPA, test scores, colleges

 Tone resembled a strategy session with little to no personal/emotional awareness

Current Practice:

 Start the meeting with a reflection activity for both students and parent/guardians

 The activity is a prompt for potential future family conversations

 The post-Secondary plan revolves around mutually discussed values

 College and Career is set in a context of personal meaning

Impact:

1) Many students reported to me they value most the independence they would gain in college (more than the career training or social capital).

2) The growth mindset activity helped lower the anxiety level during meetings.

3) Counseling meetings with a growth mindset leave the student feeling empowered.

Conclusion:

As a result of utilizing a growth mindset framework, I have a more efficient and meaningful college advisement practice. It is more closely based on students’ best fit and empowers students to explore a full range of options with lowered anxiety.

Next Steps:

Granular:

1. Financial Aid Maximization chart to integrate Growth Mindset into the conversation

2. Help students process college outcomes by reconnecting with their values around college

Higher Level:

1. Plan to do a focus group with PTA over the summer

2. Expand my use of growth mindset language when talking to faculty and staff