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Arriving at college is a major achievement, but young adults may find themselves surprised and overwhelmed by the demands of college life.
While parents and faculty advisors can offer some support, a coach who works with a student one-on-one offers an unparalleled boost as the student faces new challenges and big decisions, said Louis Newman, an author and college success coach.
"Just having someone who knows them, who knows how to accompany students through the many challenges of adapting to college life, can be hugely helpful," Newman said.
There are a number of reasons a coach benefits students. For instance, it's common for students who excelled in high school to arrive at university thinking they will continue to excel in the same way.
"They get to college and discover that the standards are so much higher than what they're accustomed to," Newman said. "They start to freak out. They get Bs and Cs. They wonder why the strategies they've used before aren't getting them the grades they expect."
Students may also feel lost if they come to college determined to declare a particular major and then discover that it isn't working out as expected. And, on top of all the academic stress, they're dealing with the social and psychological changes that accompany major transitions.
"Many are living away from home for the first time," Newman said. "They're not with their same friends anymore. The environment is different. They're overwhelmed at the number of choices they have, which is very different from high school."
Parents who know that their child is facing some difficulties may feel similarly unsure about what to do.
"Certainly all parents want their children to succeed," Newman said.
But being an emotionally invested parent who has a lifelong relationship with the child could actually get in the way of helping.
"Being a college professor and an academic administrator my whole life, I've watched thousands of students adjust to college, so I have a wealth of experience to draw on. Moreover, I don't have the interference that they have," Newman said. "If your son or daughter needs that kind of support, you should hire a professional who doesn't have any of the baggage of decades of parent-child relationship to get in the way."
Additionally, some students may not tell parents that they are struggling. Other times, parents don't want to know every minute detail of their child's academic life.
"There's a way in which having a professional who's there to coach them, to guide them through this process can relieve a lot of stress and pressure on the parents," Newman said. "They want to support, but they're not really sure how, especially if they never attended a college in this country. I'm someone who understands how universities work but doesn’t work for the university. I'm a completely neutral person, so I can advocate for the student in a system that may be very arcane and byzantine to the parents."
While schools offer academic advising, the way it works varies. And advisors often spend much of their time working with students who are most in need. That's why a coach can help a student who needs a little or a lot of help make the most of their time at college.
"I've helped hundreds of students over the course of my career," Newman said. "I can do that sensitively and professionally. Parents can feel reassured that their kid is in good hands — someone they can trust to help their kid with whatever it is they're dealing with."
Louis Newman, the former Dean of Academic Advising at Stanford University, the author of "Thinking Critically in College: The Essential Handbook for Student Success" (Radius Book Group, 2023) and a college success coach, has decades of experience working with students who are struggling academically and/or personally. More information is available at ThinkingCritically.us.
