“my intellect can no longer compensate for my lack of skills.”
The transition from high school to college can be tough for many reasons. One of which is that high schools across the world can do a great job of teaching children academic skills but leave out essential executive function skills, which can either make or break a student.
Executive function skills include the ability to;
- Show up to class on time
- Turn homework in on time
- Avoid procrastination of homework
- Pay attention in class
- Make time for fun and meaningful activities without robbing time from essential school-related tasks.
- Manage appointments and schedules easily
- Keep an organized physical environment (backpack and room)
As an executive function coach for college students, I consistently see students who had very good grades in high school and were able to get by due to a higher level of flexibility from high school teachers, consistent schedules, and a lot of parental accountability. In college, however, these students may struggle. Going to bed too late, forgetting a class in the middle of the day, working feverishly until the early morning hours to complete an assignment due the next day, or completely forgetting about or not doing assignments, these students try to work hard to compensate for their lack of executive function skills. Many of these students tell me, “my intellect can no longer compensate for my lack of skills. I need help.”
Their hard work and intellect only last so long. Eventually, the student finds themselves burned out, wondering if they can even be successful in college. With the right tools, accountability, and patience, I’ve seen many of these students transform from feeling hopeless to feeling confident that they can learn the skills to be successful and surprise themselves by doing things they never thought were possible for them. I’ve seen students start with failing grades and improve them to high grades by the end of a semester.
It is hard work and takes time and dedication, but the skills I teach can transform students in all aspects of their life. The one aspect of the process that consistently surprises college students and their parents is how simple it is and the impact it can have on a student’s life.
Meet Matt, A college student who discusses his failures and how coaching helped him develop a successful plan and process to manage college and life. He earned a double major from St. Anthems after failing out of two D1 colleges and losing his golf scholarship.
EEC Certified Coach
Executive Function Coach, College Coach, and Professional Coach. Scheduling a Screening with Dr. Murphy to see how coaching can help you.