Academic Support for College Students: Top 4 Sources on Campus

As rising first year college students start thinking about their college experience, a primary source of anxiety will be doing well academically. I can’t tell you how natural this is, and appropriate too. Everyone will experience challenges in their college courses, even those who were the highest performing seniors. It’s a sign of insight and maturity to acknowledge that you may have difficulties and to know where to go when you do.

From my perspective as a professor and parent of a college student, there are four sources of support that stand out as especially meaningful. There are others, and campuses may vary, but these are solid go-to options to be aware of and use when you need to.

Importantly, students must take the initiative for all of these. As I will repeat over and over in my posts, college is about freedom and independence in nearly every way! This is awesome most of the time. But it can be a struggle too as students figure out how to take care of themselves! Thinking ahead about potential obstacles goes a long way to providing solutions to problems when you have them.

4 Sources of Academic Support for College Students

1.     Disability Resource Center, Disability Services, or Accessibility Office

This is the single most important source of support for students with academic or physical accommodation needs for class, and one that may require some early attention before you get to campus.

If you had a 504 Plan or an IEP in high school – or if you have a new diagnosis since graduation – you may be eligible for reasonable accommodation in college as well.

The campus office that manages academic accommodations will vary, but it often includes “disability” in the name. You’ll need to reach out to an advisor for information about the process on your campus and provide the necessary paperwork. If you don’t have current paperwork, you may need to be in touch with your doctor sooner than later so that you’re ready when the term begins.

Accommodations vary according to individual needs and, significantly, they may not match those you had in high school. In my experience as professor and parent, the most common are early registration for classes, additional time to take in-class exams or extensions for written assignments, quiet space to take in-class exams, a note-taker (another student in class or someone assigned from the accommodations office), breaks in long classes, preferred seating in big classes, access for a wheel chair, and support animals. There are others depending on need.

If you receive accommodations from the university, your professors will likely get an email with the details, but it will be your responsibility to reach out to them to make specific arrangements.

Importantly, there is an emphasis on “reasonable” accommodation and depending on the course requirements, some exceptions are more possible than others. You’ll need to work this out with the accommodations office and your instructor.

Some students are reluctant to use accommodations. It is absolutely an individual choice to employ this support and you should make the decision that is best for you. If you want to see how you do without the support, you can always be in touch with the office later in the year. There’s no window of opportunity, although the process can take some time to be implemented so you’re not likely to get accommodations right away.

Colleges provide these supports because they know that they are necessary for many students. I was always happy to see my students use all the tools available to them to achieve their potential.

2.     Professor (and/or Teaching Assistant) Office Hours

Your professors will have time most weeks set aside for students to visit for questions and other support. These are usually called office hours because they take place in the professor’s office. Sometimes they’re called student hours or something else a bit more intuitive. Most professors will include this dedicated time on their course syllabus so you can plan around it.

I think all students should use this time at least once and best at the beginning of the term, if for no other reason than to introduce yourself. This is particularly important if you have accommodations (see #1), but for anyone, it’s a good way to connect to your professor and get past some of the anxiety of engaging before you actually need help.

It is definitely true that not all professors are as open to student visits as others; not all professors are fabulous people-people. You’ll know this from high school when some teachers were more approachable than others, but it’s more obvious in college.

I’ll write in a different post about how professors are human and have all the same strengths and challenges as other humans – go figure – but for now let me just emphasize that you’ll meet lots of different kinds of people who are your professors!

Just know that reaching out to them is something you do for YOU because you may or do need support during the term.

You may be intimidated and reluctant to meet them, and that’s totally normal! They’re experts in positions of authority; it can be a bit daunting. But remember, the goal is not to be friends or audition for anything. The goal is to get the help you need with material in class. Be sure you’ve done the work for the class, go with questions, and take notes. That’s it. And you can always go back again when you need to.  

At some colleges, you may have teaching assistants in addition to professors, and they may be the folks you have the most individual contact with. Teaching assistants are usually graduate students studying in the department that is offering the course, learning to be scholars and professors. They will help professors teach the courses, grade assignments, and answer student questions. Usually, they will have their own office hours and you’ll be encouraged to attend those for help.

The point is to use as a source of support for your studies the professor and/or the teaching assistant when you need them. It’s not always easy to approach them, but they know their stuff and they’re there to help.

3.     The Library

“The what?” you ask.

Yep, there are libraries on campus! And however antiquated or irrelevant they may seem to you in this hyper-digitized world we live in, they are WONDERFUL! Where do I start?

There are all the obvious physical and electronic supports like books, articles, films, and art, computers with access to invaluable research software, printers and scanners and copiers (including the 3-d kind, perhaps) … and all the spaces to sit, read, study, chill, meet with friends and classmates. These days, they’re likely to have coffee shops attached to them too, making access to the caffeine and food required for studying so much easier.

And then there are the librarians. They are amazing. Use them! They won’t necessarily be experts on the specifics of each of your classes – although you might be surprised at the depth of their knowledge about campus curriculum – but librarians know reading, writing, and research.

They REALLY know research. And I can guarantee that most of you, at one time or another – and probably often – will need support with research. In the internet age, we all think we’re masters of research. We are not. There is so much for you to learn about proper searches, sources, and documentation, not to mention composition, formatting, and plagiarism.

Librarians can help with all of this, and more! There is no need to suffer through a short or long research project. Hit up a librarian for help! They’re waiting for you.

4.     The Writing Center

I expect most colleges to have a writing center or the equivalent on campus. These offices include professional staff who can help with writing but may also employ student peers who support other students with their writing assignments. I was a peer tutor during my senior year of college and loved it.

There is no shame in needing support for your writing. Most of us aren’t born with superb writing skills; indeed, most students I’ve met have enormous difficulty putting their thoughts onto paper. While many students may be required to take a first-year writing course, it’s usually not enough to meet the needs of most upper-division (junior and senior level) critical analysis and research requirements.

So, when you need someone to help you organize your thoughts, develop thesis statements and outlines, protect against plagiarism, proofread, and properly format your assignments, definitely make an appointment with the writing center. Like librarians, the writing staff are there to support you!

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Remember, everyone has academic challenges of some kind in college, especially when they’re just starting out. So much is new, there’s so much going on, and it’s hard to absorb it all.

The key is to get support when you need it and there are excellent sources of help on campuses. You’re not alone.

AND if you have need additional or different kinds of support than you can get on campus, I’m available too. As a coach and mentor, I can provide the space for you to work through many of the challenges you’ll face in school, including academic hurdles like class assignments and projects, time management, study habits, changing your major, and what to do after graduation. I’ll be offering groups sessions too, which are great opportunities for anyone feeling a bit isolated and seeking some camaraderie.