Product Blog

Intertwined College and Career Planning With myKlovr

High school counselors, we at myKlovr don’t have to tell you that a lot of your students have no clue about what they want to do after graduation. It’s a concern for you, teachers, administrators, and parents. The worry only grows as indecisive learners enter their junior and senior years.

You know traps are involved in encouraging students toward one path or another. Teenagers might feel that they’re being manipulated, or that their opinions don’t matter. This response may make them dig in further and miss out on taking advantage of an important time in their lives.

How do counselors like you help students choose between college and career? Simple – let them research both options with myKlovr. In this article, we’ll discuss how our service – the world’s first artificial intelligence aimed at helping high school students prepare for the future – assists learners with graduating career or college ready.

Exploring Both Paths Simultaneously

myKlovr begins helping your students the moment they finish answering a few interest inventories. We use their responses to recommend careers and colleges aligned with their aspirations.

This information gives students a personalized starting point, one they can use to research possibilities they may never have considered. Reviewing these options privately gives them a sense of agency that discussions with you, teachers, parents, or other adults may not provide.

Although myKlovr encourages some paths over others, it’s up to your students to decide. Many well-paying careers do not require a college education, after all. First- and second-year high school students should explore these opportunities alongside their research into possible two- and four-year colleges.

But how do your students choose? That’s where myKlovr’s long-term planning comes in.

Creating (and Following Through on) Long-Term Goals

Students’ answers to interest inventories let us create a personalized action plan helping them meet the college and career goals we recommend. The plan involves many achievable tasks throughout all four years of high school, such as taking a more difficult class, planning for college tours, and joining an extracurricular activity. When students decide whether to pursue college or a career, they can adjust their action plans accordingly. 

myKlovr does not make your job as a counselor any less important. You become a part of students’ support networks, a collection of trusted adults keeping tabs on learners’ progress, offering advice, and providing assistance when necessary. This feature lets you make the most of your time identifying and helping learners in need.

Final Thoughts

Four years may seem like an eternity to high school students, but it’s a narrow window when these young adults can explore potential paths and prepare for the future. myKlovr provides essential tools helping users make the most of it. Feel free to contact us at info@myklovr.com for more information about how our service can help you serve your students more effectively.

How myKlovr Complements Traditional College and Career Preparation

As a high school teacher, you want your students to graduate career or college ready. You’re likely doing much more than what your school requires, including critiquing college admissions essays and speaking with family members about college/career planning.

But you’re just one person, and sometimes you must recommend outside resources to your students and their families. In this article, we’ll look at how myKlovr complements traditional college and career preparation programs. By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll have a deeper understanding of how our service can help learners graduate confident to tackle their lives’ next chapters.

Standardized Testing

Many public school districts require high school students to take the ACT or SAT at least once. Unfortunately, it’s a milestone some learners don’t take seriously, as there is no minimum score they must meet. Also, many colleges are becoming test-optional for admissions, putting less emphasis on performance.

You already know that a good score means more than a better shot at college admissions. It’s also a great advantage when applying for some scholarships. myKlovr makes this benefit apparent to users by using their scores (e.g., the result of the state- or district-mandated ACT/SAT) to recommend appropriate colleges and financial aid opportunities.

Turning a number into a list of options can be an eye-opening experience for your students. Some may realize that their opportunities may be limited and should retake the test after studying (i.e., myKlovr helps users develop a personalized study plan.). Others may discover that they’re already competitive for admissions and aid, letting them focus on other areas of college preparation.

Personal Finance

We don’t have to tell you that following a budget is tough work, even for responsible adults. The equation becomes even more frustrating when you throw student loans into the mix. Also, your school’s personal finance classes may not emphasize financial aid and student loan management skills.

That’s why myKlovr includes comprehensive financial aid planning tools aimed at helping users avoid debt. Students receive the latest personal finance advice and links to top outside resources. No longer will they or their families be scratching their heads when they sit down to fill out the FAFSA or research private scholarship opportunities.

Common Application

If filling out the Common App is required at your school, myKlovr can turn the process from a chore into a meaningful exercise, even for seniors planning for a career.

Filling out basic information is easy enough, but some learners may struggle with the essay. myKlovr assists in the essay writing process with the support network. Users may send a draft to you or another trusted adult for critiques. A back-and-forth conversation among network members helps students improve their writing skills, a necessity for college and career.

The myKlovr academic/extracurricular portfolio assists students with the Common App, as well. Learners may use the accomplishments (e.g., good test score/research paper/commendation, etc.) stored in this digital folder for essay inspiration. This convenient tool ensures users do not lose what makes them unique college or job applicants.

Final Thoughts

 No matter how well-researched or implemented, your school’s college and career preparation programs may not work for every student. myKlovr lets you assist learners in need with a complementary set of tools and resources.

Please visit our website or contact us at info@myKlovr.com for more information. We look forward to answering your questions and helping your students graduate college or career ready.

How myKlovr Helps High School Students Strengthen Transferable Skills

High school teachers, we at myKlovr don’t have to tell you that plenty of your students need assistance with transferable skills essential for college and career success. Also, we know that you’re busy teaching a state- or district-mandated curriculum, one not leaving you with a lot of wiggle room to help learners develop skills curricula writers assume they already know.

So, what’s to be done?

As a former high school teacher, I’ve been in your shoes and felt your frustrations with this issue. I’m also happy to report that myKlovr is much more than an effective college- and career-planning tool. Students using it can improve their transferable skills significantly, as well.

Let’s discuss how different parts of myKlovr can help your learners graduate with the transferable skills colleges and employers expect.

Written Communication

Even your most intelligent students may have trouble getting their thoughts down on paper, putting them at a huge disadvantage when writing a resume or college admissions essay. Some learners need something more than red marks to improve their writing.

myKlovr encourages written communication skills with the support network every learner receives. Your students select trusted adults (e.g., you, their parents, other teachers, and counselors), individuals who gain access to their individualized action plans and goals. Learners use their network for advice/critiques/etc., encouraging them to communicate in a professional way employers and college professors expect.

Collaboration

As students improve their written communication skills by using their support network resources, they gain experience collaborating with a group of adults. Although they make the final decisions regarding their futures, outside input from you and others helps learners make informed ones. 

Organization

It’s easy to spot students lacking good organizational skills (e.g., the backpack that looks like a bomb went off inside it), but getting them organized can take a lot of effort.

myKlovr promotes organization in different ways. The first is learners’ digital portfolios. This folder within their myKlovr account contains students’ best academic and extracurricular accomplishments, those they can include in a college application or use as inspiration for an admissions essay or resume. And if you’re part of their support networks, you can offer advice on selecting the best examples that’ll leave colleges or employers impressed.

Another way myKlovr helps learners improve their organizational skills involves the achievable goals we recommend aligning with their career or college goals. An organized calendar lets students keep up with their responsibilities and feel a sense of accomplishment when they complete each one.

Time Management

Time management issues affect even the most dedicated students preparing for college or career. myKlovr helps learners with time management by spreading out the achievable goals mentioned in the previous section over all four years of high school. Of course, students can adjust these goals’ deadlines if they need additional time or feel they can tackle more tasks at once. This flexibility is crucial, as no two young adults are the same.

Final Thoughts

myKlovr is in no way a replacement for what you’re already doing to help students develop good transferable skills. We designed our service to complement the best strategies teachers like you use daily. So, please take some time to visit us online or reach out directly at info@myKlovr.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

myKlovr and College Return on Investment

We at myKlovr don’t have to tell high school teachers and counselors like you that college costs are only increasing. This fact of life makes your job preparing students and their families for college admissions and the financial aid process more challenging than ever. And, of course, no two families’ financial situations are the same.

myKlovr wants to help you provide the best advice to college-bound students of all backgrounds. In this article, we’ll discuss how focusing the college conversation on return on investment (ROI) can help students and their families make informed decisions. We’ll also examine how myKlovr’s tools help with calculating potential ROI.

What is ROI?

