How to Build Confident Student Journeys in Higher Ed

Every journey has a destination, but how you get there is largely determined by the steps you take along the way. 

In higher education, the biggest and most crucial steps are taken at the beginning of student journeys and dictate major consequential choices, from where to study to what to study. That’s why it’s so critical that they’re taken on firm ground with confident strides.

But when we spoke with 1,500 first-year Gen Z students earlier this year, we found that an overwhelming majority feel diffident, both in their social and academic skills. 

Get the full report report here. 

Here’s a quick look at what we learned about the impact of confidence on building successful higher ed journeys:

Why student confidence matters in higher education

Before those of us in higher education can create more confident student journeys, we need to understand why they matter.

Regardless of our institution, we all share one common goal: to give our students the best opportunities and help them to thrive both during and after their higher ed experience.

Related: Why Confident Higher Ed Arrivals Spur Longtime Student Retention

But that’s a tall order, and there’s only so much we can do. At the end of the day, thriving and taking advantage of those opportunities has to come from a confident student.

What’s a confident student?

A confident student is a student who can walk onto campus with their head high and shoulders back. They’re informed, aware, and ready to take on the world.

Confidence is the single biggest predictor of a student’s academic success. In fact, the absence of it is one of the biggest roadblocks students face when accessing higher education. 

The reality is that many just don’t have it. 

When we spoke to Gen Z students in January of this year, we found that most are struggling with social challenges, the pressure of getting good grades, and, of course, the fear of not making friends. 

In total, more than half somewhat or even completely lack confidence in their academic abilities and a majority lack it in their social abilities as well. Most worryingly, only one in four say they’re excited about higher education. 

That’s a huge problem – and you should be worried about it.

A lack of confidence impacts more than just a student’s higher ed journey. It also impacts the enrollment and retention rates of universities everywhere.

In America, enrollment has decreased by millions over the last 10 years. Of those who do choose to enroll, less than half graduate in four years or less.

It’s not just happening in America, either. In the UK, nearly 20,000 students left higher education behind last year, up thousands from 2021. 

So the question becomes: Can we fix the confidence problem plaguing our students? And if so, how?

How to help students make confident decisions

Good news: it is possible to create and cultivate confidence in our students. 

According to research, three things will help students become confident enough to break out of their comfort zones and succeed in higher education.

1) The environment: Students are more likely to feel confident when they feel as though they belong.

2) Their knowledge: Almost half of students told us that not knowing what to expect when it comes to college life destroys their confidence.

3) Forging connections: For Gen Z, building authentic connections is one of the most important parts of their life. Their brains are literally ‘hardwired’ to focus on social acceptance!

As a higher ed institution, you can give them these things by creating touchpoints that are inclusive, warm, and personalized. 

Related: Supporting students to overcome their fears with Community

As you do, focus on bolstering peer support and connectedness while offering sufficient information and guidance. Doing so will allow them to rest easy knowing they’ve made the right decision. 

That’s exactly what Unibuddy Community was created for: allowing admitted students to connect with and get to know their peers before they’ve even arrived. 

The platform is made of group chats – fittingly called Groups – which are joined based on a shared purpose such as major, dorm, or interests. In them, students can talk about almost anything and help each other on their journeys.

Those conversations allow them to make friends, feel connected, and get an idea of what comes next – all critical components of the student confidence we need to instill in them.

Learn more about student confidence in higher ed

At Unibuddy, our mission is to create greater levels of student success, and that starts with building student confidence.

To learn more about the importance of student confidence, the impact of confidence on student journeys, the statistics surrounding it, and how you can help cultivate it, take a look at our report, ‘Confidence Counts: Supporting students to journey beyond their comfort zone in higher ed.’