Whether swimming in the ‘Shark Tank’ or walking into the ‘Dragon’s Den’, Success Prints competed among 14 other finalists at the 2021 Montana State University 50K Venture Competition last month. Tricia Seifert, Success Prints founder and MSU professor, virtually presented about how games make the transition from high school to college easier to a panel of judges for a piece of the $50,000 prize.

Drawing from 20 years of Dr. Seifert’s research, Success Prints Crash Course® is a board game designed to help students thrive in their first college year. In playing Success Prints Crash Course, students learn time-management, how to utilize campus resources, and ultimately achieve a healthy school, work, and life balance. Students who have played Success Prints Crash Course exclaim how insightful the game is in helping them prepare for their first semester on campus, and how Success Prints Crash Course alleviated much of the stress and anxiety that comes with transitioning to college.

“The statistics show us that 1 out of 4 students will not persist to their second year of college. It’s hard to complete a degree when students don’t even return for the second year. College is a game and there is a formula for success. Teaching students how to navigate the fun and challenging parts of college can improve the number of students that make it past the first semester.” - Tricia Seifert, founder and owner of Success Prints.

The formula draws on strategic time management strategies that optimize academic achievement (GPA), cultivate social connections, earn enough money to pay for tuition and other expenses, and manage stress because ‘life happens.’

When Tricia is not in the classroom teaching her students, you can find her in high school classrooms and universities around Montana (both in person and virtually) joining students in playing Success Prints Crash Course. Tricia finds that when students play together, particularly in teams, they build a community in becoming college ready.

One of the many exciting initiatives Tricia mentioned during the pitch is the development of a digital game. The web-based game will allow for a deeper exploration into college majors and careers and will enable students to play Success Prints Crash Course wherever they are.

When players walk into particular buildings in the digital campus, it will launch a ‘game within the game’. These mini-games introduce players to the knowledge and skills central to different majors. Game developers from the University of Montana’s School of Visual and Media Arts, under the guidance of Michael Cassens, are designing a mini-game focused on welding, which is perfect because welding classes are part of 2-year and 4-year college degrees across a variety of majors including engineering, agriculture, and art. The plan is to develop a variety of major mini-games so that players can learn about different majors and careers before beginning their college journey.

In addition to the development of the digital game, Success Prints Crash Course is working with universities to create custom, branded games to onboard and build community among their first-year students in classrooms and common areas.

Success Prints was honored to present to the virtual audience as part of the 50K Venture Competition, hosted by the Blackstone Launchpad and Montana State University’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The event is open to all MSU-Bozeman students (undergraduate and graduate), MSU-Bozeman faculty and staff, and recent MSU-Bozeman alumni (10 years or less).