Ep 23: Are They College Ready? A conversation about how you can send your student to college without losing your mind or your money.
1:20PM Oct 10, +0000
Speakers:
Shelli Ann Garland
Shellee Howard
Keywords:
students
college
parents
ready
realise
programme
debt
families
organisation
passion
people
internationally
strategy
world
book
provide
website
eighth grade
son
support
Hello, and welcome to A Dasth of SaLT. I'm Dr. Shelli Ann and I'm so glad you're here. Whether you stumbled upon this podcast by accident, or you're here because the subject drew you in welcome. SaLT is an acronym for society and learning today. This podcast was created as an outlet for inviting fresh discussions on sociology and learning theories that impact your world. Each episode includes a wide range of themes that focus on society in everyday learning, whether formal or informal. So let's get stuck in shall we.
Welcome to A Dash of SaLT. Today I'm joined by Shellee Howard. Shellee Howard is the founder and CEO of College Ready and CR tutoring and test strategies. She's a college graduate and a certified independent college strategist. She's a best selling author, a member of HECA which is an ethics organisation and a member of SOFA which stands for society of financial awareness. Shellee is a mother of four. her oldest son graduated from Harvard in 2016. Debt Free and graduated from UC San Diego medical school in 2021 he will be completing his orthopaedic surgeon residency at UCLA. Her older daughter attended the University of Alabama and CBU and graduated debt free with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2020, and received her Registered Nursing certification in 2021. her youngest son is a high school senior and will be attending SFSU in the fall of 2021, majoring in film production, and her youngest daughter is a rising senior and will be looking to attend college as a business major internationally. I'm really delighted to have you on the podcast today to talk to you about your organisation College Ready, and how to send your student to college without losing your mind or your money. I'm really looking forward to our discussion today. Shellee.
Thank you so much for having me.
So let's start with your background and what inspired you to start College Ready. you've travelled around the world helping students create their standout strategy. And you know what it takes to compete for those top tier schools as well as finding the best fit college for all students. So what's the backstory behind this? How did you get from there to here?
Well, it all started with my firstborn. He came home from eighth grade and said, Mom, I know exactly what I want to do. I know exactly where I want to go. And I'm like, wow, okay, share, because I know a lot of adults are still trying to figure it out. He goes Yeah, so I wouldn't be a brain surgeon, I want to go to a top tier school. And like, any good parent, I panicked, and I'm like, wow, what am I gonna do? How am I going to help them? There was no medicine at all in my family. I was the first to go to college. So we were making this massive leap. And I was a single mom. So even if he got in, how would I ever afford it? So I had all of this swirling around, and really started doing my homework and my research, it turns out at the time, there was nobody that I could find to truly help us do that. So I went back to school, and I got my masters from UC San Diego, and I started touring 25 colleges a semester. And that was 13 years ago. This is our 13th application season. And you know, the stories are so heartfelt when they students go on to adult and they call me we got into the University of you know, Alabama, or whatever it is, and I'm like a part of their future. So College Ready was actually started based on a situation I was sitting at my son's graduation and a young man next to me, my my, my son was speaking about being a Salutarian and what that meant to him. And the man next to me says Dude, I didn't even know that kid was smart. And I thought how brilliant that is that he was able to navigate this without anybody thinking that he was this pompous person going into this elitist organisation. He was truly a normal California kid and he Just had an excellent standout strategy. So college ready is actually my seventh business. I'm a serial entrepreneur for sure. This one is stuck the longest because I love it and I don't ever see me doing anything else. But why it has been so I'm strong into thriving is because the number one fear is not only how will I get into college, but how will I pay for college. So college was founded on the premise of return on investment. Like I said, I'm a business person who had a son who had a need. And I simply took my business strategy of how I would build a business and help him build his standout strategy, which got him not only into the top tier schools, but allowed him to do it without going into debt. So it's a very unique approach, we're just not looking at, pick a name of a school because they have a good football team, we're truly looking at building the best student, and then finding the perfect match. And looking at their long term goals and strategies, if they're wanting to go get their masters or PhD. If a student goes into massive debt early on, that will never happen. So if I can help that student strategize and prioritise, they have a really good opportunity, and then match them with somebody who has more debt. And now you're talking a very different life. So when my son graduated from Harvard, very first job in his life, he made $106,000 a year at 23 years old. I can't imagine what that would be like if every student had that first launch. And that is the gift of having a college ready plan. So that's why it was started. Because my passion and my mission is not for me to build a huge business its to help students be the best version of them. Therefore, when they get into college, they're still the best version. When they go and get their first career. They're still the best version, and now they're not in debt. So that is what our mission is. And that's why College Ready was started. And when,
when does that actually happen, when should a student and in their family start to plan for college?
