International students begin their academic careers in an unfamiliar place, with a new education system and way of life. The United States hosts more than 1.1 million international students at higher education institutions, many from countries with completely different cultures. These students face unique challenges but offer diversity and rich perspectives that enhance any institution.
Higher ed success coaching for international students can mitigate the risks of dropping out or transferring to other institutions. Today, 58 percent of institutions offer success coaching to students, giving them the skills, experience, and insights to succeed. However, success coaching must be personalized and targeted to be truly effective. This article will cover tips for improving outcomes through success coaching at your institution.
Like all student groups, international students face unique challenges. Many cite language barriers, financial issues, and academic requirements as reasons for dropping out. When entering U.S. institutions, they must demonstrate proficiency in English and navigate the norms at a new institution. To implement effective success coaching, it’s essential to understand their specific challenges, which include:
Student success coaching is immensely valuable for acclimatizing international students and providing support throughout their academic journeys. However, as these students face unique challenges, coaches must offer personalized, data-driven guidance. Some strategies for coaching young international students include:
By definition, success coaching equips students with the skills to devise a personalized approach to their academic journeys. Success coaches should work one-on-one with students, serving as a resource for educational, social, and career challenges. In setting measurable goals and performance metrics to track progress, they can monitor academic performance and student progress toward academic achievement.
Coaches can also gather feedback from students and faculty to inform goal-setting and progress tracking, leveraging data to identify each student’s strengths and weaknesses. Access to student data means they can refine their coaching strategies to meet students where they are and provide individualized support. From there, they can teach international students how to be students in the U.S., setting goals around familiarizing themselves with fundamentals like essay writing, test-taking, and class etiquette.
Many international students are unaware of the support resources offered on U.S. campuses. Those who are may hesitate to reach out due to cultural differences or language barriers. Student success coaches can connect them with the resources they need to succeed, including financial aid, mental health resources, study groups, and tutoring services. As these students already lack the family support that their local counterparts enjoy, it’s even more important to normalize using these services to their advantage.
As many international students encounter challenges adapting to campus life, success coaches can provide logistical help. They can help students set up bank accounts, show them where to purchase basic supplies, and encourage them to engage with their peers through clubs, volunteer placements, and social events.
International students often face isolation, homesickness, and other social challenges. Success coaches can step in and provide them with some relief. International students are like any other student group, pursuing higher education to increase their career potential. Coaches should focus on creating career success pathways, including academic and social advice.
Coaches should empower international students to build networks, refine soft skills, and align their academic pathways with their career goals. In addition, they can encourage students to engage in leadership activities, boosting their relevance and engagement in campus life. They can set goals around these activities to help international students make meaningful connections, build support systems, and integrate into campus life.
Data-driven success coaching allows you to identify at-risk students at any stage of their academic journeys and target coaching efforts to get them back on track. Provide success coaches with access to student enrollment, assessment, engagement, and faculty evaluation data so that they have a holistic picture of each student.
With purpose-built software, you can alert success coaches when students lose their way so they can take proactive measures to get them back on track. The more data success coaches can access on each student, the better they can instill a growth mindset and path to degree completion. They can set goals around resilience, social interaction, and navigating the inevitable challenges of campus life.
International students bring a much-needed dynamic to any institution. A comprehensive support system and success coaching initiative allow you to attract and retain them, allowing every student and faculty member to benefit. Giving success coaches access to student data means they can drive results for international students as they navigate higher education.
With Watermark Student Success & Engagement, you have the complete picture of each student, making it easier to provide targeted success coaching. Support students through graduation with advanced analytics, early alerts when they veer off course, and guided pathways for each student. Make an impact on international students with Watermark. Request a demo today to learn more.
