SHS Alumni Offer College Survival Tips To 2010 Grads

It's been said before and it will undoubtedly be said again: Most people move to Scarsdale for the schools.

But what happens after Scarsdale's kids meet the high expectations set upon them since kindergarten, survive those late-night study sessions, ace their SATs, and graduate high school with a semester of college credits already under their belt?

Well, if this year's graduating class is anything like last year's, chances are that nearly every student will go on to college, leaving many students and their parents thinking, "Now what?"

The transition to college life can be daunting for both parties, but earlier this week the SHS PTA hosted an event that could help to make the transition to college a bit easier.

Higher Edge Partners is a program that outlines methods for college-bound students to stay proactive and avoid negative peer influences during a turbulent transitional period in their lives.

The company was founded in 2007 by two SHS alumni, Dr. Deborah Roche and Dr. Frank Murtha. Both Roche and Murtha received their doctorates in counseling psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

At Tuesday's presentation, Roche and Murtha detailed their program for a group of SHS seniors. For those who weren't able to make it, here's an outline of the steps Roche and Murtha have established to help college-bound kids avoid the potential pitfalls of college life:

The Higher Edge Partners program consists of six aspects of a young person's life during college. They include:

• Study Edge: Teaches kids how to use their time effectively, handle stress in healthy ways, and establish good studying methods.
• Learning Edge: Roche and Murtha discussed with students how to cope with the adjustment to a more vigorous academic workload in college and how to use their personal learning styles to take on in-depth curriculum.
• Health Edge: Roche and Murtha spoke about how to avoid the "freshman 15," the detriments of consuming energy drinks and too much caffeine, as well as maintaining an exercise routine.
• Safety Edge: An especially important topic, the doctors detailed the dangers of college life, such as binge drinking, drug use, prescription pills, date rape, unsafe sex, fraternity hazing, and how to keep oneself safe from on-campus crime.
• Social Edge: This aspect of the program addresses how to effectively resolve conflicts, how to learn to live in close proximity to many of one's peers, and aspects of "Greek life," like finding a reputable fraternity.
• Financial Edge: Teaches kids how to avoid debt and to use credit and ATM cards responsibly.

Roche and Murtha came to establish Higher Edge Partners from different backgrounds in psychology. Roche has for over a decade worked in varying capacities with students, but has maintained a focus on helping student athletes. She now serves as Director at Counseling and Sport Psychology Services in White Plains.

Murtha comes from a background in behavioral finance and has worked with executives at several corporate institutitions. He's currently an adjunct faculty member at New York University.

While a college degree can cost more than $100,000, Roche and Murtha note that the experience is "more than merely an investment. College is a truly precious, once in a lifetime opportunity."