Think of buying a stock. You buy a share for $10. Its value goes up to $11 the next day, and you sell. You’ve made 10%, or $1, on your investment. Not bad.

A similar but not wholly identical thing is going on with choosing the right college or trade school. Like with stocks, there are a lot of options. BUT…your students are making a choice where it’ll take much longer than a day to find out if they’ve made the right investment. Everything from their preferences to economic conditions can change overnight. You know this, but your students and their parents may not. What seems like a wise decision today may not be the correct one in four years when they graduate or 10 years when they establish themselves in a career.

So, calculating ROI for colleges is a tricky proposition, especially if your students are applying to schools with a hefty price tag. And you have enough on your plate as it is. Here’s where myKlovr can come in.

First and Foremost

myKlovr recommends schools to users based on what they want out of life and their academic/extracurricular performance. We do not consider colleges’ prestige/cost/etc. when making recommendations. In other words, no one is paying us to recommend School A over School B.

How We Help Students Find the ROI Sweet Spot

Students interact with myKlovr by first completing interest and academic questionnaires. Our artificial intelligence analyzes this information and produces options that meet the following criteria:

  • They offer majors aligning with users’ interests.
  • Their admissions statistics align with users’ grades/test scores.
    • We also recommend some schools just out of reach. After all, freshmen and sophomores who sign up have plenty of time to improve.

These recommendations come at a variety of price points. Harvard University may be on the same list as the state college just a few miles away. It all depends on the user. And if you are part of your students’ myKlovr support networks, you can review these recommendations just as easily as they can.

Considering Academic Interests

You know it’s not right to push talented students into a field just because people in that field make more than their U.S. median salary. Of course, going into STEM or something similar makes taking on student debt less of a risk. (We’ll discuss debt more in the next section.) However, what do you do if your learners want to pursue a major associated with less lucrative careers?

Your first instinct might be to recommend the cheapest colleges, such as your local community college or state university. However, your students’ list of recommended schools gives them a starting point to research these institutions’ career services and graduate outcomes. Perhaps a more expensive school offers better resources, such as regular on-campus networking events. These and other factors can help degree-seekers in all majors land a well-paying first job or prepare for graduate school admissions.

Considering Financial Aid

Let’s talk about how financial aid affects your students’ ROI calculations.

Let’s say you’re helping a myKlovr user review their list of recommended schools. Do you automatically tell them to ignore the most expensive ones?

The answer depends on their financial aid situation.

Attending a great school with a full ride presents an excellent ROI opportunity for your learners. No matter what, they will not graduate with the debt burden so many undergraduate and graduate students face.

But all students’ situations aren’t that simple, such as some learners not hearing back about private scholarships until after they have picked a college. However, these students can use myKlovr to plan for eventualities and weigh the financial pros/cons well in advance of making a final decision.

Final Thoughts

myKlovr isn’t a crystal ball. No matter how much data we gather, we don’t know what the economy will look like 10 years down the line, let alone one. That’s why you, the human touch, is more important than ever in helping students and their families make sound academic and financial planning decisions.

Finally, please visit us at myKlovr.com to learn more about us. We look forward to providing your students with the best college and career planning tools.

myKlovr and Ethical College Admissions

It’s 2023, and the college admissions scandal that began in 2019 is still playing out in US courts. Fortunately, the offenders are facing jail time and fines. However, the stain the scandal left on college admissions remains, changing many high school students’ relationships with the process.

The college admissions scandal brought to light not only individuals’ crimes but also some unfortunate realities surrounding admissions, including the pressure on high-achieving high school students to apply solely to the most well-known colleges and universities. This trend makes the chances of acceptance at one of these institutions incredibly small, a fact that likely prompted the adults caught up in the scandal to break the law.

Schools are trying to reform admissions in many ways, such as through ethical college admissions. This trend can potentially improve how high school students research and apply to schools for the better. Whether you’re a teacher, counselor, or administrator, take a moment to learn more about this movement and how recommending myKlovr to your students can help them find the right school.

Putting Students’ Needs Front and Center

You probably remember taking the SAT or the ACT the first time. It’s likely that if you scored above the median, your mailbox soon found itself stuffed with interest letters from different colleges. It might have felt flattering at the time, but these schools didn’t know a thing about you besides a two- or four-digit score.

This example is just one of many showing how higher education is geared toward attracting the best and brightest with little to no thought about college applicants’ interests and goals. It also breeds the misconception that the most well-known schools can provide the best education to all undergraduates.

As a result, motivated students press themselves to focus solely on these reach schools without ever considering what they actually need. As someone who works in a high school, you already know that this mindset can lead to short- and long-term disappointment/regret.

In steps myKlovr.

At myKlovr, we encourage ethical college admissions by putting students’ needs front and center. Do their academic interests and long-term goals align with what the big-name schools offer? If so, great! If not, just as great! No matter what, we’ll recommend the schools where they can thrive.

And if they’re not interested in going to college right away (or at all), we recommend suitable careers requiring only a high school diploma and some vocational training.

Bringing myKlovr Into the Admissions Conversation

Discussing the college admissions scandal with your students is an excellent way to hear their thoughts on college and future plans. One thing to stress is that the applicants in this story had little to no agency in deciding their futures. Many of your students will likely sympathize, no matter their plans for after high school.

That’s where myKlovr can enter the conversation. Students who use our service gain specialized tools, letting them take a greater amount of control over their lives. Yes, we make recommendations regarding schools/careers, but they can adjust these recommendations as they see fit.

And, of course, adults like you still have a say. The myKlovr support network lets parents, teachers, and counselors provide input and advice. As the saying goes, it takes a village . . . and not just software.

Final Thoughts

myKlovr’s dedication to ethical college admissions extends to offering free accounts to high school students wanting to test drive our service. Please visit myKlovr.com to learn more about this and other advantages we can give your learners.

myKlovr: A Solely Assistive Artificial Intelligence

High school teachers have a new foe to deal with in their campaign against cheating: ChatGPT.

The artificial intelligence (AI) that’s been all over the news has the potential to provide many benefits, such as detailed explanations of topics (i.e., Compare this feature to the simple list of ranked websites a standard Google search produces.). Yet, as with all technologies, potential downsides exist. Teachers like you are worried that students could use this intuitive software to write essays and complete other assignments.

Now, ChatGPT is still in its infancy, and it’s too soon to know how it will impact education, but we at myKlovr want to take a moment to discuss what sets our AI stands apart. Over the next few paragraphs, we’ll put to bed a few of your concerns about our AI and demonstrate how it can be a valuable tool in helping your students transition to college.

First and Foremost

The good news is that you don’t need to panic about ChatGPT just yet. Sure, it can write an essay about just about anything, but a keen eye like yours will no doubt catch the errors and inconsistencies that make this still nascent technology a poor tool for potential cheaters in your classroom.

However, it’s one more thing to look out for, meaning you have to plan for the inevitable. An open, honest conversation with your students can go a long way in preventing misuse.

But you’ll never have to have that conversation about myKlovr. Here’s why.

How myKlovr’s AI Stands Apart

myKlovr’s philosophy is that AI can be a powerful mentor in uncertain times, such as when applying to college or searching for a job requiring only a high school or vocational education. We provide a unique starting place for all users. Here’s how we do it.

Users begin their myKlovr journey by answering personal, academic, and career-interest questions. Our AI analyzes these responses and provides two essential tools:

  • Personalized Goal Recommendations: These recommendations target the specific areas users need to increase their chances of college admissions or career application success. Users may change these recommendations based on their evolving interests throughout high school and the advice of teachers/parents/counselors like you.
  • Individual Action Plan: The individual action plan is the in-depth guidebook users follow to meet their personalized goal recommendations. myKlovr breaks down these recommendations by grade level, meaning users can benefit as soon as their freshman year of high school. The action plan is tailored to the colleges/careers users select using our Advanced College Finder service. Recommended actions may include:
    • Joining an extracurricular activity.
    • Improving grades in one subject.
    • Taking a more challenging class.

