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Elevate Skill Sets

Skill Sets that help you build your Connections, Studies, or Habits — or all three!

Level Up Your Skills

Are you looking to supplement your academic support, take your skills to the next level, and maximize your potential — both in the classroom and out?  

As part of the SASS Elevate program, we offer three distinct enhancement programs to help you level up your Skill Sets and thrive in three key areas for success in school and in life.

student and teacher work together at a desk

Elevate Connections

Elevate Studies

Elevate Habits

Exercise skills to connect with community, peers, new experiences — and, ultimately, yourself. 

This weekly social group is run by two professional staff members and invites you to fun planned sessions that help you build and maintain social relationships while practicing socialization skills with real-time feedback.  

In this weekly social get-together, you’ll learn about teamwork while pushing yourself to grow in new situations. You’ll develop your skills in paying attention to others in a group, reading social cues, and appropriate social communication — all while engaging in fun, enriching activities for greater peer and campus connections, self-awareness, and independence. 

Previous programming has included yoga, hapkido, therapy dogs, group hikes, magicians, game nights, cookie decorating, cooking classes, and community engagement with nonprofit organizations. 

Elevate Connections pairs well with the structured social skills therapy group offered by the Wellness Center. 

Elevate Connections

Frequency: Once a week for 13 weeks (beginning Week 2 of the semester) 

What it includes: All supplies, food, guest speakers and experts, prizes, and transportation when needed. 

A la carte cost: $1,250/semester  

Elevate Studies: Enhanced Academic Support 

Get guidance and support — tailored to your needs — to strengthen your skill set for academic success. 

If you want to strengthen your independent study skills, the Elevate Studies Skill Set offers three evenings of supported and structured study halls per week, facilitated by trained graduate assistants (GAs) who will help students enrolled in Elevate tackle the day’s academic challenges.

This two-hour dedicated study block is just for our Elevate Studies members to complete and keep up with your assignments. Better yet, it is guided by your specific needs: at check-in, you will let the GAs know what challenges you’re facing that day. Maybe one day, it’s distraction and lack of focus. Another day, it might be a sense of overwhelm or time management concerns. Once the GAs know what roadblocks you’re facing, they can help you explore the best strategies to take your study skills to the next level.  

Elevate Studies

Frequency: Up to three evenings per week (two hours each) 

What it includes: Support from graduate assistants in a group setting during dedicated study/work time 

A la carte cost: $975/semester 

Elevate Habits: Executive Functioning 

Learn how to take skills outside the classroom and into the world with confidence. 

Executive functioning is a fancy phrase to refer to the skills we use to manage everyday tasks, including making plans, solving problems, adapting to new situations, focusing our attention, juggling tasks, and making decisions.  

Through Elevate Habits, we’ll help you figure out how your unique mind works, set individualized goals, learn effective time management and organization skills, and feel confident in your abilities to think, learn, and do in the world beyond McDaniel.  

In addition to enhancing your day-to-day routines here on the Hill, we will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and habits to become a reliable and effective team player in your future relationships and career. 

We believe that every person has executive functioning strengths and opportunities for growth. We’re here to help identify and foster those areas so that you will be equipped to find success here on the Hill and in the world at large. 

Elevate Habits

Frequency: Once a week for 13 weeks (beginning Week 2 of the semester) 

A la carte cost: $975/semester* 

 *LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE. 

SASS Elevate Program Priority Access to Elevate Skill Sets

SASS Elevate Members have priority access to Elevate Skill Sets programming, dependent on their membership tier.

Additional Skill Sets can be purchased for an additional fee.

Elevate Tier 1: Includes two Elevate Skill Sets of choice. 
Elevate Tier 2: Includes one Elevate Skill Set of choice. 
Elevate Tier 3: Additional cost to add on Elevate Skill Sets.

Learn more about the Elevate Tiers

Frequently Asked Questions

Skill Sets are enhancement programs in social skills, academic support, and executive functioning.

Elevate Connections, Elevate Studies, and Elevate Habits.

Elevate Connections and Habits meet weekly for 13 weeks; Elevate Studies offers up to three evenings per week.

Yes, Skill Sets can be purchased individually as standalone programs.

Tier 1 includes two Skill Sets, Tier 2 includes one, and Tier 3 can add Skill Sets for an additional fee.

Yes, any students registered with SASS can participate for a fee.

All of the Skill Sets are group-based sessions.

Students can select the Skill Sets that most interest them and will have the opportunity to discuss programs that would be a best fit for them during the SASS intake meeting.

SASS professional staff, who hold master’s degrees, run Connections and Habits, while SASS graduate assistants run Studies.

Elevate Skill Sets