Do Students Tell Us the Truth When They Need Help?

Student success strategies often assume that when students face challenges, they will share them honestly through advising conversations, forms, or support systems. This session examines that assumption by debuting early findings from an original national survey conducted by the session presenters. The study includes responses from 1,000 college students across the United States.

Panelists will introduce the purpose of the survey, the research design, and early themes from student responses. The discussion will explore how students decide when to share information and when to withhold it. Key topics include trust, perceived risk, and help seeking behavior. Panelists will also discuss how different support channels, including AI enabled tools, may influence student disclosure.

Attendees will gain early insight into how students think about sharing personal and academic challenges. They will better understand how trust and perceived risk shape engagement with institutional support systems. The session will offer practical ways to think about question design, system design, and the responsible use of AI to support students more effectively.