When we are in the thick of the day-to-day routine we sometimes get caught up in the hype and pressure to conform and fit in and we forget to keep things in perspective. We over-extend ourselves and commit to doing things, just because others are doing them, without real thought about “why” we are doing them and this is especially the case when it comes to preparations for college admissions.
Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees, we get caught up in the race for perfect grades at school and in college admissions tests, and we sacrifice our true passions and interests along the way. Maybe we need to question our choices.
In his book, Barking Up The Wrong Tree, Eric Barker wrote about a researcher at Boston College, Karen Arnold, who followed 81 students, the top performers at their schools, from graduation, to see what their futures held.
95% of the top achievers graduated from college, with an average GPA of 3.6 and at least 60% of them went on to gain a graduate degree. 90% went on to professional careers, with 40% in the highest-tier jobs. Karen Arnold suggested that these toppers were “reliable, consistent, and well-adjusted, and by all measures, the majority had “good” lives”.
But is that all we want?
It seems that success at high school, is a great indicator of success at college but the traits that make students great in the school setting are also the traits that make them less great outside the classroom; conformity, self-discipline, conscientiousness, and above all a willingness to go along with the system.
Eric Barker pointed out that even though most of the top performers gained “good” job positions, they did not go on to change, run, or impress the world nor were they likely to be the future’s visionaries as they typically “settled into” the system instead of “shaking it up“.
On the other hand, however, students whose grades are less than perfect may also be highly talented and even though they could enjoy learning they often struggle within the confines of the school system. Many struggling students have passions beyond the fixed curriculum, are interested in achieving mastery in alternative areas, and find the structure of schools restrictive especially given the fact that schools have a tendency to reward students for being a generalist with little recognition of their passion or expertise.
Students who understand the system, play by the rules, and strive for perfection in the assigned subjects will achieve success at school but the skills needed to be successful in the safe, predictable confines of a school do not correlate with the skills, risk-taking attitude and out-of-the-box thinking needed to be successful in the fluctuating and unpredictable world outside.
Final Thoughts
Whether a student is a topper or a struggler, the takeaway is the same… To have every chance of becoming the innovator and pioneer who will truly make a significant impact on the world at large, students should balance their school academic endeavors with their other equally important preparations:
- Immersing in and developing their passions.
- Getting out of their comfort zone.
- Taking academic risks to challenge their beliefs and gain new insights and perspectives.
- Exploring the taught and untaught curriculums widely.
- Gaining a depth of understanding in areas of interest.
Email: barry@dremac.co