Academic Success Archives - College Countdown

Academic Success

Your Student’s First College Job: Learning to Work with Professors

Some hand out syllabi that read like employee manuals. Others give little direction and expect students to figure things out on their own. For new college students, this mix can…

David Q. Hao, MA, JDOctober 31, 2025

Affording College Parenting

The Psychology of Money in the College Search: Rethinking What Success Really Costs

That is why every spring, families celebrate acceptance letters as if they were championship wins. It is a joyful moment, but it can also bring quiet pressure to pick the…

David Q. Hao, MA, JDOctober 12, 2025

Senior Student Student Life

If I Knew Then What I Know Now: 12 California College Students’ Advice to Their High School Selves

The future seems far away, and TikTok is distracting. Even the best advice will usually land better if it comes from a peer instead of a parent. So, I rounded…

Laura Reisert Kalinkewicz, Ph.D.October 10, 2025

Illustration of a digital brain made from circuit patterns against a blue background with colorful pixel blocks.

Parenting

Outthink the Machines: Why Students Should Look Beyond AI and Build Timeless Skills for the Future

AI is a robust and growing field; many students are naturally drawn to it. But here’s the twist: while AI offers incredible opportunities, stepping back and thinking beyond the trend…

David Q. Hao, MA, JDOctober 7, 2025

Academic Success Parenting Student Life

Trust Me, I’m a College!

In my role of helping students succeed in college, I usually interact with parents in three different scenarios: during new student orientation, Family Weekend, and when parents are really upset.…

David Q. Hao, MA, JDOctober 6, 2025

Student Life

The Importance of Belonging

Students’ sense of belonging has also been linked to academic success, persistence, and overall well-being. In fact, students who report a sense of belonging at the end of their first…

Courtney Stevenson, MAOctober 2, 2025

Senior Student Student Life

7 College Resource Centers You Didn’t Know To Ask About

Service centers such as the library, advising, campus dining, public safety offices, and student life or campus recreation offices are obvious standard ways colleges support students’ physical, social, and academic…

Laura Reisert Kalinkewicz, Ph.D.October 2, 2025

Affording College Junior Student Senior Student

C’s Are Expensive

Most financial awards a student receives in college are tied to maintaining a certain GPA. Typically, the requirement is 3.0, which would be considered straight Bs, but some awards may…

Neil Best, Ph.D.October 2, 2025

College Admissions Junior Student

Navigating the College Search: Build Your “College Compass”

For many families, the college search is stressful by nature. But what makes it even more challenging is that most begin the process without first understanding their student—the key player…

David Q. Hao, MA, JDOctober 1, 2025

Academic Success Parenting Senior Student

7 Tips for Parents of First-Generation Students from a Student Success Coach

Rather there are myriad ways students can make the most of undergraduate study based on their majors, living situations, strengths, prior experiences, use of resources, and campus involvement. Each of…

Jennifer Tharp, Ph.D.September 16, 2025

A portrait of an Asian college student on campus. She holds a notebook and pencil and is wearing a backpack.

Academic Success Senior Student

Underserved Students: Who They Are and Support to Look For

Let’s look at two things about underserved students: who they are and the types of support that can help them make the most of college. Who They Are In the…

Jennifer Tharp, Ph.D.September 15, 2025

Affording College Junior Student Senior Student

What Can Get in the Way of Your Student’s Financial Aid?

While your student should be enthusiastic, feeding off this contagious vibrancy as they prepare to embark on a new academic year, it may be that this momentum of beginning or…

Richie Gebauer, Ed.D.August 2, 2025

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