Why I Think College is Hard
I started recommending a new tool for my clients to use as a way for them to test themselves and identify gaps in their knowledge before major tests. It's a cool visual/mind-mapping resource called Coggle. Before I recommend any tool for clients, I try it out to discover what's easy and what might be hard for a new user, so I created a visual representation of what I call "College Success/Becoming a Self-Directed Learner." I like the outcome.
I am not an especially visual person, so this might only make sense to me, but the result demonstrates some of the complexity of what a student faces in college. Of course, none of this happens on a perfect continuum, so add some chaos, particular life experiences, and regional/institutional conditions, too.
Someone out there is bound to "Okay, Boomer!" me for this, but expectations sure have changed. When I was an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina from 1984-1988, the most difficult technological challenge I faced was where I would buy the thermal heat cartridges for my Brother Digital 50-character display typewriter. That was actually an easy fix; I just mailed a check with the handy enclosed order form, the hardest part being finding an envelope and stamp. When they arrived, the package conveniently contained another order form for my future needs. What an automation loop.
Today's students are assailed by technological mine fields that control their survival in college. They learn to navigate these, or they fall behind quickly. Here are just a few, and I am not calling out any single institution with this list. Most of these technologies are offered by a few, huge data management corporations, so the outcomes are the same regardless of the campus.
Massive Learning Management Systems that control everything from course content, attendance, grades, assignments, quizzes, access to syllabi, and more. If you don't know where to look for something, then you simply are not aware of all of its bells and whistles. I was a professor that walked students through how to find what they needed. Many do not.
Advisement Reservation platforms - Oops! Missed your appointment time. Now 500 other students get to go ahead of you and register for classes that you won't have access to. Don't worry; there's a waiting list for that course embedded in this website somewhere.
Different communication lines/technologies for each professor- even though most institutions request that faculty members use the same one, but many don't.
SMART IDs that control everything from food, room access, purchasing, and cost how much? to replace.
Course registration and degree management systems that require an Information Systems degree to fully navigate. I would be satisfied at the very least with a short training (not trial by fire) session during orientation, please?
Online textbooks with onboarding/embedding support that rarely works. Students purchase an access code, but some go THE ENTIRE SEMESTER WITHOUT EVER ACCESSING THE TEXTBOOK because "the code didn't work" and the customer support hours are limited and generally don't include 10 PM-2 AM, when most college students are cramming for the test the next morning.
ToGo food apps, racquetball reservation systems, football ticket lotteries, student events/organizations, etc. Life is governed by how many accounts you're willing to create, access, and manage.
I actually love technology, but it is both a wonder and a curse. Regardless, using it involves a steep learning curve for most students. Add to that the traditional areas of young adult identify formation, maintaining satisfactory academic progress, unprecedented debt incursion, high levels of young adult anxiety, and a suicide rate of 14.4 percent for 15-24 year olds, and that is why I think college is hard. I had a key, an ID, a backpack, an occasional Scantron bubble sheet, and some heavy books. What did you have?
Here's my visual take on it. I am sure I have left something out, but this covers the biggest developmental tasks. Feel free to comment with your own nodes and branches. For the best image quality, you can follow this link to view in Coggle, too: https://coggle.it/diagram/Xla9EYXWymXRL5Jg/t/college-success-becoming-a-self-directed-learner Thanks in advance, fellow Boomer. Lastly, if I can help a student you know navigate this map with support, strategies, encouragement, and useable life skills, please complete my online contact form here: https://www.collegiatesuccesscoaching.com/