That has a lot to do with the individual student, as I have found out, you are also a mother and have several sons, and you know that they're not the same. So I tell families, this is how to approach it. I have people call me when they just find out, they're pregnant, and they want a strategy. They want to know exactly how they're going to do it. And then I have people call me their senior year and go, Oh, I know we're early. But I kind of think we should start planning. And I'm like, Oh, so when is the best time is when that student is ready to start having that conversation for my son. It came in fifth through seventh grade, where he's really started talking about what is this thing called college and why do I need to go? How is it different than high school? And what is it going to feel like? And so we started touring colleges, on family vacations, we were on the East Coast visiting family, we happen to walk on Harvard's grounds, and we're like, Oh, my, this has so much tradition, and what is it all about? And we started asking questions and exploring and making it fun and educational. And he's like, yeah, I think I like this. This sounds like something I'd like to do other students wait because maybe their child is not that mature yet. And they're not asking those questions. We have found at college ready. We like to start students when they promote from eighth grade. Why? Because that summer is the first summer colleges allow you to put on your application. It's also the first summer that people don't do anything with. So in that time, when they promote from eighth grade, and they're getting ready for ninth grade, they could be doing their passion with purpose project. They could be doing some skills where they learn leadership, they can be advancing in their sport or a music. They can try to be figuring out who am I and why does that matter. So it's a really fun time for self exploring. So when we say prepare for college, we're not like, learn this, do this, you know, it's what are you passionate about? What do you want to see changed in the world, be a global thinker, how will you set yourself up could potentially make a bigger difference than in your future. So it's all A lot of self seeking. And unfortunately as parents when we ask our children, So who are you? And why does it matter? They're gonna be like, really, Mom, really? You know who I am, you know that you know everything about me. And they're not quite open to having those deeper conversations. So that's what we start with. We start with, who are you? What are the gifts and talents that you come with? And how can you use that towards the ultimate career? And will that ultimate career provide for your family? Because nobody is having that conversation? Yes, art is amazing Women's Studies is phenomenal love at all. Can it provide for your family? Or do you need to own an art gallery and understand how that works? Like there's so many levels to it. And I just like to explore when they're young. So by the time they're a junior, they're like, I know exactly what I want to do. And I know exactly what major I want. And I do know the path I need for my career. That is so much more fun than meeting with a senior and they're like, I have no idea what I want. And it's a bit sad for them because they feel left behind. We recommend they start when they promote from eighth grade. But to be honest, it's whenever they find us. We welcome them with open arms, we only take 20 students per grade. So they get really good hands on experience. So it really comes down to when is that student ready?
And you said that colleges and universities, I think this is something I didn't realise from the American perspective. But they take applications from students as early as ninth grade. Did I hear you right? When you said that?
No, but that's when they start allowing you to keep track. So on the application, it will say, when did you start swimming? Why did swimming in ninth grade in 10th, grade 11th grade 12th grade, you can't apply when you're that young, but you can start building I call it your standout strategy. Some people would say cdv, some would say resume, some would say LinkedIn profile, whatever you want to call it. We're trying to help that student figure out who they are and why it matters. And that can start as young as when they promote from eighth grade.
