Not every Guilford student is carelessly enjoying the summer. A group of rising sophomores are already back in school taking part in a unique and free opportunity to help them become stronger students.

Guilford’s Level Up program, which is in two parts and runs from May to August, is designed to help students get ahead and stay ahead in their course load, keeping them on track for graduating with their classmates.

Seth Athey ’26 (above, right) and seven continuing students are enrolled in two classes this summer – a Religious Studies class and another class that helps them develop stronger time management and study habits. Students take part in workshops that cover myriad topics from time management to mental health, and are led by Guilford staff and student mentors.

The first year of college is fraught with challenges and obstacles for many students  adjusting academically and socially to their new environment. Level Up helps students find academic strategies tailored to their learning habits.

Seth, an Exercise and Sport Sciences major (Sports Medicine track) from Richmond, Va., who also plays football and throws for the track team, struggled his first year at Guilford. It wasn’t until he started to attend Level Up classes this summer that he realized one of his biggest challenges was time management. “I’m starting to see how to manage things and reading the syllabus carefully can make such a big difference. I think I’m in such a better place now.”

Continuing students in the five-week period earn six credits and develop much-needed strategies for the rigorous academic life that comes with attending college.

Guilford’s Level Up program is funded by a $2.2 million federal education Title III grant the College received in 2020. The Strengthening Institutions Program Grant is designed to increase student achievement, persistence, and retention.

A second five-week Level Up class begins later this summer for first-year students with the same goal in mind of acclimating students to their new lives in college.

Natty Burfield, an adviser with the Career, Academic and Personal Exploration (CAPE) office helping run the program, says a large part of the program relies on accountability and community. With eight students participating, students and their mentors are holding each other accountable for their work.

Level Up is more than just coursework. Students recently traveled to Charlotte for a day of Topgolf. There was also a baking competition. Trips to a Greensboro Grasshoppers minor league baseball game and the North Carolina Zoo are in the works.

“The idea is to bring them together and build that community component,” says Natty. “We’re not just looking for them to be there for each other this summer. We want that community to stay strong into the fall and the next three years.”

A.J. Merriman ’25 of Salisbury, N.C., (above, left) was a member of last year’s inaugural Level Up. He benefitted so much from the program he returned this summer as a mentor to Seth. “There are so many things that are hard for freshmen to adapt to,” he says. “Those small things start to build up until they become overwhelming.”

A.J. says he was already struggling academically last year when a close friend and classmate died unexpectedly. “I just gave up,” he says. “I know that wasn’t the right thing to do but I didn’t know what to do next.”