Reaching the Connected Generation

1. Engaging Students Series: Talk, Text or Skpe? Reaching the Connected Generation

2. Your Hostess • Cyndy McDonald • Middle school and high school counselor • Experience working in college access program AVID • Founder of HECA, MyCCA.net and co-founder of GuidedPath • Launching Military non-profit organization • Passion for education • First generation college student

3. Webinar Agenda Agenda for the meeting

4. The Connected Generation How can you keep your sanity amidst the chaos?

5. Think about the virtual world you live in… Your students definitely live in a virtual world. How will you connect with them?

6. Research Uncovers Universal Motivation AUTHENTICITY The need to see things as they are COMMUNE The need for connection, relationships & community JUSTICE The need for social or personal justice, to do what’s right, to be an activist “Technology……is the great global unifier; it is the glue that binds this generation together and fuels the three motivations…” The Truth about Youth | McCann Worldgroup | May 2011 “We’ve seen the emergence of a generation with fundamental commonalities that transcend borders. The same 3 motivations are ranked highly in every country:”

7. Generation C- Global Views

8. Technology- Embraced How will this redefine “confidentiality”? The Truth about Youth | McCann Worldgroup | May 2011 “Youth see technology as Plah-Doh – something they use in an utterly malleable and instinctive way. Older generations start with ‘what will this box allow me to do?’ Whereas this generation starts with ‘what do I want to do? Where can my imagination take me?’ Technology enables young people to sense the world and make sense of the world. It is this deep relationship with technology that is shaping their attitudes towards community and truth and allowing them to re-imagine justice for a new era.”

9. How many online tools do you use for college planning ? GuidedPath has it all in ONE place College search & comparisons Personality/Career Assessments TEXT/email Business management tools College Affordability Essay questions & support Test Prep

10. As an online tool, GuidedPath.net helps you connect using technology… It helps you: Be current/cutting edge Market your practice Stay organized Be professional Put your students on track for admissions success Connect with busy students & parents Expand your services It is a user friendly online tool for users at all levels of online experience

11. Connecting to Gen C How does this connect to the 4 global motivations?

12. Focus on College Process Top 5 Tips for Creating Dynamic College Lists

13. 1. Learn about Thyself Students LOVE doing self surveys. Connect with them using an ONLINE survey • Surveys • Find My Spark • College Affordability • College Match (coming soon!) • Custom Surveys • (Surveys Session link)

14. 1. Learn about Thyself • Test Prep • Jed Applerouth Test Prep • Other Test Prep • Online is trend of the future (Method Test Prep) • Test Scores • Create testing schedule • Set up PUSH Notifications by TEXT • Alert to Missing Scores • Use test scores in Search

15. 2. Search & Compare Perform GuidedSearch using results from the surveys Review college profiles Use FISKE college guide Use College Videos

16. 3. Build College List Balance with CSQ’s Include Social Experience from profiles Determine BEST fit schools for academic, social, financial & emotional health

17. 4. Create a Plan HEART Of GuidedPath Decide on application TYPE • Early Action, Early Decision, REASC, etc. • GuidedPath ONLY one with dates researched by our own team • Organize milestones • Start on college essays • Identify KEY milestones • Communicate with push notifications & TEXTS

18. 5. Execute A Plan

19. College Planning with Gen C Utilize technology as their 5th Sense! Take a paper process and make it interactive by making it online Empower students to participate in the process Authenticate the process by inviting students to be actively involved Make the process more fluid because it can change with the flick of a mouse

20. 5 Tips to Help You Stay Sane 1. Organize all students • Save time by assigning students in groups at once as ACTIVE • ACTIVE students have most access • You only pay for ACTIVE students • PROSPECTS and ARCHIVED are free Stay connected to all students – - communicate by email - add advisor notes & track information

21. 2. Activate Student Accounts Mantra – “Use your account”” • Student Accounts = Sanity • Assign students and parents online accounts in GuidedPath • Let them do more for themselves using online account in GuidedPath • What they do for themselves = less you need to do for them

22. 3. Communication is key • Organize • Organize messages and themes for students • Calendar • Schedule on calendar • Use word document to organize message templates • Record • Track messages in one place

23. 4. Calendar it! Set appointments and assignments in calendars Doesn’t happen if not on calendar!

24. 5. Make it crowd friendly • Tips for group mode: • Include student name at beginning of appointments/assignments • Create protocol for appointments/assignments • Generates automatic reminders/notifications • Use group mode to • View • Organize • Plan

25. Engage through more surveys Students LOVE to do surveys and learn about themselves Juniors should: Update Activity record Do College Match Update Course Plan Do Design a College Do Getting 2 Know U if not done before And other surveys as needed (custom, Athletic, Find My Spark)

26. Kaetlyn Tells It Like it Is Read all of Kaetlyn’s blogs at www.guidedpath.net Getting 2 Know U. Coming up with something to write about for the Common Application was particularly challenging for me, as the prompts are very broad. The Getting 2 Know U survey gets your brain rolling and ideas flowing. Any question within this survey is a great place to start when trying to write your Common Application essay. Design A College. I find the Design a College survey most useful in organizing my thoughts. For me, after visiting ten colleges I became unsure as to why I liked a college. I simply had a general feeling for each school. This survey helped me to focus on the specifics of a college, and gave me a general idea of my ideal college. This survey can be used both as a starting point when creating a college list, as well as a reminder when all of your potential schools begin to blur together.

27. Recommended Test Schedule- Juniors See 4 year Testing schedule at http://guidedpath.net/engaging-students-series-sophomores-a-guidedpath-best-practices-webinar/

28. Testing: Sanity Tip Remember your mantra: Put it in your account! • Students self-enter scores • Saves time • Empowers students • Improves communication • Enhance counseling • Generates automatic reminders for : regular & late registration: and prior to test date.

29. College Search & Lists • Also includes: • Organized tagged lists • Comparison columns • Filters ACT did a search and found GuidedPath to be the most comprehensive on the market. GuidedPath uses 4 search categories: • General Information • Academic • Financial Aid • Social Experience

30. Search Tips • Teach student search tips • Start broad • Use COMPARE for multiple columns • Select only 1-2 filters

31. Infinite Search Combinations Possible Waited for 5 years for technology to catch up with imagination Professional – Precise – Piece of cake!

32. Reports Individual & Group Reports

33. Coming Next: Engaging Juniors: Part 2 Register now! Feb. 12 10 am PST Details at www.guidedpath.net/training • Agenda • Using Advisor notes • Using notifications & reminders effectively • Finalizing lists • Activities for essay brainstorming • Understanding My Chances • Group mode- more ways to keep your sanity! • Special features for International Students

34. Check it out Let’s log into www.guidedpath.net Sample student: Andy Awesome I am using Audry Apple

35. Support? Counseling? cyndy@guidedpath.net • Knowledge Base • View articles • Watch videos • Do a search • Submit a request • support@guidedpath.net • Call us! • 720.465.8555