What students, parents, and educators can do differently
The empowering news is that all of us can do something about every one of these crucial elements:
If you're a student, you can look for a college or university that provides these experiences for most students. You can gravitate toward faculty and staff who have reputations for caring about students, mentoring them, and making them excited about learning. You can work hard to ensure your college experience includes internships and long-term projects.
If you're a parent, you can understand how important these elements are to your child's success and do your best to ensure that he or she experiences them. This plays out in the values you espouse to your children and in how you help them select a college or university.
If you're a faculty member, coach, or student affairs staff member -- or any adult working on a campus, for that matter -- you can work harder in myriad ways to show students that you care about them as people. You can mentor students and ask them about their hopes and dreams, and you can create opportunities for long-term projects and real-life work opportunities.