Remote Learning and Productivity - How to Raise Your Own Bar

As high schools (and colleges) pivot to online learning platforms for what looks like the remainder of the academic year, many people worry about productivity. How will they remain engaged? Will it be so much less useful than in-person classes? I think most of us can agree that there are many advantages to actual, face-to-face contact. Humans are pack animals and they crave human interaction. Having said that, I’ve worked with students remotely for years and I can say, with very few exceptions, that my remote sessions are just as productive as my in-person sessions. It’s all in how you approach those sessions.

Are you “phoning it in” or are you really showing up? I ask this question of students and teachers because this proposition simply won’t work without a commitment on both ends. For the purpose of this post, however, I’ll address the students. How do you make the most of online learning? While the following advice might seem obvious, you’d be surprised how many people don’t take it seriously. I’m going to summarize a recent article from the Harvard Flyby on this subject because hey, if it came from Harvard, it must be important … right? Here’s the link: https://www.thecrimson.com/flyby/article/2020/3/27/how-to-remote-learning-productivity/

• Use a designated work space. Your area should be as distraction free as possible and conducive to learning. If you need to put your phone in another room to stay off it during your sessions then do so. Ask your parents and other family members not to disturb you while you’re “in class.” Remind them that they wouldn’t be able to ask you to fold your laundry if you were in school at that time.

• Take breaks as necessary. Just as you’d walk between classes, it’s important to get up and stretch your legs and get your blood flowing. It’s also important to stay fed and hydrated. Don’t we all think better when we’re not hungry?!

• Dress for class! There’s so much to be said for dressing the part - studies even show it. If you wouldn’t wear it to class at school, don’t wear it to your virtual class.

• Stay in touch with your teachers and go to virtual office hours if they are offered. In college, the single most underutilized resource is a professor’s office hours. I told my students at Georgetown and I tell my students now - make the effort to get to know your teachers! Your grades will reflect the extra effort as you will no doubt learn more by being more personally engaged. Besides … who knows when you might need a letter of recommendation?!

Please feel free to reach out if you’re having trouble adjusting to your new groove. I’m happy to help and am sure that you’ll get the hang of things very soon!

University Responses to Coronavirus Continue to Mount ...

Harvard recently joined a growing number of universities when it told students not to return to campus after spring break. In an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus, students will be taught virtually. From Princeton to the University of Washington, from USC to Ohio State, colleges and universities are interrupting traditional classes in favor of online education.

This is a big disruption for students on American campuses, to be certain. But what about our students currently studying abroad? Programs in CDC Zone 3 countries (China, Iran, South Korea and Italy) have essentially been scrapped and students have been instructed to return home. What will happen to their credits, tuition payments and graduation timelines? That depends entirely on their home university’s policies and their host university’s ability/willingness to pivot to online teaching. It will be done on a case by case basis. Then there are the vast majority of our study abroad students who are dispersed in other countries throughout the globe. Most universities have not called these students home but many have instructed them not to travel outside of their host cities. There are good reasons for this position, as news of the virus is changing on a daily basis and students not only risk getting sick - they also risk not being able to return to their host cities/programs!

Compared to the death, illness and economic damage caused by the coronavirus, the disruptions to study abroad seem relatively minor. Still, students dream about and plan for their study abroad experiences for years. More importantly, they may lose credits, money and even time. We’ll continue to monitor the situation but in the meantime, keep calm and carry on …..

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/09/us/coronavirus-university-college-classes/index.html

For the First Time in History: It's An All-Women Sweep at the Top Law Reviews in the Nation!

Women have much to celebrate in 2020, as it is the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing a woman’s right to vote! And, for those of us involved in the legal profession and legal education, we can also celebrate something that has never happened before: the law reviews of all of America’s top law schools are simultaneously being headed by women!

These exceptional women from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UChicago, Columbia, UPenn, NYU, UVA, UMichigan, Duke, Northwestern, Berkeley, Cornell, Georgetown, UCLA and UTAustin* have collaborated to author Women & Law (https://law.duke.edu/sites/default/files/news/WomenandLaw.pdf) a compendium of articles authored by female attorneys. These articles provide important underpinnings for the historical, societal and other factors that have held women back - and - allowed for their progress. They also point out that there is still much to be done. I invite you to take a look at these articles and to join me in thanking all of the women who have made our progress possible!

