Take my early morning challenge

It's Study Tipping Tuesday, and today I've got a study challenge for you.

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to take your alarm clock, phone alarm, trained pet rooster, bugle player, or whatever else wakes you up...

...and tell it to wake you up at 5:45 AM. 

Crickets. 

You still here? Awesome. Now let's get down to the why. 

Here is why I know this challenge can help you: 

Staying up ridiculously late, having to pull all-nighters, and not experiencing the hours in which the drive-thru still serves breakfast are all propagated as stereotypes of college students.

And while I think its important to have a social life at night (it is part of the college experience) and I understand that work is going to go late at times, extreme late night desperate studying is just not as productive or healthy.   

I never studied later than eight o’clock when I was in college. Even on nights when I had to work. 

Why? Because late at night homework had a lot of competition - sleepiness, social media, fav TV shows, late-night delirium, and friends asking me to hang out. 

You know when you are never going to have to turn down a friend to hang out because you have to study? At 5:45 AM.

You aren’t losing sleep – you are losing distractions.

I think you will be surprised at how energized you will find yourself when you begin to utilize those early morning hours.

And (although your body and mind will have the function of a zombie at first) you can learn to adjust to the early morning routine; you just have to force yourself to make that first step and get your body used to it.


People ask me how I was able to write a book while having a full-time job, speaking, and getting a Master's degree. And I have the same answer every time - I woke up at 5:30 AM almost every morning this past year. Waking up early literally made my dreams possible, and it can make yours possible too. 

There are small steps to take as well:


Eat breakfast. Understand that an early morning might require more sleep at night or a built in nap during the day. Exercise to get your brain moving. 

Don’t just wake up and vegitate for three hours. I’m challenging you to get moving earlier – get up, start your morning routine, and use the extra hours in a valuable way.

Use those morning hours to get your work done – review your notes, work on your homework, write that paper that has been waiting for you. 

Even if your first class is at 8:30 AM, you are giving yourself a few extra hours to get your work done – hours that don’t have to be squeezed in on afternoons when your boss is calling you to come into work or your friends are calling you to hang out. 

And it is amazing how much more ready for the day I am when I wake up that early - it provides the chance to focus on what is really important to you that day. 

When you give yourself a few hours to focus and work in the morning before class, you'll show up to class more engaged and focused, already feeling accomplished, rather than thinking about how much you'd like to go back to sleep. 

So I want you to give it a try. I double-dog dare you ;)


Wake up at 5:45 AM – get some work done, eat some breakfast, exercise, and be ready for your first class.

(And remember, you can always work in a power-nap later in the day if you need to.)

Best way to have a clear career path? Be willing to change your mind

Best way to have a clear career path? Be willing to change your mind.

Lessons on adventure from interview with Jeff Selingo, Vice President and Editorial Director of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

There are two extremes on the spectrum of trying to figure out what you want to do with your life in college. I know people on both extremes, and you probably do too.

On one side, you have someone who has no idea what they are going to do with their life and doesn't really care. They take random classes without much purpose or interest, and figure whatever college degree they end up with will be good enough.

On the other side, you have the person who has defined the next 10 years of their life down to what they will eat for breakfast in 2018. Their dreams are so big, and there is no room for error. They will be president and there is nothing in the world that will stop them.

You might think I am a fan of the latter, but that is not true. These are both extremes and neither is ideal. The former is ineffective because without some direction or interest guiding you you’ll get bored very easily and not be as successful as you could be.

And planning out your life, your future, and your career exactly, with no room for error, will leave you stressed when things don’t go your way. It is too rigid, and keeps out any other incredible opportunities or surprise pathways.

The answer is somewhere in the middle. You must choose a direction while maintaining a healthy adventurous spirit for whatever unexpected interests or opportunities evolve in your life.

This is the lesson I learned from my recent interview with Jeff Selingo, Vice President and Editorial Director of the renowned Chronicle of Higher Education.

Jeff is an incredibly successful journalist, and he credits his success to his willingness to explore his options, change his mind, and be open to whatever people and opportunities came his way. He was never afraid to explore new territory.

