The Connected College Podcast with Elliot Felix

What's the value of an internship? How can institutions and employers get together to maximize the benefits of these for all involved? Elliot digs into this with Josh Kahn, Associate Director of Research and Public Policy for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) to hear about their programs, advocacy, and assessments. 

How can you find a college or university that's a financial fit for you and your family? What are the common misconceptions and barriers to finding fit? Elliot and Liane dive into this topic to go through the process, identify practical suggestions around setting a budget, broadening or focusing your search, and how this might change in the future.

What will you do when you face a crisis in college or in your career? Elliot and Rachel discuss this topic, drawing from her unique work on the student experience in higher ed and the employee experience in the workforce. They talk about getting perspective, finding support, making a plan, making progress, and more.

How can you tell compelling stories with data in college and your career? Elliot and data analytics expert Valerie Kroll dive into this topic. They follow Val's path from college to market research to optimization and go through concrete suggestions on knowing your audience and what to do before, during, and after a big presentation.

How can international students learn and adapt to new settings, cultures, norms, and rules to thrive in college? Elliot and Debrup go through the nuts and bolts of housing, jobs, internships and more and give practical suggestions for international students based on his own experience and all the students he's helped over the years.

How can students develop skills, build a network, and explore careers? Elliot and guest co-host Steve Ehrmann discuss this with award-winning faculty member and experiential learning expert Melonie Sexton. They discuss research projects, capstone projects, and internships along with how to best support students along the way.

What are the unspoken rules and the obscure terms that trip students up in college? How can they learn these to think critically in their classes and careers? Elliot and author Louis Newman dig into this based on his decades of experience as a professor and advisor and his recent book Thinking Critically in College. 

How can you cope with less control in college – and in your life and career? How can you manage perfectionism for your health and success? Elliot and Vanessa Bush, author of Embracing Your Perfectionist Self, discuss these topics and cover understanding who you are, getting involved, finding acceptance not fitting in, and more.

How can you find a college that's the right size, setting, and focus for you? How do you know when you've found the right fit? Elliot digs into this with Nancy Hubbard, Dean of the College of Business at University of Lynchburg. They get into the quality of relationships, the amount of flexibility, what you get exposed to, and more.

How can you build your network to set yourself up for sucess in college and your career? Elliot digs into this critical topic with career development professional and Positive Philter podcast host Philip Wilkerson. Don't miss the 5 "Fs" of networking, plus two bonus "Fs"!

How many colleges and universities are there in the US? What are the demographic, financial, and social trends that are changing higher education? Elliot gives an overview of the higher education sector that answers these questions and can help students, families, and folks in higher ed understand the big picture.

What common misconceptions get in the way of how students succeed in college? How does college actually work? In this bonus episode, Elliot and college success coach Mya Andersen debunk misconceptions about orientation, terminology, technology, support services, career exploration. and more.

Elliot opened the pre-conference workshop at the Designing Libraries Conference with an overview of trends changing higher education and libraries. In this ~10min talk he provides an overview of key trends including students’ sense of belonging, working on real-world projects, building valuable skills, next generation libraries, and getting advice and support.  https://www.libraryjournal.com/story...

Elliot joined a College Spy Webinar hosted by Michelle McAnaney where he shared the insights from How to Get the Most Out of College. In this ~20 minute talk, he summarizes what students can do to increase their chances of success in college and get the best return on their investment of time and money – and how to find colleges/universities that offer these opportunities to inform their college s...

How can students spot problems and create solutions as entrepreneurs? How can they take full advantage of all the clubs, centers, support, technology, and mentors their college and university offers to entrepreneurs? How can tackling big problems generate hope? We dig into this with Alicia, Host of the College Life Podcast and professor in Social Innovation.

What can the process of searching for and applying to college teach you about yourself? Given so many colleges and universities admit students directly to specific schools and major, how can the process help you uncover your strengths, interests, and focus? Lisa shares her experience with these questions in career planning and college counseling.

Why and how can you make things – digitally and physically – as a way of thinking? How is making and prototype a way of being? We discuss these questions and follow Scott’s path from engineering to product design to education at Stanford’s d.school and UT Austin. He shares insights from the book he co-authored Make Space and his latest book, This is a Prototype.

What do students want to get out of college – discovering identity, belonging to a community, building skills, learning about an interest or passion? What does why you want to go to college tell you about where to go to college and how to go to college? We discuss this with college counselor Michelle McAnaney, “The College Spy”.

What are the outdated policies and processes that students and families will confront in higher education? How can colleges and universities change these to work for today’s students? How can students and families cope with them in the meantime? How can they advocate for change? We discuss this with higher education change consultant Drumm McNaughton.

What is design thinking and how can students use it to design their lives? What will that tell them about possible career paths, courses to take, projects to work on, and mentors to find? We discuss these great questions with Julia Lang, Professor of Practice and Associate Director of Career Education and Life Design at Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking at Tulane U...

How can you get oriented, get involved, and belong as a transfer student? How do you balance spending time with other transfers versus connecting with other students who’ve had a different experience? We discuss this with higher education’s first Chief Experience Officer (CXO) and two-time transfer student, Tom Ellett from Quinnipiac University.

How do you work up the courage to take risks, put yourself out there, and try new things? How can you rest, recover, and reflect while you’re making the most of your time in College? How does all this help you grow, personally and professionally? We discuss all this and more with former brightspot intern and current Harvard first year Grace Bida.

What is the price you’ll pay for college? How does that compare to other students and other schools? How did the price of college get so complicated and mysterious? What can you do solve this mystery? We discuss these important questions with Mark Salisbury, Founder and CEO TuitionFit.org, the college price transparency platform.

What should you do when you visit a college? How can you go beyond the standard admissions info session and tour? What should you do before, during, and after your visit to make all this happen? We dive into this with Mark Stucker, Founder of School Match 4 U, co-host of Your College Bound Kid podcast, and author of 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admissions Questions.

How can students find friends, advisors, and other folks to support them as they transition from dependence at home to independence in college? What people, information, and resources are available and what’s the best way to learn about and use them? We discuss the topic of building a support network with Andrea Malkin Brenner, Creator of Talking College Cards.