Student Success Coaching | Learning Commons | University of Nebraska at Kearney

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What is Success Coaching?

Success Coaches offer individualized academic support to all UNK undergraduate students to improve their college experience! Your coach will support you, challenge you, and hold you accountable through weekly coaching sessions. Topics are customized to meet your specific needs and may include goal setting, time management, study skills & strategies, motivation & mindset coaching, stress management, and general guidance for better self-care practices. Success Coaching is a holistic approach toward achieving balanced and healthy life goals for successful outcomes.

How can Success Coaching help me?

Success Coaching will help you develop valuable college life skills. Our aim is to help you feel more confident in yourself and your abilities and help you explore the many resources available at UNK. Your coach will help you identify and achieve your goals through continuous one-on-one support.

When to meet with a success coach?

Feeling overwhelmed? Anxious or stressed? Tired or over-loaded? Trouble focusing in class or studying? Struggling with test anxiety? Maybe your grades are slipping, and you don’t know why, or you have trouble making it to classes or appointments? Financial struggles making you feel like you need to add more work hours, but don’t know how to fit in time to do homework and study? Feeling a loss of motivation in your daily life, or just finding it hard to know what you need, you just know something isn’t quite working? It may be time to meet with a success coach!

Our Academic Success Self-Assessment evaluation can help you pinpoint what areas you could benefit from most with a success coaching appointment!

Take the Self-Assessment

What to bring: laptop, phone, pen, paper, planner if you have one, and an open mind.

What to expect at your first appointment: Be prepared to share your class schedule, work schedule, and any obstacles you might be facing. You will complete a self-assessment, which you will review with your coach. The more your coach knows about what you have going on, the more they will be able to assist you with an action plan to help you set realistic goals to work on over the next few weeks.

Review your action plan you created during your session and begin working on the to-do items and plan laid out and be sure you have another success coaching appointment set up and in your calendar. Remember, learning something new takes time and PRACTICE! Be sure to give yourself grace. With consistency and practice, it gets easier over time.

Try to remember to approach each task with a growth mindset. Learn to recognize limiting belief statements like “I can’t...,” I’m just bad at...,” “I’m too tired to...,” “I don’t like to...,” and “it’s too hard to...,” etc. Respond to these limiting belief statements with a GROWTH MINDSET statement: “I’m not good at this YET, but with practice I will be!” “I will learn to do...,” etc. If you need help developing a growth mindset, speak to your success coach.

Developing self-discipline and accountability will help you reach the goals you want to achieve. Success Coaching will help you work on these important skills!

	Hi, I'm Bri Heckenlively and I'm a junior at UNK majoring in secondary English education with a minor in creative writing. I work in the Learning Commons as both a success coach and a writing tutor. If I'm not on campus attending classes or work, I'm probably at home with the love of my life- my dog, Daisy. I promise it's not as lame as it sounds. If you're looking for ways to make yourself more academically successful, please reach out and make an appointment with me in the Learning Commons. I would love to help you in any way that you need!
	Hello all! My name's Laura (she/her/hers) and I'm a graduate student majoring in English composition, rhetoric, and language. I work at the Learning Commons as both a success coach and a writing tutor. When I'm not on campus, I enjoy singing and taking part in community theater, traveling, cooking, writing poetry, and binge-watching shows while playing the Sims Mobile and snuggling with my cat, Elf. If you're looking for strategies to become a more successful writer—or a more successful student in general—please reach out and make an appointment at the Learning Commons!
	Hello, my name is Sarah, and I am a graduate student at UNK. I have a bachelor’s degree in English Education, and I am working towards a master’s in English. I am also a success coach and writing tutor at the Learning Commons this Spring. I am also currently working as a TA which is a teacher’s assistant for Academic Writing and Research 102. I really enjoy spending quality time writing creatively, spending time with family, and hanging out with my dog named Ziggy. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be both a tutor and success coach at the Learning Commons. I’d love to encourage you to schedule an appointment or just drop by. The Learning Commons offers a lot of resources that will not only aid you as a student but also as a person.
	My name is Kalen, and I am a Graduate Assistant in the English department at UNK as well as a writing tutor and success coach in the Learning Commons. When I am not working with student writing I love practicing Brazilian-Jiu Jitsu and watching movies.

Get connected with a Success Coach today!

Schedule an Appointment

Success coaching is available by appointment both in-person and on Zoom. In-person success coaching is held in the Learning Commons in University Residence North (URN). Please check in at the Learning Commons Welcome Desk when you arrive. If you have further questions or need to contact the Welcome Desk for assistance, you can reach us by phone 308-865-8905, or email unklearningcommons@unk.edu.

What Students are saying about Success Coaching

“My coach listened to all my problems and even broke them down farther then I personally did, to give me a better understanding of what I need to do better and in what exact area. The strategies she gave me helped me better break down my day to day schedule to find areas to be more productive and to better schedule out my day. Instead of procrastinating.”

“When I shared my struggle with time management, the success coach recommended I use google calendar and link all other calendars such as canvas calendars. It was really helpful.
I think success coaches are absolutely helpful and awesome.”

What is Success Coaching?

How can Success Coaching help me?

Get help setting goals and action plans for:

When to meet with a success coach?

Preparing for your appointment

After your appointment

Meet our Success Coaches

Get connected with a Success Coach today!

What Students are saying about Success Coaching