By Emiko Patterson

Each year, I speak with hundreds of families about the transition to college. There’s one consistent theme that comes up again and again: high school isn’t preparing students for what’s waiting for them on campus. Whether it’s the lingering impact of the pandemic, technology outpacing critical thinking, or a high school system that simply doesn’t teach the skills college demands, many students arrive on campus unprepared in ways that don’t show up until it’s almost too late.

At Untapped Learning, we work with high school and college students across the country, and what we see, year after year, is that the first semester of college is often the hardest academic and personal stretch students have ever faced. It’s also one of the most high-stakes. That’s why starting strong is crucial.

But They Were So Excited For College… What Happened?

Students head off to college excited, optimistic, and ready for independence. Many earned high school diplomas with solid grades, often without needing to study much at all. But once they’re juggling four or five classes, multiple syllabi, zero reminders, and totally new routines, something shifts.

By October, we start hearing the same things again and again:

“I didn’t think it would be this hard.”
“I’m falling behind and I don’t even know where to start.”
“I feel like I’m drowning.”

This isn’t about laziness or lack of ability. It’s about executive function, the mental skills students need to organize, plan, manage time, and handle stress. And most students haven’t had to build these skills yet.

What High School Doesn’t Teach (But College Demands)

In high school, students are given a lot of structure: daily reminders, built-in check-ins, parents or teachers monitoring their progress. In college, that scaffolding disappears overnight.

Suddenly, your student is expected to:

Track deadlines across five syllabi
Plan out multi-week projects on their own
Prioritize tasks and manage distractions
Get to class, meals, and commitments independently
Manage their energy, sleep, and stress without help
Self-advocate with professors and navigate campus resources

No one tells them that “winging it” doesn’t work anymore. And by the time they realize that, they’re already behind.

The First Semester Matters

The first semester of college is one of the most high-stakes periods in a student’s academic life. Not because it determines their future but because it shapes how they see themselves.

When a student who’s always done well crashes into their first midterms, the emotional fallout is huge. They don’t know how to catch up. They stop going to class. They don’t ask for help. And their confidence starts to crumble. This can lead to significant psychological distress, with over 75% of students reporting severe anxiety at some point, and 51% reporting academics as the “primary cause of trauma”. [Cross River Therapy, American College Health Association]

That one rough semester can snowball into lost scholarships, academic probation, transfers, or even taking time off. And as a parent, watching your child go through that, feeling helpless, is agonizing.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

The Power of Executive Function

Executive function is the behind-the-scenes engine that powers everything from getting out of bed for class to finishing a 10-page paper. These are not academic skills. They are life skills.

When students have strong executive function, they can:

Create and stick to routines
Manage their time and energy wisely
Break big assignments into manageable steps
Stay focused in the face of distractions
Pivot when things don’t go as planned

But here’s the thing: executive function doesn’t magically develop at 18. It has to be taught, practiced, and adapted to the unique challenges of college life.

That’s where we come in.

A Smarter Start to College: The College Kickoff Success Program

We designed our College Kickoff Success Program to give students a real plan before they walk into one of the most demanding and unstructured environments they’ve ever faced. This proactive executive function coaching program helps students develop the essential skills for college success.

Before the Semester Begins, we work 1:1 with students to:

Build executive function foundations: This includes developing self-awareness, understanding their unique brain wiring, and identifying their strengths and challenges.
Set up systems for tracking deadlines and assignments: We help create personalized organizational strategies like planners, to-do lists, visual schedules, and color-coding to reduce mental clutter and improve follow-through.
Create realistic routines for class, sleep, meals, and downtime: Establishing consistent routines provides structure and predictability, crucial for managing time and energy effectively.
Identify avoidant tendencies before they become habits: Through metacognitive coaching, students learn to recognize patterns that don’t serve them and develop flexible thinking strategies to adjust their approach.

Once College Starts, we stay connected with students through weekly check-ins to:

Adjust plans and study strategies as classes pick up: Coaches provide ongoing support, feedback, and practical suggestions, helping students adapt their time management and organizational methods.
Stay ahead of deadlines (not buried under them): Regular check-ins provide accountability and help students translate abstract goals into concrete actions, ensuring they prioritize and complete tasks.
Navigate stress, setbacks, and social distractions: Coaching helps students develop stress management techniques, emotional modulation skills, and problem-solving approaches to cope with college pressures.
Keep momentum going, before things spiral: By fostering self-awareness and self-compassion, coaches empower students to learn from challenges and maintain motivation.

Our goal isn’t just to get students into college, it’s to help them thrive once they’re there.

Confidence + Preparation = Real Readiness

We don’t believe in fear-based prep. We believe in proactive support.

Because college doesn’t just test your academic knowledge. It tests your habits, your resilience, your ability to pivot when things go sideways. With executive function coaching support, students don’t have to wait until they’re overwhelmed to ask for help. They get to walk onto campus with a plan, and walk out of their first semester feeling confident, capable, and proud.