ABINGTON, Pa. — The Chaiken Center for Student Success at Penn State Abington has launched the pilot of its free peer success coaching program, which is customized and self-paced for any student intent on improving skills including time management, organization, goal setting, note and test taking.
Once a student signs up for the program, they complete the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, which identifies practices that need improvement. Then they are matched with a peer success coach who is trained to reinforce the positives and help develop areas with deficits.
“Our peer coaches walk the students through the activities, quizzes and resources as needed. It’s adaptable to almost any situation, and everything is housed online so students can access it and refer to it anytime,” said Meredith Tarditi, the academic and career coach in the center.
The first group of coaches was selected from students working in other roles at the Chaiken Center, which offers tutoring in specific subjects and writing consultations as well as success coaching with Tarditi.
"The peer coaches have different majors and levels of experience, and we were familiar with their personalities, skill sets, great work ethic and commitment to the Chaiken Center,” Tarditi said.
Nathan Perez Wallace, a first-year computer engineering major, said it’s often hard to objectively measure your own skills, so peer coaching supports students once troublesome areas are isolated.
“I’m excited to help guide other students to be better versions of themselves. We are going to provide them with manageable and digestible information,” he said.
For Annalise Smith, a psychological and social sciences major, she’s eager to share her experience as a college student, especially with first-year students.
“After three years at Abington, I know the importance of these skills. The training to be a peer success coach made me understand how to approach different situations for different people. As coaches, we want to give you control over your own life,” she said.
Gabbi Logue recalls feeling scared to ask for help when she started college, so as a biochemistry major and now as a peer success coach, she wants to be a resource for others.
“It’s easier to ask another student for help, and I'm looking forward to answering their questions. During our training, we shared our different perspectives and bounced ideas off each other, so that helped prepared me to be a peer success coach, too,” the second-year student said.