ACHIEVEMENT IS A DUEL-EDGED SWORD

1. ACHIEVEMENT IS A DUEL-EDGED SWORD CHALLENGES & STRATEGIES FOR WORKING WITH HIGH-ACHIEVERS NACADA 2017- SHEFFIELD, THE UNITED KINGDOM

2. HAYLEY JENSEN, M.A.- PEER MENTOR SPECIALIST, OFFICE OF FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE PHILLIP RASH, PH.D.- DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY (PROVO UTAH, USA)

3. Student Demographics • 53% Male & 47% Female • 24% Married • 94% come from the US • 83% Caucasian 63% of students have served 2-year, LDS missions 65% of students speak a second language 50% of all students have lived outside of the US Freshman Profile • 13,376 applicants • 48% admittance rate • 5,127 new freshmen • Average ACT – 29 • Average HSGPA – 3.85 Undergraduate Enrollment • 29,615 Undergrads • 178 Undergraduate majors

4. FRAME THE TOPIC: • STUDENT AFFAIRS FOCUS ON “AT-RISK” POPULATIONS • GAP IN THE LITERATURE • EXPERIENCE WITH OWN MENTORS AND STUDENTS WHETHER YOU HAVE A POPULATION OF 1 OR 10,000, THESE STUDENTS MAY NEED TIME AND ATTENTION

5. WHAT DO WE MEAN- “HIGH ACHIEVER” • WHAT EXACTLY IS A “HIGH-ACHIEVER”? • A DESCRIPTION AND NOT A DIAGNOSIS • COMMON TRAITS • PERSONALITY • ATTITUDE • BEHAVIOR • DRIVE/MOTIVATION

6. CHANGE & BARRIERS TO CHANGE • “CHANGE” = A DIFFERENT APPROACH • USUALLY ENCOUNTERED WHEN THEIR NORMAL “WAY OF BEING” ISN’T WORKING IN A PARTICULAR SITUATION • FIXED VERSUS GROWTH MINDSET (DWECK) • DON’T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE • CHANGE IS TOO SCARY/OVERWHELMING • CHANGE MAY VIOLATE FAMILY RULES, ROLES, OTHER GROUP NORMS (THE SYSTEM) • A QUESTION OF IDENTITY • ALL OR NOTHING THINKING • YEARS OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT • HELP SEEKING

7. A FEW STRATEGIES & INTERVENTIONS WHAT WE’VE LEARNED WORKING WITH PEER MENTORS AND STUDENTS IN THE FIRST-YEAR

8. EARLY AND OFTEN • THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS [INTERVENTIONS] ARE SUPPORTIVE IN NATURE AND ARE DEPLOYED AT APPROPRIATE TIMES THROUGH MULTIPLE MODALITIES (SCHREINER, 2012) • EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS EXPAND A LIMITED DEFINITION OF SUCCESS TO A MORE HOLISTIC ONE (HERI/UCLA, 2000) • SUCCESSFUL [INTERVENTIONS CONNECT STUDENTS TO INFORMATION AND RESOURCES AS WELL AS TO “COMPATRIOTS” (BAREFOOT, 2010)

9. Key High-Achievement Findings • 24 question survey • 67 respondents ( 70.4%, 48/19)

10. STUDENT’S SPEAK: FAILURE • INEVITABLE • GREAT TEACHER • IT HURTS AND IS SCARY • IT IS PARALYZING • IT COMES THROUGH NEGLIGENCE ON MY PART • IT DEFINES YOU/ DOESN’T • IF YOU LEARN FROM IT, IT ISN'T A FAILURE Growth-Mindset – failure as opportunity for grow that does not define identity. Intelligence is not fixed.

11. WHAT ADVISORS SHOULD KNOW “Even students who don’t look like they are struggling will benefit from ‘reach-outs’ from their teachers and advisors. I have grown so much from people who are willing to meet me one-on-one and mentor me on research or my other projects.” “Sometimes high-achieving students get burned out. We want to do our best, but sometimes we just feel very overwhelmed. I worry that my teachers will look down on me if I get one bad grade on a test or turn one assignment in late. I want them to know that it's not because their class isn't important or that I don't care, but sometimes we just can't keep up on everything all of the time”.

12. HOW ADVISORS CAN HELP • REMIND ME I AM CAPABLE • KNOW MY GOALS AND FOLLOW UP WITH ME • PROVIDE STRUCTURED REFLECTION TIME TO RE-EVALUATE GOALS • LISTEN AND VALIDATE, PROVIDE A “SPACE TO BE REAL” • MAKE ME FEEL COMFORTABLE SO I CAN TAKE RISKS AND ACHIEVE MORE • HELP ME LEARN THE “TOOLS TO SUCCEED AND THE TOOLS TO FAIL” • CONNECT ME WITH PEERS- “THEY KNOW HOW IT FEELS AND WHAT ITS LIKE”

13. A LARGE-SCALE MINDSET INTERVENTION PEER MENTORS AND PRE-ARRIVAL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

14. Content Knowledge Academic Skills WHAT LEADS TO SUCCESS IN COLLEGE? Environmental Factors Noncognitive Factors Student Success

15. NONCOGNITIVE FACTORS Academic Perseverance Academic Mindsets Learning Strategies Social Skills Academic Behaviors • Grit • Self-Discipline • Self-Control • Delayed Gratification • “I belong” • “Effort leads to growth” • “I can succeed” • “This work matters” • Study skills • Metacognitive strategies • Goal-setting • Interpersonal skills • Empathy • Cooperation • Going to class • Doing homework • Participating in class Farrington, C. A., Roderick, M., Allensworth, E., Nagaoka, J., Keyes, T. S., Johnson, D. W., & Beechum, N. O. (2012). Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners: The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance--A Critical Literature Review. Chicago, IL: Consortium on Chicago School Research.

16. GROWTH VS. FIXED Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.

17. BYU PRE-ARRIVAL OUTREACH • IDENTIFICATION SOON AFTER ADMISSION • ASSIGN A PEER MENTOR • REGULAR COMMUNICATION THROUGHOUT THE SPRING/SUMMER • EMAIL, PHONE CALL (CONVEY WARMTH, SUPPORT, RELATIONSHIP, RESOURCE) • TEXTING CAMPAIGN (INFORMATION & MINDSET MESSAGES) • VIDEOS • OUR MENTORS MODEL • PEER MENTOR SUPPORT CONTINUES POST-ARRIVAL (FIRST TWO SEMESTERS)

18. SIGNAL VINE MINDSET MESSAGES BYU Thought : Hey! I’d like to share some new ways to think about college. “Hard work and perseverance matter more than GPA/ACT” Thoughts? BYU Thought: What did you learn today? What mistake did you make that taught you something? What did you try hard at today? -Carol Dweck BYU Thought: Check out http://bit.ly/2p4hyjL. What Does Honor Mean to You?

19. Example of a recent peer mentor weekly email