Benefits of Academic Coaching for College Students


The goal of Academic Coaching is to help students become more organized, better note-takers, test takers and overall students. Achieving these goals will lead towards more self confidence and improved graduation rates. Academic coaching will help students to maintain their motivation and keeps them accountable on a weekly basis.

Academic Coaching is focused on the following self management skills: 

▪      What are my strengths and weaknesses that I can build on

▪      How can I be a better student and achieve my goals

▪      What resources are available to me on campus, tutoring, writing, accommodations

▪      How can I access these resources

▪      Time Management

▪      What Systems Do I have in place for monitoring my assignments.

These are just a few areas that students have made progress toward in the first semester that we engage them in academic coaching. Students call this a crash course in learning. Coaching  has helped many students to understand the missing piece of information that prevents them from academic success.

Behind the scenes… Why do students need “Academic Coaching” ? 

College Freshman often struggle with how to manage their studies during the first and second semester of college.  Many students have come from smaller private high schools that have built in systems to assist students and in addition to having supportive parents.   A students time  is very structured during the high school years.

College students are expected to structure their own study schedules and monitor their free time in between classes.  During high school, parents are there to remind students about deadlines and details. Some students often rely on their parents for this information and have difficulty making the transition to college.  High School counselors will be  scheduling the students classes. Students will be responsible for scheduling their own classes in college. Graduation requirements can be difficult to understand and students are required to make time to understand whats required of them.

Professors are expecting students to make use of their office hours and advocate for themselves.  While many students have little difficulty with these transitions, others will struggle with these milestones. This is where the help of an academic coach can be useful.  Students with ADD, anxiety and learning disabilities often have difficulty interfacing with their professors,disability counselors and staff members.  Academic coaches are able to help students get up to speed and back on track with their peers. They do this by helping students take ownership of their academic success. 

The first step is to identify the obstacles that have stood in the way of a students learning and create  a plan to help each student get back on track. In some cases this might mean lowering the students test anxiety,advocating for themselves, using their accommodations, gaining insight into their own internal motivation and committing more time to studying and learning.

Reasons to Make an Investment in Academic Coaching

  1. Students who are able to make the transition from high school to college during freshman year will have much more of a likelihood to pursue their four year degree.
  2. Academic coaching keeps students involved with their educational goals and involved students will persist towards graduation goals.
  3. Students are more likely to meet with a coach via Skype than to use the on campus services.
  4. The cost of weekly academic coaching vs. the cost of academic probation or dropping out of college, is not even comparable.

About Greenhaus College Consulting:

Gina Gerrato Greenhaus is an Independent College Consultant and Academic Coach. Gerrato-Greenhaus created Greenhaus College Consulting to help families and students with their college search and provide targeted advice for the transition from high school to college.  Their academic advising strategies have led many young people towards the college of their dreams. Greenhaus College Consulting works with students of all abilities. They also have an in depth knowledge of the best fit colleges for students with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder.   One on one college counseling is provided for students in San Diego. Academic Coaching is offered to college students by Skype and Face Time.

To learn more about Greenhaus College Consulting go to their website: http:// greenhauscollegeconsulting.com or call 858-481-6045