The goal of Student Success Labs is to help you achieve your goals and overcome obstacles such as stress, planning, anxiety, and motivation. Success Labs boast talks by faculty, administrators, and experts who lead hands-on workshops. The sessions are open to anyone looking to achieve a goal, particularly academic and/or personal.
Featured Student Success Lab
Prep for finals
Learn how to finish the semester strong through preparation and savvy techniques for your final exams.
Example Sessions
We attempt to tailor our sessions each semester based on the input we receive from our students personal success plans. The topics below have consistently ranked at the top.
Personal Success Plan
During this session, we discuss developing a Personal Success Plan to achieve your goals. In advance, we'll ask you to fill out an online tool, "Getting to Know You," 24 hours in advance of attending so we can have your personalized plan ready for the session.
Time Management
During this session, you will learn how scarcity arrests the brain and how it sabotages you. You'll hear about how strange our decision-making processes can be and how to avoid time traps. Finally, we will discuss strategies you can employ to practice productivity methods and how to connect them to your values and goals.
Motivation and Change
Do you put things off until the last minute only to be disappointed by the outcome? Learn how to develop and maintain motivation to achieve goals to make change in your life. Whether you want to spend more time on school work or learn to play the piano, making change requires a specific set of steps to ensure success which can be achieved with the right equipment.
Resilience I & II
Building resilience is a critical strategy in developing a self that is able to tolerate adversity and succeed in difficult situations. While many people can persist when things are easy or enjoyable, being resilient means having the ability to manage distress and to bounce back in difficult situations or environments. This important skill is not something you learn from a book, but from managing the experiences of life.
Help Seeking
During this presentation, we’ll take a look at the barriers that students face when it comes to help seeking. Whether it is academic, financial, or mental health-related, there is no shame in asking for support. Asking for help is a continuous action we take throughout our lifetime, and fear of it limits our overall potential. Learn about skills that you can develop to bypass these barriers and get the assistance that you need. Students will learn how to identify what kind of help they need, and how to access it during their time at Rensselaer.
Sleep Hygiene: What Is It and Why Is It Important?
Habits that contribute to a good night’s sleep and allow for full daytime alertness are known as “sleep hygiene.” These habits can range from daytime micro-naps, to avoiding caffeine and stimulants after a certain hour, to creating an optimal sleeping environment.
We’ll discuss the importance of sleep hygiene, detriments (physical, mental, academic, and otherwise) that one may experience due to lack of quality sleep, and simple tips to improve your sleep.
We will end the session with a relaxation exercise, so please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat or towel that you can lie on.
Mindfulness I
Come learn what all the buzz is about and why companies like Google, Twitter, PayPal, LinkedIn and many more in Silicon Valley are employing mindfulness techniques. We'll discuss the benefits, particularly in assisting with stress, overall cognition, and how it can help you progress towards your goals.
Wellness and Self-Care = Leaders of Tomorrow
Discover the benefits of how engaging in holistic activities daily can help you reach your academic and life goals. This workshop will provide you with the resources to be the best version of yourself by manifesting self-care behaviors.
Academic Skills
Learn how to finish the semester strong through preparation and savvy techniques for your final exams.
