More and more professors report that first-year students lack the skills and mindset required to thrive in university. High school students need a practical guide to academic skills, mindset and AI readiness to help avoid common and costly first-year mistakes.
This is an online course for students in Grades 11 and 12 that fits easily into your spring break. With just 60 to 90 minutes per day, you prepare to master the transition to university. Succeed in your classes and protect yourself against burnout, stress overload and wasted time and money.
Don’t leave your academic future to trial and error once classes begin. Understand the secrets of university success now, so you can live up to your potential from your first day.
You learn to navigate first year like a top student, with a head start that:
- makes university feel more manageable and meaningful;
- lets you see inside the minds of professors and their expectations
- leads to higher grades and deeper learning
- helps align your passions, networking and learning so employers will seek you out
The course includes two live lectures, self-study modules, peer discussions, virtual office hours and instructor support throughout.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- use AI effectively and responsibly for your studies
- develop habits to beat low motivation and make difficult tasks feel more effortless
- focus more deeply and for longer on your school work
- start closing the gap now between high school performance and professors’ expectations
- connect more deeply to your studies so you can design a degree that truly excites you
- build a mindset that makes every step of university a step toward a fulfilling career
MITCHELL GRAY, MA (Political Science), MA (Journalism) is the senior instructor in the university preparation program at UBC Extended Learning. He designs and teaches practical courses and workshops for high school students on topics like academic skills, habit-building, and writing standout university applications. Mitchell brings an engaged, student-focused approach to everything he teaches – helping learners build confidence, skills, and a clear path to university success.
How to register
After you add the course to your cart, you’re asked to complete your registration by creating a new account or logging in. If you are a parent, guardian or other adult registering for the first time on behalf of your student, please create the account in the name of the high school student attending the course, not in your name.
Course outline
The course provides practical strategies for overcoming four major risks to first-year success.
Using AI cleverly and responsibly to protect your thinking skills and academic integrity
The risks – Using AI in the wrong ways threatens your academic integrity. And it can weaken your critical thinking and creativity, making it harder to find good jobs after graduation.
What you learn – How to use AI to save time without taking dangerous shortcuts. How to enhance your thinking, learning and communication skills. And ways to collaborate with AI while carefully protecting yourself against accidental cheating.
Enhancing your attention and motivation to make difficult tasks feel more effortless
The risks – All students sometimes struggle to sustain their motivation and inspiration in university. This can mean missed goals and the failure to live up to their potential. Then there’s the almost universal struggle with attention span. Social media scrolling and other online habits rob students of their attention and waste literal months of their time.
What you learn – How to build study habits that let you work around low motivation, creating a system that keeps you productive even on your least-tuned-in days. How to balance your online life so you’re connected but preserve your precious ability to focus on your studies.
Closing the surprising gap between high school performance and professors’ expectations
The risks – According to professors, most incoming university students have major weaknesses in the skills they need to succeed in their courses. Students expect a leap in challenge when they get to university, but they’re still shocked by the differences.
What you learn – What professors really expect from students, and how high grades in high school are no guarantee of university readiness. How you can take clear steps now to better prepare yourself for university-level academic rigour.
Connecting deeply to your studies to keep your courses exciting and launch your career
The risks – Most first-year students have little idea of their true interests and career goals. Even when they do, they struggle to match those goals to programs and courses. The result: lower motivation, wasted time, loss of networking and other opportunities, and lower chances of finding good jobs after graduation.
What you learn – How to design your studies based on your deepest interests and values. How to make every course and opportunity contribute to your goals. And how to connect with the people and resources that can support you, intrigue you, and help launch your future career before you’ve even graduated.
How am I assessed?
Students who attend the live lectures, complete the self-study modules and interact in the online course discussions receive a letter of completion. There are no graded assignments.
Expected effort
Expect to spend ten to twelve hours completing the course, including two 90-minute live Zoom sessions, discussion participation and optional office hours. Students complete the self-study material on their own schedules within the course dates.
Technology requirements
To take this course, you'll need:
- an email account;
- a computer, laptop or tablet;
- the latest version of a web browser (or previous major version release);
- a reliable internet connection
You can also use your Apple or Android mobile device. The small screen, however, doesn’t offer the best viewing experience, and it might be difficult to see the course materials.
Requisites
English proficiency
You self-assess your English proficiency level, and are not required to provide proof. We recommend students have a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent.
Course format
This course is 100% online and instructor supported. There are two live classes, and you complete the self-study material and course discussions at your own pace within the course dates. You may also attend optional office hours.