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College Transition Mentoring for First Year College Students

This course offers one-on-one mentorship, guidance, and accountability to college freshman. Meeting once/week or once/2 weeks depending on your needs, we'll focus on academic success, college adjustment, study skills, and adulting.
Carissa Hoitenga, College Consultant & Mentor
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(68)
Class

What's included

Meets on Demand
schedule meetings as needed
45 mins
per session
Teacher support
Homework
No additional homework! (Yay!) We'll focus on helping you get your assigned homework done instead.
Grading
included

Class Experience

*More times available! As college students sometimes have little control over their schedule, please message me your availability when you know it and I'm happy to see what we can work out! Remember, per Outschool policy, students must be 18 years old or younger to enroll.

This class is about helping you succeed, with the understanding that every college student is unique, coming from different backgrounds, experiences, and high schools. Both American and international students studying in the USA are welcome!

Your first semester in college is your most important semester; you are creating a solid foundation for continued success:
- You are adjusting to a new educational  system with stricter expectations. 
- You are independently responsible for your learning.
- You are trying out your adulting skills, such as managing your time and doing laundry.
- You may find you're not prepared with the necessary study skills, writing skills, and/or research skills.
- You are navigating new friendships and starting to build professional relationships with your professors.
- You are making the biggest financial investment of your life while immersed in a completely new environment. 
- And most importantly, you are establishing that all important first semester/year GPA, which sets the stage for the rest of your college career. 

I work one-on-one with college freshmen during their first semester of college, meeting either once each week or once every other week, depending on your needs, as a mentor and accountability partner. Our discussions are led by you. Some things we may talk about:
- Your homework assignments
- Your schedule
- Your study methods
- Your motivation
- Your adjustment to college-style teaching/lectures
- Your organization
- Your goals during college
- Your strategy to graduate

Each time we meet will look different, but what would a typical "class" look like? For example, during one meeting, we might: discuss your assignments for the week, including any of concern, make a study plan for an upcoming exam, and go over what you need to bring up with your academic advisor when you meet with her in a few days for your registration for classes next semester. Every session will be individualized depending on your current needs.  (Not sure if you're the 'type of student' who would benefit from a transition mentor? Send me a message and let me know your concerns heading into college. You can also check out my "Teacher Expertise" section for more info!)

Throughout your first semester, my role is to be your college success mentor and accountability partner, provide guidance within the college experience, and direct you to outside supports that may help you, such as academic tutoring or career centers, when needed. In addition, I am qualified to offer you feedback on written assignments per my M.A. and university-level English course teaching experience. Our goal is for you to successfully adapt to the college academic environment so you can take full advantage of all the opportunities college will bring you. 

Remember, success looks different for everyone. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to do college. You need to do college in a way that works best for you!

Other Details

Parental Guidance
This class is strictly focused on students' academic success and adjustment in college, though it's normal that students may mention their friends, family, and other important parts of their life, as academic success can be affected by many different factors. Throughout this class, I'll build a mentor/mentee relationship with your daughter or son. This class works best when your young adult and myself can have an open, honest, and trusting relationship. For this reason, and as your child is now (most likely) an 18-year-old adult, I will not share every detail with you that your student chooses to discuss with me. However, I'm happy to send general updates to you, if requested. While videos of our sessions are available by request, they are not posted automatically, and I would encourage parents (in most cases) to not request and/or watch them to respect your young adult's privacy/boundaries, as the point of this class is to allow your student to have adult guidance that is not from their parents. (I know I know, but your respect of their privacy will go a long way with your young adult. However, of course, if you request the video, it will be made available, and students are always welcome to request the recording be made available for them to go back and watch.) The only rare exception to my general encouragement of privacy, as is true in all Outschool classes, would be if your student makes a concerning statement. In this case, the concern will be reported to Outschool and you. You ARE encouraged to talk with your son or daughter about our meetings, continue to guide and support them, and continue to be that VIP in their lives as they gain more and more independence. As this is an ongoing class, you are always welcome to un-enroll your college student at any time, no questions asked.
Supply List
Student should have their assignments for the week available to discuss along with any questions/concerns on previous assignments.
Language of Instruction
English
5.0
68reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree from Inter American University San German Campus (Universidad Interamericana)
Working with teens transitioning to new educational systems is my passion and my expertise, and I've been doing this in various forms for 12 years.  I have mentored American students as they transition from their senior year in high school through to their freshman year for 9 years. I've spent 3 years working with international high school exchange students as they've adapted to the American high school system, and I've worked with international college students as they've adapted to American universities and American work culture for a total of 8 years.  I've also taught freshman general education English classes, so I understand the level of work expected by professors. I've worked with students from various backgrounds with varying levels of academic interest and motivation:

I've worked with students who:
- are straight A students in high school and continue that record in college
- are surprised and upset that they are now struggling to pass their college classes when it was so easy in high school
- are unsure of what they want to do in college 
- discover new interests in college but are afraid to abandon their dreams they've had since middle school, even if they know they need to
- receive average grades and just want to make themselves the most competitive they can while in school and graduate
- experience an unexpected event that significantly affects their grades 
- are first generation college students 
- speak English as a second/foreign language
- are from various minority backgrounds (including LGBTQ)
- attend college because that is what they were always expected to do, but they aren't sure of why they are there

Every student is unique and will have their own, individual challenges and successes.

I hold an M.A. degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, a B.A. in Sociology, minors in Spanish and English, worked as a study abroad advisor at a university for 5 years, and I continue with my mentoring at two non-profit organizations as well as within my own college consulting business. 

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Live 1-on-1 Lessons
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$85

per session
Meets on demand
45 min

Live video meetings
Ages: 17-18

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