And if a student wants to go to, they know that they want to go to, you know, college or university, but they actually don't know what they want to do is stepping up with you something that's you know, is good for them to do. Because I know that at that young age, sometimes they don't always know exactly what they you know, what they want to do they know they want to go on to school, but they're not really sure. What do they want to be when they grow up? You know, is it still good for them to come along? Or do they have to know what they want to want to do and be at that time,
A good 90% of the students we work with had no clue when we started. And that's a big part of why parents often will reach out is they can't get out of their own child, there's no communicating about it because of all the expectations of a parent child relationship. So in all reality, sometimes I have been given a student from a parent who says, I don't know what to do with them, please help me. And how we do it as we do it in a very unique way. We're not asking them to fill out a form with a bunch of bubbles. And at the end, you get some random personality. We're actually asking them, what's easy to you? Is math easy science is history is English. Like when you have a conversation with somebody, are you most interested about this? So we're actually just mentorian and and supporting their vision in their dream while actually, we're a bit challenging in a sweet way, because a student may say, Why do I need to go to college? This generation is brilliant. They're challenging everything. They're advocating for everything. I love it. Some parents may not. I speak teenagers. So we use it as a jumping off point. If I have a student that says, You know, I don't see the value of college, and I get to then say great, that's fine. What is your plan? At some point? Do you want to move out of your parents home? Well, of course I do. Yes, I do. Well, how long? Will it take you? What is your plan? Will you have a job like help me out? Well, I'm going to be a barista at Starbucks. Outstanding. So how much does it take how many hours As a week, how much you know, planning Do we need to be able to work as a barista, and go and live the life you want? And they're at absolutely done. They have no idea what I'm talking about. They're like, No, no, no, that I just want to go do that and hang out with my friends. And it takes some time to help them understand how much does a barista make? How much does it cost? How much does a car cost? How much does food cost? Because as parents, we've done such a great job of sheltering them and providing them no clue. I will ask a student, if I give you a million dollars, what would you do with it? And they'll ask Siri, they seriously don't even know how they went spend a million dollars. And if they do, they buy a Lear jet, and then a yacht. And then three homes, and there's no concept of a million dollars. So I get to play fun, exciting, thoughtful games. I call them games. They're not games, they're real life questions. But I don't do it in a way. That's just so what do you want to do? Who do you want to be? What career do you want? And these kids are like, I don't know, I don't have a clue. I'm 15. Like, no. So we explore. We help them to to look at if you're good at English, what are some areas that you could actually make a career from it? Will it provide for your family? Hand? Do you need to go to a top tier school to have a return on your investment? Whoa, these concepts are so far out for them, because their high school is not teaching this stuff. And if their parents, one, if they are willing to step up and talk about this, and not get into an argument, whoo, that's big. But finally, we'll have a student listen to the parent. And are they hearing want want want want want clean your room want want want, you know, so we're trying to really help these students figure out who they are before they pick a major before they pick a college before they pick a career. And that's how we get out of debt. If we don't take on student debt, we don't have to get out of debt. And that's what our mission and mantra is for college ready, debt free.
You recently have written a book, it's a national bestseller, entitled How to Send your students to college without losing your mind or money. Tell us about the book, and how you came to write the book and what you hope that readers will take from reading it?
That is a great question. And you know, it was it was released in a bestseller in 24 hours, which helped me to realise there was the need I thought there was so the reason why the book was started as I was volunteering at girls, I NC Inc, Girls Inc. And it's a nonprofit. And I was volunteering my time to guide these young women into making some pretty important decisions. And I remember thinking, I wish I could just give everybody this book. I wish there was something that I could just take from my mind and give to everybody. And at the time my oldest says yeah, all you have to do is sit down and write the book and I'm like, oh now No, no, I do not write. I am a public speaker on stage I'm happy to present the 1000s but please don't put me in a room and make me write a book. And my son said, think of how many people you could help them. And so I actually locked myself in the house for three months. And I wrote the entire book. And it was really hard for me because that is so far out of my comfort zone. But what I kept looking at the notice how many people I could help by writing this book. And so now I will gift it to somebody who can't afford me if they're if they can't afford a book, I will send them a free copy of the book so it really became more about what I can give versus what I get from it. But what I have found out is it is truly a workbook that these families are writing and putting you know dog ears in and and taking it with on college tours. And it is so great because I built it for a busy working parent. Could be mom could be dad could be grandparent, but somebody who doesn't have a tonne of time. They need the fast version. Just give me what I need to know. So if your any of your listeners would like a copy of that book, I am happy Happy to give it to them. Simply go to my website, and and I will send that out to them because that's how important it is. To me, it was a way to help people in need, who either didn't know I existed, or couldn't afford me, you know, in that realm, so that was my way.
