August is a month fraught with both excitement and anxiety over starting college or returning to college if you’re a sophomore or upperclassmen. This morning along, I met with a reporter who is writing an article about separation anxiety and the emotional roller-coaster for both parents and students who are starting college. We talked at length about various stressors and what families can do during this major life transition.

Then, about an hour ago, I got a great text from one of my families. It was a picture of my client Tori moving into her dorm room today! I loved the picture and the text because it highlighted the excitement of starting college. There are so many butterflies in anticipation of meeting your roommate(s), getting your room set-up and stocked, and sleeping in a new bed! It’s all the start of a new and unfamiliar experience for Tori, as well as hundreds of thousands of college freshmen this month.

Here’s the rub. . . College graduation overall in our country today is about 55%. Slightly less than  80% of our freshman return for the sophomore year. When students drop out after freshman year, it costs us nationally over $4.14 billion dollars. Our show in July focused on the Freshman year transition.

Today on The Education Doctor® Radio we extended that conversation with our guest, Professor Eric Bettinger of Stanford University, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. Professor Bettinger has studied and published in the field of higher education for many years. His work includes the role of teacher characteristics and class sizes in college, the role of need-based financial aid, and the complexity of the college application process.  We were honored to have him share his expertise and he gave our families some new insights about what it takes to be successful in college. A key tip for students applying to college and those currently enrolled is planning ahead for deadlines, according to Professor Bettinger.

Here is a recording to the show: (Yes, I do need to get transcripts soon . . . :-))

Click to listen to Interview with Prof Eric Bettinger of Stanford on How to Be a Successful College Student

More interesting posts to check out:

How to get into the University of Chicago

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