Below are great insights you can learn from Jeff that will help you create your adventure path.  

1.Tell me a little bit about your college experience.

While not everyone from Jeff’s high school went to college, it was generally expected that college was his next step. Jeff grew up in a household that consumed news, and he became fascinated by the world around him through journalism and stories. He originally wanted to go into broadcast journalism, but once in college he realized that broadcast journalism wasn’t really what he wanted to do, and he changed his focus to print journalism.

2. What helped you be successful in college?

Jeff is so thankful to grow up in a household that encouraged learning. Though his mother did not go to college, she placed a huge value on learning. His father was a schoolteacher and also instilled within him the value of education. Jeff realizes that not everyone gets to live in a household like that. He believes however that having any kind of strong adult mentor or influencer in your life who values learning is incredibly important and powerful (I recommend starting with a professor – see Section II of the book Community College Success for help on how to do that).

Jeff still places a high value on mentorship in his life. He constantly seeks people out in his life who have been through a lot of ups and downs in life and have great experience in areas of interest; he asks them for their advice (see Section III of the book Community College Success to learn how to create these valuable mentorship relationships with professionals).

3.What was your first job out of college?

Jeff’s first job out of college was a fellowship where he worked for reporter for Arizona Republic for the summer (as glorified internship). Because of that network he ended up being helped to his next job as a news reporter in North Carolina. While this seems simple enough, not everyone is willing to move around, and not every aspiring journalist is willing to take jobs outside of the major markets.

Jeff is not a big believer in a strict career path or plan, and I think that is what has made him so successful. He says that you have to of course have ideas and interests in what you want to do with your life, but you have to be open to the people and opportunities you meet along the way. Jeff worked in places he never would have thought he’d end up; he did things he says he never would have done if he had set a strict path without any room to diverge. Instead, he jumped at opportunities and enjoyed the adventure. You too should ensure that your career path has room for surprise adventures, opportunities, and people; those seem to be the best kind.

4. What motivates you?

Jeff has always had a healthy fear of failure and disappointing people. Not the kind of fear that makes you worry about what other people think – but the kind of fear that respects others around you and realize others have stake and investment in your life. (Not wanting to disappoint someone you respect who believes in you and has invested in you is a wonderful motivator.)

5. What are the most important skills and characteristics someone needs to have to be successful in journalism?

Jeff says:

            “You have to be open to change. Journalism is going through a period of tremendous innovation and change. You can’t say ‘I only want to do this one thing in this one place’ – that’s setting yourself up for failure. You have to be flexible. The Chronicle of Higher Education is in DC, and we get a lot of interns and college students who say they just want to work in DC. I always tell them not to necessarily start in DC. The time I spent in other states was very informative, as I learned about different people, local cultures, and places. DC can be very isolated, and while it’s great to end up there, it’s important for young journalists to be open to other potential pathways. Don’t be afraid to be broad and take a wide range of classes that interest you.”

6. What is one piece of advice you can give my readers that you wish someone would have given you in college?

Jeff says:

            “Create a network of people that can help you. Most people want to help others. Especially people who are established in their careers. People are not asked enough! Especially now with social and professional networks it is so much easier. You have to work at that and create networks. Sometimes younger people are shy about asking for help, but one day you will return the favor.”

Ask for help every day. Ask for advice every day. Be willing to adjust your path as you learn more about yourself and the world. And enjoy the adventure.

I highly recommend reading The Chronicle of Higher Education to stay up to date with what is going on in your world – the college world. Some of my favorite articles by Jeff is How Much Student-Loan Debt is Too Much? And Pay Attention in Class.

You can follow Jeff on Twitter and JeffSelingo.com.

Setting your summit

I have written a good old-fashioned motivational post in a while.

So here goes… :)

I think life is a bit like climbing a mountain.

This isn’t an original metaphor. In fact, anything that Miley Cyrus sings about (after all, it is all about the climb) disqualifies itself from being an original thought ;)

What I think is important – is that we must decide where we want the summit of that mountain to be. Where are you climbing to? What is your destination?


