Have you talked to your kids about college? Has your conversation focused on what they want to major in and how to pay for college? These are important topics and yet, they just scratch the surface of the college experience.

Having spoken with hundreds of high school and current college students, one of their biggest worries is how to balance the demands of college. They are concerned they will not be able to manage their time between going to class, making friends and getting involved, and earning enough money to pay next semester’s tuition. They are worried about responding to life’s unforeseen events like a sick family member back home and how to handle stress.  

 Dr. Tricia Seifert is an educational researcher and associate professor in adult & higher education at Montana State University. She has written articles and books about student success in college, including co-authoring How College Affects Students (volume 3). These publications are full of recommendations, but the people she most wanted to help—students—rarely read academic articles. She knew there had to be a way to give students a secret decoder ring, something that could help demystify higher education’s hidden curriculum. 

She had watched her nephews play games for hours. Board games, card games, video games. They were immersed and engaged. She also noticed they didn’t always win. In fact, it was when they lost that they seemed to learn the most. The next time, they tried a different strategy and leveled up. 

Drawing from more than a decade of research, she got to thinking; “What if students could practice and play ‘college’ before the consequences were real, the tuition paid. What if we created a game that simulated the first college semester; one in which managing time was the main game component? What if the student support programs and services were centered in the game board, just like a real college campus?” 

Success Prints Crash Course® was developed with students, for students. The game was play tested in high schools across Montana and the response has been out of this world. Jennifer Clark shared,

“As a college success advocate by day and a parent of college-age young adults by night, the one thing my sons DO NOT want to talk to me about is college readiness. After playing Crash Course many times, my college Freshman sons had the information they needed to make important decisions on their own. To be honest, Success Prints Crash Course has been my secret weapon both at work and at home. Now more than ever, we need fun ways to have hard conversations about reality – in and out of the classroom…because here [in college] most of the learning happens when class is over. This game has re-engineered how college readiness happens and placed a way for youth to plan their success before they commit money and time.”

— JENNIFER CLARK, STUDENT SUCCESS COORDINATOR, NORM ASBJORNSON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

With COVID and some form of remote learning as our norm for at least the next several months, it may be difficult for school counselors to do everything they normally do to prepare students for college. Parents may find they are having more college conversations with their kids. That’s where the Success Prints Crash Course® game steps in to help. 

The game provides a space for parents and kids to talk about making friends and creating their new social circle. The game opens up the conversation about how time spend on an assignment is a good predictor of the grade you are going to earn. The game introduces kids and parents to the many programs and services that exist on college campuses to support student success, many of which likely did not exist when mom or dad went to college. It also helps parents realize the many demands their kids are going to face and the challenge of balancing it all.  

As we move into this season with families staying close to home, a board game about how to succeed in college may be the perfect addition for family game night. Order a copy today from www.successprints.shopand use promo code HOLIDAY for 20% off. 

Follow @success.prints on Instagram, Blueprints for Student Success on Facebook or search “Success Prints Crash Course” on YouTube to find the dedicated channel with a video rule book as well as ideas for talking to teenagers about college.