Now that the AI has done its job, it’s the users’ responsibility to do the work. Adults like you can assist your students every step of the way by joining their support network. Once joined, you can measure their progress on action plan goals, review colleges or careers on their shortlist, and offer advice.

How myKlovr Goes Above and Beyond

myKlovr’s AI recommendations are just one part of a package of tools benefiting your students and their families. Our Financial Fitness Module offers in-depth information regarding college financial planning, savings accounts, and the latest student loan advice. Other tools teach users how to create professional social media profiles (e.g., LinkedIn) that will attract prospective employers’ attention.

Final Thoughts

AI, whether it be ChatGPT or myKlovr, AI is a tool, and some tools are easier to misuse than others. We at myKlovr kept this fact at the forefront when making decisions impacting our user experience. Our AI offers a helping hand in addressing some of the most pressing needs impacting high school students and their families. Users are still in the driver’s seat and are ultimately responsible for completing the work necessary for success.

We invite you to visit myKlovr.com to learn more about our service and how it can help your students. You can also reach out to us directly at info@myklovr.com.

How myKlovr Helps Underserved Students Engage With College Planning

A recent survey has unveiled some troubling statistics regarding underserved students’ perceptions of education after high school. Although over 80% of these learners feel pressure to attend college, nearly half consider higher education unnecessary. Others report that supporting themselves financially right out of high school is their number one priority.

As a counselor, you know that some underserved students want nothing more than to escape toxic social and family environments the moment they graduate. For them, entering the workforce provides a means of escape. However, the financial and emotional stability they seek requires more than a high school diploma.

In this article, we’ll briefly look at the current trends affecting underserved students before diving into how myKlovr can help these learners bridge the gap between high school and some form of continuing education.

Serving the Underserved

We at myKlovr don’t have to tell you that offering even the best remedies to underserved high school students isn’t enough. These young people’s life experiences have turned them off from higher education and left them with a feeling of resignation. Other feelings of powerless and resentment only worsen their future prospects. What they’re lacking can be summed up in a single word:

Agency.

Yes, underserved high school students lack agency, and not just because of their status as minors. Adults like you telling them what to do (e.g., “You must attend a good college to get ahead.”) their entire lives have turned them off from even the best future-planning advice.

So, let’s put agency back into their hands.

How myKlovr Encourages Agency

We built with myKlovr with students’ agency mind. Users’ responses to academic and personal surveys let us get to know their interests, needs, and areas of improvement. We use this information to recommend:

  • A manageable list of potential colleges/careers
  • An action plan to help them become a stronger college/job applicant
  • Financial aid resources that will help them avoid debt

Another way we help users build agency is letting them modify the academic goals/action plan we offer. Even a well-trained artificial intelligence won’t know your students perfectly, and their preferences will likely change throughout their four years in high school. With just a few keystrokes, your students can make changes and feel more confident in their futures.

How You Can Still Help Students in Need

Even students with agency will still need your help, perhaps a little, perhaps a lot. That’s where the myKlovr support network comes in.

The support network has three essential features. It lets you:

  • Review students’ goals and college/career recommendations.
  • See which students are having trouble reaching their goals.
  • Provide advice/encouragement students will see on their myKlovr account.

A support network includes trusted adults students select, such as their parents/guardians, teachers, and counselors. The support network also acts as an informal team that can use myKlovr to collaborate on solutions to users’ unique problems/issues/etc.

Final Thoughts

Underserved students face a set of unique challenges that no one service like myKlovr can solve fully. Helping learners in need still requires the human touch only you can provide. But with myKlovr, you can give your learners a new set of tools to build motivation and agency.

Please visit us at myKlovr.com or contact us directly at info@myKlovr.com for more information. We look forward to partnering with you, your students, and your school.

Traditional College Rankings Versus myKlovr

For decades, high school students turned to the U.S. News and World Report to find their dream college. However, more and more colleges are opting out of rankings. Their reasons for doing so are numerous, but the impact on college applicants is the same:

One less tool to find the right school.

For decades, the answer was to look outward, to research opinions like those of U.S. News and World Report. But with advances in technology, there is a new option – looking inwards for guidance.

In this article, we’ll discuss how myKlovr turns the traditional college search on its head and gives every student you serve as a high school counselor new ways to plan for their futures.

College Searching in the Past

Take a moment to remember your college search. It probably involved a big book that broke down 1,000+ schools’ stats (e.g., tuition, admission rate, student body, reputation). The U.S. News and World Report offers a similar service with the caveat that colleges are listed based on how they rank in different areas.

We at myKlovr don’t have to tell you that this kind of ranking system appeals to college applicants aiming to get into the most well-known colleges. It even convinces many students that only the schools at the top of any list are the ones worth applying to.

But, as you know, this is an outward-looking approach. For generations, college applicants considered hundreds of options with little consideration of what they actually wanted in higher education.

That’s where myKlovr comes in.

How myKlovr Turns College Searching on Its Head

The first thing students do after creating a myKlovr account is take academic and personal surveys. Their answers help our artificial intelligence (AI) learn much about them in just a few minutes, such as their:

  • General and Career Interests
  • Academic Goals
  • Areas of Improvement

This information turns thousands of potential four-year, two-year, and vocational colleges throughout the United States into a manageable list of custom-tailored recommendations. Some schools may be private, others public, some out of state, and a few online. Our AI considers only users’ needs/abilities when making recommendations.

And, yes, we provide in-depth information about every school we recommend.

And since our AI identifies areas of improvement, we offer personalized action plans users follow so that they may qualify for the reach colleges on their list. This feature benefits freshmen/sophomores, as they have plenty of time to improve their grades and take on new challenges such as honors/AP classes.

Although myKlovr provides custom-tailored recommendations and a slew of other resources, we know that counselors like you, teachers, and parents are still crucial to the college-search process. That’s why you can join users’ support networks. Being a support network member lets you keep tabs on users’ progress and offer essential advice when needed.

Final Thoughts

The decline of U.S. News and World Report as a college-research service may be a blessing in disguise. It gives you and your students the chance to have a new conversation about finding the right school. And with myKlovr, that conversation is easier than ever.

Please reach out to us at info@myKlovr.com with questions or learn more about our service on myKlovr.com. We look forward to partnering with you and helping your students plan for the future.

How myKlovr Promotes AP Exam Day Success

Advanced Placement (AP) Exam season is fast approaching, and for AP teachers like you, you know students’ energy levels are running out quickly. Even the most dedicated students are feeling the pinch. There’s a lot going on this time of year, and ‘keeping the plates spinning’ is no easy task.

That’s where myKlovr comes in. Besides the college/career planning and financial aid resources we provide high school students, our service features two things that’ll help your AP test-takers in this challenging time.

Keeping Goals Front and Center

The stress of AP Exam season and the end-of-the-year fatigue can put students in a bad headspace. Questions like ‘Why am I pushing myself so hard?’ and ‘Is this all really worth it?’ invade their minds.

myKlovr helps your students answer both questions by putting their academic and career goals front and center. They develop these goals by completing brief questionnaires, the answers to which our artificial intelligence (AI) uses to suggest schools best matching their unique needs. Within this list are some reach colleges, those where an excellent AP Exam score (or two) would greatly raise their chances of admissions success.

But that’s not all. myKlovr also recommends a variety of scholarship opportunities. We don’t have to tell you that a good AP Exam score can greatly raise your students’ chances of getting free money for college.

As a result, myKlovr users approaching their AP Exams know exactly why they are pushing themselves the last few weeks before summer break.

Maintaining users’ motivation isn’t the only advantage myKlovr brings to the table. Let’s talk about how service keeps students on track. 

Staying on Track

A key feature of the myKlovr platform is the personalized action plan we recommend to every user. Think of a long-term calendar outlining academic, extracurricular, and personal goals leading up to college admissions. Knowing how AP Exams fit into their calendar well in advance lets your students plan their study time strategically.

Of course, we know that plans change, especially as your students mature throughout high school. That’s why we let users modify their goals as their preferences evolve.

