RowCollege

Decision Time-Lots of Acceptances

Chances are that by now (for seniors) you are hearing back from many of the colleges that you have applied to. And let's suppose that many of those letters, or calls, or emails, are positive, and you now have been accepted at several institutes.

What should you do? You are going to have to make a decision.

At this stage in the game, with the new college year starting in about 8 months I'll submit three suggestions that might help you.

First—what a great problem to have. Numerous acceptances mean that you are a person that is desired. Good job! Feel good about where you are (and who you are).

Second—gather your information again. Take the schools where you have been accepted and begin the process anew. Are the criteria that you originally used to pare down your list of schools still applicable? If so use it/them again. If you are looking at five, or 10, even 20 schools put together the information that is important (school size, cost, location, etc). And at this point a return visit to the campus (for your top few schools at least) is probably called for.

Visiting a school when you have been accepted is much different than visiting earlier in the process. The pressure is off and you should be able to focus on specific things and gather more information that is of importance to you, and your family.

Third—I am going to suggest you try the most important step in selecting a college (cost aside) that very few recruits use. . . listen to your gut instinct. There are numerous studies, articles, and papers that suggest, and show evidence that when confronted with a significant decision a strategy using gut instinct is often as good or even better of a decision-maker than struggling.

In a recent article in the Boston Globe, Thoughts for Thinkers, the author wrote about using gut instinct:

In a series of studies with shoppers and students, researchers found that people who face a decision with many considerations, such as what house to buy, often do not choose wisely if they spend a lot of time consciously weighing the pros and cons. Instead, the scientists conclude, the best strategy is to gather all of the relevant information -- such as the price, the number of bathrooms, the age of the roof -- and then put the decision out of mind for a while.

I hope you do have a lot of acceptances to shift through. And with some thought and effort (and gut instinct) you might just land the right place for you to go to college.

 

Are You Coachable?

. . .  a simple question.

Being coachable means that you can form a relationship with a coach that is beneficial to both you, the coach, and the team (if you are rowing on one as compared to a single sculler). It does not mean that you  just listen to what a coach says and then do what you want.

College coaches want people who are coachable—pure and simple.

The coach is building a team and coachability is a critical component. One reason is that many incoming rowers will not row like a college coach wants them to. The coach and team will have a certain style and often rowers are asked to change their technique, or style, or even sides to help them develop, and to fit in with the current team.

To make that happen you need to be c-o-a-c-h-a-b-l-e.

James Lavin, in his book Management Secrets of the New England Patriots: From Patsies to Triple Super Bowl Champs discusses one of the keys to the Pats success is having coachable athletes. Coachable athletes make all the difference.

So what about it, are you coachable?

Here are a few questions that might give you an insight into the answer:

1. Do you think you have a lot to learn about rowing?
2. Do you have a difficult time making changes when asked to?
3. Are you willing to do the work it takes to make changes to improve your style/technique?
4. Can you speak honestly with a coach?

And probably one of the best sources that can tell you if you are coachable is your current coach. Ask him or her, and then listen to the response.

The answer is something you need to know and could help you excel, and find the right collegiate rowing program.

The New Hampshire Primary Can Help You Get Into College

. . . that is if you look critically at why Mitt Romney came in second.

As Tim O'Brien explains in his blog, Mitt Romney has many great character traits that would make him appealing. However, he was not able to sell his brand to the New Hampshire voters. They saw and listened, but did not feel that Mitt Romney was right.

Carry that over to your college search.

When you interview, talk, or write to college employees, rowers, and especially coaches do you come across as someone that they want to associate with? Do they feel that you would be an asset to the school and team?

Much of this comes down to this thing called branding. Very simply, how you make people feel is incredibly important.

Often—as we see in politics—this power of feel/branding is more important than talent.

                                                                                                      Image: Boston Globe