Academic Coaching

Two students talking at a cafe table

An Academic Coaching appointment can help you discover study strategies targeted to your specific needs and learning style. 

Academic Coaching

Feeling overwhelmed? Want to improve your performance in a particular course? Need better strategies for reading or studying more effectively?

Academic Coaching sessions can help you improve your:

  • Time Management
  • Note taking
  • Reading
  • Study strategies
  • Test taking
  • Test anxiety
  • Participating in class discussions
  • Completing class projects

Study Skills Resources

Success Skills for College (GS 1001) is a two-credit class offered throughout the academic year. In this class you explore time management, note-taking skills, exam strategies, learning styles, and university resources and expectations. All topics covered include practical learning activities with individualized application. Check the undergraduate time schedule to see when GS1001 is offered this academic year.

Thriving at SPU (UCOL 1000)  is a discussion-based seminar that introduces first-year college students to learning in an academic community. Topics will include college culture and expectations, deepening study skills, balancing various demands on your time, and managing stress, planning your academic pathway and courses, working with faculty, and connecting with various campus resources. .

Learning Strategies Workshops are offered upon request in critical topics such as Time Management and Active Study Strategies. Email Kati Barr at kabarr@spu.edu for more information.

Online Study Skills Resources - Learn to study smarter with these resources from the Center for Student Success!

The Research, Reading, and Writing Studio serves current students seeking to read, write, and research better. They come alongside students at any stage of the writing process, offering strategies for how to move forward with their own projects. 


Striving for perfection can cause you to feel overwhelmed. Be sure to sleep well and eat well. Check in with the Student Counseling Center. Meet with your professor to learn from your mistakes.

We all get nervous before an exam. But prepare to do your best by getting enough sleep the night before, journaling out your worries, arriving early, and taking five slow, deep breaths.