Academic performance isn’t simply about understanding your subjects. It’s also about understanding yourself.

One of the reasons I set up Cambridge Academic Performance was because, in the early days of supporting students at university, I realised that academic mentoring alone wasn’t always enough.

Of course, students need practical academic skills. They may need help with essay writing, revision techniques, organisation and time management. These things matter.

But I also began to notice something a reoccurring issue.

Sometimes what appeared to be an academic problem wasn’t really an academic problem at all.

A student who struggled to get started with their work might appear to have a motivation problem. But underneath that lack of motivation might be a lack of confidence. A student who repeatedly avoided a particular task might not simply be disorganised; they might have developed a belief that they weren’t capable of doing it.

These issues can be difficult to address if we only look at academic performance from the outside.

This is where understanding yourself becomes important.

We are all different

Every student brings their own history, experiences, personality and way of thinking to their education.

What one student finds challenging, another may find relatively easy. One student may thrive when working independently while another may perform better when they have opportunities to talk things through. One may be highly organised but lack confidence while another may be confident but struggle to structure their time.

There isn’t a single explanation for why a student performs in the way they do.

This is one of the reasons academic performance coaching can be so valuable. It isn’t simply about teaching a student what to do. It can also help them understand how they work.

That might mean exploring questions such as:

• Why do I find this situation difficult?
• What happens to me when I feel under pressure?
• What helps me get started?
• When have I performed at my best?
• What strengths do I have?
• What can I learn from previous successes?

These questions can change the way a student sees themselves.

Sometimes motivation is really about confidence

Student motivation is a good example.

Parents will understandably want their child to develop the skills to motivate themselves: to get started, stay focused, manage their time and keep going when work becomes difficult.

Those skills are important.

But sometimes what looks like a motivation problem is actually connected to something underneath it.

A student who repeatedly puts off their work may not simply need better time-management skills. They may lack confidence in their ability to succeed, feel overwhelmed by the task or have developed a belief that they aren’t capable of doing it.

In those circumstances, simply teaching more strategies for motivation may not solve the problem. The psychological factors underneath the behaviour may need to be understood first.

This is an important part of the Cambridge Academic Performance approach. My background in occupational therapy and mental-health practice has shaped the way I think about academic performance. Before we can expect a student to consistently use strategies and skills, it can be important to understand what is getting in the way of using them in the first place.

Once that understanding is in place, practical skills become much more useful. A student who understands why they are struggling to get started can begin to choose strategies that actually address the problem.

The skill and the self-understanding work together.

Recognising strengths that come naturally

One of the interesting things about strengths is that we don’t always recognise them ourselves.

Sometimes the things we are good at feel so natural that we don’t even consider them to be strengths.

A student might, for example, be naturally good at talking to people. They may enjoy meeting new people, making connections and having conversations. Because this comes easily to them, they may never think of it as something that could contribute to their academic performance.

But it can.

Their social confidence might help them develop relationships with other students and build a supportive network. It might also help them develop a good relationship with their tutors. Knowing their tutors and feeling comfortable asking questions can make it easier to seek help when they need it.

The student may therefore have a strength that they had never previously considered relevant to their education.

An academic performance coach can help them recognise that connection.

Learning to play to your strengths

This is one of the ways I think about academic performance coaching.

A sports coach doesn’t simply tell an athlete to train harder. They observe the athlete, understand how they perform, recognise their strengths and help them use those strengths effectively.

Academic performance coaching can work in a similar way.

A student might have excellent analytical skills but struggle with confidence. Another might be highly creative but find rigid academic structures difficult. Someone else might be exceptionally good at communicating with people but struggle to recognise that this is a genuine strength.

The role of a coach is partly to help the student see these things for themselves.

The aim isn’t to pretend that weaknesses don’t exist. It is to develop a more complete and accurate picture of the individual student — what they find difficult, what helps them, what they have already achieved and what strengths they can draw upon.

Self-understanding can build resilience

I believe this is also an important part of developing resilience.

Resilience isn’t simply about telling a student to keep going when things get difficult. It involves understanding what happens when things become difficult.

A resilient student can begin to recognise their own patterns. They may notice when their confidence starts to drop, understand what triggers it and know which strategies or strengths they can draw upon.

They can also look backwards.

Instead of seeing a previous difficulty simply as a failure, they can ask:

What did I learn from that experience?

What did I do that helped?

What strengths did I use?

Those questions turn experience into learning and that learning can then be transferred to the next challenge.

Academic performance is personal

Academic performance is often discussed as though it is simply a question of skills, knowledge and effort.

Those things are important.

But students don’t leave themselves at the door when they sit down to study.

Their confidence comes with them. Their previous experiences come with them. Their beliefs about themselves come with them. Their strengths, fears, habits and ways of responding to pressure come with them too.

Understanding those things can therefore be an important part of improving performance.

This is at the heart of the Cambridge Academic Performance approach.

We don’t simply help students understand their subjects. We help them understand themselves.

Because when students develop a more accurate understanding of who they are, what they are good at, what they find difficult and how they respond to challenges, they can begin to approach their academic life with greater confidence and self-awareness.

And that can change not only how they study, but how they see themselves as learners.