UTD’s Academic Success Coaching program offers students valuable one-on-one support to develop essential life skills that many students don’t acquire before college. Led by Program Manager Charles Spring, this peer coaching program helps students tackle common challenges like time management, study strategies, and test anxiety.
“We help students in a one-on-one environment as well as with some workshops across campus with some of the more holistic academic skills,” explains Spring. “These are life skills that maybe students don’t necessarily pick up in high school but need to apply in college and take beyond college as well.”
The program features student coaches who meet with their peers for 30-minute sessions, creating a comfortable and supportive environment. According to Spring, students often find it less intimidating to work with fellow students rather than authority figures.
Among the popular tools shared by coaches are time management strategies using Google Calendar and study techniques like the Pomodoro method, which encourages 25 minutes of focused work followed by 5-minute breaks. Coaches also recommend helpful apps like Forest, which playfully discourages phone use during study sessions by “growing” a virtual tree that dies if you leave the app.
For students with neurodivergent conditions like ADHD, dyslexia, or autism, who often struggle with executive functioning, the coaching program can be particularly valuable. Coaches serve as accountability partners, helping students set goals and track their progress.
Spring emphasizes that the program works best as a proactive tool: “Come early and come often! We have coaches who are incredibly passionate about helping the UTD student body reduce stress and increase their academic success.” Students can see the same coach regularly or try different coaches, with coach profiles available on the website.
The service is completely free for enrolled UTD students. To learn more or schedule a session, visit the Academic Success Coaching office on the garden level of the library, or visit their website for all the details.
“Come early and come often! We have coaches who are incredibly passionate about helping the UTD student body reduce stress and increase their academic success.”