What is Academic Life Coaching?

Academic Life Coaching is a collaborative partnership that helps students reflect, grow, and take ownership of their college experience. Through regular conversations, coaches support students in identifying goals, overcoming challenges, and developing strategies for success both inside and outside the classroom.

Unlike advising, tutoring, or counseling, coaching is not about providing answers or solving problems for students. Instead, coaches help students explore options, recognize their strengths, build self-awareness, and develop the confidence to make informed decisions.

Students placed on academic probation often face challenges that extend beyond academics alone. Time management, motivation, belonging, confidence, stress, and life circumstances can all impact academic success. Academic Life Coaching provides a supportive space for students to discuss these challenges and identify practical steps forward.

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Encouraging Students

Through one-on-one coaching conversations, students are encouraged to identify their strengths and resoucres, clarify personal, academic, and career goals, develop effective study, organization, and time-management strategies, create realistic action plans, build self-confidence and resillience, learn from setbacks and adapt to challenges, strengthen their sense of belonging and connection to the university. Students will meet weekly with their coach. They will also have support from their Cowboy Coach and Academic Advisor.

Our coaches are trained volunteer faculty and staff members who serve as supportive partners in a student's success journey. By asking thoughtful questions, listening without judgment, and providing encouragement and accountability, coaches empower students to develop the skills and confidence needed to thrive at the University of Wyoming and beyond.

What Coaching IS and what it IS NOT

Coaching IS ...

  • A partnership
  • Asking powerful questions
  • Fostering growth and self-discovery
  • helping students identify goals
  • building on strengths
  • helping students find their own path
  • listening without judgment
  • encouraging reflection
  • promoting accountability
  • empowering students

 

police officer monitors data on his computer

Coaching IS NOT ...

  • Monitoring or policing students
  • Providing all the answers
  • Fixing problems for students
  • Telling students what their goals should be
  • Focusing on deficiencies
  • Leading students down your path
  • Lecturing or persuading
  • Giving quick solutions
  • Enforcing compliance
  • Rescuing students

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The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.