Adjusting to university life in your first year can certainly be a challenge, especially as we find ourselves in an academic year like no other. Between your academic responsibilities, your commitments to family and friends, taking care of yourself, and managing all the demands life throws your way, it’s common to feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next.
With the support of the Transition Coaching Program, you can build the skills you need to meet and exceed your expectations, and help answer some essential questions:
| How do I make goals for myself and stick to them? |
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| How do I better manage my time and get my work done? |
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| How do I manage my stress during the school year? |
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| How do I make new friends and get involved on campus? |
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| Who is here to support me on campus? |
What is the First-Year Transition Coaching Program?
The Transition Coaching Program is based on five key areas designed to help international & new-to-Canada students be successful in their first year at UTM:
- Learning Course Material
- Managing Your Time
- Getting Help with Schoolwork
- Making Social Connections
- Interacting with Faculty
You will improve these transition skills through meetings with the International Student Success Coach and the Peer Coach. We will give you tangible strategies tailored to International and new-to-Canada students and connect you with the resources and programs on campus that meet your needs and goals.
Benefits of the First-Year Transition Coaching Program:
- One-on-one appointments with the International Student Success Coach, a professional staff at UTM who will work with you to create strong goals and support you in taking your next steps to success;
- One-on-one meetings with a Peer Coach, a successful upper-year student at UTM, ready to share their experiences and help guide you to achieve your goals;
Receive individualized and continuous feedback on your goal-setting throughout the semester;
- Access to asynchronous content and activities whenever you need them to help you develop the skills you need to learn course material, manage your time, get involved on campus, interact with faculty and much more;
- Opportunities to build relationships with other students and connect with all the great resources and services available to you at UTM;
- Receive Co-Curricular Record (CCR) credit for participation in the program and a letter of support/completion (available upon request).
How does the First-year Transition Coaching Program work?
During your first year at UTM, you will attend four thirty-minute appointments (two with an International Students Success Coach and two with your Peer Coach).
In your first meeting, your coach will review some of their insights from your Before College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) report with you. Together, you will highlight essential transition skills that you can work on with your coaching assistant and develop an action plan to improve those skills.
Your Peer Coaching will support you as you create an action plan for your success.
During the Winter semester, in your final meeting with your coach, you will look back on the Fall semester, discuss what went right, discuss what you would like to change for the future, and discuss your progress toward your goals. You will also discuss ways to continue developing through UTM programs and stay engaged with IEC support to succeed at UTM and beyond.
