Okay, I already wrote a whole book about that, but at this time of year (back to school) I tend to do a lot of head shaking about the angst expressed by parents and students who still believe they have to do things the traditionally hyper-competitive way.

That’s so Old School, but I’m not going to launch into my tirade here.

Instead, I’ll share a happy email I received this week from a student who is thrilled to be on a different track.  (Psst–her parents are pretty excited, too!)  I’ve edited it and removed identifying info, even though I’m guessing Rosie would be delighted to go public.

Here’s some of what she said:

Hello Mrs. Frost,

My name is Rosie.  I am 18 years old and thanks to your book, I am a global student.

I graduated American high school in three years (it turned out that I had enough credits – was only missing one unit of PE credit) and did a Rotary Youth Exchange my senior year to XXXX, France.  There were certainly nay-sayers; most of them kids my age telling me that I would regret missing prom, football games and graduation.  But I am very lucky that both of my parents were behind me supporting me 100%.

I also want to add that by reading your book, I discovered Rotary Youth Exchange.  Thank you so much!  Since my freshman year I loved my French classes and wanted to leave and see the world as soon as possible.  However all of the going abroad programs were always too expensive for my family and although I held a few part-time jobs it would have been a long road earning the $10,000 to $12,000 .  After reading your book I immediately called my local Rotary club and started the application process.

My exchange was the best and the most difficult year of my life so far.  I never once regretted going even when I was dealing with major language problems, a new school in a new country, and a completely different culture.  During my exchange I passed the French high school diploma exam - le baccalauréat, in order to go to their university.

That’s what I’m doing this year.  I am going to my first year of college in France.  And I think that’s really cool!  My tuition for the entire year is so cheap that I paid in cash (187 euros) while my friends back home will have thousands dollars in debt at American universities.  I have to hold back my wanting to do spontaneous cartwheels whenever I talk with my friends back home – I have to keep reminding myself that it isn’t polite to gloat.

Needless to say my parents are delighted about the cost (or I should say the lack thereof) and very proud of me.

My next plans are to travel as much as possible while I’m here – little Ryanair airplanes and couchsurfing here I come.  Next year I plan to transfer to Germany to learn German for two years until I graduate.  I will finish one year in advance of my American friends, trilingual, and with very little debt compared to them.

I can not tell you how much your book has changed my perspective on what I can do in terms of my education.  Suddenly it’s my education and not an education.  You saved an extremely bored high school girl from the wheels and cogs of the College Board machine.

Thank you so much,
Rosie

After two years of getting these messages almost daily, I am still so excited to see kids like this leapfrog over their peers with tremendous enthusiasm and direction.  It doesn’t take slavish devotion to the college admissions rules to get a great education.  Those who listen to their hearts, pay attention to the options and seize their best opportunities are the ones most likely to thrive before, during and after the college years.

And the ones like Rosie who find their own path?  Their experiences and enthusiasm far outweigh the “prestige” of the hoops jumped through by their more mainstream peers.

Rosie is making her own luck–and playing by her own rules.  Cheers to Rosie and the other Bold Schoolers who are celebrating their freedom to get a great global education on their own terms and time lines.

It still thrills me to get email messages from parents and students who have read my book, The New Global Student.  I’m lucky that I get that thrill several times a week, and since it’s August and everyone is refocusing on school, I’ve been getting a lot of mail from parents lately.  Many are taking the ideas in the book and running with them, happily discovering resources that are changing the lives of their kids.

This week, I heard from a single dad whose two teenage daughters had been living with their mother for the last few years and were failing in high school despite being smart and doing well throughout their elementary and middle school years.   (This is a common refrain I hear from single parents whose kids are going through a tough transition in the family while navigating the extra work and social challenges of high school.)

Here’s an excerpt from his message to me:

I just wanted to write a brief note to say THANK YOU for your awesome book. It had such an impact that I bought 5 extra copies to lend/give to other parents and educators AND a Kindle copy for me to take when I travel.