Is it worth the climb to you?

My goals are written on post-its and stuck to my bathroom mirror.

It helps me remember that the climb - the hard stuff - is worth it. 

And yesterday, I reached a summit that I never thought I'd reach this soon.  After a year of writing, editing, pitching, and negotiating, my book was officially released by my publisher. 

A year’s worth of effort. A year of climbing.

And the view is great – it always is when you reach a goal – when you get an “A” on a test, finish a research paper, graduate, or get a first job that excites you. The feeling is self-worth – the understanding that our effort is being recognized. 

But here’s the deal - there is a reason adventurers climb Everest, right?

I think that at some level, those who wish to do something great undeniably commit to reaching greater heights. 

So if we want to be great, we have to keep climbing.

Grades are cumulative, relationships bloom and must be cultivated; degrees build towards other degrees, and graduations lead to jobs.  And the reality is that your first job most likely won’t be your last.

It doesn’t mean that the view isn’t great when you reach a peak - it is such a rush.

It just means that you will have option to stop and decide that the view you have found is good enough, or push onward to the higher peak – to go onward to the next post-it note on your bathroom mirror.

Because that is what life requires from us, especially if we want to build something, find success, fulfill our highest potential, and give the world our greatest contributions. 

So press forward and trust that the view you can reach will be one worth the climb. Because you have so much to give. 

Come chat with me tonight!?

In honor of the official book launch today, I will be the guest of the #CollegeCash Twitter Chat at 10pm EST tonight (3/15/12)! Have you ever done a Twitter chat? I just started last month and they are addicting! They are an incredible way to learn, network, make friends, and connect with like-minded people.

I hope you'll join me on the #CollegeCash chat! You can get a sneak peek into key advice I share in the book, and ask me any questions!

If you're new to Twitter chats, check out this great article by Forbes that will tell you exactly what to do, and why they're so beneficial.

See you tonight on #CollegeCash at 10pm EST!!!

Why I wrote this book - The Facts

If you haven't figured it out yet, I am incredibly passionate about community college success.

The data out there about community colleges only serves to fuel that passion, because it highlights community college access and the need for increased educational equality and economic opportunity in our country. 

So here are the facts – all of these come from either the American Association of Community Colleges or the United States Census Bureau. 

The percentages of adults in the US holding Bachelor’s degrees breaks down as: 34% of non-Hispanic whites, 20% of blacks, 14% of Hispanics. I think all three of those numbers are representative of the need for an increased educational opportunity in our country.

The average wage for those with high school diploma only in 2010 was $31,000 per year. The average holder of an associate degree increases their annual earnings by almost $8,000 per year over those with only high school diplomas. And those with a Bachelor’s degree earn an average salary of $58,000 per year. Those income gaps make a compelling case for higher education. 

More than 12.4 million students attend community college each year; one of the main reasons for this is that community college enrollment increases the number of students accessing higher education in the United States by 56%.  Community colleges are often overlooked - and yet they can't afford to be anymore because of the massive opportunity and access granted by these institutions. 

Forty-two percent of first-generation college students, the first in family to attend or graduate college (like myself), attend community college. Community colleges actively help people break through glass ceilings and break cycles of poverty. 

More than 40% of undergraduate students who live in poverty attend community college. Again, community colleges open access to opportunity.  Because each year, community colleges award 932,000 degrees or certificates, granting almost one million people license to enter economic doors that were previously closed. 

Ultimately, I care about these facts because I truly care about the people that they represent. I was (and will always be) a part of those statistics.

People and the relationships we build determine so much of the world that we live in – the advice I offer in my book was written solely because I think that everyone deserves a chance to pursue their dreams, regardless of where they start their college experience.

Because as so many before me have said, it isn’t where you start, it is where you finish. 

And to get to the places where you want to finish, you have to cultivate relationships with those around you while building yourself academically and professionally. 

I hope you get a chance to read my book – I truly offered every bit of advice I could to help guide students to success. 

I look forward to hearing what you think on our Facebook page, and appreciate your support more than you know. 

Happy launch day!