Tagged: Choices

Students, do not doubt that you are worthy!

We are in back to school mode here at Shrop Ed, and want to share yet another relevant article that touches on the feelings of many students as they enter new settings.

Freshman year of college, exciting as it is, can leave many feeling overwhelmed both academically and socially and therefore the fear of failure may begin to creep in.  This lack of confidence occurs for many, many students, and can be especially deeply felt for those who come from a disadvantaged background.

Professor David L. Kirp, of the University of California-Berkeley, shared information about research that is helping students, especially underprivileged youth, succeed in school.  The interventions Kirp describes are designed to assure students that they are worthy of admission and encourage a proactive approach to performance improvement.

We see important parallels for students just starting out at a new boarding school, and hope that all of our families will consider this article link relevant.

Many thanks to the Shrop Ed parent who brought this article to our attention.

Article below published by The New York Times, August 20, 2016

Written by:  David L. Kirp

Although it’s been a long time, I vividly recall my reaction when I learned that I had been admitted to Amherst College: The admissions office must have made a terrible mistake.

I had graduated from a Long Island high school where most students didn’t go to college, so I was convinced that at Amherst I would be overmatched by my better-educated, more sophisticated classmates and sliced to ribbons by my brilliant professors. To my surprise, I fared well academically, but I never entirely got over the feeling of being an impostor. Only decades later, at a class reunion, did I discover that many of my peers had felt exactly the same way.

Tagged: Choices, Opportunity, Personal characteristics

Too Smart to Fail?

Grades, or learning?  Learning, or grades?

How to set priorities?  In the Shrop Ed office, we often talk about learning for its own sake and the importance of not letting the tail wag the dog.  While we don’t underestimate the importance of a strong transcript, we believe that engaged students become strong students and pursuit of grades (or activities, community service, or anything else, for that matter) for hollow reasons is not productive.

With the fall semester just beginning, students are getting into a routine and some may be setting goals for the outcome of their school year.  While there is so much focus on receiving good grades throughout the year, we don’t want students to lose sight of the importance and true joy of learning.

Joseph Holtgrieve, a Northwestern professor, reminds us of just that.  In this article, Holtgrieve touches on his own experiences with students and gives examples of why it is important to set your intention on learning first … and then good grades will come.

Published August 16, 2016

Written by:  Joseph Holtgreive

One of my engineering students came to see me recently asking to drop a class late. That was not an unusual request, and since it was shortly after the deadline I was prepared to approve it. But before I did, we talked, and our conversation went right to the heart of an issue I suspect many bright college students are facing: fear of failing to be perfect, ideally an effortless perfection, versus the joy of learning.

The student explained that she had done poorly on the first midterm exam. When I asked her why she did poorly she responded, “I underestimated how much effort it would take; I thought I could get an A without studying.” Though she believed she could still put in effort and raise her grade before the end of the term, she wanted to drop the course so she could retake it and get an A.

Tagged: Choices, Opportunity, Personal characteristics