Three months ago, it became necessary to recover custody of my two teenage daughters from my ex.  She had completely neglected them in every way…especially their education. The 16 year old had failed 9th grade twice and the 15 yr old once! They were both A students during the first 5 years that they lived with me…then struggled terribly during the last 5 years with her.

I had no idea how I was going to get them caught up, let alone motivate them to want to continue on to college. Then, in my frantic flurry of research for a “Bold School” method of educating my girls…I found your book!  It was a life saver!

Because of your book, my views on the GED (among countless other things) were re-framed and it became the best option for my daughters. They were both excited to take the test.

Your ideas caused me to continue my research on how to transition them to college and get them start started online… and at an amazing college program… Harvard University Extension School ! Yes! THE REAL HARVARD! They have an open enrollment program… skip the traditional enrollment process and the expense! Undergrad Courses only cost an average of $1000 per course. (about the same as a public university) They offer Associate and Bachelors Degree programs as well as Graduate Degree programs. Anyone can enroll…anyone.

So thanks to you, my daughters’ education and future has been snatched from the pit of failure. Not only will they finish their secondary education, but they are now registered as students and are excited about starting their first class at Harvard next month!

Deeply grateful,

R

Great, huh?  In addition to being thrilled about the Harvard online option this resourceful dad sang the praises of k12 and a great site I often recommend:  Khan Academy Find more distance learning options by cruising through guides to online schools.

Maybe you loved high school, or maybe you just managed to get through it. Either way, your son or daughter may be having a very different experience than you did, and it’s important to listen to their concerns.  The world has changed, and your job as a parent is to help your student thrive in it.

Whether your kids are struggling through the consequences of a divorce or just ready to consider a more personalized and fulfilling path through high school, I invite you to look into the many fantastic alternatives available.

You never know what a little digging might reveal–and how it could change the life of your child forever.

Psst:  You might start by checking out the inspiring student stories in my book.

I often receive questions from parents regarding how to save for college, but lately, I’ve been getting emails from financial advisors. They are looking for tips to pass along to their clients who are overwhelmed by the cost of educating their kids. What’s the best way for families to save for college now?

My response is that it may be a lot smarter to save on college than to save for college. With tuition and other costs rising, portfolios shrinking and home values stagnating, a savings plan is helpful but certainly no guarantee of affordability. Families are beginning to look at the true value of education rather than simply scrimping and paying for what they’re told is best for their kids.

Times are changing—and our strategies for educating our children (and paying for that education) must change, as well.

The traditional four-by-four model (4 years of high school followed by 4 years of college) is outdated. That’s good news for both students who are rolling their eyes at the idea of spending five or six years in college and parents who are having heart palpitations thinking about paying for it.

The key to the Bold School approach—and the best way to reduce college costs—is to look for ways to blend and balance learning opportunities beginning in high school. Through dual enrollment programs, IB diplomas or AP tests, many students are earning college credit while in high school. Others are picking a more personalized path, getting a GED at 15 or 16 in order to enroll in college early or getting an associate’s degree by the time they receive their high school diploma. Some are taking college courses, either online or in person, during their summers in high school and transferring to a four-year university at 18 as a junior. And it’s not just a matter of racing ahead to finish early—these students are using their time for meaningful experiences, such as spending a significant period of time abroad before the age of 18 (as exchange students or through extensive study/volunteer opportunities) in order to hardwire their brains for flexibility and language learning and develop a greater understanding of themselves and the world around them.

What they have in common is a clearer idea of their interests because they have been exposed to more options early on and have built momentum in their learning.

One of the easiest ways to ensure that your son or daughter gets the most value out of their time in college is to compress it rather than extend it. The average college student now takes more than five years to graduate and students no longer expect to graduate within four years. As some college students have been known to say, graduating after four years is “like leaving the party at 10:30 p.m.” But that’s a very expensive party and families need to understand that they do have options for reducing the length and cost of college while still giving students that full “college experience.”

