The Success Coaches’ Playbook is a new biweekly feature of The Current from the staff at the Office of Undergraduate Student Success. It will offer tips, ideas and advice on how to be a more successful student at NSU. The Office of Undergraduate Student Success connects students to resources that allow them to thrive at NSU. The Success Coaches’ Playbook will cover different topics and ideas that will help you along your NSU journey.
Jake Shilts is the assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Student Success.
All students want to be successful inside the classroom; however, complimenting what you do inside the classroom with experiences outside the classroom will make you a well-rounded student.
If a student is more engaged and connected to campus resources, that student will more likely be successful in the classroom. If he or she takes advantage of the resources available to them, that same student tends to do better than other students who don’t take advantage of any of the NSU resources. Students who engage with academic resources like a tutor or success coach and get more involved by joining an academic club or study group have a higher chance to be more academically successful.
Also important are student-faculty interactions and relationships and how these relationships foster student success. Students, who meet with their professors outside of the classroom, such as during the professor’s office hours, tend to have more success in that course. Take advantage of getting to know your professors. The faculty to student ratio of 20 to one allows for one-on-one connections with your professors. Students should take advantage of this benefit.
It is important for you to connect to your NSU resources. Many professionals are willing and ready to play a role in your development. Your academic advisers, resident advisers, orientation leaders, academic success coaches, professors, tutors, financial aid counselors, and career advisers all can play a major role during your time at NSU. Once you begin working with these individuals, your chances of academic success increases because they offer the support and resources that many students need to supplement the rigors of what is happening inside the classroom. These are the people who will help you reach your goals and be a successful student at NSU. So, next time you feel a little lost; connect with a resource at NSU and you will take your first step to achieving success.
A list of NSU resources can be found at nova.edu/yoursuccess/forms/nsu-student-success-resources.pdf.
