Do I Need an Academic Success Coach?

Do I Need an Academic Success Coach?

Academic success coach points at a blackboard while reading from a book held in her other hand.

About Academic Success Coaches

What is an Academic Success Coach?

An academic success coach, or student success coach, is a professional who provides one-on-one support for students struggling with academic matters. Academic success coaches usually specialize in working with students of specific ages, seeking certain degrees, or working with specific conditions. For example, some academic coaches specialize in coaching high school students on a college track, others specialize in helping undergraduate students with learning or developmental disorders, like ADHD. I specialize in working with master’s and Ph.D. students who have gotten stuck and are struggling to finish their degrees.

How academic success coaches help students

Academic success coaches leverage their training and experience to help students identify the specific challenges they are facing, brainstorm solutions, and empower students to make changes in their lives to better support their academic achievements. This is done in an iterative process where the student makes manageable changes to their academic approach, which build on each other over time.

Student success coaching is client-focused

The exact approaches that coaches take vary based on our training and the characteristics and needs of our clients. The approaches that a student success coach working with high school students would take would be different than those I would use with a Ph.D. student who was struggling to complete their dissertation. That’s why coaches specialize in working with specific groups of students. We become very familiar with identifying and managing the challenges that our students most frequently face. We have experience in what does and doesn’t work for our different clients. We also have a good understanding of what are normal challenges students face at their level and what might require a higher level of intervention (e.g., psychological assessment and intervention for learning disorders, ADHD, etc.).

Even within a specific demographic, good academic success coaches will tailor their approaches to the specific needs of the student. Obviously, my recommendations to a student struggling with keeping on top of weekly assignments are going to differ from my recommendations for a student trying to navigate a difficult student-advisor relationship. Even challenges that on the surface appear to be similar may require different approaches for different students and a good academic success coach recognizes this and changes their strategy.

Academic Success Coaches in Graduate School

I’m going to focus now on graduate student success coaches because that’s my area of expertise. Graduate school is a different academic world and grad. students looking into coaching often have specific questions that I want to answer.

How is this different from an academic advisor or mentor?

Academic advisors and mentors are an invaluable part of graduate school. For master’s students, their role is to help navigate the particularities of their graduate program, provide advice on course selection, and – for programs that include thesis, internship, or practicums – guide students on the basics for completion of these larger requirements. For Ph.D. students (and similar professional degrees), the academic advisor provides similar support and may or may not serve as a research advisor for the student in completing their dissertation.

Let’s focus just on the academic advisor role for the moment. Students may luck out and have a phenomenal academic advisor who goes above and beyond the standard level of support like which classes to take, which forms need to be filled out, and where to direct the student if they have a problem. However, not all students get more than the bare minimum support. Professors are not hired for their advisement skills, rather they are selected based on their ability to bring funding and prestige to the university. If they happen to be exceptional advisors, that’s a bonus but not a requirement, and most students don’t get that level of support.

This is one place where academic success coaching comes in. Many talented students struggle in graduate school and need more support than just which course to take or what form to fill out. Most academic advisors can’t provide the individualized support that some students need. They don’t have the time or the skill.

This is where academic success coaching comes in. Students who feel overwhelmed with their coursework, are struggling with organizational issues, or are finding it hard to balance life responsibilities with academic ones may find limited assistance from their advisor but can get the kind of support and skills development they need from an academic coach. The level of personalized assistance is much higher.

How is an academic coach different from a research advisor?

Much of what I said about the quality of advisement for academic advisors hold for research advisors. Again, faculty are hired based on their research and funding ability. The quality of student mentorship is a distant second. While a research advisor should be providing more one-on-one support for students than an academic advisor, there’s no guarantee that they will take the time or have the skills needed to provide the best support for students. They may be able to help you formulate your research question or identify an analytic technique, but they are less likely to help you figure out how to manage time, prioritize tasks, work efficiently, or stop you from spending hours going down unnecessary research rabbit holes.

Do I need a coach?

Well, that depends on the formal and informal support you are already getting and if you’re still struggling beyond the normal struggle of hard academic work. If you are fortunate, then the answer is no. You’ve got all the support you need either directly through your advisor or through an informal network of mentors.

However, if you’re not getting enough support then a student success coach may be what you need. Signs that you might need an academic success coach include:

  • Falling behind in schoolwork
  • Problems with time management
  • Struggling to interpret vague or inconsistent feedback
  • Weak writing skills or facing writer’s block
  • Disorganization (anything from too many emails to not knowing how to organize all your journal articles)
  • Struggling with study skills and test anxiety
  • Procrastination
  • Difficulty prioritizing and being efficient
  • Having a disconnected or difficult advisor
Flow chart of whether you might want find an academic success coach helpful and whether a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist might be needed. The flowchart provides an illustration of the information in the text.

What about the mental and emotional struggles of being a graduate student?

This is a tricky question to answer. It depends on the types of mental and emotional struggles you’re talking about. For example, you might be feeling really overwhelmed and stressed out because you’re struggling to balance work and school. However, you might be feeling overwhelmed and stressed out because you’re struggling with depression or anxiety. We academic coaches work with academic challenges. Coaches are not therapists, psychologists, or psychiatrists (although therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists can coach). We don’t treat mental illness.