How You Stay Involved

myKlovr provides many excellent services for college- and career-bound high school students, but we didn’t set out to replace the wisdom of parents, teachers, counselors, and other trusted adults. That’s why we created the myKlovr support network.

Users send out invitations so others can review their college recommendations/goals/etc. and provide help when needed. This system lets you seamlessly check your students’ progress and engagement with the myKlovr platform.

And When the Scores Come In…

Let’s say your students aced their AP Exam by earning a 4 or 5. That’s great! Plugging these numbers into myKlovr helps our AI get a better picture of which schools where they’d be competitive. And although the recommendations may change, each one still offers your learners the educational and social experience best aligned with their needs and goals.

Final Thoughts

Doing well on AP exams helps high school students prepare for college’s rigor and improve their admissions portfolios. With myKlovr, your learners can stay cool and collected leading up to exam day. And, of course, teachers and counselors like you remain connected and provide assistance when needed.

We at myKlovr look forward to partnering with you, your school, and your students to give every college- and career-bound learner new tools to promote their long-term success. Please contact us at info@myKlovr.com for more information.

myKlovr: High School and Beyond

We at myKlovr set out to provide high school students and their families with an intuitive tool to find the right college or career, explore financial aid, and prepare for adult life. At the time, we focused solely on users’ high school years.

But high school graduation day doesn’t have to be the end of students’ myKlovr journey.

Our services’ tools can assist users well beyond graduation. In this article, we’ll explore how myKlovr can benefit community/junior college students planning to transfer after 1-2 years. We’ll break down these benefits by telling the story of a fictional college student.

So, high school counselors and teachers, settle in and meet Stephanie.

Getting Started in Community College

Just a few months after graduating high school, Stephanie starts classes at the local community college down the road. She’s taking a mix of in-person and online classes to save money and work a part-time job.

Stephanie uses her myKlovr personalized action plan to set academic goals, such as making a B+ or better in all her classes. Setting these goals helps her plan study time around her already busy schedule.

Researching Transfer Schools

Stephanie is doing well in her first semester thanks to her personalized myKlovr action plan. It has helped her keep up to date with all short- and long-term deadlines. As a result, she is ready to start researching transfer schools.

Many of these schools are those myKlovr recommended to Stephanie in high school. However, as her academic and career preferences evolve, so do her recommendations. myKlovr has added a few new four-year schools for her to consider as she begins researching application deadlines and requirements.

At the same time, Stephanie is using myKlovr to research which of her recommended schools offer the best institutional financial aid. Although she is attending community college to save money on a four-year degree, she wants to avoid debt at all costs. Fortunately, many schools on her shortlist offer generous scholarships to transfer students with good undergraduate grades.  

Getting Ready to Apply

Three months out from the first application deadline, Stephanie has three transfer schools that meet her academic, social, and financial needs. While working with her community college’s transfer advisors, she continues to use myKlovr to prepare for admissions success:

  • Ticking off application materials/requirements of each school as she completes them.
  • Using members of her support network (e.g., counselors and community college teachers) for advice and feedback on her admissions essays.
  • Keeping track of outside scholarship application deadlines.

As deadlines approach, Stephanie is calm and collected thanks to myKlovr. She can continue focusing most of her energy on maintaining her grades and preparing for upper-division coursework at her new school.

Final Thoughts

In our scenario, myKlovr helped Stephanie every step of the way as she prepared for transfer to a four-year school. But going to college for the first time is scary, even more so when you know you want to transfer. As a result, you, the high school counselors and teachers, still play a vital role in providing the human touch young people need to chart their path.

We at myKlovr look forward to partnering with you, your school, and your students to give every college- and career-bound learner new tools to promote their long-term success. Please contact us at info@myKlovr.com for more information.

myKlovr and Gap Year Planning

High school counselors, what do you know about gap years?

If your answer is, “Well, it’s a year off between high school and college,” you’d only be half-right. Yes, a gap year is a delay, but one that’s meant to be a meaningful time of personal growth. And getting your students ready for one . . . it’s just as intensive as preparing them for college admissions.

In this article, we’ll discuss some gap year basics and ideas before diving into how myKlovr can prepare your students for this important period in their lives.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gap Years

What Are Some Options? 

Your students may enroll in immersive foreign language classes, gain work experience in a paid job or internship, or volunteer. Opportunities exist at home and abroad, although the latter can come with a significant price tag.

Who Benefits the Most?

Not to sound vague, but the answer depends on the individual student. You likely know yours well enough to determine who’s ready for college and who needs a little more life experience/growing up/etc. However, even those 100% prepared for college may need a gap year to reexamine their academic and career goals. 

What Will Colleges Think?

If your students have done their research and made the most of their gap year, the experience will be a boon rather than a hindrance to their college applications. We don’t have to tell you that college admissions counselors love unique stories and applicants who take the initiative.

How myKlovr Helps Your Students Prepare for a Gap Year (and Beyond)

Planning 

myKlovr’s career and college recommendations can help your gap year-bound students plan for a successful 12 months. These options help learners focus on gap year ideas aligned with their unique interests. This advantage takes a lot of the guesswork out of finding the right experience(s). 

Execution

A year may seem like a long time, but learners need to make the most of it. myKlovr gives each user a calendar they can use to set goals for their gap year experience. And even though they are no longer your student, you can still offer them advice and encouragement as a member of their personalized support network. 

Follow-Up 

A gap year lets students complete many milestones, goals, and accomplishments, all things they can put into their myKlovr digital portfolio. Keeping these things secure ensures that they have a wealth of information to pull from when it comes time to write college admission essays.

Resources for You and Your Students

Take your research further by exploring some of these excellent outside resources. Each provides important information and the latest opportunities for young adults.

Final Thoughts

A gap year offers innumerable possibilities that can help your students transition to college and adulthood. We at myKlovr look forward to working with them to turn their dreams into reality. Please visit us at myKlovr.com or reach out at info@myKlovr.com for more information.

Best Jobs Not Requiring a Four-Year Degree for 2023

High school counselors, we at myKlovr don’t have to tell you that a four-year college isn’t in all of your students’ futures. Learners’ career aspirations may not align with a traditional liberal arts education. And that’s just fine.

But not going to college doesn’t give high school students an excuse to ignore future planning. Preparing for a career involves the same steps as preparing for college, mainly significant research and extensive self-reflection. Fortunately, many of the same tools myKlovr provides college-bound learners also apply to students preparing for a career.

As your students use myKlovr and other services to prepare for life after graduation, we want to keep you informed of some of the best jobs not requiring a four-year degree for 2023. The following careers feature a good median salary, opportunities for advancement, and many other advantages. Use the information in this article to guide your conversations with learners unsure about their post-graduation plans.

The Best Jobs for 2023

Here are some of the best jobs not requiring a four-year degree for 2023. The salary and projected growth information reflect the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dental Hygienist

Required Education: Associate degree

Median Salary: $77,810

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 9%

What They Do: Dental hygienists use the latest medical equipment to clean patients’ teeth and take x-rays. They also maintain patient documents and recommend treatment plans. A typical associate degree in dental hygiene takes three years for full-time students.

Elevator and Escalator Installer and Repairer

Required Education: High school diploma

Median Salary: $97,860

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 3%

What They Do: Elevators and escalator installers and repairers test new equipment, troubleshoot problems, and replace broken parts. Other responsibilities include performing routine inspections. Aspiring professionals prepare for this career by completing a multiyear apprenticeship.

Industrial Machinery Mechanic

Required Education: High school diploma

Median Salary: $59,380

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 14%

What They Do: Industrial machinery mechanics repair and service heavy machinery, such as packaging equipment and conveying systems. They also perform diagnostic tests and calibrate machines. A typical industrial machinery mechanic apprenticeship lasts four years.

Massage Therapist

Required Education: College certificate or diploma

Median Salary: $46,910

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 20%

What They Do: Massage therapists help patients relieve pain and stress. They speak with new clients to understand their issues and choose the right treatment options. Aspiring massage therapists must complete a state-approved program and earn a license. 

