A Path to Graduation

The Michael P. Weber Learning Skills Center’s Academic Life Coach Program provides Duquesne University students certified life coaches skilled in offering personalized and individualized student support.  

Tenacity is the strong fiber that helps us realize the goals we have set for ourselves.  Invariably there are times when you can be beset by impediments that retard growth. These are times when you can use support to recapture the drive and determination that propels you towards success. The Academic Life Coach can provide that individualized and personalized support to identify those stress producers that may be taking a toll.

The Academic Life Coach can help you set goals that can result in ongoing success and ultimately earning a degree.  Coaches are armed to assist with varying issues that stymie successful endeavors. 

The following areas present challenges that are common to many students and can have impact on student success. These areas constitute the themes that Academic Life Coaches will help students address during coaching sessions.

You will learn ways to find motivators that work for you and develop approaches to meet your goals.
You will know your learning preferences, learn effective study strategies, and commit yourself to high achievement.
You will learn how to create a balance between academic and non-academic responsibilities that respond to your values and priorities.
You will learn the importance of having a support system that includes reliable relationships.
You will be able to give voice to your individuality, both your personal and social distinctiveness; form relationships of importance to your sense of belonging, while managing the changes related to a new campus culture.
You will be able to express the values and interests that are foundational for academic achievement, that prominently figure into your choice of major, and that help shape plans for realizing career goals.
You will recognize the importance of tending to their overall health and wellness through putting in place structures that aptly address them.
You will learn the importance of supporting their mental and physical states and overcoming challenges through resilience.
You will recognize the importance of the financial responsibilities related to college enrollment, locate financial resources, and be grateful for the benefits that a college degree carries.