*Law schools are not listed in any particular order or rank.

The 2020-2021 Common App Essay Prompts Will Remain The Same

This just in from our friends at the Common App ….

2020-2021 Common App Essay Prompts

By Scott Anderson

January 28, 2020

Let’s not bury the lead: the Common App first-year essay prompts will remain the same for 2020-2021.

As part of our commitment to making sure the essay prompts continue to serve students and Common App member colleges well, we invited feedback through a survey. Over the course of three weeks in December, over 10,000 people--two-thirds of them students--shared their thoughts. Here’s what we learned:

The current prompts do their job well.

Over 95% of every group who responded to the survey--students, counselors, teachers, admission officers--agree that the current prompts spark effective essays. That’s a testament to you. Over the last 8 years, based on your feedback and the indispensable counsel of our advisory committees, we’ve revised and refined the prompts so they guide students toward stories that will help Common App members make informed admission decisions. 

Opinions about individual prompts are as diverse as the people who write and read the essays they inspire.

Aside from the agreement about general effectiveness, there was only one other area of consensus: people value the prompt inviting students to share a story about a meaningful background, identity, interest, or talent. Over 50% of respondents in each group identified this prompt as effective. And the rest? When asked what prompt they would like to see removed or replaced, respondents were all over the map, with no one prompt getting more than 35% thumbs down. Moreover, the groups didn’t agree with one another. Students love Topic of Your Choice. Members and counselors? Not so much. And while students aren’t inclined to discuss a time when they challenged a belief or idea, members appreciate what those essays reveal about the students who write them. What this feedback suggests is that no one likes everything, but everyone likes something. And that has been our goal since day one: making sure that all students can find a home in the prompts.

There’s always room for improvement, even if the prompts stay the same.

As we were reviewing the survey results with our counselor advisory committee, it became clear that how students approach an essay is just as important as what prompt they choose, if not more so. We have an opportunity to guide students, not in what they write but in how they think about what they write. To this end, we will develop new resources to support students through this part of the application.

Transfer essay prompts need some love too.

While the majority of feedback we received pertained to the first-year prompts, many of you also shared valuable insights about the transfer essays--feedback about both content and process. We continue to look for ways to improve the transfer application process, and we will have more to share about the transfer essay in the coming months.

Sharing the essay prompts so far in advance of the next application year is always a tricky dance. On the one hand, people are curious. Rising seniors want to know what they’ll be asked to write about, and counselors and teachers want to make sure they are prepared to guide their students. On the other hand, releasing the prompts can send a tacit message that the college application process starts now. That’s not our intent. Everyone approaches this experience from their own angle and at their own pace, and we’ll be there to support you along the way.

The Resurgence of the Liberal Arts Majors

As a proud history major, I’ve always been an unabashed fan of the liberal arts. I know for certain that I learned essential critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills that proved invaluable in my legal and higher education careers. In recent years, however, the value of a liberal arts education has come into doubt. Many well intentioned parents urge their children to pursue business or STEM majors assuming there will be greater job and career security in these fields. “Who will hire an English major?” they ask? Well, it turns out that lots of people would. When I was at Georgetown University I recall the large banks and consultancies coming to campus every year to recruit. They were never there just to hire the business majors - they absolutely loved the liberal arts majors as well!

Still, many people remain unconvinced. Every year I can count on a certain number of parents insisting that their children major in STEM or business so as to be employable. I try to explain - sometimes successfully and sometimes not - that they will be employable with a liberal arts degree. Am I against business and STEM majors? Absolutely not! They teach essential skills and are the right choice for many students whose interests and talents lie in those areas. But what about the student who is neither interested in nor particularly strong in those fields? Should they be encouraged to pursue those majors anyway? My answer has always been a steadfast NO. Students should pursue their interests and, with few exceptions, the employment opportunities will present themselves.

An article recently came out in Inc.com predicting the resurgence of liberal arts majors in 2020. It posits that the skills learned in these majors are less susceptible to automation than many of the STEM skills. It also brings up the fact that the essential critical thinking and other skills taught in these majors will be necessary to the future success of almost all businesses and professions. Here’s the link to the article. I do hope you’ll check it out!

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/2020-workplace-trends-liberal-arts-major-hiring.html?_lrsc=d155c099-1e99-4be3-9811-e00c98c49b98&utm_campaign=elevate&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social