This week on College UnBound, our topic is the acquisition of life skills. Many parents, and many school counselors for that matter, focus almost exclusively on academic skills. While paramount in college, this focus is only one part of a much bigger picture. Research shows, that how students use information to solve real-life problems and manage their daily lives may be a better indicator of success than cognition.
Focus Collegiate students generally already know how to use a digital calendar and check their email; they already have a sense of what is expected of them in school, even if they may not know exactly what is coming around the corner in college. Our challenge is to assist their development of the self-discipline or self-management necessary to make the best, most consistent use of the tools they have. Thus we work with students on developing repeatable, recurring ways to engage these skills within their novel context of college life.
Focus is one of the main pillars of self-discipline and dependent on what neuroscientists call executive functions. Working memory, impulse control, and cognitive flexibility are essential elements of executive functions and underly the student’s ability to set and pursue goals, prioritize activities, filter distractions, and control impulses. All of which are core to implementing life skills, regardless of the strategy. That’s where we start...