From time to time, we will send out a digital “guide” to help you spark new conversation with your menthe, and lay down some knowledge.
 As some of you know, the students were working on nominating Rachel Bennett for an administrative award, to thank her for her hard work. This week I want us to talk about deciding on  school options and properly sending for information. This will be the first of a 4-part guide series, “The College Games: hunting for the best school for you”. Â
 Sounds exhilarating, right? Many of our students are still wrapping their head around the idea of going off to school, and could use some guidance. Below are some resources that I want you all to tap into and topics I want you to discuss with your mentee.
 Starting off on the right foot: what should I do?
Think about this: When you were getting ready for college, how did you pick? What did you look for? How important was location to you?
 I remember being so frustrated with picking a school that I considered making a decision based on which university had the cutest spirit wear at Victoria’s Secret. True story! Right now, our students are thinking about school, but most of them have a very limited scope. They’re either setting their sights on Missouri schools or big-name places they’ve heard of. Both are fine, but remember we are here to broaden their horizons.
 So here are questions to start out with:
“Have you given any thought to school/college yet? I know Mrs. Bennett gives you all a lot of info on Missouri schools…”
“What other things are you into? What type of things do you like to do outside of school?”
*Note, sometimes they will be difficult and say “nothing” or hit you with that brutal one-word text. This is where you start talking about big bucks...it gets their attention:
“Have you started looking at any other schools yet? I could help you look for scholarship info”
 Everyone loves talking about scholarships and traveling! Once you’ve gotten the conversation rolling, it’s helpful to mention that you may have some places in mind. Ask if they’d like to meet up in a few days and go over some info. Why does this work?
This shows your enthusiasm: You’re being proactive about meeting up and finding good info for them
This shows you care and that you’re interested in their success beyond ILIG
This shows you’re persistent and that you will not just abandon them, even when their communication with you is spotty.
 Below are links to 2 checklists you can go over with your student to help them narrow the career field they’re looking at and the school they’d like to attend.
Go over these together (in person, if possible) and afterwards keep them for your records. Like I mentioned earlier, we’ll be doing more of these guides and they’ll all have interactive portions like this, so you’ll want to keep all of it together.
 Once you’ve gone through the guide, please fill out the survey in this guide so we can track how useful this method is for you all. For any questions, concerns or feedback, we can be reached through our email ([email protected]), Facebook (Ivy League Innovators Group) and our Twitter (@ILIGMizzou).
Link 1: What Are You Looking For?
Link 2: Where the Heck Are You Going?
