Disorganized College Students

Recently I've had an influx of calls from parents of college students looking for help for their child.  It seems that their college student failed a few classes, couldn't get assignments into the professor on time, and waited til the last minute to start studying for finals.  Though disappointed, not one parent I spoke to was surprised by what happened to their child during the semester.  From my conversation with the parent, the student has had a history of poor organizational skills prior to entering college.  If a child is disorganized in high school, there is a strong chance that they will continue to be disorganized in college. 

Prior to my private practice, I  spent some time as the Coordinator of Counseling and Psychological Services  at Fordham University at the Tarrytown Campus.  I also ran the Office of Disabilty Services at this campus towards the end of my stay at Fordham.  Naturally, I saw many students for academic coaching and counseling.  There is such a need for organizational strategies including note taking, study skills, and time management, to be embedded into the freshman core curriculm.  Every so often, you'll hear a story about a student who had such a strong GPA in high school, barely pass their classes in college.  Why?  These students skated through high school and never learned organizational skills needed for college. 

If your high school senior show signs of being disorganized, make certain to get him the resources he may need in college to become more organized.  Ask your child to  think about situations in school that may have caused him some stress.  For example, did he wait until the last minute to complete a project or studt for a test?  Does he run late for class?  Can he find his homework or assignments when he needs to? Discuss strategies on how to deal with the situations that might be most concerning.  Call  the Office of Student Services at your child's school  and ask what support they offer your disorganized child.  Academic coaching works well if your child is on board with it.