Colleges contribute to the added length by not counseling students on how they can finish earlier and by making courses critical for graduation scarce, necessitating an extra semester or two to finish up. In addition, many counselors, worried that students won’t be able to juggle their social life and their classes successfully, advise students to take a minimal load of courses each semester. This may be helpful for some students, but for many, it establishes a pattern early on of spending more time on recreation than on studying, and reduces their expectations regarding the course load they can handle. The truth is that most students find that they budget their time, get more accomplished, and get better grades when they have a full load rather than a lighter schedule.

Here’s what we can do to save money on college, help our kids develop a clear idea of their interests and enable them to graduate early while having transformational experiences along the way:

1) Shift from achievements to interests. The focus during the high school years should be on developing interests and enthusiasm for learning rather than gaining a particular set of academic achievements. This is crucial. By the age of 16, students need to know how to find, understand and synthesis content. They must be able to develop ideas of their own and research the heck out of them. Students who spend years languishing in high school when they could be blasting forward are wasting the most critical period of their adolescent brain development. Kids should be on fire during these years, and as parents, it’s our job to help them come alive rather than simply plod along on a prescribed path. A 17-year-old who can’t wait to learn more about his favorite subjects is going to be more successful in college and life in general than the 17-year-old who does what he is told in order to pass the test. Make this shift in your focus, and your student will be one of those who dives into higher education with great enthusiasm—and graduates early.

2) Break free of four-by-four thinking. The key is to look for ways to blend high school and college, getting credit along the way for a variety of learning opportunities and experiences that help our kids figure out what they’re good at, what interests them, and how they want to spend their time. Students have a tremendous amount of freedom regarding how, where and what they study during the high school years and beyond. But too often, we simply enroll them in a decent school and tell them to just take tough courses and graduate with good grades. We need to question why we think the education we received twenty or more years ago is enough for our kids today, and stop assuming that any given school will have it covered. Remember how motivated you were to expose your son or daughter to a range of rich experiences when they were five years old? What would happen if we took that same approach with our fifteen-year-olds instead of assuming that AP classes, sports practice and a part-time job could maximize their potential?

3) Release the idea that getting into a top school is a prerequisite for success. There are new cracks in those ivy-covered walls. The recession has shown that even those with the most sought-after degrees are not guaranteed a job upon graduation. Those who are resourceful enough to have designed their own best education in a variety of settings will be in a far better position to find work they love than those who are relying on the name on that college diploma or their connections to get their foot in the door. Young adults who are not hampered by enormous student debt are free to take jobs that truly appeal to them rather than whatever pays the bills, and this leads to greater enthusiasm for work, more willingness to explore options and more excitement about their possibilities. We need our kids to want to work diligently because they love what they do—that’s the winning combination that will lead to personal fulfillment and success.

4) Recognize that those who graduate early because they know what they love to do are also saving thousands of dollars. They are not spending five or six years going to the same university—thanks to blending high school, college and study abroad, they may spend less than two years as full-time college students at their final degree-granting institution. By 19 or 20, they’ve got hip-deep experience, a college degree without debt, and tremendous enthusiasm about the next stage of their lives. And when someone suggests that they might have “missed out” on that extra time in high school and college, they simply laugh—they know they’ve packed far more excitement and learning into their personalized education than their peers on the just-tell-me-when-I’m-done track.

I know that families are struggling to pay for college. I don’t have all the answers, and I think parents should run from anyone who claims they do. But the fact remains that simply saving for college is no longer a proactive approach. Selecting a smart blend of education options is more strategic and far more likely to give students the kind of education that is both personally enriching and professionally beneficial without breaking the bank.

Bottom line: be flexible and aware in order to see and seize the best opportunities available—and keep the focus on real value and sustainable growth. That holds true for both finances and education.

Blake Boles has written a remarkable how-to handbook that is destined to change the lives of young people across North America. In College Without High School: A Teenager’s Guide to Skipping High School and Going to College, he offers a step-by-step plan to help students envision their best educational experience and make the most of the time they would have spent in high school.

