Stay on Track is open to current McGill undergraduate students registered in a degree program.

Regardless of where you are in your academic journey, Stay on Track is here for you! Whether you are a first-year student getting started at McGill or in your upper-year considering grad school or life beyond your degree, the program offers multiple types of support to help you achieve your goals.

Stay on Track is a peer-to-peer program that offers one-on-one academic coaching opportunities and peer study groups throughout the Fall and Winter academic terms to support you with achieving your objectives. The program also offers the chance to complete personal growth reflection exercises individually or in dialogue with one of the program’s academic student coaches. Please note there are a limited of number of coaches available each academic term, but we do our best to make sure the program supports any interested student.

No, there is no cost associated with participating in Stay on Track.

The Campus Life and Engagement website has information about the various peer programs at McGill.

Student Accessibility and Achievement also runs a series of peer support initiatives that are designed to enhance your learning and success at McGill.

For any questions about Stay on Track, please email us at stayontrack [at] mcgill.ca and a member of the program team will respond within two business days.

To register for Stay on Track, complete and submit the registration form found on the Stay on Track web page. If registration is closed, a waiting list form will be available on the Stay on Track web page. You can submit that form to ensure you get the most immediate updates when registration for the program re-opens. Please note that you must register for each term you want to participate, regardless of whether you have previously registered for the program.

Stay on Track is offered during the Fall and Winter academic terms. The registration form opens at the start of each term and remains open until the program reaches capacity.

Yes! There are no limits on how often you can participate in the program, so long as you are a current McGill undergraduate student registered in a degree program. Please note that you will need to register for each term you want to participate, regardless of whether you previously participated in the program.

Students who register for the program can participate in any Track or combination of Tracks, depending on their needs and interest: Track A: One-on-one peer coaching, Track B: Peer-led study groups, and Track C: Reflection exercises.

When you register for Track A: Peer coaching, you will be paired with one of our academic student coaches. Together, you will meet regularly during the term for virtual or in-person meetings to discuss strategies to meet your academic goals and check in to track your progress.

Academic student coaches are your peers! They are current McGill upper-level undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in supporting other students with their academic success. All members of the coaching team receive training and are eager to help other students.

When you submit the Stay on Track registration form you will have the chance to indicate your interest in peer coaching. A member of the team will be in touch within two business days with the next steps.

Once you confirm your interest in peer coaching in the Stay on Track registration form, a member of the program team will be in touch to confirm your registration and initiate the process of pairing you with an academic student coach. After your coach is assigned to you, they will reach out directly to schedule your first meeting, where you will discuss your objectives, set up a plan for meeting during the term, and review the guidelines and commitment agreement form. Please note that we do our best to connect students with coaches studying in their area, but this is not always possible. If you have any questions about your prospective or current coach pairing, please contact us at stayontrack [at] mcgill.ca.

The nature of the discussion in a coaching meeting depends on what your needs are. Generally, your coach will ask you how you approach your studies, what learning strategies you are using, and where you might be having the most troubles academically. Then you will work together to find solutions – small or large – to help you with overcoming your academic challenges. Together with your coach, you will also discuss setting and adjusting goals, trying out new study approaches, optimizing the techniques you are already using, and more!

The frequency of meetings is something you decide together with your coach. The purpose of the sessions is to support you in achieving and taking accountability for your objectives, which might mean weekly meetings or more infrequent check-ins. The important thing is to find a balance that supports your needs and preferences, including whether the meetings are in-person or online.

We ask that if a scheduled meeting needs to be cancelled or moved, to communicate this to your academic student coach at least 24 hours in advance. Stuff happens and schedules shift – we get it! However, if there are repeated issues with attendance, scheduling, and no-shows, the Stay on Track program administrator will follow-up and determine next steps, including but not limited to ending the coaching relationship.

The frequency of meetings is something you decide together with your coach. The purpose of the sessions is to support you in achieving and taking accountability for your objectives, which might mean weekly meetings or more infrequent check-ins. The important thing is to find a balance that supports your needs and preferences, including whether the meetings are in-person or online.

If you feel that there is not sufficient rapport for the coaching relationship to be successful, you can contact us at stayontrack [at] mcgill.ca in confidentiality and request a different coaching partnership.

The Stay on Track peer-led study groups offer a space to study in the presence of peers for accountability. Study groups are facilitated by academic student coaches, who make sure participants keep to their tasks, take breaks, and remain accountable to one another, regardless of discipline or area of study.

When you submit the Stay on Track registration form you will have the chance to indicate your interest in peer study groups. Once you submit the registration form, a member of the Stay on Track team will be in touch within two business days with further information.

At the Stay on Track peer study groups, you can expect a place to study independently in the presence of your peers and an academic student coach. The groups provide accountability check-ins, strategies to beat procrastination, and a supportive study environment.

The study groups are scheduled at different days and times. They are run throughout the term to try and provide a variety of availabilities to support participation. We do our best to schedule these groups around the availability of students registered in Stay on Track. When you complete the registration form, you will have the chance to indicate your interest and availability for study groups. The study group schedule will then be shared directly with you by email after you have registered for the program. You will receive regular reminders for the groups with date, time, and location information included.

The study groups are generally scheduled in-person, but online groups are available based on need, interest, and capacity.

The study groups are generally scheduled in-person at the downtown campus. Study groups at the Macdonald campus are scheduled based on need, interest, and the availability of academic student coaches.

The study groups are there for you – participation is totally voluntary and there is no penalty for not attending a scheduled group session. The groups are run throughout the term to provide a supportive study environment.

The Stay on Track reflection exercises are a series of six individual development planning worksheets that you can complete to help you reflect on your goals and your trajectory through and beyond your degree:

• Create your vision
• Imagine your future
• Make a plan
• Reflect on last year
• Skills matrix
• Understand your values

These exercises were designed for undergraduate students to promote self-discovery and personal growth and are the result of a collaboration with McGill’s myPath program.

When you submit the Stay on Track registration form you will have the chance to indicate your interest in the reflection exercises. Once you submit the registration form, a member of the Stay on Track team will be in touch within two business days with the next steps, including PDFs of the exercises.

Yes, you can complete the Stay on Track reflection exercises individually. If you’re not sure where to start, please contact us at stayontrack [at] mcgill.ca and we will work with you on next steps that make the most sense for you!

If you are registered for Stay on Track and are not currently participating in the one-on-one coaching but want to get paired with an academic student coach to discuss these exercises, please contact us at stayontrack [at] mcgill.ca. We will work with you to arrange for next steps. Please note there are a limited of number of academic student coaches available each academic term, but we will do our best to make sure the program supports interested students in the ways it can.

No, you do not have to share any of your work on these exercises with any members of the Stay on Track program team unless you want to.

As an academic student coach, you will accompany participating students as a mentor during the term by meeting regularly with students one-on-one and hosting study groups. This is a paid position and involves receiving mandatory training covering learning strategies and basic coaching skills. It requires a steady commitment to the students you are paired with.

The time commitment is an average of up to five hours per week.

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