Simply Admissions’ career coach, Anne Shields, is guest blogging this month with a fun exercise for current college students!

The skills and processes students learn and use for college exploration, decision making, and application will be used repeatedly during college as they explore, experiment, and finally choose one or more paths to follow post-college.

All learning, all trying, all choices made - whether or not the results are what was hoped for or expected - matter. Some paths, decided on early, don't lead to the place one imagined. Others, seemingly unlikely, lead to exciting options never previously considered. Remember this on your journey:

Experimenting is a good thing.
"Failure" can hold success within it.
Vicarious learning saves time and energy: talk to others who have adventured before you. Learn from alumni and others working in fields that interest you.
Work smarter, not harder.

This game board provides the year-to-year landmarks to pass from one fall semester to the next. Students using this map will learn more than can be imagined, enjoy the generosity of alumni mentors, and be confident that the path they follow will be the best ones for who they have grown to be as graduating seniors.

Enjoy the adventures!