Author’s Note: I publicly share this memo, sent to my students during the fall of 2025, in hopes that others who are young may discover its truths. I am hopeful that the small number of students who have caused this recent disruption in my life will rethink who they are to become, and will recognize

There is a moment I have witnessed hundreds of times across more than two decades of teaching, and it never loses its power. A student walks into my office defeated – by a grade, by a rejection, by the slow dawning realization that the world does not arrange itself neatly around the plans we make

In an era of rising tuition costs and mounting student debt, the question of whether college is “worth it” has become a common debate across America. While critics point to successful entrepreneurs who dropped out or skilled tradespeople earning solid incomes without degrees, this narrative misses a crucial dimension of what return on investment truly

As I explored last week, higher education stands at an inflection point. The demographic reality of the enrollment cliff – a projected 15% decline in traditional college-age students beginning in 2026 – combines with decades of declining state and federal support for higher education and mounting pressure to contain tuition increases. Meanwhile, employers increasingly question

For most college students, summer feels like a long-overdue exhale: classes end, the days stretch out, and a season of sleep, sunshine, and side hustles begins. Many of you will work, travel, or simply rest – and you should rest. But ten or twelve weeks is also an enormous block of unstructured time, and how you spend