ReStart: Insubria’s coaching service to support students through challenging times

Free and confidential support to help students deal with study-related difficulties, regain motivation, improve their organisation and reflect on their university journey. This is the aim of ReStart, the University of Insubria’s coaching service, designed for students who are going through a challenging period in their academic experience.

Starting university involves a significant change: new study methods, greater independence in managing time and workloads, the first exams and, sometimes, doubts about whether the chosen degree programme is the right one. These situations can lead to loss of motivation, feelings of failure, procrastination or difficulties in continuing one’s studies.

ReStart was created specifically to provide support during these phases, including before a temporary difficulty turns into a real obstacle or leads students to consider interrupting their studies. Students therefore do not need to be experiencing a particularly serious situation to access the service: even the first signs of difficulty or uncertainty can be addressed promptly.

Through individual coaching sessions and group activities, the service helps students regain motivation and confidence in their abilities, improve their study methods and time management, cope with setbacks, and define realistic goals and more effective, sustainable strategies. The programme can also provide an opportunity to recognise and build on personal interests and strengths, reflect on future prospects and, when necessary, consider possible alternative study paths within the University.

The service is available to all students at the University of Insubria, with particular attention to those who, especially during the first years of university, may feel disoriented in their new academic environment. It can be useful for students who struggle to organise their studies, have taken exams without passing them, feel they have lost motivation, regularly postpone their commitments, or no longer feel that their chosen degree programme is right for them and wish to reflect on their academic and professional future.

The programme includes personalised individual sessions. The first meeting is dedicated to understanding the student’s needs and identifying the main difficulties and personal resources to work on; further sessions may follow to define goals, strategies and concrete actions.

Alongside individual sessions, group activities, workshops, practical sessions and talks are also offered on topics including study methods, time management, motivation, self-efficacy, procrastination management, resilience, future planning and opportunities to reconsider or redirect one’s university pathway.

The sessions are free and confidential and, by appointment, may take place in person at the Como and Varese campuses or online, depending on availability and organisational needs.

Individual sessions can be booked directly online via Microsoft Bookings, where students can view available dates and times in real time and independently choose the most suitable slot: www.uninsubria.eu/restart. Information on how to take part in group activities, workshops and other events will instead be published on the webpage dedicated to the service.

Experiencing difficulties with one’s studies does not mean having failed: ReStart provides a space to pause, understand the obstacles encountered and identify practical tools to start again.