Academic Solutions
College success coaching that makes every class easier to handle
Do college like it finally makes sense.
You’re capable. You’re still pulling all-nighters, starting the night before, and re-reading notes that never stick. None of that means you’re the problem. It comes down to skills nobody ever taught you, and every one of them can be learned. We build the time, focus, and study systems that make every class easier. A tutor helps you pass one class. We help you handle all of them.
PhD-led · MBTI Certified · 15+ years supporting students · Online, worldwide

Who you would be working with
John McAvoy, PhD
John has taught at university from the undergraduate through the doctoral level, so he knows exactly what college asks of you. He holds a PhD, is MBTI Certified, and has spent more than 15 years supporting students at every level as a university administrator and faculty member. The coaching is practical and grounded in how adults actually learn. This is academic coaching, not tutoring and not therapy.
What college success coaching includes
What we do
- Plan your semester and your week
- Break big assignments into steps
- Build study routines that stick
- Keep you accountable between sessions
What we never do
- Write your essays
- Take your exams
- Do your assignments
What changes
What gets easier when the systems click

One calendar and one task list, instead of five places things fall through.
Assignments started days ahead, so the night-before scramble stops being normal.
A study routine that mostly runs itself, and holds up long after this term.
Everyone starts somewhere different. On your free consultation we map what a better term looks like for you.
The problem
The skills college assumes you already have
No one sits you down and teaches you how to manage a syllabus, plan a semester, beat procrastination, or study in a way that sticks. You’re expected to just know.
Time slips away
Between classes, work, and a life, the hours vanish, and the big assignments always seem to land at once.
You start too late
You mean to begin early. Somehow it’s the night before again, and now everything is a scramble.
Studying that doesn’t stick
You read it, you highlighted it, and it’s still not in your head at the exam. Re-reading feels productive, but it rarely sticks.
Everything is scattered
Deadlines, notes, and to-dos live in five different places, so things fall through the cracks no matter how hard you try.
Why ECS
Skills that outlast the semester
We start with how you study now
- We look at how you actually manage time, study, and organize
- You get a clear picture of what works and what’s quietly costing you
- The plan is built for your courses and your schedule
Coaching, not tutoring
- A tutor helps you pass one class; a college success coach helps you handle all of them
- We build transferable skills: time, focus, study strategy, and organization
- The habits stay with you long after this semester ends
Real executive-function systems
- Executive function is the mental machinery for planning, starting, and following through
- We turn it into routines: planning a week, breaking down a project, beating the blank page
- Tools and structure that hold the details, plus accountability that keeps you moving
Built around how you learn best
- We use your strengths and your natural learning and working preferences, including MBTI where it helps
- Momentum comes from what already works for you
- Self-advocacy included: using office hours, emailing a professor, and asking for what you need
Ways to work together
Four ways in, sized to your term
We recommend starting with Semester Systems and building from there.
For parents. You play a big part in your student’s success, especially if they’re the first in your family to go to college. John was a first-generation student himself, so he knows how much that support matters. Start with a joint consultation; the coaching then runs directly with your student, and we never do the work for them.
Billed in EUR; USD approx.Starter
Study Reset Session
€95
one 60-minute session
A single session to sort out your study system.
- 60-minute one-to-one
- A personalized study-system plan
- First changes to make this week
Counts toward a package: the full starter fee comes off your package if you continue.
Book my sessionCore Our recommendation
Semester Systems
from €330
per month
Ongoing coaching across the semester, on the skills that hold it together.
- Biweekly, 2 sessions a month: €330/mo
- Weekly, 4 sessions a month: €600/mo
- Async support between sessions
- Time management, study strategy, and organization
- Help with procrastination and self-advocacy
Month to month. We recommend three months.
Request my planPremium
Peak Term
from €1.400
per term
Weekly coaching and priority support across a demanding term.
- Weekly sessions across the term
- Priority async support
- Optional editing add-on for a key assignment (your own words)
Best value for a full term: weekly coaching plus priority support, at a lower monthly rate than booking Semester Systems week to week.
Request my planCohort
Study Squad
€60
per person, per month
A small group working through the term together.
- Four to six members
- Weekly 60- to 75-minute session
- Study strategy and accountability
- Shared group channel
The easiest, lowest-cost way in.
Join the waitlistPrefer to ask first? Message us on WhatsApp or email us.
Custom coaching plans
Every student is different. If none of the options above quite fit your situation, we can build a college success coaching plan around your specific goals, courses, and schedule.
