It’s that time of year when the airwaves and the ether are filled with good intentions for behavior in the season and in the new year. As the holidays loom, we strive to be our best and make plans for positive change. We promise ourselves more exercise, greater patience with loved ones, fewer cookies, more…

Thanksgiving is an excellent time for reflection and renewal. Learning comes about not only from doing, but from thinking about what we do. Reflecting on a student’s path through the semester, or what we call the Learning Agenda, is an important part of what we do at Focus Collegiate. The discrepancy between the student’s personal…

The holidays are notoriously fraught with difficult conversations. Conversations about next semester, conversations about progress, choices, direction, expectations – the list goes on. Many of these conversations are bound to take place at the holiday dinner table. We believe that these difficult conversations do not happen in isolation; students struggle to assert their new independence…

You may not have received your grade yet, but you do have a sinking suspicion that is growing into a panic. You have failed a midterm—or two. You are stressed, your self-esteem just took a huge hit, you didn’t meet expectations… And now you wonder what comes next. Breathe. Take a little time to regain…

Simply put, our approach works. We use Appreciative Inquiry to facilitate lasting positive change in our students. “Appreciative Inquiry is the cooperative search for the best in people, their organizations, and the world around them. It involves systematic discovery of what gives a system ‘life’ when it is most effective and capable in economic, ecological,…

Psychologists Keith Stanovich and Richard West refer to two systems in the mind, System 1 and System 2. • System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. • System 2 allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations. The operations of…

When our College Life Coordinators talk to students about following their dreams, they are not referring to rainbows and unicorns but to real, heart-felt student aspirations. The charge to pursue your dreams (i.e. do what you love) is certainly not a new recommendation. Confucius told us to “Choose a job you love, and you will…

This is not something you will find on Spotify. Your Midterm survival playlist is more like the old Boy Scouts motto, “Be Prepared,” in which the scout is ready, willing, and able to do what is necessary in any situation that comes along. Your first brush with Midterms demands scout-level preparation – and determination. Here…

A smooth transition to college is not just about the college student. Adjusting to college life can also be challenging for the parents. On one hand our hearts break to pieces as we leave our ‘little one’ all alone in a strange new world; on the other? Who doesn’t want to relive their glory days…

So many First Years in college feel like everything is happening all at once. This is what the internal dialogue might be like as you drag yourself out of bed to face a new day in a new school year in a new environment: “Will this jacket be warm enough today? Where’s my toothpaste? What…

“These are the best days of your life.” How many times have you heard this statement in reference to your college days? If you are like most new students (and even of you aren’t!) you have heard it too many times. Adjusting to college life can be a serious challenge that doesn’t exactly feel like…

We are happy to announce that we have partnered with the International Guest House to provide an alternative housing option for Focus Collegiate students. The International Guest House is an independent dorm conveniently located in the middle of Boston in the Back Bay on Beacon Street.  It’s not too late to explore college attendance in…

G.I. Joe was an action figure who, to placate parents, ended each of his 1980s cartoons with the PSA, “Now you know. And knowing is half the battle…” The PSA was given within the context of something dangerous kids did unintentionally – like running out into traffic. Each cartoon would end with G.I. Joe encircled…

Do a Google search of the word “crisis” and you will find countless results. Okay, that’s not true. Google is counting. There are approximately 1,030,000,000 search results (and counting). Topping the list of crises are opioid crisis, refugee crisis, climate crisis, crisis in Sudan, and crisis on earth (this is a live-action television series starring…

It sounds ominous, but interrupting college can be a good thing. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation lists poor preparation, not enough quality time with teachers and counselors, and a de-motivating college environment among the top reasons students leave school.[1] To an observer in the college support field, these look like excellent reasons to leave…

Most of us feel anxious or depressed at times, especially during times of significant life change like starting college. Given the number of stressors college introduces—especially within the first semester—it is not surprising that many students experience anxiety and depression. New college students are called upon to make a huge number of adjustments. Learning to…

Educators and parents know that everything can impact academics—including a healthy social life. New studies show that academic performance can depend upon good social integration skills—skills which, for many First Years, are put to the test in the new environment of college. The transition from high school to university is fraught with change: social, structural,…

My best friend was “born in the first half of the last century.” He introduces himself this way as he proffers his hand to my son, a hipster college student, who ignores the hand and goes in for the manly hug. It’s a small interaction that speaks volumes about the times. We are 20th Century…

Remember the Freshman Five? The phrase refers to the pounds we gained during our first semester in college. For many of us, college was our first opportunity to eat unsupervised. And we did! We ate for fun, we ate to reduce stress, we ate to socialize, we ate to abate anxiety, we ate for comfort.…

It’s college landing season. Social media is flooded with images of exuberant students unpacking their parents’ minivan. As one, we are caught up in energy and excitement about the future. Filled with pride at the accomplishments of recent high school graduates, we can’t help but wonder about their next steps. We are especially curious about…