Yeah, yeah. So um, now you've actually touched on, you know, going to your website, tell us about your website and the various services and programmes that college ready offers, I know that you talked a bit about, you know, some of the intricate things that you do and in the counselling in the in the conversations that you have with the students, but what are some of the services and programmes that college ready offers,
so that the website started as a one pager. And now I think we're up to like 14, or 15. But don't be intimidated, we're just trying to serve the world is a very simple format. We believe that if you want to get in and graduate debt free, you can't just have a GPA, you must also have the test score, the community service hours, the extracurricular, the leadership, the letters of recommendation, the essays, the test strategy, you, you need all of that, to be considered a strong candidate. Every student has a chance to get into college, they really do. But if they want to go to a school, that is a dream school, they need to be the dream candidate. So we offer several packages, we have an all inclusive programme, we also offer an online for one year, once a month, then we haven't do it yourself. We have those DIY people who are like I can do this, but I just need a little help. We have the passion with purpose project, how to start one how to create one how to build one how to the whole process, we have, how to go debt free, how to lower your expected family contribution, how to fill out the FAFSA, the CSS Profile, and how to do it without going into debt, how to get off the waitlist or do a financial reconsideration. Then we have our test prep and test strategy side where we have essay editors and application editors. And then we have the financial piece where we really dig in with parents and get their financial house in order. Most people don't realise that the FAFSA looks at the second semester of the sophomore year and the first semester of the junior year. So if your how your financial house is a disaster, you are going to put your student in a very tough position. And what people don't realise is the FAFSA equals all free money, not just need based. So if you want any kind of merit, money, any kind of work, study any anything, you have to do it and I highly recommend, even for my multimillionaire clients, if you don't want to write a check, you'd rather spend that on a down payment for their home, complete the fast fun, connect your taxes, and off it goes. So those are how we support families. We're all over social media, I believe in giving as much as I can. But at some point you get to decide do I want to do this on my own? Do I want to give this task to my 17 year old it's the same cost as buying you a home that terrifies me. And then you know, do you want a combination of the help so we have on the website, any which way that they that they need support, we can provide that.
So it's actually financial planning. So it's not even just you know, giving the students and the families tools to make their themselves look good for college planning. But you also provide financial planning and advice for families as well.
We do we give them the overall vision, the way we look at college as return on investment. And that means we have the parents bucket of money. potentially a student might have a little bit of money in their name. So we need to get all of that in the right place. And then we have the student, they need to be the best version they can be. And when the students the best version and the parents have their house in order. It is amazing in 2021 our students earned over $10.7 million in scholarships. That is not even need based included. That is just what they earned. And so helping the student do that and the finances be in the right place. Wow, these kids are going all over the world. It's a beautiful thing. They can do.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, we know how expensive it is here in the United States to send, you know, your your student to third level education. So yeah, that is that is a scary scenario to think about, you know, and and to think about it as early as possible is obviously the most benefit. So, my next question is, is there a cost involved? I'm assuming that there is, and if so, what are some of the options that families have with your, with your with college ready?
Yeah, so if you join our Facebook page college ready, or our Facebook, private group college ready debt free, I just giving, giving give, I mean, there's just, it's free, it's a tonne of information, you take it, you do what you can with it, and off you go. So I always have that. From there, I go to a do it yourself online for $495. And then from there, we go to a more supportive where I'm with students, and that hits around 4000. So there's, there's different levels. And you know, some students need a lot of help, and some students don't need very much, just a nice, yeah, that a girl that a boy, you've got this. So I really try not to make money, the main reason they can't get help, I just have different ways that they can get help,
it's great that you have those, those resources, and that you are so willing to give freely, like you said, um, you know, accessing the book, you know, that all they have to do is reach out to you, and you will make sure that you get that book in their hands, I think that's a really fantastic thing to offer. You know, especially when people are, you know, petrified about the future, and in third level education. And then you have the Facebook and your other social media outlets where they can go in and steal all the free information you have to give them I think that's wonderful. Um, it do you provide any types of your own types of scholarships or funding, you know, funding opportunities?
I sure do. And it's really, as part of my passion is getting this message out to anybody. So each year we open up, and we allow students to write an essay of why they think working with college ready would give them a competitive advantage. And I read every one of them myself. And if somebody takes it seriously, and in their heart feels like this is something that they would hugely benefit from, oh, yeah, there are scholarships available. Am I going to give it to somebody who just calls me and says, You know, I want to work with you and puts no effort in? No, that's life, right? So I love students who are willing to advocate for themselves and go and get help and support and so we are definitely one of those people that will support them.
That's really fantastic. It's so good to hear. And so tell me about passion with a purpose, what's the passion with the purpose project?
