Earning a degree is a highly valued accomplishment; however, it can be a challenging prospect if you don’t have the right kind of support. Houston Baptist University addresses the issue of dealing with challenges by having a personal student success coach work with students. Students in the university’s online RN to BSN nursing program are given a personal success coach to guide them through the unique challenges of online learning.
The Need for Coaches
Not all schools provide success coaches. Houston Baptist University leaders have found it’s a smart step to take with all students. Guidance is something everyone needs in different phases of life. About 2 million students drop out of college every year, according to Forbes. Overall, 48% of students who started full-time at a four-year college had not earned a degree six years after starting school.
Houston Baptist provides coaches in order to help students complete their degrees. For traditional students, Houston Baptist University may focus on areas such as:
First-Year Students
In their first year, students get a success coach who offers them a holistic support system. That includes keying students in on the programs and services Houston Baptist University offers all its students. The goal is to engage students with college from the start.
Second Year Success
Sophomore year is often a pivotal year for students. They find themselves choosing a major and handling new relationships they have made at college. It’s an exciting time but also a challenging one. Success coaches connect students with the resources they need to get through this sometimes-difficult period.
Transfer Students
Success coaches work with students who started their college journey at other institutions, helping them make the transfer into a new school smoothly.
First-Generation Students
If you are part of the first generation of your family to attend college, then you face a transition that comes with unique challenges. Coaches help foster a sense of belonging for first-generation students and help them maintain their educational path to graduation.
Coaches For Online Students
In the online RN to BSN program, students meet every week for one-on-one conversations with faculty members. Students also have ways to communicate via the Internet with fellow students. Personal success coaches do all that and more, adding another layer of support for students.
Student success coaches are available at any time during a student’s time at Houston Baptist University, they with students one-on-one via the Internet to give guidance in school and career. All the coaches for the online program are also professional nurses with experience in the very fields the students are working hard to enter.
So, in addition to advice on resources offered by the school, personal success coaches in the online RN to BSN program offers nurses knowledgeable advice on what they can expect in a nursing career. They can help them avoid pitfalls and take the paths that have proven successful for those who have gone before. Expertise is something that is still highly valued by Houston Baptist University. Offering students a personal success coach with expertise in nursing is one of the most important advantages the school offers online students.