We didn’t have Blake’s book when our youngest daughter was figuring out how to do high school differently. As a freshman, she spent a year as the only foreigner at her high school in Mexico, and then started taking Spanish classes at a local university in Buenos Aires alongside college students from the U.S. After a great semester of college courses, enrolling in high school seemed like a huge step backward, so she took advantage of some wonderful opportunities to work with tutors and mentors and then spent a summer in Oregon taking a full load of college courses while preparing for her GED tests. That fall, at 16, she enrolled as a freshman at an American college in Buenos Aires, and the following year, she got a nice scholarship/grant package when she transferred as a junior to a private college in upstate New York at the age of 17. She spent the summer doing an independent research project in Argentina and is excited to complete her BS this December just two weeks after she turns 19.

But that’s just her story. Her three older sisters also pursued alternative routes, and there are many, many ways to prepare for and get into college without attending high school. Blake’s book is full of tips and stories to help students plot their own best path.

I had the chance to interview Blake between his sessions leading the Not Back to School camp for teens. He shared some thoughts about the book.

You had an epiphany in college while majoring in astrophysics. Tell us about that—and where it led you.

Since early in high school, I had a passion for physics. Getting high grades in my math & science classes and watching the movie “Contact” also nudged me in that direction. So, I entered UC Berkeley under the astrophysics major and studied it diligently for two years. It was in my third year that cracks started forming in the edifice. In quantum physics I started to see that astrophysics was really just hardcore math, and I began to question my motivations for becoming a professional astronomer. Luckily, that same semester a friend from a 1-unit elective class handed me a book by famed public-school-teacher-turned-homeschool-advocate John Taylor Gatto.

Like a chainsaw, Gatto quickly cut through every assumption I held about the necessity and benefits of regular public schooling. I consumed his book in three days and immediately did a Google search for related authors, which led me to Grace Llewellyn, The Sudbury Valley School, Summerhill, and John Holt. Within two weeks I saw that my passion for astrophysics, genuine but faltering, was no match for the immense intellectual curiosity I held for alternative education. I scoured Berkeley for a design-your-own-major option, argued and pleaded, and eventually got my way. For the next two years I studied alternative education exclusively, following a plan of my design. My curriculum included volunteering at a local “free school”, reading Gatto’s gigantic Underground History of American Education, taking numerous upper division education courses, and designing and leading my own elective course for undergrads (entitled “Never Taught to Learn”). The intellectual and emotional high that I derived from self-directing my college studies was the major epiphany of my young adulthood, and it set the foundation for later writing College Without High School.

What advice can you give to students who have parents who remain unconvinced of this alternative path to a college degree?

Parents should be rightly skeptical of anyone peddling college admissions snake oil–there’s a lot out there. My ultimate response to skepticism is: Look at the evidence. Look at MIT or Stanford’s online admissions guidelines for homeschoolers. They don’t want high school diplomas. They don’t want some perfect equivalent of 4 years of high school classes. They want teens who have taken personal initiative and designed meaningful, independence-building activities for themselves. They want teens who have boldly explored the realms of business, international travel, and college-level research prior to convincing themselves that they actually need college. Traditional high school is very often a handicap in pursuing these character traits. And while not every college has explicit homeschool admissions policies like MIT and Stanford, the logic remains the same: colleges want dynamic, innovative teens who leave the cookie-cutter approach behind for greener pastures.

Skeptical parents often compare their child’s college preparatory journey to their same journey of yesteryear. It’s important to realize that high school diplomas don’t hold nearly the same cachet today as they did a few decades ago. Community colleges are much easier to get into as a teen, and dual- or early-enrollment programs abound. The biggest bureaucratic hurdles exist in public college admissions, but an easily obtained GED can soothe those ruffled feathers. These facts are the kind of evidence that parents should seek out to decide whether their fears are founded or unfounded.

What tips do you offer to students who have been in public or private schools through the 8th or 9th grade and are now considering preparing for college without high school?

