Branding and Your Child
Much as I blanch at the thought of using advertising terms, such as branding, to describe something so deeply individual and human as the entire college process, I read an article today that struck me in its honesty and validity...Michael Szarek, a college counselor from New Jersey reminds us (to remind our young people): You are what you post. Michael's advice to sign up for a service (free) like Google alerts in the name of the student and the parent makes a lot of sense--in fact, let me list all of Michael's suggestions: Sign up for “Google Alerts” in your name and your child’s name. They come in as daily emails listing references to that name or phrase. If your name is John Smith, it may be a bit laborious, but it’s worth it. “Google” the names of your family members on a regular basis. Google alerts doesn’t catch everything. And you can do a google search at any time. Allow your child at least one social media outlet to build his or her “brand”, but monitor