I want to congratulate Conor, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh this past semester with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. This was the culmination of our working together for more than two years, and he finally reached his ultimate goal. I also want to congratulate Caroline at the University of Vermont, for a 3.55 GPA this past spring, which was the third consecutive semester of a strong GPA that not only preserved her scholarships but qualified her for her dream study abroad program. She is in Mexico for this term, and we are now working on graduate school planning for her. I also want to say good job to Stephen in Texas who is planning his return to Texas Tech, as well as to Kenny at Marist who is closing the distance to graduation in his now Senior year. Also very special wishes to Anna Maria, who I have worked with since high school, for making the Dean’s List at DePaul this past quarter.
This semester I am working with students at the universities of Vermont, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Pittsburgh. I also have students at smaller or private colleges, like St. Joseph’s, Alderson Broddus, Marist, and DePaul. I also have students at Santa Monica College, Brookhaven, and McClennan. Their majors range from undeclared to Economics, Computer Science, Biology, Education, and more.
On an especially happy note for me, I have finally fulfilled the request that I have received from many students, parents, and even colleges for simple self-help materials to help begin the process of improving when students do poorly in college. The first incarnation of a new learning section for my website, called Learning At College Strategy Blog, is now complete (please also see the Learning Section tab at the top of the site). The initial content I’ve created includes some advanced articles on specific topics, which are a dozen or more pages each, and are all based on my direct experience with colleges and students attending college. They also have downloadable quizzes with answer explanations that can be kept. Also in this learning section is the result of a three year effort on my part- a book I wrote about my work with helping students to identify problems then improve their academics, which I’ve turned in to an online course. It’s called “Improving Academic Underperformance®In College,” and is 220 pages long, complete with downloadable quizzes that have correct answer explanations. These quizzes are in the form of section exercises and also a 76 question Student Self-Assessment to help students, parents, and professionals discover the real problems. This is meant to be a practical tool that can be used not only by students and parents, but also by professionals such as tutors, therapists, and college departments. The online course and quizzes are “open” in the sense that one need not pass quizzes to proceed, so a they can be read selectively and the most applicable sections can be focused on by the reader (e.g., ones most valuable to students vs. others).
My best wishes to all my students, their parents, my colleagues, and to all my readers for the 2015 school year. I am hoping that everyone enjoys the new learning section as well.
Jeff
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Jeffrey Ludovici, M.A., is a national level Higher Education Consultant based in Pittsburgh, PA. He’s worked with students and parents across the U.S. about college issues since 2001, and is a member of CSRDE that focuses on best practices in helping students. He is also a member of NACADA, the national college advising association in the U.S. Please see the program page for services Jeff offers.