Considered to be one of the essential 21st century skills, teamwork is programmed into most colleges and fields of study as part of blended learning. At a recent (pre-Covid) presentation at UNH, I was inspired by the Director of Admissions when he described the role teamwork plays in every student’s education. Student teams are assembled from various majors and assigned projects that are designed to address a real-world problem and foster authentic learning. The lesson is solving the problem through each discipline’s lens; the method is teamwork. Studies are no longer completely siloed into departments and students are encouraged to learn from each other, preparing them for their future career.

Teamwork is also important to the college discovery process. I’ve always been an advocate of having as many quality adults in my child’s life as possible, believing it truly takes a village. It so happens that the “village” at SFC is a team of experienced advisors who specialize in three areas: academic fit, financial fit, and personal fit. These foundational pillars are essential to find the best college for your child. Think of your academic advisor as the quarterback – guiding your student from the beginning of the process to the first year of college. Your academic quarterback works in tandem with a financial specialist who lays out the best strategy to pay for college. In addition, the assessment specialist works carefully with students to develop an understanding of themselves and their strengths as they form their own path to adult life. Throughout the process, the SFC team continues to support each quarterback with in-depth expertise, weekly roundtable meetings, and interdisciplinary discussion.

I spoke with Corinne Power, SFC academic advisor in Fayetteville, AR about her essential partnerships and the value teamwork has added to the work she does with students. “I feel my students greatly benefit from the entire team and it gives me confidence to know I can tap into many areas and years of expertise. For example, I don’t have a financial background, but a number of my teammates do and work with me on behalf of my students. Another valuable teammate is Josh Hotary, test prep specialist. His results-driven program of preparing students for ACT and SAT exams has given me concrete results, with students seeing significant improvement. This is a game changer.”

SFC operates in a team-focused framework. Individually we are mighty; as a team we are bigger than the sum of our parts, exemplifying a key lesson college offers.