My book is actually written for just those teens: the ones who have attempted to diligently follow school’s path but have only met disillusionment and boredom in the process. (Middle school is usually when this sets in.) A majority of the teens interviewed in my book made their unschooling decision in 9th grade.

What’s most important for a teen making the transition away from traditional school is to identify, as specifically as possible, their personal dreams and goals. Read the books that have always caught your eye in the bookstore. Take the train to visit your friend three states away. Build a computer in your garage or spend six hours a day writing music. Unschooling should be a “moving toward” something, not “moving away”. Once these values are clear, they should start pursuing them ruthlessly–and then figure out how college prep can be mixed into the brew. Following this order (interests first, college prep second) is vital for maintaining enthusiasm and self-motivation as an unschooler.
If a teen doesn’t know what truly excites them (as often happens with first-time school refugees), a short “deschooling vacation” might be in order. This is a period of time during which no structured academics are required, no schedule is followed, and parental nudging is kept to a minimum. The point is for the teen to push through the “no one is going to tell me what to do” barrier and enter “I have to motivate myself” land.

Though you encourage students to get creative about designing a personalized college-prep education, you suggest they prepare for and take standardized tests like the SAT or AP tests. Why not continue their alternative approach by finding other options for admission?

The SAT is certainly not required for all college admissions as a homeschooler., but the vast majority of traditional schools require at least one traditional academic achievement indicator (SAT, ACT, GED) and often more (SAT Subject, AP). The good news is that these tests have always existed independently of high school, and for that reason, it’s easy to prepare for them as a homeschooler. Grab a few SAT study guides, figure out exactly where your weak spots are, review hard in those areas, and take the test when you see fit. It’s a self-directed and results-oriented approach to college prep.

In view of the financial challenges facing many families, what’s your advice for those who need to reduce their college costs?

Community college is a golden bullet for financial hurdles. Many of the college-bound unschoolers with whom I work start community college around age 16, gather a significant number of transferable credits (or an Associate’s degree) by 18 or 19, and have lots of cool adventures along the way. Then they’re ready to apply (or transfer) into a 4-year school with sophomore or junior standing, saving thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

What options do you recommend for those interested in increasing their knowledge of the world and themselves?

As you argue excellently in The New Global Student, international immersion provides teens with an incredible wealth of self-knowledge. But many teens don’t want to participate in a packaged tourist program that carefully clings to the beaten path, and many parents won’t let their teens leave the beaten path alone. The solution lies somewhere in the middle–in finding a program that provides some modicum of safety and structure while providing teens with ample time to explore a new culture and learn from the common travel mistakes that they’ll inevitably make.

To find such opportunities, I recommend that teens first explore Idealist.org and search for volunteer positions specific to their age and desired location (using the “advanced search” feature). Often these programs provide a host family, English-speaking support network, and both structured and unstructured time. Another option (for those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty) is WWOOF: World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. In exchange for a small number of hours of farm work each day, students get to enjoy total immersion in the rural life of a foreign country. Both volunteering and “WWOOFing” offer the coveted combination of low cost and high immersion that a globetrotting teen seeks. There are also, of course, my own Unschool Adventures (http://www.unschooladventures.com) and Homeschool Leadership Retreats (http://www.homeschoolleadershipretreats.com) that strive to offer a similar experience.
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I highly recommend Blake’s book to any middle school or high school student seeking more excitement and engagement in their educational journey. Smart parents should buy this book for their kids and be bold enough to encourage them to forge ahead in new ways. To learn more, visit http://www.CollegeWithoutHighSchool.com

I’ve read several articles and blog posts recently about education consultants who charge as much as $40,000 to get a student into college. Now, I recognize that there are many education consultants who offer valuable assistance to families struggling with the college admissions process and that most don’t charge anywhere near that amount. However, I think it’s important for parents and others to understand that there is a booming business based on fear and ego and that parents are the target market precisely because they are feeling helpless and afraid that they can’t navigate the college admissions process without professional assistance.