Paralegal

Required Education: Associate degree

Median Salary: $56,230

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 14%

What They Do: Paralegals help lawyers in many ways, such as by performing investigations, interviewing witnesses, and writing legal documents. Typical job sites include law firms and courtrooms. Students prepare for this career by earning an associate degree in paralegal studies.

Physical Therapist Assistant

Required Education: Associate degree

Median Salary: $49,180

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 24%

What They Do: Physical therapist assistants work under licensed physical therapists. Typical responsibilities include helping patients with exercises and maintaining paperwork. A two-year associate program trains students for this career.

Registered Nurse

Required Education: Associate degree

Median Salary: $77,600

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 6%

What They Do: Registered nurses record patients’ medical histories, administer medication, and perform tests. They may specialize in one of many medical subfields, such as addiction or critical care. Recent graduates with an associate or bachelor’s in nursing must pass the NCLEX-RN exam to qualify for a license.

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installer

Required Education: High school diploma

Median Salary: $48,320

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: N/A

What They Do: Security and fire alarm systems and installers maintain essential safety equipment. The job requires them to master some electrical skills. Top-paying employers include local governments and building equipment contractors.

Solar Photovoltaic Installer

Required Education: High school diploma

Median Salary: $47,670

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 27%

What They Do: Solar photovoltaic installers assemble solar panels and connect them to the electrical grid. They also troubleshoot problems and perform routine maintenance. Aspiring installers with a high school diploma qualify for the profession by completing an apprenticeship or a college certificate program.

 Wind Turbine Technician

Required Education: College certificate or diploma

Median Salary: $56,260

Projected Job Growth 2021-2031: 44%

What They Do: Wind turbine technicians install and maintain wind turbine towers. The profession requires physical fitness and knowledge of electrical systems. Technical schools provide the training necessary to enter this profession.

Other Things to Consider 

Getting one of these jobs may not require a four-year degree but other forms of education and training. Options include:

  • Community college certificates and diplomas
  • Internships
  • Apprenticeships

That’s where myKlovr comes in handy in more ways than just recommending careers aligning with your students’ interests. Learners’ action plans can help them prepare to enter these continuing education opportunities. After all, community colleges and apprenticeships require a high school diploma or GED.

Your career-bound students should also research your school’s career and technical education (CTE) classes. These classes impart vital skills and let students know what’s required to enter a career. If your school does not offer CTE, learners may take night, weekend, or summer classes at a local community or technical college.

 Final Thoughts

With myKlovr, your students can prepare for college, career, or both. We are committed to helping learners explore the best opportunities aligning with their interests. Please email us at info@myKlovr.com for more information.

We look forward to answering your questions and providing your students with industry-leading success tools.

Lost Boyz Inc. & Successful Youth Leaders case study

Bringing personal responsibility, post-secondary educational attainment, and workforce readiness to vulnerable students on Chicago’s South Side.

How myKlovr helps the Youth Mentors at the Lost Boyz Inc. Successful Youth Leaders program empower their students to succeed.

“myKlovr provided our participants with a one-stop shop to provide information needed to successfully prepare for college and the workforce” – LaVonte Stewart, Executive Director of Lost Boyz, Inc. and leader of Successful Youth Leaders program

 

Learn how myKlovr worked with the Successful Youth Leaders program to:

  • provide college & career guidance to at-risk youth
  • develop tools for student accountability
  • deploy dashboard & reporting for mentor visibility into student actions
  • support frontline youth mentors

 

HR Leader’s Guide – A Case for College & Career Counseling Benefits for Employee Families

College & Career counseling benefits for employee families has fast become a key benefit for Employers to showcase their commitment to reducing employee stress, improving employee financial wellness, show support for diversity & inclusion, and more. Get our HR Leader’s Guide : A Case for College & Career Counseling Benefits for Employee Families to ensure you have all the information you need for evaluating your solution.

The HR Leader’s Guide covers:

  • The value of providing college & career planning benefits for your employees.
  • How to communicate the case for college & career counseling.
  • The critical pieces to consider when evaluating a college & career planning solution

 

Welcome to myKlovr!
How to Make the Most of Your Membership

 

MyKlovr is a first-of-its-kind college and career counseling technology solution for high-school students. Our single-minded focus is to help every myKlovr user increase their chances of college and career success.

Why is it important to us? 90% of the 16 million high-school students in the US are planning to go to college. But over 20% never enroll. Then, over 40% of college students do not obtain a degree within six years of starting. Eventually, college graduates are left with the burden of student loan debts of $40,000 on average.

If you attend college, it’s important to start at a school that’s right for you, one that can deliver the greatest benefit, and for you to be ready to get the most out of your investment.  If you decide college is not the right path for you, how you prepare for life after high-school can make a huge difference in how much you get paid, how secure your job is, and what kind of career you build.

Having a college degree can be very important. Studies demonstrate that on average college graduates earn $22,000 more per year than high-school graduates. Education opens doors to more opportunities and helps find satisfaction and fulfillment in life.

At myKlovr we want to help every student achieve their education and career goals. Using myKlovr is not difficult and follows a simple process:

At the beginning, a myKlovr user needs to tell us something about themselves so that we can understand their strengths, opportunities, interests, ambitions, etc. This is the role of the Student Portfolio.

Based on that information, our artificial intelligence engine formulates personalized Goal Recommendations for every user. This is our digital college prep.

Finally, every myKlovr user needs to decide which Goal Recommendations they want to focus on. Thus, they build their own, unique Action Plan, which will increase their chances of college admission.

MyKlovr also includes valuable tools for career exploration, preparation, and planning for students who choose not to attend college.

There are 8 steps to make the most of your myKlovr membership:

  1. Your Student Portfolio Overview
  2. The Academic Part of Your Student Portfolio
  3. The Personal Part of Your Student Portfolio
  4. The Career Part of Your Student Portfolio
  5. Your Goal Recommendations
  6. Your Goals
  7. Your College Plan
  8. Financial Resources

Step 1 – Your Student Portfolio Overview

Your Student Portfolio is the first thing you should use once you start with myKlovr.  Until you enter at least some of the information, we can’t provide you with any counseling or advice. This is how it works:

Your Student Portfolio consists of three parts that we will talk about in the next four topics. Why so many? Because college admissions are not only about grades and test scores. Good grades are not always enough. And not-so-good grades don’t have to be a road-block, if you tell a compelling personal story. This is what your myKlovr Student Portfolio is for.

As you start building your Student Portfolio keep in mind the following:

  • Most students complete the Academic part first, but you can start wherever you want
  • You don’t have to complete the whole lot in one sitting
  • The more detailed your input, the better your myKlovr Goal Recommendations
  • Keep your Student Portfolio up-to-date so that your Goal Recommendations remain useful.

The best way to use your Student Portfolio is to start early and keep fine-tuning it over time. You are crafting your personal story so that when you submit your college applications, you are ready to tell your unique story, one that will make you stand out in a crowd of applicants.

 

Step 2 – The Academic Foundation of Your Student Portfolio

Academic performance is not everything when you apply to college. But it is still very, very important. College admissions officers pay a lot of attention to your transcripts, test scores, etc. We know what colleges look for and will provide you with guidance that will put you in the best possible position as a college applicant.

Many students complain that when they start preparing their college applications they can’t find all the required grades, scores, etc. Guess what? You can keep all of your transcript info in your myKlovr Portfolio.

A tip before you dive in: Always keep your data up-to-date. Otherwise, myKlovr Goal Recommendations can become less relevant to where you are.

The Academic part of your Student Portfolio has the following sections:

    • Schools – This is a part of your individual profile.  Include your school, most recent GPAs, grading scale, marking periods per year, grades attended, and the date you enter / graduate from high school.
    • Transcripts – Provide us with your course grades as of your 8thgrade. Colleges want to know your entire high school history and evaluate the trends / changes from one year to another.
    • Standardized Tests – Almost all colleges require SAT or ACT scores and they are one of the first things that admission officers look at. Put in all tests that you have taken, including PSATs and Pre-ACT.
    • Writing and Language Skills – This is your self-assessment. You may ask other people, including your teachers, for their feedback.
    • Academic Achievements & Awards – Brag about the accolades that you have won. They can become an important part of your personal essay.

