BLOG & PODCAST · COLLEGE & CAREER
College & Career
College planning and career readiness for your students.
60 posts and episodes, newest first. Each one opens on counselorclique.com.
Podcast · Episode 167 Life Skills Your Students Should Master – Part 3: Healthy Communication From awkward group projects to job interviews, communication is the life skill students will use daily, but rarely get taught. In the final episode of my “Life Skills…Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 166 Life Skills Your Students Should Master – Part 2: Time Management How many skills have you had to figure out as an adult and thought, “Wow, I wish I had learned this sooner”? Probably too many to count! That’s exactly why I’m on a…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 165 Life Skills Your Students Should Master – Part 1: Budgeting Basics Imagine if your students graduated not just with academic knowledge, but real-world skills they’ll use every day. Today we’re starting that conversation. I’m kicking off…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 162 6 Ideas for Transitioning Your Seniors to Avoid Summer Melt After graduation, students are eager to jump into the next chapter of their lives, but sometimes things fall through the cracks. Summer melt is real, and it can make the…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 161 Unique Pathways and Global Perspectives Through Study Abroad with Neal Crosson What if students could earn college credits, explore the world, and gain invaluable life experience, all before starting their traditional college journey? In this…College & Career
Podcast · Episode 159 From Hunting for Prestige to a Values-Driven College Search with Jared Epler and Jen Vallieres The college search can be an exciting journey, but it also comes with competition, disappointment, and so much pressure. Too often, students and parents fixate on Ivy…College & Career
Podcast · Episode 158 College Tours Without Leaving Home! Behind the Scenes of ‘The College Tour’ With Host Alex Boylan Choosing the right college is one of the biggest decisions a student will make. But what if there was a way to explore campuses across the country without ever leaving…College & Career
Podcast · Episode 157 Gamifying the College Search Process with Sam Bernstein Think college searches have to be boring and overwhelming? Think again! In this episode, I sit down with Sam Bernstein, co-founder of the Loper app, to talk about how…College & Career, Programs & Systems
Blog The Ultimate College Search Hack: Why Students (and High School Counselors) Need Loper The college search brings excitement but it can also bring our students apprehension as they can feel stuck with how to even get started. I want to introduce you to…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 147 Exploring Gap Year Opportunities for Your Students (or You!) with Julia Rogers Have your students ever expressed interest in taking a gap year? A gap year is more than just time off! It’s a deliberate period to explore personal, practical, and…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 144 How to Host a College Application Day As school counselors, we know that not all of our students are going to go to college after graduating. However, for the students who do have college in their future…Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career, Advocacy & Data, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 133 Career Exploration Help for Your High School Students: A Free Podcast Resource I’m always looking to find new resources and information that will be helpful tools for high school students. Whether that be career opportunities, college options, or…College & Career
Blog Appealing Financial Aid? Use This Tool! *This post is sponsored by Going Merry. Financial aid is one of the top stressors on our students’ minds when we ask them to start thinking about their post-secondary…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 116 3 Steps to Hosting a Successful Career Fair Are you interested in hosting a career fair at your high school and wondering where to begin? That’s similar to the position I was in as a school counselor. There hadn’t…College & Career
Podcast · Episode 97 A Parent-Counselor Perspective of the College Application Process with Tyesha Hemmans When we have children of our own, we have to juggle the role of parent and high school counselor. Our experience in school counseling can pay off when it comes to…College & Career, Advocacy & Data
Podcast · Episode 93 School Counselor Advocacy and Empowering Students for Post-Secondary Success with Priscilla Grijalva After witnessing a student feel defeated about plans to attend community college rather than a University, Priscilla Grijalva knew that she needed to change the…College & Career, Advocacy & Data, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 92 How to Advocate for Undocumented Students in Your High School Each student on your caseload has unique needs. Your DACA and undocumented students face a particular set of challenges, and you have the opportunity to be a beacon of…College & Career, Advocacy & Data, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 91 Simplify the College Search: 5 Free Tools for High School Counselors and Students As we gear up for the school year, I know you’ve probably already started fielding questions from your seniors about their college search. It’s important to remember…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 90 3 Assumptions to Avoid If You Want to Increase College Access on Your School’s Campus We all want our students to find success after high school and do everything in our power to get them to where they need to be by graduation. This idea of “success” is…College & Career, Supporting Students, Programs & Systems