I love reading the comments posted below the online articles from students whose parents paid big bucks to get into a top school–and who now feel it was a total waste of money (for various reasons). Generally these students learned that:

1) an elite school does not guarantee them any advantages

2) the money their parents paid would have been better spent on experiences to help the student prepare for life as a young adult rather than getting into a more prestigious college

3) they feel stupid for being suckered into paying that much for services that they could have duplicated for far less

Listen, if a family has the means and the desire to have someone help their kids get into the college of their (parents’ or kids’) dreams, that’s their business. The problem is that they are teaching their kids that they are helpless and must rely on others to get what they want in this world.

Those who flock to specialists to help their kids get into college are perpetuating the learned helplessness that characterizes so many students’ lives before, during and after college. These kids are learning that they can’t do it on their own (despite the fact that thousands of other kids manage somehow) and that they need high-end coaching for years in order to make things happen.

Whenever we hear about twentysomething who don’t have a clue what they want to do, we need only look at the path that has led them to that point–and how seldom they have had an opportunity to make and trust their own decisions and move forward without relying upon help from others.

Why would parents send the message that their kids aren’t going to have a chance to succeed unless they get into a prestigious college? Why don’t parents have more confidence in their kids’ ability to follow the steps required to get the job done? Why do we put so much more emphasis on the process of getting into college rather than the process of becoming a confident, competent, compassionate young adult who is able to thrive in the world without help?

I believe that most parents have good instincts, but these get buried under layers of fear, ego and learned helplessness. Every day, I get emails from parents asking me to help their kids get into college. I tell them I offer a 30-minute kickstart call after they’ve read my book, but that I think they are fully capable of moving forward without any more help from me or anyone else.

Now, a savvy business person would say I should milk these parents for all they’re worth, and my bank account would certainly be much fatter if I did. But I know that parents don’t need a ton of coaching to help their kids get into college– what they need is information and inspiration to help them become less helpless and fearful. They need encouragement to become calm, wise mentors who allow their kids to become confident enough to lead their own education process.

When we rely on expensive services to “prep” our kids for top schools, we are telling them that they can’t possibly compete in the Real World without our assistance–and our money. Parents who want their kids to be able to get great jobs they love after graduation (without their help) would be better off teaching their kids how to flesh out an idea, research the heck out of it, and follow the thread that leads to the most thrilling and fulfilling opportunities.

Parents: if you are considering paying for college help, consider what you are saying to your son or daughter by hiring a consultant to do what most families handle without assistance. Think about how you might spend that money in a way that would give your student more opportunities to develop confidence, relevant skills, a clear sense of direction, and flaming enthusiasm.

The biggest problem with learned helplessness is that it’s both contagious and hereditary. Stop the cycle now, and your kids will have a much brighter future.

I’ve been corresponding with venture capitalist/entrepreneur Bob Compton for the last couple of years, and we have our own little mutual admiration society. I found his first documentary, “Two Million Minutes,” to be a very important wake-up call about the U.S. approach to education and mentioned it in my book. He read an early copy of my book and offered a great endorsement, and when it turned out that he was screening his new film, “Win in China,” here in New York, we made plans to meet.

Yesterday, Tom and I met Bob at the Regency for breakfast and stimulating conversation about education and entrepreneurship, then attended the premiere of “Win in China” at the Asia Society last night. The film describes the explosion in entrepreneurship in China and features the development and broadcasting of the popular television series in China that is similar to “The Apprentice” here. What’s different: the winners in the Chinese version don’t get a job with Donald Trump but a $1.5 million cash investment in their own business and mentoring from China’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Another difference: reach and scale. The numbers in China are mind-boggling. And while “The Apprentice” might be a fun romp for business wannabes and pop culture fans, “Win in China” reflects that fact that MILLIONS of Chinese individuals are receiving training and all kinds of governmental support to help them start their own businesses. The show has inspired countless entrepreneurs of all ages to consider ways in which they can develop their ideas and compete to make their own mark in the global economy. Those who still insist that Asian business people are somehow lagging behind the US in innovation and entrepreneurship are in for a very big surprise indeed.