If you told me that you were having problems with serious psychological distress or significant functional impairment, I’d advise you to contact a mental health treatment provider first because academic coaches don’t provide those services.

That being said, having a mental health problem doesn’t mean you can’t work with an academic coach. I’ve worked with many clients on academic matters of organization, time management, productivity, and motivation while they seek independent treatment for mental health. So, if you’re struggling to complete your schooling, consider seeking out an academic success coach to work with you and help you finish your degree.

Wishing You All the Best in Your Academic Success.
Dr. Cristie Glasheen, Your Graduate Student Success Coach.


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Alex, Ph.D. Environmental Science

Having Cristie as a coach was one of the best investments I made in graduate school. Period. She was instrumental in helping me pass my comprehensive exam and finish my research proposal, all while giving me the tools to manage two other projects I was juggling at the time. Despite being laser-focused and results-driven in helping me achieve my academic outcomes, Cristie is also very human and reminded me that graduate school is more than just academics and that you have to make time for yourself and for fun stuff.

F.N., Ph.D. in Environmental Economics

What’s been the most helpful? “Breaking down tasks that overwhelm me. Navigating many difficult decisions that are crucial towards achieving my PhD. Getting feedback on my work. And tracking the work in progress which is often invisible.”

“I think Dr. Cristie does an amazing job. I have tried the free coaching provided by my institution and I would rather pay Dr. Cristie.”

T.N., PhD. Evolutionary Biology

I’m a doctor!!! Wooo! The presentation went well […]. Thanks so much for all of your help getting to this point! I really appreciate it!

I.M., Ph.D. in Economics

What’s been the most helpful? “It has been useful to look at problems from a different/more helpful perspective. I like that I have been able to work on my thesis sustainably without burning out, considering that I have a full-time job. I usually feel very motivated to work on my thesis after the meeting with Cristie, and having weekly meetings helps me be accountable and drastically reduce my procrastination. I also really appreciate the knowledge sharing of resources and the work smarter, not harder approach (e.g. AI suggestions, Andy Stapleton videos, Focusmate, programs that help with identifying duplicates, etc).”

A.M., Postdoc, Atmospheric Science

Hi Cristie, I just wanted to let you know that I finished my presentation on time… one day ahead of schedule! That’s a first for me. Thank you for your help keeping me on track with our coaching sessions!

H.N., Masters in Public Health

Just want to appreciate the incredible Cristie and how wonderful of a mentor she is. I’d want to be your student and to learn from you over and over again! There’s absolutely no one half as good as you’re. Thank you for being a part of my journey. My heart is SO full now that I’m done with my degree and I reflect on the huge role that you played in making it true. What a gem!

G.G., Ph.D. Bioinformatics

I just wanted to let you know I successfully defended and will be graduating in a couple weeks!
Thank you again for all your help […]!

K.H., Doctor of Physical Therapy Student

It has been a crazy semester but it is going really well. Just finished 2 of my courses and feel really good about them. I feel like I have been able to use so much from working with you the last year to make this semester go amazing.

A.S., Ph.D. Epidemiology

I don’t know how other people who are balancing work and family manage to finish their dissertations without a coach, but I am so glad [other client] told me about you. This was the best decision I could’ve made. I’m so thankful.

R.H., Admissions Coaching for Master’s Higher Education Admin

“Hi Dr. Cristie! (…)

I’m happy to report I got into all the programs I applied for!

  • [Redacted] University: fully funded, plus $24,000 stipend & health care (…)
  • University of [Redacted]: no scholarship offered, did not apply for GA positions.
  • [Redacted] University: offered 50% tuition, GA position offered up to 66% tuition. (…)”

*Some content redacted for privacy.

K.G., Ph.D. Public Health

Just got this in my email – [Dissertation] Approved with no restrictions! THANKS, COACH!

A.M., PhD Student, Economics

Successfully submitted my online [grant] application! It was an unknown journey for me, but what I now do know is that it was possible greatly thanks to you. So thank you so much!

S.C., Professional Development Coaching

It’s so very evident how much Dr. Cristie cares about my progress and successes. It gets me through the hard days knowing how much she is genuinely routing for me. She’s gone out of her way to be responsive and supportive and help me get past the blocks I kept running into. She really did help get me unstuck and now I’m staying that way.

A.S., Ph.D. Candidate, Industrial/Organizational Psychology

I PASSED [the oral comprehensive exams]. Thank you so so so so so much! I could not have done this without you! [redacted for privacy] I can’t believe it’s over […] The beginning of the end is finally here! I’m so happy!!!

A.S., Ph.D. Public Health

Finished! My dissertation was defended on 01-July and I am an official Ph.D.! What an incredible journey. I am so grateful for our interactions and still apply [your] lessons in life.

M.H., Ph.D. Toxicology

Dr. Glasheen! I passed with barely any revisions requested of me. I am able to submit my dissertation tomorrow morning […]!
Thank you for all your help!