Podcast · Episode 86 Comparing the Roles of Elementary, Middle, and High School Counselors with Laura Rankhorn and Kim Crumbley If you’ve ever been curious about the differences in school counseling roles based on the grade levels they support, then this episode is for you. I’m joined by Alabama…College & Career, Advocacy & Data, Counselor Growth
Podcast · Episode 77 What it Looks Like to Implement MTSS In a High School Setting with Dr. Jake Olsen and Dr. Peg Donohue Are you familiar with MTSS? In case you aren’t, MTSS stands for Multi-Tiered System of Supports. Essentially, it is a framework that helps schools be effective and…College & Career, Advocacy & Data, Supporting Students, Counselor Growth
Blog Do This 1 Super Simple Activity to Celebrate Senior Students and Make a Major Impact As we prepare to launch our senior students into the next chapter, we have the privilege of making them feel ultra-celebrated and supported. One way we can celebrate…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog 3 Creative, Fun Career Activities (That High School Students Are Actually Excited About) If you’re looking for some ways to refresh career exploration for your high school students, you’ve come to the right place. Career activities are always a hot topic for…College & Career
Podcast · Episode 71 An Administrator’s Perception of School Counselors and the Roles They Play Your school’s administration can make all the difference in your job satisfaction as a high school counselor. The experience you have in your role might look very…College & Career, Advocacy & Data, Counselor Growth
Podcast · Episode 69 Senior Decision Day: Creating Lasting Memories for Your Graduates The end of another school year is quickly approaching and I know that the deadline for diplomas can be so stressful as a high school counselor. However, there are some…Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career, Supporting Students, Programs & Systems
Podcast · Episode 68 4 Ways to Repurpose Student Pictures to Celebrate Your Seniors As a high school counselor, you know that graduation is a major milestone for your seniors, and you’re feeling the pressure to help them successfully cross that finish…Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career, Supporting Students, Programs & Systems
Podcast · Episode 67 How to Utilize Free Financial Literacy Resources in Your High School Counseling Program with Alyssa Lyons Think back to your family dinner table conversations while you were growing up. Did the topic of finances come up, or was that kept private? For many of us, there was a…College & Career, Advocacy & Data, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 65 Innovative Career Activities for High School Students When I think back to when I was in high school, there are so many real-world skills that I wish we were taught. Being exposed to more conversations about career options…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 64 CTE Teacher and High School Counselor Partnerships with Khristen Massic If you’ve been a listener of this podcast for a while, then you know how much I encourage you to build and nurture relationships with staff members in your school…Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career, Advocacy & Data
Blog 4 Ways Going Merry is Providing Effective FAFSA Help for Your High School Students *This post is sponsored by Going Merry. As a high school counselor, you’ve probably been sending transcripts and running senior meetings since school started. We’re now…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 41 Supporting and Empowering First Generation Students In its most simple terms, first generation students are the first in their families to attend college. According to the Center for First-Generation Student Success…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 40 How to Advocate for All Post Secondary Plans As high school counselors, we hope to prepare students for whatever their post secondary plans are… from work, military, or college. Elementary and middle school…College & Career, Supporting Students
Podcast · Episode 39 Running Senior Meetings Like a Boss Running senior meetings helps to inform your students and parents while also building their confidence about what’s to come! Senior year can be a LOT! Planning…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog 3 Ways Going Merry is Streamlining the Scholarship Search for High School Counselors *This post is sponsored by Going Merry. High school counselors deal with information overload every day! Add scholarship search questions and emails to the mix, and you…College & Career
Podcast · Episode 38 Let’s Talk Counselor Fly Ins Call it what you want- a counselor fly in, a counselor outreach program, a college fly in opportunity… you just have to hear about it! Counselor fly ins are a hidden…College & Career, Counselor Growth
Blog 3 Compelling Reasons to Use Small Group Counseling to Promote Career Readiness in Your Comprehensive School Counseling Program Small group counseling often gets overlooked especially in the high school setting. Small groups take the most strategic planning of any of our initiatives and involve…Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career
Blog 4 Fun Career Activities to Engage Your High School Students How many times do we skip over the “career development” aspect of our roles as high school counselors because it seems too tedious, or we feel like we don’t have the…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog 3 Simple Steps to Hosting a Successful Career Fair Hosting a career fair can feel intimidating and scary… so you might be tempted to never host one. Think of all of the amazing careers your students may miss out on…College & Career
