Accommodations and various free supports provided by universities (peer-led tutoring or coaching programs, for example) are often thought of as the ticket to academic success in college. However, a student’s journey can be quite complex and, for some, these resources may fall short of addressing their unique needs. While these supports are essential and important for families to investigate, they can fail to address the broader challenges that can hinder some students’ success.
Accommodations at the College Level
Accommodations, such as extended test time, note-taking assistance, or priority registration, are critical for leveling the playing field. However, they aren’t going to be game changers. They will provide students with some helpful, small changes in certain classes, but that doesn’t equate to any courses being easier. Also of note, many common accommodations that students received in high school via an IEP or 504, will not be granted in college: shortened assignments, breaking things down into smaller steps, providing the slides a day in advance, etc. These are almost unheard of in college.
School Provided Coaching
University-based academic coaching services can also provide valuable guidance on time management, study skills, and goal setting. However, these services often operate within the university framework that doesn’t account for the multifaceted nature of a student’s life and can have a cap on the number of sessions, or just limited availability. It’s quite common for Academic Coaching services provided by universities to be an upperclassmen who works with a student for a few sessions.
School Provided Tutoring
Tutoring is another free option that students can receive on campus. Again, this is usually done by an upperclassmen at a campuswide tutoring center or department (ex: Chemistry). Most campuses have a mix of by appointment tutoring, walk-in tutoring, and group tutoring.
No matter the accommodations, coaching, and tutoring that a school offers, it’s always important to get to know how they are offered and then determine: is this enough for support for my student? For many students, that answer is yes. But for others the answer is no. Sometimes it’s not enough support and a student needs to work with a professional executive functioning coach or tutor in order to get the level of support they need.
While accommodations and academic coaching are a great offering, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Parents must recognize the challenges students face and choose what they feel is the appropriate level of support for a student on campus.