The undergraduate student success center has added more than five new services that will help accommodate and include graduate and professional students.
Originally, the center offered services such as academic coaching, workshops, tutoring, and transfer student services primarily to undergraduate students.
Now, the academic coaching unit wants to incorporate new ways to engage with graduate and professional students, especially during a pandemic.
“We decided to expand our services to include academic coaching for graduate students. Our goal is tohelp graduate and professional students develop a personalized plan to achieve their academic, personal, and career goals,”Academic Coaching Coordinator Angela Blount said.
The center knows that trying to find a suitable career and adapting to the real world work industry post-grad can be challenging.
“The pace, complexity, and volume of material encountered can feel overwhelming,” Blount added. “We want to help students improve their academic strategies, find a school and life balance, and provide encouragement and support as they discover new ways of learning.”
They have implemented programs and discussion topics that cover adjusting to grad school, time management strategies, finding motivation, support, accountability, note-taking, study skills, creating and preparing for presentations, and more.
The academic coaching unit put these programs together in hopes that these coaching sessions will increase student engagement, improve academic success, expand students’ professional network and provide them with useful tools for navigating campus resources at their respective levels.
Psychology Graduate Student Nailah Bush said, “A lot of us want to believe that we will hop into our professions right away, and hopefully we do. However [I plan to take advantage of] having a resource that can help us to prepare for everything that comes with the unpredictability and competitiveness of building our careers.”
In addition to these resources, students will help other students develop healthy academic habits that will combine with their career goals, empowering them to become active and responsible learners while being provided with continued encouragement and support.
Future graduate student, Elijah Jean, thinks the academic coaching sessions will be useful.
“I believe these programs will help grad students to be more motivated. These sessions give grads a chance to speak their mind, and it can serve as a source of direction whenever they feel lost or unsure of the right choices for their career goals,” Jean said.
All sessions are virtual due to COVID-19. In the future, the plan is to implement in-person sessions allowing students to have physical interaction.
Students can sign up for academic coaching here.