New social settings, academic expectations and career decisions are among the many complexities that incoming college students have to navigate.
“Students see these sensationalized messages about college,” said Tim Bono, associate dean for assessment in student affairs and a lecturer in psychology at Washington University. “Unfortunately, that can set them up for disillusionment, when they inevitably have difficulty with a roommate or a class.”
Bono’s new course Bearprints for Success aims to ease the transition into college by offering students practical tools for personal and academic success.
For incoming students who are away from their home states or countries, Bono said finding a sense of belonging and community can be challenging. It’s also foundational for well-being.
“From a psychological perspective, arguably the single strongest predictor of well-being in our lives has to do with the sense of connection that we feel to other people,” he said. “When we were in lockdown for a period of time, we did not have as much opportunity to keep that skill sharpened … so we thought that a course that addresses that specifically could be useful for our students.”
Course readings and discussions encourage students to discover their purpose, or the "why" behind their dreams and goals. That’s essential to maintaining resilience during inevitable adversities, Bono said.
By teaching students the importance of meaningful interactions and instilling proactive self-care habits like consistent sleep, Bono hopes the course will help students avoid burnout.
“Part of what we want to do with this course is break open dialogue around mental health and in particular, some of the warning signs … that people can identify in themselves and in friends and roommates and others that they see on campus, along with an understanding of the resources that are available to them,” he said.
Learn more about Tim Bono’s Bearprints for Success course and how it sets up incoming college students for success by listening to the full St. Louis on the Air conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
