What Is Mindfish’s College Readiness Program?
If you’re a junior or senior, or a parent of one, you may be wondering what it means to be “ready for college.” This idea prompts several questions: Can I manage the workload? Will I reliably get to my classes on time (even the 8AMs)? How will I get around on and off campus? Do I know how to interact with professors? What resources are available at my school, and how do I access them?
Even if you haven’t asked these questions yet, you may have pondered: What classes will I take? What will I major in? Do I want to minor in something? Do I want to join any clubs or organizations?
College is:
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College is also:
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College readiness encompasses all of these concepts and more: Do I want to apply for summer jobs/internships? Do I know the relevant skills for my field? Do I know how to write a resume? Do I know how to interact with professors? Do I know what the career services options are at my school? Do I know how to get accommodations at my school (if applicable)?
These are just a few questions relating to all of the new things you will have to do in college. Mindfish’s college readiness course aims to teach you through a combination of reading, lectures, and hands-on projects. In this course, we will practice planning based on actual college syllabi, annotating readings, making a schedule/calendar, looking at and possibly applying to job opportunities, and sending professional emails. Each program is customized to each student’s needs and goals and will provide them with a hands-on opportunity to practice the skills and activities they will encounter on their college journey.
Course Topics:
- Time management
- Note-taking
- Critical reading and essay writing
- Completing labs and problem sets
- Following college honor codes
- Interacting with professors and administrators
- Exploring and applying for jobs/internships
- Navigating dorm life
- Living independently
How Is College Readiness Related to Executive Function (EF) Coaching?
Executive functions are the functions in our brains that allow us to function. These skills enable us to plan and prioritize our time, organize our belongings, get places on time, evaluate a situation, or keep long-term goals in mind. Inability to execute one or more of these examples is indicative of an EF skill deficit, meaning one lacks the internal brain structures to effectively complete tasks or maintain habits related to that skill.
So, how does college readiness relate to executive functions? There is a lot of overlap between the skills taught in both of these programs: time management, completing assignments, managing a schedule, completing chores without reminders from parents, and many other tasks/skills.
There is a reason for this overlap: moving away from our parents. Executive functions don’t fully develop until our mid- to late- 20s, and for the first part of our life, our parents “lend” us their EF skills (they manage our schedule, remind us of chores, etc.). As we get older, we transition into using our EF skills instead of theirs. We start keeping track of our own homework and schedules, we organize our rooms without help, we learn how to drive and get ourselves places when we need to be there. When we move to college, we very suddenly lose any remaining support from our parents.
This is why college places such a heavy demand on our executive functioning skills. This is also why Mindfish’s college readiness program is a subset of our executive function coaching program – it’s an EF program focused specifically on college.
When Should I Start College Readiness Programs?
Our program is designed to be 5-8 weeks, ideally in the summer leading up to your first semester of college. But, if you are particularly worried about certain tasks (e.g., waking yourself up on time for class, managing your schedule on your own, keeping on top of your course load, etc.), you may want to start with some executive functioning coaching during your junior or senior year. If you’re not sure, chatting with one of our executive function coaches is the best way to figure out what’s best for you!
Conclusion
There are many new skills that you suddenly need to master when you move to college. These skills can be college-specific (e.g., taking notes in class, reading college syllabi, applying for internships, etc.), or more general executive function skills (e.g., time management, planning/prioritizing, organization, etc.). Depending on your own skill set, it may make sense to start working on these skills during high school or during the summer leading up to college.
If you are interested in our college readiness program or executive functioning coaching, please reach out to Hailey!
