How StrongPoints® Will Benefit You

Pictured above: Brooke Herring, ’25, at her internship with the SAS Institute’s Recreation & Fitness Center.

Attending college is an investment in your future, and you want to ensure the college or university you choose will help prepare you for the life you envision. At Meredith, we offer StrongPoints®, an advising and personal coaching program designed to help you discover what you’re made of and prepare for a successful life and career. Read today’s blog to learn more about StrongPoints. 

How Does StrongPoints Work? 

As an incoming student, you’ll take the CliftonStrengths® assessment during the summer to identify your top strengths. During your time at Meredith, you will apply those strengths in your studies, experiential learning experiences, internships, finances, and more. 

Why is StrongPoints Important? 

We already know you’re strong. StrongPoints can help you pinpoint what makes you uniquely powerful and leverage your strengths in various scenarios – from resolving conflicts with a roommate to acing an interview.  

Hear from our StrongPoints Director Emily Caldwell on the value of StrongPoints: 

“It’s really understanding who you are and what you bring to the table in different situations. For some, it’s difficult to talk about themselves. This gives you words and vocabulary to better understand and talk about yourself.”

Additionally, our StrongPoints staff are certified financial educators and offer one-on-one coaching sessions. A recent study showed that women are more likely to be financially vulnerable than men. Through StrongPoints, you’ll begin to develop the skills you need to care for yourself in this essential, but often overlooked, aspect of your life. You’ll learn how to build a budget, maximize your credit score, and negotiate in the job search process. 

StrongPoints in Action 

Below are examples of how some of our students and recent alumnae have used their strengths. Seeing StrongPoints in action can help you understand how using your strengths can help lead to a fulfilling career and life.

“I am thankful that we have our strengths at Meredith. I’m able to look deeper into myself, knowing the strengths that I have, to figure out how to problem solve or accomplish certain things, or even to make sure that I’m always doing better, getting better, and learning more.” Brooke Herring, ’25, Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences 

“As a freshman, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to major in. An office on campus that helped me was StrongPoints; my top strengths are empathy and communication. These strengths solidified that I wanted to major in business administration. My strengths help me communicate between groups of people, to make sure that everybody is understanding exactly what they want to be said.” Mary Maul, ’24, Business Administration

“I had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica for the Language and Culture program, and I was there for a month. You live with a family, and they likely don’t speak any English. Because I have intellection as a top strength and love learning, I thought ‘Well, I’m here for this reason. I want to learn this culture. I want to get to know these people. I’m going to persevere so that I gain that knowledge.’ A lot of times, I think we focus on our weaknesses, but here at Meredith, you have these strengths. That’s what makes Meredith different.” Cait Buckley, ’27, Political Science and Spanish