With which character from the Harry Potter series do you most identify? Are you more like Ron? Lacking in confidence, but with incredible talent lying under the surface, ready to come through in a crunch? Are you more like Harry? Not interested in studying unless it is to uncover how to counter “you know who”? And then you will expend huge amounts of time and energy in learning what you need to know? Do you see Hermione in yourself? You love to learn for the sake of learning and need a time shifter to manage all of your classes and activities? Perhaps you are like the Weasley twins. Traditional school doesn’t interest you, but you are a genius at seeing an opportunity to create a business based on your own passion.
As you think about yourself, think about what you bring to the table. How do you learn, how do you achieve your goals? What part do you play in a team? Are you the leader? Are you the implementer? Are you the creative person who gets the group thinking in a different direction? Do you like to read as much as possible before you make a decision and then apply what you’ve read to the situation? Do you act more from your gut?
As you start to develop a better picture for yourself of who you are, you can take that picture and match it with a college environment that fits your style. You will also have a better handle on how to present yourself to colleges when you write your application.
So which school would Harry Potter go to? Hermione? Ron? If I had to make a recommendation, I’d steer Harry towards a hand’s on learning environment, Hermione towards a highly intellectual, challenging environment and Ron towards a small liberal arts college to build his confidence. Where will you go? That’s up to you!
Lisa Bleich,
President of College Bound Mentor, LLC