Not ready to commit? Join a free Focus Room
A free, live co-working hour to help you actually start. Bring your reading or your assignment, work alongside other students, and get the hardest part, beginning, out of the way.
Sessions run online on Microsoft Teams. Save your seat for the next one.
College Success Coaching FAQs
The coaching
What is the difference between college success coaching and tutoring?
A tutor helps you understand a specific subject. An academic coach helps you build the skills to handle all of your subjects: time management, study skills, focus, and organization. Tutoring is about one class; academic coaching is about how you do college. Plenty of students use both.
What is executive function, and why does it matter for school?
Executive function is the set of mental skills for planning, starting tasks, managing time, and following through. When school feels harder than it should, weak executive-function habits are often the reason, and those habits are very coachable.
Will you do my assignments for me?
No. We coach you and help you build skills. We never write your essays, take your exams, or do your work. If we edit an assignment, it’s your own words and you approve every change.
I keep procrastinating no matter what I try. Can you help?
Yes. Procrastination is usually about how a task feels, not about how lazy you are. We build systems that make starting easier, and we add the accountability so you aren’t doing it alone.
Do you help with time management and planning a semester?
Yes. That’s a core part of the coaching: mapping your semester, planning your weeks, and breaking big assignments into steps that actually get done.
How is this different from the free coaching my campus offers?
Campus services can be excellent, but they’re often stretched thin, hard to book, and only available during office hours. We offer continuity with the same coach, expert coaching rather than peer support, and times that work around your schedule, including evenings.
How does coaching work week to week?
Sessions are one-to-one on Microsoft Teams, in your browser. Monday to Friday, email or WhatsApp us between sessions and you’ll hear back within one business day. On Saturdays and Sundays, when a lot of coursework actually gets done, send a quick question on WhatsApp and we’ll usually reply the same day: a short answer to get you unstuck, not a full review. Longer feedback and sessions happen on weekdays. Need to move a session? Give us 24 hours' notice and we’ll rebook it. Later cancellations and no-shows count as used, and unused sessions can be rebooked within 30 days.
Fit and cost
I don’t have ADHD. Is this still for me?
Yes. College Success Coaching is for any student who wants better study systems and stronger executive-function skills. If you do have ADHD or are neurodivergent, our ADHD & neurodivergent coaching is built specifically for that.
I’m a part-time student with a job. Can college success coaching work around my shifts?
Yes. For a working student the shift schedule comes first, so that’s where we start. We map the semester against your work calendar and set study blocks that still hold when a shift moves or your manager adds hours. When a week goes sideways anyway, we adjust the plan with you rather than start from scratch.
Do you work with graduate students too?
Yes. Master’s students carrying a heavy course load use this as much as undergraduates do. If you’re writing a thesis or dissertation, we have a dedicated coaching track for that.
I’m a parent. Can I set this up for my student?
Yes. Plenty of families start with a consultation together, then the coaching runs directly with the student. You get clear pricing in writing up front, and the boundaries stay firm: we build skills and never do the work.
Do you work with students outside the U.S.?
Yes. Everything is online, across time zones. ECS is based in The Hague and works with students in the U.S., the Netherlands, and beyond.
How much does college success coaching cost?
Options run from a single Study Reset Session to a full-term package; see the options above. The starter session’s fee counts in full toward a package if you continue. You get pricing in writing before anything begins. Monthly plans are paid at the start of each month and run month to month. We recommend three months, because study skills take time to stick, but you can stop any time before your next month begins. Term packages are paid in two parts, half at the start and half at the midpoint. If none of them fit, we can build a custom college success coaching plan around your courses and your schedule. No VAT added, subject to change.
Find your fit
Not quite what you need? Start here
College Success Coaching is the general track. If your situation is more specific, one of these may fit you better.
ADHD & Neurodivergent Coaching
If your challenges are more about how your brain is wired, this track is built for that, by a coach who shares it.
Explore ADHD CoachingDissertation & PhD Coaching
Further along and writing a thesis or dissertation? There’s a coaching track built for the long haul.
Explore Dissertation CoachingAdult Learner Coaching
Going back to school later, around work and family? A track built for returning students.
Explore Adult Learner CoachingDissertation & Thesis Editing
Need a careful edit on a finished paper? Editing that keeps your voice, always your own words.
Explore Editing
The next step
Let’s get your systems working for you
Book a free consultation, tell us where school is getting stuck, and we’ll show you what college success coaching could do for your term. Students and parents are both welcome on the call. No pressure, and no jargon.
Book Your Free ConsultationNot ready to commit? Try a free Focus Room.