The First Weeks of College: How Executive Function Skills Prevent Academic Burnout
The first few weeks of college are often the proverbial calm before the storm—and when that storm hits, it can feel like an executive function wrecking ball. For freshmen—and really for any student—I constantly warn about the most common pitfall: lack of preparation.
Imagine the first day of the semester. You go through the syllabus for each class and see that there’s no submittable assignment for the first three weeks—maybe even a month. The first weeks of college fly by quickly. There are tons of readings, but the mindset becomes: If I don’t need to submit it, I don’t need to do it.
That thinking is dangerous.
Why the “Nothing Due Yet” Mindset Backfires
The momentum in an English, history, or humanities course can be no different from a science or math class. Each topic tends to build on the next—sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. The problem is that many students wait until the day, or even the night, before the first graded assignment and suddenly realize they’re facing hundreds of pages they were supposed to have read to understand the material.
Yes, some professors still haven’t fully accepted that work assigned at home may not always be completed. But that’s far from universal—and students who gamble on that assumption often lose.
Executive Function Tips for Thriving in the First Weeks of College
Having a plan for the first weeks of college can help mitigate feelings of overwhelm. This is where executive functioning comes in—my specialty. Executive function skills require a metacognitive approach to mastery: thinking ahead, being aware, and constructing a plan. At its core, executive functioning is about sequencing:
Effective time management during the first weeks of college is key to avoiding last-minute stress.
Where do I start, and how do I finish?
Passive learning—waiting, skimming, cramming—is a recipe for poor performance. Poor performance leads to anxiety, and anxiety can snowball until a student becomes one of the roughly one in four who don’t finish college in four years.
ADHD, Working Memory, and Processing Speed
Some students can scrape by the first few weeks of the college semester by the seat of their pants. Humans are wired to survive, after all. But that doesn’t change the reality that many students—especially those with ADHD—cannot cram massive amounts of information unless they have exceptional working memory.
Working memory is part of short-term memory. It’s where information is temporarily held so it can be processed and used. ADHD commonly affects either working memory or processing speed—often both. When those two factors are compromised, academic life becomes much harder. You can talk about intelligence all day, but ignoring processing speed and working memory is missing the big picture.
Recognizing the significance of the first weeks of college can lead to better academic habits.
The Cost Question Parents Don’t Want to Ask (But Should)
And that big picture matters. If you’re spending $200,000 or more on your child’s education, do you really want them short-changing it? If college becomes four years of coasting and cramming, it might honestly be more cost-effective to hand them a backpack and send them to Europe to “find themselves.”
For many students, college is the purgatory between childhood and adulthood. But the truth is that some carry childhood patterns with them long after graduation.
Students who adapt quickly to their courses’ demands in the first weeks of college are more likely to succeed in the long term.
What Changes From High School to College (That Families Miss)
Parents should be clear about one thing: they lost day-to-day control over their child’s actions long before the cheerful goodbye on move-in day. Still, when parents are footing the bill, there is some leverage—without resorting to ultimatums or threats.
There are also key differences between high school and college that families frequently misunderstand. One of the biggest: professors generally will not speak to parents, no matter how polite or well-intentioned the parents are. Some teach thousands of students, and it simply isn’t part of their job description.
Campus tutoring services are often staffed by fellow students earning extra money. Department coordinators are professionals, but they may not work closely with individual students. When a student falls behind, they often have to advocate for themselves the old-fashioned way.
Another myth? That college professors are universally inflexible. Not true. Many are surprisingly accommodating—sometimes more than high-school teachers—especially when students demonstrate initiative and take responsibility for late work.
Accommodations and Support Programs Are Worth Pursuing
And while parents have limited involvement once students leave home, colleges do offer accommodation plans and support programs. With proper documentation, these are absolutely worth pursuing. Some administrators in these offices are former special educators and can be extraordinary advocates. I’ve even seen administrators personally coordinate with multiple professors to help a struggling student finish a semester successfully.
Those people are rare—but invaluable.
Don’t let the first few weeks of college pass without seeking out accommodations. It takes time to get a plan in place!
The Missing Piece for Many Students: Executive Function Coaching
Taking advantage of resources available in the first weeks of college is critical for success.
There are no universal truths when it comes to navigating college. Every student is different. But one thing is consistent: every problem has a solution.
For many families whose college-aged students struggle with procrastination, organization, study skills, and time management, that solution is executive function coaching—the missing piece in what has otherwise been a chaotic academic journey.
College, approached the right way, can be one of the most powerful opportunities a young person has to find themselves—and to discover their purpose.
Mastering the first weeks of college can empower students to navigate their academic paths with confidence.