Blog 3 Genuine Career Readiness Conversation Starters for High School Students When my high school students walked across the stage to get their diplomas, I always wanted them to have an idea of what was coming next in terms of their career…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog 4 Benefits of Attending a Counselor Fly-In Are you sick of wondering where all of the fun and unique opportunities are for growing professionally as a high school counselor? Have you considered attending a…College & Career, Counselor Growth
Blog 4 Easy Ideas to Make College Accessible to Your High School Students School counselors hold a very powerful seat in their school building: the power to make college accessible to ALL of their students. No matter the students’ background…College & Career
Blog 3 Fun and Engaging Ways to Celebrate Students’ Post-Secondary Plans By this point, seniors have spent so many years of their life in school, done lots of soul searching, and decided what is next for their post-secondary plans. Whether a…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog 3 Important Things High School Counselors Can Talk About in Senior Meetings There is some uniqueness between what I talk about as a high school counselor with seniors compared to all other grades. When we get into talking about these three…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog 3 Reasons Why It’s Okay to Ask for Help During the College Application Process As your student gets closer and closer to graduation, you want them to have a post-secondary plan for their life after high school. You may be in a season of…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog 3 Ways to Use College Application Day to Increase Student Confidence Around College Applications I am completely aware that college is not the post-secondary path for every high school student. However, hosting an event like a “College Application Day” is shown to…College & Career, Supporting Students
Blog The 5 Comprehensive Phases of College Applications When you start navigating the college application process on your own, you quickly find out how much information is out there. SO MUCH! TOO MUCH! Think of the college…College & Career
Blog 4 Quick Tips for the FAFSA Senior year is full of stressors! Questions I hear from students (and even parents) include, “What should I be doing? When should I be doing it?” When senior year…College & Career
Blog 3 Questions Parents Should Ask Their Students When Beginning the College Search Process Do you feel ineffective as you try to move the needle in communicating with your teenager about college? Are you clueless as to WHAT you should even be asking and WHEN…College & Career
Blog 4 Tips for Parents Heading into the College Application Process When you don’t know where to start in the college application process, the frustration starts to seep in. As a parent, are you feeling this tension yet as you’re…College & Career
Blog 3 Steps to Hosting an Effective Virtual Career Fair When we went to 100% digital/distance learning, I knew the career fair we were planning for this year was going to be a no-go. But if I’ve learned anything, I am certain…College & Career, Programs & Systems
Blog Counselor Fly-Ins: 7 Insider Things You Need to Know About Them Counselor Fly-Ins are the hidden treasures of school counselor professional development! You get to explore and travel, learn about a college, and bring home information…College & Career, Advocacy & Data
- Blog How to Make the “I Applied! Bulletin Board” I am always trying to think ahead at what will go on our school counseling bulletin board right outside of our office. My strategy is, honestly, how can I use what I’m…
College & Career
- Blog All the Steps for Hosting a Successful College Application Day After I posted a picture of my College Application Day “exit ticket,” I got numerous comments and direct messages about tips for holding such an event! We’ve done this…
Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career
Blog 5 Best Practices for Hosting a Career Fair Without Losing Your Mind This year, one of our program goals was: Fifty percent of ninth through eleventh grade students will visit a career fair display of their number one identified career…College & Career
- Blog Get the Scoop On Careers: A Bulletin Board For Your Career Fair We have our first career fair (since I’ve been at my school for 6 years) for our high school students! We are giving away free ice cream to participants, thus… this…
Small Groups & Lessons, College & Career
- Blog How to Use Quick Perception Data for Effective Career Programming: A Pre/Post Test I created a pre/post test that could be used for a variety of career lessons: career small groups classroom lessons: regular ed, special ed, freshman success, etc…
College & Career, Advocacy & Data
Blog 54 Questions and a Career Building Blocks Game Your High Schoolers Will Love I am doing some career activities this week in some high school classrooms and I thought I’d share something new I’m adding to the mix. I bought a classic Jenga® set and…College & Career
- Blog How to Inspire Career Culture In Your School: A Quick Career Activity A simple movement through the school to start conversations about careers, colleges, and majors. We gave these out to all teachers and asked them to fill them out and…
College & Career
- Blog 6 Questions for Classroom Teachers on College and Career Day As an easy activity to get teachers, administrators, and staff on board to celebrate November’s National Career Development Month, we had a “College and Career Day.” For…
College & Career
- Blog Practical Ways to Incorporate Career Assessments into Your School Counseling Curriculum Did you know November is NATIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT MONTH? There’s no way you wouldn’t around our high school. I am a huge advocate of career education and career…
College & Career, Advocacy & Data