AI anxiety, parenting, and choosing belonging over clout

A conversation with College Admissions expert Bari Norman

Hi there,

Before we start, a quick reminder that I am co-hosting the first salon from the MINT series with Maxine Friedman on Thursday 11/6, featuring leading experts in cryptocurrency and Web3 MAGGIE LOVE, Founder of SheFi, and SUSIE BATT, Ecosystem Growth Specialist, Covariance and SheFi Advisor. They will offer an accessible introduction to the space, practical insights on investing in alternative assets, and an open forum for questions and discussion.

The Matriark Salon x Maxine Ventures present
MINT: An Investment Salon Series Curated by Women, for Women

Click HERE to purchase, the event will be in the Hamptons, and seats are VERY limited! Thank you Alison Graham and our Sponsor BARNES International Realty - New York for making this event even more special. IF YOU ARE A PAID SUBSCRIBER, YOU RECEIVED THE DISCOUNT CODE IN LAST WEEK’S NEWSLETTER but I have it inside this newsletter again in case you need it. If you have questions, email us at rsvp@matriark.com.

OK, onto this week’s newsletter:

The Sorbonne University Library

I’ve been plagued by anxiety about my kids future and the college application process in the US. The world is changing rapidly with AI, the college costs are huge, and I have no first hand experience in this process (I didn’t go to college in the US). So I have all the questions:

📚 With AI upon us, what’s going to happen to colleges? Is it even worth spending that much money in a field that may be obsolete in a few years? Is college still worth the price tag?

📚 What’s the best strategy for deciding a profession and which college to apply with this huge unknown?
📚 How do I guide without pressuring and preserve our relationship in the process?

I’ve known Bari Norman since our kids were two years old at the Barnard Toddler Center. We would nervously commiserate in the waiting room, hoping our children wouldn’t cry too much while learning how to separate from us. Those early days were all about finding our footing as parents, and college was a galaxy away. And now, 12 years later, I decided to call Bari to ease my anxiety instead of spiraling alone. She co-founded Expert Admissions and has guided families through this very peculiar maze for 21 years.

This is NOT a conversation about hacks to get admitted to college. This is about how to think clearly in uncertain times, what success even means anymore, and why finding your people might be the most valuable degree of all. And though the theme is related to college, so much of this conversation is about our current AI fears, the state of the world and the “why” behind everything we do, regardless of age.

Below, I’m sharing the key questions and topics I asked her, and this time I have Bari’s answers in short video clips. I was inspired by the way Bari’s own personal story and how sees the world, and I was so grateful to get clarity of what the college education’s lifelong ROI should be for my kids. I hope you watch her and that it’s helpful to you as much as it was for me. If you want to go deeper, Bari offers webinars, has a wealth of resources, and is often tapped to speak on TV about this topic, so feel free to contact her!

Sending love,

Patricia