Individual Peer Coaching

Individual coaching helps Northwestern undergrads refine their approaches to learning and studying. Coaching is provided by undergraduates who are trained by ASLA and who understand potential barriers students face and how to navigate around them successfully.

What is peer academic coaching?

• "I'm working all the time, but my grades don't show it."
• "The exam was completely different from what I studied."
• "I'm always falling behind — I never have enough time to get everything done."
• "I'm having trouble staying motivated, and I know I procrastinate too much."

Does any of this sound familiar? If it does, you're not alone: many students at Northwestern feel this way. Even when you think everyone else is finding it easy, many students are experiencing the same challenges. The pace, the rigor, the complexity of content you face as a Northwestern student is exceptionally challenging. It's also a big change from your high school experience.

Peer academic coaches are here to help you navigate this academic landscape. They work one-on-one with you to help you refine your academic and organizational strategies, find the resources that will be most helpful, and create a school–life balance that helps you enjoy your time as a Northwestern student.

Why peers?

Our peer coaches know what it’s like to be in your shoes – because they’ve been there! They’ve navigated a variety of challenges and figured out what systems and strategies work for them, and they want to help other students thrive as they have learned to. A peer coach will listen with compassion and understanding, talk to you about your current approaches, suggest changes and new approaches that can help, and provide accountability and encouragement as you work to develop new habits. Meet the coaches!

How do I sign up?

You can sign up with our interest form at any time. We will reach out to you for a short introductory meeting, to learn more about your goals. We'll then match you with a coach, and the two of you take it from there. We are here to support you throughout.

What happens in the peer coaching meetings?

• In your first meeting, the peer coach will spend some time getting to know you by asking questions. This is an informal conversation, to help you get to know each other, and to help your coach can learn about your courses, interests, background, and goals.
• If you decide to continue, you and your coach will work on a plan and schedule for setting goals and checking in on progress. This plan is not set in stone; it can be modified whenever you find that your goals or timing change.
• You can continue to meet for as long as you’d like. At your meetings, you can follow up on the strategies that you tried, what worked, and what didn’t — and you can address new topics, too.  
• Coaching meetings are usually about an hour, at a time and location that you and your coach agree on.

Topics you might discuss with your Peer Coach:

• Scheduling/planning/time management/organization
• Achieving work-life balance
• What to do if I get a low grade
• Taking notes effectively
• Developing effective study strategies
• Writing papers
• Tackling problem sets
• Managing test anxiety
• Staying motivated
• Holding myself accountable
• And more

Ready to get started?

Sign up today using our interest form!

We will get back to you promptly and ask you to schedule a brief meeting with ASLA to help us match you with a coach.

Questions? Email us. Prefer to talk to a staff member? Consultations with staff are also available.