Asking for a Friend

Maybe you’ve heard a student use the phrase “I’m asking for a friend.” It’s one of my favorite ways I’ve seen students seek help. They don’t need help, guidance, support, or assistance; their friend does.

Sadly, it should not come as a surprise that students feel the need to “ask for a friend” as a pre-cursor to engage in help-seeking behavior. Stigma still exists, especially when the help needed is with respect to health and wellness (like talking about an eating disorder, seeking medical expertise for a sexually transmitted infection, accessing a food pantry, or discussing feelings of anxiety and depression with a licensed clinician). Less pervasive with stigma, students still hesitate to seek out tutoring for a difficult course or even talk to their instructor about a challenging course concept during office hours .

“Asking for a friend” somehow permits students to learn about the campus resources that can provide them with the help they need.

We know the incredible value of school and college campus resources. It’s why the center of the Success Prints Crash Course® game board looks like campus and new resources are revealed every week of game play. The ideas is that if players learn the names and functions of these resources now, they may be less uncertain of where to turn when they need to “ask for a friend” later.

We have created a YouTube channel for teachers, parents, counselors, and student affairs educators to learn tips and ideas for leveraging all the learning lessons that come up during a Success Prints Crash Course game. Check out the Gamemaster Insights playlist and leave a comment so we can learn from your experience.

What campus resource made a difference in your college experience? What was it called? What was its focus and how did it make your college world a little bit better. Leave a comment; we’d love to hear from you.