That is my, my passion. And I started it back when my son was in eighth grade, to figure out how do I help him see community service as something he would love to do for the rest of his life, not just sign up, show up, check the box, but something that he really looked forward to, and he felt like he was making a difference with this time. Since then, we've taken it to a whole new level, I now support students all over the world and teach them first. How do you find your passion? I know it sounds simplistic, but it's really not as easy as that for some students. Either that, or they have so many passions that are overwhelmed with all of the things they could do, and then it backfires. Then we open up the world, and help them to think if I had all the money and time in the world, what would I change? Because students feel so much like I don't have time, I don't have money. I don't have resources. I can't I can't, I can't. And I'm like, No, you can. I'm going to give all of it to you. And there's no excuses. Let's go do it. So then they start to look at the world in a very different way. Then I teach them how to lead others, to use their passion to create the change they wish to see in the world. So instead of just complaining about this, and that I say, No, no, no, no, you can fix it. Let's go fix it. If this upsets you, let's go fix it. So I teach students how to take their passion, what they want to see change in the world and to lead others to create that passion with purpose. And that could be anything from a local all the way to a national organisation. We have some students who have done some amazing One of my students this year, won the Coca Cola award with her passion with purpose project, and she got a full ride to Vanderbilt. So we're talking, this is game changing. This is something that a student, honestly, when they're 15, 16, and 17, they don't know how to start this type of thing they've never been taught, how do I lead others to create those big whopping change? This is my passion, and therefore I can help them. Even during COVID, we were doing passion with purpose, we were just doing it safely, and from the comfort of their own home. So passion with purpose is something that each student that works with college ready has the opportunity to be supported with.
So college ready is a US based organisation. Do you have services in place to assist students either who wish to attend college or university abroad, or international students, potentially, who want to attend college or university here in the States?
Absolutely. So it was never originally my intent. But what has happened is, my students in the US have relatives, and those relatives live outside of the US. So it just kind of happened by nature. But in the my true heart of hearts, I worked to travel internationally. So it was a beautiful fit for me. So I just got actually back from the Mediterranean. I went in August, and then I went to Croatia and Bosnia in September. And the whole goal was finding international opportunities for either study abroad, or study internationally, and bring in students from abroad into the US, I have a lot of clients in Asia and in India, and, you know, all over Europe, the beauty of that is, when our students join the programme, and they connect with other students in the programme, they can share their passion with purpose, and connect internationally. And all of a sudden, their programme is now International. So there's a huge advantage I have found of serving both in the US and outside the US, for our students. So yes, I do really think that there's such a huge opportunity for families, both coming in and going out. So we do have resources for them.
So I have a lot of international listeners all over the world who listen in, and are always interested in all things education and educational based. And I'm just wondering if somebody whether here in the States or internationally wants to get in touch with you, what's the best way for them to reach out you know, they've heard they've heard out so much right now about all the different things that that you know, the opportunities that you provide, and you know, some of these options that are available, both nationally and internationally. So what would be the best way to get in contact with you shelling?
Well, obviously the best way is just my website, I mean, that there's so much great information. I'd also like to offer your listeners a free discovery call. It's a 30 minute call with myself to see if you're on the right track. It's a check in how are we doing is this gonna work out as we have planned, and so that you can schedule directly on my website, and then on all social media channels, including LinkedIn is the easiest way to to find me and to really learn for free. So those are some ways that you know, anybody can The other option is go to amazon.com and buy my book, and you will get all of the information you need to definitely get started.
I'm going to make sure that I provide in the descriptor, all your contact information, the website, as well as your social media outlets, as well. But really Shelly any final words of wisdom or advice before we say goodbye?
Yeah, I always like to leave parents with one thought and that is the time you have with them passes so fast. And if you could help them realise that it's not just getting into college, but it's actually what's the exit strategy and focus on Who are they Why does it matter. All the rest comes very naturally together. And they really do want your support even if they might act like they don't so please invest in them because they are Future
definitely yes. And you're setting them up so nicely with you know, so many options and opportunities to be the absolute best that they can be moving and having all the access necessary to to get into, like you said earlier the College of their dreams. So, thank you, Shellee so much for spending this time with me on A Dash of SaLT and your I wish College Ready, all the best. And I do look forward to seeing how you continue to grow nationally and internationally. So thank you, Shellee.
My pleasure. Thank you.
I hope that you've enjoyed this discussion on A Dash of SaLT, a space where you'll always find fresh and current discussions on society and learning today. Seasoned with just the right touch of experts in education and a dash of sociological imagination. Please be sure to like and share this episode. And don't forget to subscribe to A Dash of SaLT on Podbean so that you don't miss the next episode. Thanks so much and we'll chat again soon.