We’ll send you reminders  near the end of each marking period or semester to update your portfolio, but you don’t have to wait for us.

Step 3 – The Personal Part of Your Student Portfolio

It is amazing how much your passions and interests can help your admission chances. But you need to tell a concise and compelling story. This is what the Personal part of your Student Portfolio is going to help you with.

 

The first four sections here cover Cross-Cultural Experience, Extracurricular Activities, Hobbies & Interests, and Volunteering & Community Services. At the beginning write about everything that you could tell a friend. Nothing is insignificant. Try not to skip any detail like dates, awards, leadership. We ask about them for a reason and we use them in the analysis of your profile. Over time, myKlovr will help you select the activities and events that can most boost your attractiveness as a college applicant.

What follows is an assessment of your Achievements & Awards. It’s bragging time! Include only accolades that are connected to the Personal part of your portfolio. Other recognition belongs to the other parts.

Now we want to learn about what personal qualities make you shine in your Personal Qualities assessment. After talking to many college admissions officers, we have selected 12 that they look for when evaluating college candidates. Don’t think that you are expected to max out on all of them. Nobody does. We want you to understand what your 2-3 top personal qualities are so that when you write your application essay you can tell a unique story of what makes you an amazing candidate.

The next section is your Personal Video, this is where myKlovr encourages you to talk about yourself, your passions, and about what makes you different. You can produce a short video and feature it here. If you are involved in performing arts, if you play an instrument, or if you are an athlete, you can upload video clips of your performances or games.

Last but not least there is the Statement of Purpose. You are invited to think and write about the vision of your own future, and about the difference that you want to make in the world.  When you apply to colleges, you’ll need to write a personal statement, and the thoughts you have captured in your Statement of Purpose can serve as a starting point.

Step 4 – The Career Part of Your Student Portfolio

The Career part of your Student Portfolio is there for two reasons.

Firstly, we want to encourage you to think about what you want to do in life. There is no rush. You have plenty of time to decide. But if you know your career preferences, it will be easier to select the right colleges for you. If you understand your strengths and where your energy is, you can use them to your advantage.

Most colleges do not expect their applicants to select their career path or even their college major. But they are likely to ask you to explain why you have chosen to apply to their college. When you can talk about your future and how their college can help you get there, it will be easier to convince the admissions counselors that you are the right candidate for their institution.

Secondly, we invite you to capture any internship, work experience or even related recognition, that you may have. Experiences like that give you a taste of what a specific profession can be like. Spend a few weeks at an attorney’s office. Do you still want to be a lawyer? Besides, this is a chapter of your personal story that may connect with an admissions officer at your dream college.

 

Step 5 – Your Goal Recommendations

Goal Recommendations are the core benefit of our digital college prep. In response to your input in your Student Portfolio, our Artificial Intelligence-driven engine formulates these recommendations of focus areas that, if addressed, will significantly increase your chances of college admissions.

The advice we give depends on the tier of college you plan to attend. More selective colleges have higher standards for admission, and may require more preparation on your part.  Use the “Find My Tier” tool to find the college tier that’s the best match for you, then select that target tier in the Goal Recommendations section.

The Goal Recommendations are arranged under the following tabs: Academic, Personal, Career, and Declined Recommended Goals. Click on a Recommendation to see details about why it is important and what steps you’ll need to take to acheive it.

 

You can do two things with a Recommended Goal:

1 – Press the ✓ icon to accept the recommendation, if you want to work on it,
2 – Press the ✕ icon to decline if you don’t like it or it is not the right time for you to work on it,

Remember, every time you update your Student Portfolio your Goal Recommendations will be updated accordingly so that you always receive the most relevant counseling from myKlovr.

Step 6 – Your Goals

Your Goals are the tasks you have decided to take on to increase your chances of college admission. But a goal is a goal and you need to be able to work with it.

Under the My Goals Custom tab, click on plus sign icon if you want to create a completely new goal. It can be anything, even something like ‘Wash the dishes every Thursday night’. After a second thought … even though admirable, it probably won’t help you much with your college chances.

 

Another cool feature of My Goals is that you can mark specific steps or entire goals as complete so that at any moment you can see what progress you have made. Trust me, it will helps your motivation to see that the work is done, so come back often to check your goal steps off.

There is one important thing about Your Goals. It will only be useful to you if you do something about it. A goal without any effort put behind it is wishful thinking. A plan that you carry out is progress.

Step 7 – Your College Plan

My College Plan contains four unique features:

  • Find My Tier
  • College Finder
  • Target List
  • Athletic Eligibility Status

Find My Tier helps you identify a college tier that best fits your profile based on your Student Portfolio. This would normally be your match tier. Your GPA and standardized test scores will affect your current match tier, so be sure to keep this information up-to-date.

The next tool is the College Finder. Our College Finder has seven different filter sections, each of which offers a range of search criteria. There are a lot of colleges and universities in our database, so you’d better use the filters if you want to find the colleges that are right for you.

You can jump from one search section to another, go back, add, change and remove filters as much as you want. The search results will be continuously updated. If you see very few colleges there, it may be because you have added too many search filters, or some criteria are inconsistent. In that case, you try reducing the number of search criteria or adjust them.

Play with the College Finder as much as you want. Try different searches. Selecting colleges is important because you are choosing a place where you are going to spend an important part of your life. Make sure that you love every day of your college years.

You can click on each college in the Finder results to see more detail or to save the college in your Target List Clipboard. Many colleges have virtual tours available, so click the video tour icon when you see it.

On the following tab, you will find your Target List. Colleges you save from the College Finder are listed in the Clipboard section. From there,  you can move colleges to your reach, match, or safety lists.

You can specify the target tier for each of your Reach, Match, and Safety lists, and you’ll see a warning icon if a college in one of the lists is from the wrong tier.

Finally, we have the Academic Eligibility Status tab. If you indicated that you might be interested in playing collegiate sports, you’ll want to keep track of your academic eligibility according to NCAA regulations. (If you don’t see this tool, it might be because you said you didn’t plan to play college sports. You can change the setting in the Settings tab.) Understand that you’ll have to confirm your eligibility directly through the NCAA website for a final determination.

 

Step 8 – Financial Resources

Recognizing that nearly three-quarters of U.S. families are concerned about paying for college as higher education costs continue to increase, myKlovr has partnered with several partners to provide resources for you and your parents.  The “Paying for College” tab has information about financial aid (Over 70% of college students receive some sort of financial aid, ranging from reduced tuition and scholarships to personal loans.)

Screenshot of Paying for College Section, buttons: Financial Aid Info, True Cost of College, Scholarships and Grants

The Finanical Aid Info section contains information about financial aid resources, different kinds of financial aid, information on applying for aid, and how to research scholarships, grants, work-study programs, and loans.

The True Cost of College tool helps you understand how much you and your family are likely to pay to attend a specific school considering the school’s history of tuition reduction, grants, work-study programs, as well as your family’s financial situation.

The Scholarships and Grants tool can help you search for scholarships and grants that will reduce your cost of college with no obligation to repay the funds.

We have now completed the 8 steps to make the most of your myKlovr experience. We look forward to helping you take control of your future and setting you on a journey towards growth and fulfillment.

myKlovr: A Short Primer for Benefits Brokers

By Thomas Broderick

As a benefits broker, you give one or more clients expert advice on how to provide the best benefits at a cost affordable to employees, answer employers and employees’ questions, and stay up to date with the latest laws and regulations. As a result, you need to keep on top of the rapidly evolving benefits landscape to succeed at your job.

In this brief article, we at myKlovr want to introduce you to our employee and member benefit, one that appeals to mid-career professionals with middle and high school-aged children. We feel confident that by the time you finish reading, you will recognize myKlovr’s value and want to offer it to your clients.

What Is myKlovr?

