Background: Students can have problems transitioning into nursing education, and nursing instructors can have an impact on this transition by using an active coaching role. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate how early an academic coaching intervention helped students progress during the beginning of their first nursing semester. Student perceptions of the intervention were also explored. Design: This study followed a descriptive non-experimental design. A nonprobability convenience sample was used. Settings: A four-year Bachelor's nursing program at a private college in central Pennsylvania. Participants: The sample included 22 first semester students enrolled in their first nursing course. Method: For the first five weeks of the semester students were asked to meet with their nursing course instructors for "five minute check-ins". Students were coached on time management, study skills, access to resources, stress management, upcoming assignments, and grades. An online survey was also sent to students regarding their check-in experience. Results: The student coaching needs changed throughout the five week intervention. At first students heavily needed time management coaching. Study skill coaching was a steady need through the second through fifth week, and stress management coaching increased during the last week of data collection, which was along the same time as their first exams. Students who attended four to five of the weekly visits had higher first test scores and higher overall course grades. The majority of students reported benefits for attending check-in visits including organization, study skills, and feeling more connected to the instructor. Conclusions: Students reported an overall benefit to attending check-in visits. Course instructors were able to intervene early with students' academic problems, and help students gain access to resources. Although the check ins were to be brief visits, there was an impact on instructors time during the check-in weeks. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.