Student Success

Thankfully, the world is learning that mental health is as important as physical health. Everybody deals with different forms of stress and anxiety in different ways and people in different circumstances encounter them from different sources.

Student Success app has been developed to be a guide, prompt, confidante, and inspirer for students.  It hopes to give students the skills to cope with the pressures of their studies particularly as they face the most stressful aspects such as exams and deadlines. If students can accept and deal with the negative emotions they face at these times, they should be able to perform at their best. It is one of the best app for competitive exam preparation to help prepare students.

Student Success takes its guidance role seriously.  The first thing that students are asked to do when they first use it is to complete a series of short surveys.  These give the app a picture of the user's habits, stresses and attitude which help it in its guidance of the student in the future.

There are many questions involved in these and it will take a while to complete. This in itself, though, is a process that can help students to reflect on their circumstances and approach.  As well as having to specifically think about each question, students are given an overview of their current feelings and approach to life that can help them to identify where they need to focus their energies on improving.

The strategies and support provided by the app are accessed via icons at the bottom of the screen.  One section contains a large selection of motivational audio tracks that encourage students towards a positive mindset.  The next is the app's coach which presents a daily exercise for students to follow.  

A journal section is far more fully-featured than you might expect. It is not a simple daily page but rather structured so that students can put their thoughts into relevant categories which are such things as gratitude, achievements, and stress. Thoughts, concerns, and achievements can be recorded against such headings as 'About Studies', 'About Today', 'To Self' and 'Guide Me'.  The latter suggests a topic for students to reflect on and record their thoughts.  Some of the journal sections encourage students to 'vent' and give written form to their frustrations and worries as well as to record the positives in their lives.

There is another journal-like option in the final section called 'Relax'. This is a safe space. Students can write what they like to help them deal with their emotions but it is not saved so they can go through the process safe in the knowledge that their thoughts remain purely their own property. Also in this section are sounds, images, and suggestions to aid in relaxation.

Students will not derive any stress from using this app. Its layout is logical and clear.  It responds quickly to the user's input and is designed to be calming and soothing throughout.  There is the occasional place where it appears that the app may have been translated from another language and does not read quite right to a native speaker but these are few in number and never severe enough to harm the actual meaning.

The content in this app is diverse and thorough. If a student is likely to benefit from such a resource, this app should certainly be investigated. The app makes it clear that if the user is unsure whether the approach is for them, they are welcome to contact an advisor who will talk through the app's features and how they might work for the student.  

The app works well.  Whether it is a good one for any particular student will depend upon their own circumstances and attitude to using an app like this one although they may not always be the best judges of this. Teachers and parents may be more likely to see the benefits such a reflective experience may have for an individual and so should certainly take a look at this app with a view to introducing and recommending it to somebody who could benefit from its guidance and tools.