Blackburn provides one-on-one mentoring that works next to a college’s advising, counseling and student success offices, not in place of them. A student who chooses it gets one dedicated mentor, weekly goals and contact between sessions, by video anywhere in the US or in person in Los Angeles. Advisors keep academic planning, counselors keep clinical care, and the mentor helps with routine and follow-through.
How an outside mentor works next to advising and counseling
Campus offices are built for specific jobs and often serve large caseloads. A mentor adds frequency and follow-through between those appointments:
- Academic advisors handle course planning, degree requirements and policies. A mentor helps the student show up to advising prepared and act on the plan; see the college advising office.
- Counseling services handle mental health. A mentor is not clinical and encourages students to use counseling when needed; see therapy and mentoring together.
- Tutoring and writing centers handle course content. A mentor helps the student actually book and attend.
- Disability services handle accommodations. A mentor can help a student follow through on using them.
With the student’s permission, a mentor can coordinate with campus staff already involved. Without it, nothing is shared.
Which student groups benefit most
- First-year students adjusting to independence; see college transition mentoring.
- First-generation students; see first-generation college students.
- Students returning from a leave; see returning to college after a leave.
- Students on academic probation who need steady weekly structure.
- Students with ADHD or executive function challenges, with or without a diagnosis; see college with ADHD. Mentoring is not diagnosis or treatment.
- Autistic college students who want support with routine and independence.
- Transfer, international, community college and graduate students; see international students and graduate students.
Mentoring is not the right fit for a student in crisis or with untreated clinical needs; counseling services or another licensed professional comes first. In a crisis, call or text 988.
What mentoring looks like week to week for a student
- One dedicated mentor, matched on experience and style.
- Goals the student chooses, broken into weekly steps: attending class, a study routine, meeting deadlines, sleep, money, work.
- Sessions of 30 or 60 minutes, weekly or several times a week, on a weekly or monthly plan.
- Text and phone contact between sessions to keep the week on track.
- With the student’s permission, regular updates to parents or family; see parent progress updates.
How referrals and privacy are handled
The student always chooses. A typical path looks like this:
- A staff member mentions mentoring as an option and shares our details or refer-a-student page.
- The student, or the family with the student’s agreement, takes the five-minute assessment.
- Our team reviews it personally and sets up a free intro call.
- If the student goes ahead, they are matched with a mentor.
Staff stay in their roles. We do not access student records, and we share nothing with the institution about a student unless that student agrees. If an office ever sponsors mentoring for a group of students, any reporting would be limited to engagement, agreed in advance and explained to students before they start.
Can mentoring run fully by video?
Yes. Mentoring runs by video anywhere in the United States, scheduled in the student’s local time, with text and phone between sessions. That works for residential and commuter students, online programs, students studying away and students home on leave. Students in the Los Angeles area can also meet in person. See online vs in-person mentoring.
What Blackburn does and does not do
Does: weekly goals, routine, accountability, life skills, follow-through on campus resources, and permission-based updates to family and staff.
Does not: tutoring, academic advising, admissions advice, clinical care, accommodation decisions or conduct matters. We do not publish packages, contracts or prices; every conversation starts with what your office is trying to support.
Questions worth asking any outside provider: Who is the client? What will the institution see? Will each student work with one consistent mentor? What is referred back to campus offices? How does a student pause or stop?
How to start a conversation
Call (888) 305 5422 or email contact@blackburnmentoring.com to talk through whether outside mentoring fits the students you serve. If you advise students in another setting, see our pages for college advisors, for school counselors, mentoring for schools and for professionals. For how mentoring works with individual students, see mentoring for college students.
Related
Common questions
Do you contract with colleges or offer packages?
We do not publish packages or prices. Most often a staff member suggests mentoring and the student or family contacts us; if your office wants to discuss supporting a group of students, call or email.
Is this tutoring or academic advising?
No. Mentors help with routine, goals and follow-through. Course content and academic planning stay with tutors and advisors.
Are parents involved?
Only with the student’s permission. Many students choose to have a parent join the intro call and receive regular progress updates.
What about student mental health?
Mentoring is non-clinical. Students with mental health concerns should be connected with counseling services or another licensed professional. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Get started
Exploring one-on-one mentoring for the students you serve? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.