SELF Student Success Coaching
SELF Student Success Coaching is here to help you get the most out of your college experience and maximize your potential to succeed.
What is Coaching?
Coaching is a virtual service that provides one-on-one guidance and support to help you think about what you need to be successful in college and reach your personal and academic goals. Coaches can provide you accountability while in school and reinforce the connection between the short-term action steps you need to take now to achieve your long-term goals.Coaching Topics
Coaching sessions can focus on whatever topic area you are interested in talking about, here are some common areas that Coaches work with students on:
School Community
Success Coaches can be valuable partners to students who are navigating the transition to a new school community. Coaches can provide guidance, support, thought partnership and strategy brainstorming to help students enhance their school community experience from the very start of their academic year. From building relationships with new people and getting involved on campus, to conflict resolution and networking strategies, coaches can help students understand their role in creating the school community experience they want to have.
Academics
A key factor of overall student success is academic success. Students may have questions about how to receive the support they need to understand the content being taught in class. Success Coaches can help students navigate the academic support resources available on campus to ensure they have the tools they need to be successful in their courses. Students can also use coaching meetings to think about ways to improve their study skills, reading comprehension, note-taking system and test preparation. Coaches can support students who need to advocate for their needs with professors, tutors or other campus staff.
Student Effectiveness
College students are often balancing many courses at a time and this requires them to have effective systems in place to do their best in each class. Success Coaches can provide support, guidance and strategy to help students identify their strengths and areas of improvement related to their effectiveness. Topics such as time-management, organization, effective goal setting and requesting feedback are important themes that can be addressed in coaching meetings. These skills can be developed and leveraged across all areas of a student's life. Coaches can play a critical role in helping students learn what makes them most effective.
Health & Wellness
Health and wellness are very common topics that Success Coaches discuss with students. Although not mental health counselors, coaches can support students to find the resources on campus that will address their mental and physical health needs. Success Coaches can work with students to understand sources of stress, prioritize healthy lifestyle choices, encourage physical activity and learn about beneficial self-care techniques. Coaches discuss resiliency, mindfulness and motivation as drivers of student success. Students can reflect on their health and wellness journey with the support of their Success Coach to ensure they are living a fulfilling life.
Commitment to Completion
Starting the journey towards a college degree is a major milestone but more important than starting is staying the course when things get hard. Success Coaches can help a student find their "why" to ground themselves in their commitment to persist and graduate from college. This may seem obvious but remaining committed to the goal of finishing college can become difficult when faced with obstacles or difficult parts of the journey. Coaches can support students to clarify their goals, set deadlines for milestone completion, create a visual plan to keep motivated, help track progress towards completion and provide consistent accountability and encouragement.
Career Exploration
A popular topic of interest to college students is career exploration. For many, it can be overwhelming to consider all the career options available and find resources to learn the aspects of different careers. A Success Coach can help students identify their strengths and passions, network to find professionals in different careers and connect students to resources that will support their career exploration efforts. Success Coaches can also help students understand what it takes to have a successful job search strategy, develop a strong resume and sharpen their interview skills. Students can feel empowered to enter the world of work following graduation with the support of a Success Coach.
Financial Literacy and Paying for College
College brings many financial experiences that may be new to students. There are often many questions related to personal finance and understanding the sometimes complex financial aid process. Success Coaches can provide students with support, resource navigation and timely information to help them feel empowered to manage their income and expenses. Success Coaches can support students to ask the right questions about paying for college and learn where to find information on all of their options to cover tuition. Financial literacy is transferrable knowledge that will last a lifetime and building those skills early-on is an incredible benefit to students.
Managing Competing Priorities
Many college students find themselves balancing their school life with their personal life and all the competing priorities that they have. A Success Coach can be an incredible resource to help students learn how to prioritize tasks, break large tasks into smaller steps, set achievable goals and understand how to set and hold boundaries so they can approach their commitments in a healthy and balanced way. Being able to find balance amongst a busy schedule will enhance a student's ability to remain effective and continue on their educational path with success.