MyKlovr answers a question many high school students have: ‘How do I get into my dream college?’ Unfortunately, high schools across the country lack proper college counseling resources, and the best private college admissions counselors charge as much as some lawyers. Many families go into the process blind, and without help, prospective college students cannot attend the right school.

To help families in need, myKlovr developed a first-of-its-kind virtual college admissions counseling service that combines seven key functions:

  • A student portfolio where users can curate their best academic and extracurricular work
  • Personalized goal recommendations (e.g., improve a grade, join a club) that align to the user’s top college picks
    • Users can modify these recommendations, also known as an action plan, at any time
  • A progress dashboard that visualizes users’ accomplishments
  • An advanced college finder with multiple filters
  • A support network wherein users can invite trusted adults (e.g., teachers, parents) to offer advice, keep up to date with progress, and confirm milestones
  • Specialized courses that teach users how to create college-friendly social media accounts
  • Financial education modules that provide valuable information on how to pay and save for college

Users receive all of these services the moment they sign up for myKlovr. Once they input personal and academic information, they can begin improving their chances of college admissions success.

How Does Offering myKlovr Differ From Other Benefits?

You’ve likely come across dozens of voluntary benefits that appeal not only to employees but also their families (e.g., public transportation passes, discounts on entertainment, gym memberships, etc.). myKlovr stands apart in one crucial aspect – cost.

Our low cost not only attracts new users but can help your clients, as well. Unlike with other, more expensive traditional and voluntary benefits, your clients can offer myKlovr at any time of year. Without the need for an open enrollment period, new employees in our target demographic can sign up on their first day of work. Your clients can use this fact to their advantage as they try to recruit the best talent.

Final Thoughts

Please visit our website to learn more about myKlovr and how it helps students and their families. Also, feel free to contact us if you have questions or would like to start offering myKlovr to your clients.

We look forward to working with you.

5 Questions To Ask College Alumni

Selecting a college is an important choice with long-term implications for your future. Wherever you choose to go, you are dedicating four years and thousands of dollars to that college, and in return, you expect a positive and worthwhile experience. Even more important, the college you select needs to give you the best chance to succeed. It must offer you multiple opportunities to prepare you for your chosen career and the real world that awaits you. It also must provide the type of environment that will help you to learn and grow as a student and as a person.

So, how do you know if the college you are looking at will deliver these things? Yes, you should research the college ahead of time. One of the most important steps in your college selection process is taking campus tours and asking questions. We covered what questions to ask your campus tour guide in an earlier blog post. While you are visiting the school, you may meet alumni who went to that school. It is fine to ask them questions – but remember that they were chosen to be at that tour or open house for a reason. The school knows they are going to speak about them in a positive light.

To ensure you are getting the whole story, make sure to reach out to at least 3 alumni via social media or mutual connections. This is where you will get the full truth, the good and the bad, about the school you are considering. Once you find these graduates, you should ask them specific questions to get the information you need and not waste anyone’s time since many will be working professionals. Here are 5 questions to ask and what types of answers to look for.

What was your major, and are you working in that field today?

This question is important because a student’s experience can vary depending on what their major was. Out of the three alumni you speak to, ensure at least once studied the same subject(s) you plan on pursuing. Doing so gives you an idea of what your time will be like. If certain classes are difficult, you can plan ahead by ensuring you take that class at a time where you function at a high level.

The second part of this question is just as important. This will give you insight into how well the school prepared its graduates for the real world. If the graduate responds by telling you that he is not working in his major you may want to dig deeper. This may lead to an important discovery, such as finding out the school has a lackluster career center or has no process in setting their graduates up with companies after graduation.

On the other hand, you may discover that the school in question does a great job assisting students in their transition into the workforce. These types of positives should be documented and will come in handy when you are comparing schools. Again, it is important to understand every aspect of this school before making this crucial decision.

What was the biggest transitional issue you faced when you started at the college?

 Even if you do all your research and choose the ideal college for your needs and goals, the transition can still be difficult. If you are going away to school, then you are starting a new routine, with new people, in a new environment. If you are not careful, then this massive change can overwhelm you. Your grades may suffer.

 By asking this question you are getting advice from someone who has already been there. Not only can they tell you what to expect, but they may also bring up something you never even thought of before. This lets you prepare ahead of time and ensure that whatever is coming will not distract from your schoolwork and knock you off course.

 You may also learn something interesting specifically about the school. For example, several students I have spoken to were not prepared to follow a bus schedule to get to class. Many of them missed at least one class due to this issue. Students also talk about the weather at their school and how different it is from where they grew up. It’s up to you and your needs as to whether or not these are disqualifying factors. For some, learning a bus schedule is no big deal. For others, they may prefer to walk to and from class and have complete control over their schedule. The important thing is that you know these issues exist ahead of time and can plan for them.

Did you feel the college prepared you for the workforce and the real world?

Almost any school can teach you the basics of any course of study. However, you want to be sure you attend a college that goes above and beyond that. Not only are you going to college to learn, but you are also going to prepare for the next steps in life and start to build a career and life you will enjoy. This question lets you know if the college offers the opportunity you need to do just that.

This is also where you will most likely get the most passionate answer from alumni. Did the college provide them with a great education, valuable internships, and help in finding a job? 

This is where you want to look for trends in the answers you are getting. If you hear the same positive or negative things, it can help you paint a picture of what it will be like to attend that school. Be sure to document these answers so you can refer to them later. The biggest thing to look out for is whether or not the school is going to help you reach your goals and start your career off in the right direction.

What was your favorite and least favorite thing about the school?

Again you are looking for two things in the answers you get here – emotion and trends. This is where you can tell if an alumnus feels passionately one way or another about the school. It also helps continue to paint that picture we started in the last question. Either way, these answers should help you understand if the school you are looking at is worth your time and money.

Pay attention to how much time they spend answering both parts of this question. If they go on and on about all their favorite things and cannot name anything negative, then that is a great sign. On the other hand, if the conversation once again turns negative, that is a red flag that needs to be explored. Again, you should not disqualify a school because someone has something negative to say about it. 

Lastly, examine the quality of these answers. If the best part of the school is the parties or the ice cream, that is not a good enough reason to go there. Just like if the worst part of the school is that the football team is in last place or you have to walk up several hills, that is not a good reason to cross it off your list. You want to look for answers such as the quality of the lecture halls, campus life, access to resources, and other things that are rooted in education and academics. 

If you could go back in time, would you attend the school again?

If you are in a situation where you feel like you can only ask one or two of these questions, be sure to ask this one. You will get an honest answer and most likely get the reasoning behind it. Notice the emotion and passion when they answer this question. If they say they would attend again, they will speak highly of the school and you will be able to tell that they enjoyed their time there. If they would not attend again, you will learn why and it could be the main reason you decide not to go to that school.

Conclusion

Speaking to alumni is just one part of the college selection process. In the end, you will need to choose a college that fits your specific needs and goals. Talking to people who went to that school is an ideal way to learn about what to expect. However, the most important thing is to look for trends among the answers you get. If you’re lucky enough to speak with alumni in person, be sure to notice their emotions and overall attitude about their time in school. By asking these questions, you will have the information that will help you pick the right school.

Working with an online college advisor like myKlovr is a great way to receive personalized expert advice to help with this important decision. Online college advisors are a powerful tool that guides students through the complicated world of college admissions and helps them stay organized and on schedule. You can start as early as 9th grade by signing up for a free myKlovr account HERE. The earlier you start using myKlovr, the better your chance of getting into your dream school.

Why High School Counselors Struggle (And What We Can Do About It)

By Thomas Broderick

I spent my entire K-12 education attending public schools in the same district. I received excellent academic support services from my schools’ counselors, without which I would have never been able to attend Vanderbilt University as an undergraduate.

Years later, I returned to my old school district – one of the richest in the United States – to teach at a high school just down the street from the one where I graduated. Over the next four years, I saw a different side of education, one where students lacked the counseling resources that had helped me succeed.

