You Made It
to College.
The First 8 Weeks
Will Test Everything.
Most students who leave college make that decision within the first eight weeks of their first semester. Not because of grades. Because of stress, loneliness, and the weight of being somewhere new without anyone who knows them yet. Persist Advantage is the most comprehensive 12-month tier of the College Persistence Program, built for students and families who want the deepest level of emotional intelligence support through Year 1 of college and beyond.
The Most Comprehensive Tier
in the College Persistence Program.
Persist Advantage is the premium 12-month tier within the College Persistence Program. It includes everything Momentum offers, plus deeper one-on-one coaching, sustained mentorship through the highest-risk windows, and the Annual Renewal pathway that lets your student continue the practice through Years 2, 3, and 4 of college.
This is not a workshop. It is not a monthly subscription. It is a structured 12-month program led by Dr. Tremayne Thurman, OTD, an MUSC graduate and one of only a handful of certified emotional intelligence and Communication Mapping practitioners in the Southeast working directly with college students.
Students enter Persist Advantage either through the summer Launch program (six-week summer bridge) or through the In-College Track for students already enrolled. Either entry point feeds into the same 12-month structured continuation.
When Students Leave.
What Saves Them.
First 8 Weeks
The highest-risk window. New environment, no support network, financial reality setting in, first difficult grades. Persist Advantage students have a weekly group community call and direct access to Dr. Thurman, OTD, during this window when most students who leave are deciding to leave.
Mid-Semester
Midterms, financial aid gaps, relationship conflicts, and academic pressure converge around weeks eight through twelve. Persist Advantage coaching during this window focuses on stress resilience, problem-solving, and the EQ subscales that protect retention.
Summer Melt
The gap between spring semester and fall re-enrollment is when students stop out, intending to return but never doing so. Persist Advantage maintains community contact through the summer and is the only tier that includes the Annual Renewal pathway into Year 2.
The Weekly Group
Community Call.
Every Persist Advantage student participates in a structured weekly group community call across the full 12 months. This is not a lecture or a tutoring session. It is a facilitated peer community led by Dr. Thurman, OTD, built around the EQ subscales that predict whether you stay enrolled.
MDRC research found that students who participate in regular structured group coaching accumulate significantly more credits than their peers. The mechanism is not the content of the call. It is the community: someone who knows where you are, a group that shows up every week, a facilitator who notices when the energy shifts.
At the Persist Advantage tier, this weekly community persistence call is paired with six 30-minute 1:1 coaching sessions distributed across the year so the group community is reinforced by individual depth.
A real check-in with the group. Not the answer you give other people.
One subscale focus per week based on where students are in the semester.
One specific thing each person commits to before the next call.
Did you do the one thing from last week? What does the group offer?
The Premium 12-Month Architecture.
Persist Advantage includes everything in the Momentum tier plus deeper coaching depth, sustained mentorship across the highest-risk windows, and the Annual Renewal pathway that extends the practice through Years 2, 3, and 4.
CLINICAL FOUNDATION
- ✓EQ-i 2.0 baseline assessment with Dr. Thurman, OTD
- ✓DISC behavioral profile and Communication Mapping
- ✓60-minute 1:1 report debrief at program start
- ✓Annual EQ pulse and progress review
DEEP COACHING DEPTH
- ✓Six 30-minute 1:1 coaching sessions across the year
- ✓Persistence action plan built with Dr. Thurman, OTD
- ✓Eight-week transition framework for first semester
- ✓Priority access during high-stress periods
SUSTAINED COMMUNITY
- ✓Weekly community persistence call for the full 12 months
- ✓October fall check-in during the highest-risk window
- ✓Summer melt prevention contact between semesters
- ✓Sophomore transition check-in at close of Year 1
ANNUAL RENEWAL PATHWAY
- ✓Persist Advantage graduates can renew annually through Years 2 to 4
- ✓Major declaration and identity work as a sophomore
- ✓Internship and career readiness coaching
- ✓Capstone year transition into professional life
Persist Advantage Welcomes Both Pathways.
Students enter the College Persistence Program through one of two pathways. Both lead to the same 12-month Persist Advantage architecture.
Summer Bridge Entry
Begin with the six-week summer Launch program before college starts. Build the EQ baseline, establish the parent partnership, and arrive on campus already inside the community. Students then continue into the 12-month Persist Advantage tier.
Best for: high school seniors preparing for college, families investing ahead of the transition.
For Students and FamiliesIn-College Entry
Already enrolled in college? Enter through the In-College Track, which gives you the same EQ baseline assessment and 1:1 debrief Launch students receive. Then continue into the 12-month Persist Advantage tier from there.
Best for: students currently in their first year who want premium ongoing support, or families adding the practice mid-stream.
See Both PathwaysMeasured Growth.
Not Just Promised Growth.
A pre/post EQ-i 2.0 study is currently underway at Francis Marion University, measuring emotional intelligence growth among college students receiving structured coaching. Publication is expected Fall 2026.
This research adds institution-specific, peer-reviewed evidence to every College Persistence Program conversation. TGG is committed to building the field data that benefits every student we serve.
One Method.
A Complete Ecosystem.
Persist Advantage is the premium applied tier of The Persist Method, the EQ-grounded approach to persistence developed by Dr. Tremayne Thurman, OTD. The book starts the conversation. The workbook builds the practice. The Lab applies it for senior year. The College Edge tiers do the deep work. Persist Advantage carries it furthest, through Year 1 and into the renewable Annual Pathway.
Persist, Your Destiny Awaits
The book. A clinical and personal field guide to persistence by Dr. Tremayne Thurman, OTD. Read Chapter 1 free now. Full book launches Summer 2026.
Get Chapter 1 Free →The Persist Workbook
The companion workbook. Practical exercises, family conversation guides, and EQ-grounded prompts that turn the book into daily practice.
The Persist Method Online
The self-paced course. Twelve modules, video lessons from Dr. Thurman, OTD, and downloadable practice tools.
Senior Year Life Skills Lab
The twelve-week curriculum from Chapter 9. Sleep, money, time, food, body, communication, anchor.
College Edge Launch
The six-week summer bridge. EQ-i 2.0, Maxwell Method DISC profile, sixty-minute debrief with Dr. Thurman, OTD, and weekly community persistence call.
College Edge Momentum
Twelve-month engagement. Three coaching sessions, Communication Mapping debrief, persistence action plan.
College Edge Persist Advantage
The premium twelve-month engagement. Six coaching sessions, Summer Bridge included, transition action plan, fall check-in, extended parent partnership.
The Persist Workshop
The institutional engagement. Half-day, full-day, and multi-day programs for universities, healthcare systems, K-12 districts, and ministries.
Certified Facilitator Program
For coaches, counselors, and educators who want to deliver The Persist Method in their own communities under TGG licensing.
See Where Persist Advantage
Fits in the Full Program.
The pricing page lays out all three tiers, the In-College Track, and the Annual Renewal pathway. See every option in one place before you decide.