The collective stress surrounding college admissions has reached unprecedented levels. Many students and their families devote years to planning their college application strategies, curating a compelling “package,” and going to whatever lengths possible to try to gain a competitive advantage in what has become a virtual admissions crapshoot. But what about how students are faring once in college? Very few people are talking about that – at least not before college has started. But the current college landscape is dismal and merits meaningful discussion. Students are under-performing academically and struggle with basic time management, focus, and communication skills (yes, this includes the students who have gotten straight A’s in high school). Mental health is tenuous; 60% of college students have a mental health diagnosis, and over 1/3 have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. There is no question that this generation of college students is struggling across many domains.
This is where Jennifer Gershberg comes in, as she has created a college boot camp to prepare incoming freshmen with tools for a successful college experience. Jennifer was a professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business for almost a decade and taught the core undergraduate Business Law course to thousands of students throughout that time. Jennifer noticed a concerning decline in students’ competencies and mental health pre- and post-pandemic – so much so that she concluded she could have a greater impact by teaching students the core academic and professional skills that they haven’t yet learned. She does this by speaking throughout the country, and has also launched a 52-minute online, self-paced course that teaches students exactly how to manage their time, avoid procrastination, study efficiently and effectively, reduce test anxiety, develop excellent and meaningful relationships with professors, and more. She is a firm believer that competence breeds confidence, so her mission is to help every student develop the core competencies that they will need to thrive in college. Jennifer knows the areas in which students almost universally struggle, and those are the skills she targets in this course.
There are many culprits of the problems we are seeing (social media addiction, learning loss and fallout from the pandemic, and grade inflation across high schools, to name a few). However, Jennifer fundamentally believes that most students are well-intentioned and want to do well. When we see students procrastinate or fail to do what they should, it is often the case that they lack the structures and systems designed to help them succeed…and that they are unclear on exactly what they should be doing. The course Jennifer has created demystifies these processes and provides students with loads of actionable, achievable strategies to perform at their best.
The course (“Welcome to College! Bootcamp for Incoming Students”) can be found on her
website, www.jgtalks.org, under “Courses.” Jennifer also encourages students and their families to follow her Instagram page (@jgtalksorg); it contains lots of helpful tips.
About Jennifer:
Jennifer Gershberg is a professor-turned campus speaker and course creator. While on the faculty at the University of Maryland, Jennifer won numerous teaching awards, including the highly coveted Allen J. Krowe Award for Teaching Excellence. She has been a featured guest on multiple podcasts, including Real Housewives of New Jersey Margaret Josephs’ “Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget.” She is known for her natural ease and connection with students, relatability, genuine investment in student success, and being “nurturing but tough – exactly what students need.” Jennifer attended Cornell University and the George Washington University Law School.
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