I grabbed a quick moment after the screening to talk with Bob about why we should see this film. Anyone with an interest in entrepreneurship, Asia, and the global economy in general should see it, and if you’ve got kids entering the working world in the next couple of decades, it should be required viewing. Learn more by visiting http://www.wininchinamovie.com

That’s the title of a chapter in my book dealing with the AP program and why it’s not the best choice for motivated (or even not-so-motivated) high school students. I’ve quoted a couple of experts and I offer my suggestion for a superior option (two, actually) but the bottom line is this: the Advanced Placement program has become a victim of its own success.

I’m not the only one who feels that way. This week, Jacques Steinberg of The New York Times wrote an article about the results of a recent Fordham Institute study that polled a thousand AP teachers across the United States. He summarizes one of the key findings this way: more than half are concerned that the program’s effectiveness is being threatened as districts loosen restrictions on who can take such rigorous courses and as students flock to them to polish their résumés

Exactly.

There’s been tremendous growth in the number of students signing up for AP courses, and this is generally considered a positive thing–more kids willing and able to take rigorous courses makes everyone feel successful. But here’s the problem: 90 percent of the teachers said the increased numbers are due to more students who want their college applications to look better. Only 32 percent attribute AP growth to more students who want to be challenged at a higher academic level.

So, we’re churning out more AP students who think they’re gaining an edge, we’ve got more teachers (and college admissions officials) questioning whether these kids really have what it takes to do well at a university, there are more parents urging their kids to take as many AP courses as they can, and plenty of schools administrators are scrambling for ways to make them look like they are offering rigorous courses to their students. Meanwhile, the College Board is making money with every AP exam taken. Cha-CHING!

Gosh, this sounds kind of like the SAT/SAT-prep issue, which has millions of students spending their time preparing for a test that is relevant only because the test-makers promote it as such. When are we going to stop listening to the College Board and start considering better options for our kids?

It’s a game, people. And it’s completely avoidable. In fact, those who bypass AP in favor of more relevant options are sailing right past their test-crazed classmates. (much more on this in the book, which comes out in just a couple of weeks!)

For months, I have been fretting about the fact that my book won’t be out until May. Every day, I hear from students and parents begging for advice on alternative education options. Every time I write back (and I try to respond to as many as I can), I wish I could just hand them a copy of the book. “What bad timing!” I’ve been muttering to myself. “If only the book had come out months ago!”

What I am realizing now is that May might just be the ideal time for a book about a new approach to getting a great global education that doesn’t cost a fortune.

There seems to be a perfect storm brewing–parents and students are now taking a serious look at the value a college offers rather than whether it’s a good fit or offers the promise of a diploma from a prestigious university. They’re doing this because they HAVE TO–the economic meltdown is forcing families to consider options that were never even on the table when investments looked more robust and home prices were climbing steadily.

You can’t pick up a magazine or newspaper or scroll through online news sites without coming across articles that indicate that times are achangin’ for education:

Colleges Are the Ones Fearing Rejection Letters
The Party’s Over: The Coming B-School Shakeout
College Grads Face Worst Job Market In Years
High School Dropouts Cost $319 Billion Over Lifetime

And then there are the daily accounts of the massive state cuts and endowment losses that are changing the university landscape across the U.S. This fall, students whose parents have the money to pay full price for tuition and room and board have the edge over those who need even a little aid in order to pack their dorm supplies and move on campus. As colleges batten down the hatches and look for every possible way to slice costs, even those well-heeled students who settle into dorm life in September are going to feel the pinch when programs are shut down and new fees crop up.

I hate to see students, parents, or universities suffer, but I have to say this: we desperately needed a kick in the rear to get us to reassess our higher education system. Just as the financial markets were out of control, the student debt loads have become so obscene that $100,000 in loans now seems like a pretty good deal. (Or at least, that’s what university officials say to reassure us.)

Homeowners and investors have been sold a bill of goods, but so have those who are going to spend the next two decades in debt for a bachelor’s degree that barely guarantees them a living wage.

