Let's Talk College

In these bonus episodes, I'm going to focus on items that are typically difficult for students. The tough part about creating a college list is knowing where to start. In this short segment, I share the resources we use to help students create a list of 7-10 schools that are right for them.

A great conversation about an experience so many students have. In high school, Chelsea knew she wanted to get away from home, so she decided to go to UNLV. After a semester, she realized it wasn't for her. She shares how she came to that realization and how she STILL managed to graduate from the University of Texas at Arlington in just 3 years after a transfer and some bad advice from her college advisor. We also talked about getting that first job, leaving that first job, and what she's up to now.

Gabriella Smith, professionally known as Gabriella Mykal, graduated from SMU with a BFA in Visual Art and a B.S. in Economics in May of 2020 and is pursuing an MFA in Film/Video Production at the California Institute of the Arts. We track how she discovered her passion for film and the work she is doing today as well as what the future plan are. We also take a look at how her unique grad school is structured. www.gabriellamykal.com

Tom is currently a flight instructor working with corporate pilots. He went from being a flight mechanic to a corporate pilot to his current role. We talk about the state of the industry for both commercial and corporate pilots and the many different ways people can have careers in either of those areas. 

In high school, Kelley was an exceptional athlete. When he headed off to Sam Houston State, he planned to study Criminal Justice and Forensic Science. Three years into that plan he discovered a passion for music that has led him to become one of the best rock and roll guitarists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. His band Mothership has produced 4 albums and he is now working on a collaboration with other artists around the country. We talk about his journey to becoming a professional musician, how the pandemic has affected it, and how he has adapted. Discover more about Mothership at http://mothershipusa.com/

Sydney was originally accepted into the University of Texas CAP program. The CAP program offers students who want to study liberal arts the option of spending their first year at a feeder school before transferring to UT-Austin. After her first semester at UTA, Sydney realized she would have more opportunity to achieve her goals if she stayed at UTA than if she transferred. And was she ever right. We talk about those amazing opportunities as well as how she is preparing for the future. To find out more about The Archer Fellowship: https://www.archercenter.org/archer-fellowship-program.html

Mark Salisbury is the founder of TuitionFit, an organization dedicated to providing transparency to the cost of college. His website tuitionfit.org lets families research colleges that fit their academic and financial profiles and gives them insight into how their costs compare to others. TuitionFit.org is the CarFax of college costs. We discuss what those financial letters mean and how families can be certain their getting the best value for their college costs. Find out more about TuitionFit.org: https://www.tuitionfit.org/

Ciara Smith graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2020 with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Theater specializing in costume design. We discuss how she chose such a unique major and what her career plans are as well as how COVID19 has affected those plans. Check out Ciara's portfolio at https://ciaraniamhsmith.com/

Mackenzie is in her 2nd year of law school at the Dedman School of Law at SMU. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2019.

Devlin is the president of the Houston enterprise of Improving. He started at a community college is the early 2000s, worked his way into software design and up the career ladder to his current position. It's a fascinating story about working your way up through old fashioned hard work. Find out more about Improving at www.improving.com!