Coaching on Campus: Executive Functioning & Campus Life

Coaching on Campus

Executive Functioning Skills in Campus Life

It’s a familiar story: a bright, capable high school graduate arrives on campus with big dreams, only to find themselves quickly overwhelmed. They might be earning top grades, maintaining a bustling social life, and performing well on paper, but internally, they feel exhausted, scattered, and like they’re barely keeping it together.

If this sounds like you, or a student you know, please know this: It’s not a moral failing or a sign of being unprepared; it’s a simple matter of brain development.

The demanding, fast-paced world of university life asks a lot. Students are suddenly responsible for:

• Maintaining a complex class schedule
• Pacing long-term assignments
• Advocating for their own needs and accommodations
• Playing sports or managing extracurriculars
• Making new friends and building a community
• Eating well and maintaining healthy habits
• Adjusting to drastically higher academic expectations

All of these tasks fall under the umbrella of Executive Functioning Skills. These are the cognitive processes (planning, prioritizing, time management, impulse control, working memory, and emotional regulation) that allow us to manage ourselves and our resources to achieve a goal.

Here’s the compassionate truth: These skills rely heavily on the frontal lobe, the very part of the brain that isn’t fully developed until at least age 25.

For a typical 18-to-22-year-old college student, their brain is literally still under construction. Imagine asking someone to build a skyscraper without all their necessary tools yet on-site. They might manage it, but it will be an exhausting, difficult, and often messy process.

College Students: The next time you feel scattered, late on an assignment, or overwhelmed by your to-do list, remember this:

1. Your struggle is legitimate and neurological: You are using a part of your brain that is still maturing to handle one of the most demanding life transitions. Be kind to yourself. Lean into support.
2. Executive Functioning is a skill, not an innate talent: You can learn strategies to support your developing brain. Coaching, planning tools, accountability partners, and breaking down tasks are all ways to create an external structure while your internal structure grows.
3. Your peers may be struggling, too: The outward appearance of ease often hides an internal struggle. Open a conversation with a trusted friend or mentor.

College is a time of immense growth. When we view the challenge of executive functioning through the lens of brain development, we can replace judgment with compassion and frustration with effective strategies. Coaching is one way that can help you build these skills with sustainability and individuality. Remember: your brain is doing exactly what it’s designed to do and you’re doing an amazing job building your life in the meantime.