We are waking up. We are cranky. And we are looking for a blast of clarity.

I’m going to stop fretting about the timing of my book now. It would be an honor to be of service to those who are just now taking a look at the world of education options. I hope that parents and students will view The New Global Student as that welcome cup of coffee that will open their eyes and fill them with energy to face the incredible opportunities that emerge as we breach this tipping point and glide into a whole new era for education.

I’m a big fan of swirling–that is, attending more than one college or university prior to graduating. For one thing, it teaches flexibility. If you do it right, it’s a great way to save money and still graduate from an outstanding university. It’s also an excellent way to learn more about your own best learning environment. And moving to new places–even just across town–is always an exercise in adapting. We’re better off when we play with our brain plasticity. (Lots on this in my book!)

Today, Colin Barey shares the story of his swirler education. I met Colin back when he was about 16 when he used to hang out in the store I owned on Main Street in Forest Grove, Oregon. Colin was clearly a very bright, articulate young man, and I always knew he’d do well. I didn’t know he’d do well by swirling, however–I figured he was on the Reed-for-four-years track. Wrong! And he’s better off because he swirled. See for yourself:

My undergraduate academic career was broad if nothing else; kind of a sampler platter of Portland-area institutions. I went to four different schools in the 4-and-a-half years it took me to graduate, guaranteeing that I would have the longest transfer transcript ever printed. I didn’t start my college career by trying to break the record for number of institutions attended. I really wanted to go to one place and settle there. Instead, I became like a wandering tinker, my tin pans clanking as I pushed my ever-increasing cartload of credits down the meandering, uncertain road toward graduation. I started by going for the top drawer: Reed College, the most venerated institution in Oregon.

I was lucky in the offering that term: the Vanport History Project was in its final stage. I was part of a team whose job it was to write and design historical interpretive signs to be displayed on the Heron Lakes public golf course, former site of the Vanport wartime housing project. It was the only time I had the chance to be a real historian; going through the archives of microfilm at the Oregonian, writing copy, and finally helping to fight an ultimately unsuccessful political battle with the Portland Parks Bureau over a sign acknowledging that Vanport was the genesis of Portland’s black community. Though the Bureau could not be moved from its belief that reading about racial history would be disturbing to golfers for some reason, the signs that we were able to make are still there and will be, hopefully, for ever. It was, truly, a capstone, something that gave order and strength to my jumbled hodge-podge of an academic career. It was also the only thing I ever did in college that mattered.

Okay, full disclosure: all four of my daughters took classes or seminars at PCC, one graduated from Portland State University, and I’m a big believer in the value of these “underrated” institutions.

You might be interested to know that Colin ended up getting a law degree at U of Oregon. Where is he now? He’s living and working and loving life in Japan. See, there’s something about swirling that opens you up to the idea of moving around to find the most exhilarating options–and in a changing world, flexibility is critical.

Have a swirler story to share? Email me at maya (at) mayafrost (dot) com.

The tyranny of testing is about to subside (somewhat) for California students seeking admission to the UC college system.

According to this LA Times article, UC regents this week gave preliminary approval to a controversial change in freshman admission standards that would drop the requirement for two SAT subject exams and make more students eligible for a review of their applications while guaranteeing entry to fewer.

Of course, students wanting in will still have to take the SAT or ACT, and many will also take numerous AP tests prior to applying. But those whose high schools don’t offer college prep courses or who have other reasons for not taking the SAT subject tests will have a better shot at UC admission.

My favorite part of the article:

Mark Rashid, a UC Davis engineering professor who helped write the proposal, criticized the current admissions policy for requiring too many tests. It “places heavier emphasis on jumping through hoops than on academic achievement,” he said.

Exactly. In fact, I use the “jumping through hoops” phrase in my book and emphasize the need to shift from a relentless focus on tests to a more expansive perspective on how students may prepare for college. (TIP: Most of the Bold Schoolers I know are FAR more prepared for–and successful in–college than those on the traditional path, and they got that way without taking ANY standardized tests.)