Many of my students, not knowing much about higher education, wrote off college as an unattainable dream. Also, they had no time during the school day to explore career-preparation programs, trade schools, or other educational opportunities that could have prepared them for the next stages of their lives. These issues were not entirely the fault of the counselor. Yes, you read that right. The entire high school, one that catered to at-risk students, had only one counselor.

Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon in the United States. The average high school counselor works with approximately double the recommended number of students that the American School Counselor Association recommends. And in many parts of the country, the counselor-to-student ratio is growing.

In this article, we’ll look at how proper counseling can help students, why this isn’t happening, and how myKlovr has stepped up to provide a service that assists high school students with college admissions and makes counselors more effective professionals.

The Challenge High School Counselors Face

In a perfect world, counselors would have time to analyze students’ academic – as well as emotional and social – needs. Counselors would meet with students at multiple points throughout the year to discuss progress, challenges, and goals. Finally, counselors would have detailed notes to refer to before working with a student – much like a patient file a doctor uses during a checkup. In this world, high school students would not only receive excellent advice but would also have a solid action plan for after high school.

However, the typical high school counselor is responsible for nearly 500 students. This workload leaves them little time to address students’ needs, let alone learn names. As a result, students spend only a few minutes each year with a counselor.

Sadly, too few counselors working with too many students is only one part of the problem that 21st-century counselors face.

Only So Many Hours in the Day

School counselors’ job responsibilities extend much further than what most people realize, and when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)in 2001, counselors found themselves with an even larger job description. Before NCLB, high school counselors were responsible for administering some high-stakes standardized tests (e.g., AP, ACT, SAT). In the district where I grew up and taught, each of these tests took place during school hours, further reducing counselors’ time for other activities.

By the time I started teaching 10 years after NCLB became law, my school’s counselor was responsible for state- and district-level assessments. There were pre-assessments, formative assessments, and benchmarks sprinkled throughout the year. Although teachers administered these tests, it was the counselor’s responsibility to analyze the data, further taking time away from students.

Besides additional responsibilities, counselors are some of the first targets when a school or district tightens its budget. Districts make this choice despite overwhelming evidence that reducing the number of counselors increases the dropout rate.

Although some school districts have embraced change and hired additional counselors, most counselors still struggle with finding time for their primary duty: serving students. For this reason, counselors need resources that can make their limited time with students more efficient and effective.

One such resource is myKlovr.  

The myKlovr Advantage

Our goal at myKlovr to provide college-bound students with personalized college admissions advice. Our service helps students identify their academic strengths and weaknesses, create an action plan, and research colleges that would be a good fit. Concerning the latter, we develop a College Match for each user – a list of schools that a student would have an excellent chance of receiving admission if he or she followed the action plan we recommend. Parents, counselors, teachers, and other trusted adults can stay up to date with that student’s academic and extracurricular progress by receiving notifications or accessing the student’s profile.

Final Thoughts

High schoolers throughout the nation suffer from a lack of counseling resources, and counselors are overburdened to the point where they cannot provide their limited resources effectively. MyKlovr aims to close the gap. Students receive individualized advice, and counselors can keep up to date with their students’ evolving needs.

[Press Release] MyKlovr, World’s First Ever Digital College Counselor Announces Two Major Strategic Additions to its Advisory Board

By myKlovr

(New York City, June 18, 2019) MyKlovr is delighted to announce the appointment of two new advisory board members who bring more than 65 combined years of business, benefits, and human resource experience. MyKlovr’s new board members are pillars in Fortune 500 companies, industry leaders, and humanitarians.

Nancy Newman is SVP of HR at Viacom Inc. Ms. Newman leads all HR-directed practices throughout the organization and previously served as the EVP and Chief of Staff to the divisional president of MTV Networks, VH1, CMT, and LOGO, acting as a senior strategic partner to the president for all business and organizational decisions within the $2 billion enterprise. Ms. Newman is a member of Viacom’s Executive Global Inclusion Advisory Board and was named Working Mother of the Year by Working Mother Media. Ms. Newman holds an M.A. in organizational psychology from Columbia University and a B.A. in psychology with a minor in business from Trinity University.

Ms. Newman praised the myKlovr platform by saying, “I have never seen a product that can do so much, for so many, at such a low cost. The fact that myKlovr can be offered as a Total Rewards Benefit package makes it a compelling proposition for Benefits Managers. Kudos to myKlovr, you fixed one of the most pressing HR issues, how to attract and retain talent.”

Larry Kirshner is Co-President at Frenkel Benefits – an EPIC Company. Joining Frenkel as EVP and an equity-holding partner in 2001, Mr. Kirshner has played a significant role in the exponential growth that Frenkel Benefits has achieved along with the firm’s leadership position in the industry. Mr. Kirshner graduated from State University of NY at Oneonta with degrees in history and political science. Mr. Kirshner has been recognized as an Alumni of Distinction after establishing the Kirshner Family Scholarship in 2017 for first-generation college students.

“As a parent who has recently gone through the college admissions process, I appreciate the incredible weight that myKlovr takes off families’ shoulders. As a benefits provider, I am thrilled to offer the first ever virtual college counselor to our dedicated workforce and clients alike,” Mr. Kirshner commented.

MyKlovr’s founder and CEO, Gustavo G. Dolfino added, “It is a privilege and an honor to have Nancy and Larry join our advisory board. Their guidance and expertise will prove crucial to myKlovr’s scalability.”

With a rate of nearly 500 children per high-school counselor, college admissions is a major issue facing most families. MyKlovr’s artificial intelligence driven virtual college counselor, helps students get admitted to the school of their dreams, by focusing on both EQ and IQ, and doing so at an early age, where strategic interventions are more likely to succeed.

The myKlovr benefit is provided by companies to their employees for the benefit of their families, either on a company paid basis, as part of a total rewards benefit offering, or employee paid, on a voluntary after-tax basis.

[Press Release] MyKlovr Offers Best-In-Class Virtual College Counseling Benefits via Namely’s Brokerage Services

By myKlovr

Partnership Makes Disruptive College Planning Technology Available to Namely’s Clients as Voluntary Benefit

(New York City, June 4, 2019) MyKlovr, a growing virtual counselor for college-bound students and their parents, has entered into a partnership with Namely, a leading HR platform for mid-sized companies, to offer a first-of-its-kind benefit to its 1,300 corporate clients. Starting today, companies that use Namely’s brokerage services to manage employee benefits can offer myKlovr’s virtual college counseling services as an innovative education planning benefit.

Founded in 2016, myKlovr enables students and parents to leverage artificial intelligence to receive personalized, step-by-step guidance to increase their chances of being admitted into the college that suits them best. The platform offers in-depth support for the whole college-planning process, from school identification and academic readiness to detailed action plans and financial preparation.

“Planning for college is one of the most important life phases for a student and their parents, and it is often one of the most stressful,” says Gustavo Dolfino, CEO of myKlovr. “We wanted to work with an innovative partner like Namely to ensure we are bringing our platform to a wider audience who can benefit from the relieved pressure and stress our first-of-its-kind platform offers.”

With this partnership, Namely now offers myKlovr as an efficient post-tax voluntary benefit for clients’ employees and their families through seamless, convenient payroll deductions.

“We are thrilled to offer myKlovr’s suite of products to our valued brokerage services clients as part of our growing portfolio of both traditional and non-traditional benefit options,” said Vin DiDonna, benefits director at Namely. “We are always looking for ways to extend the innovative benefits we offer, so we can help our clients differentiate their mid-sized businesses by better serving employees, and we expect this college planning platform to provide immense value.”

Namely’s award-winning, powerful, easy-to-use technology allows companies to handle all of their HR, payroll, time management, and benefits in one place. Coupled with best-in-class account support, every Namely client gets the software and service they need to deliver great HR and a strong, engaged company culture.

About myKlovr
MyKlovr is a media division of Student Global, LLC, established in New York in 2016. MyKlovr is the first-of-its-kind virtual college counseling platform that utilizes predictive data analytics and artificial intelligence to increase every high school student’s chances of college admission. For more information, visit www.myklovr.com.

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