The University of Michigan is an extremely competitive school. Getting good grades here is important to everyone and that will never change. Why do people care so much about grades at Michigan? Shown here, we were all top students at our high schools. An astonishing 92% of us were in the top 10% of our high school classes! The importance of getting good grades from high school translates right into this prestigious university. There are plenty of reasons why we are called the leaders and best, getting good grades is certainly one of them. During my first couple weeks of class, something didn’t feel right. I felt like I've gone through this process before. I was showing up to class, going though the motions, and simply trying to get an A. For once, it seemed difficult to get this A. Like many college freshman, I began to panic. I didn’t want my college experience to be a harder version of high school. Instead, I wanted to come to the University of Michigan and do this amazing thing called the “Michigan Difference.”
Throughout my schooling, my brain has always been tuned into one
thing: getting an A. It’s the only thing that’s ever been preached to me. My whole life parents, teachers, coaches, and counselors have reiterated the importance of
getting good grades in school. It’s almost as if I’ve been brainwashed. I fell
into their trap and “getting an A” has been my only focus in life. The high
school routine was simple: do homework, (sometimes) study for a test, do well on the test.
It’s troublesome how little a high school student is exposed to the real world.
I’ve learned more about life in my first month at the University of Michigan
than I have during my whole high school experience.I have no idea what I want to do in life. I believe that limiting myself to getting good grades is partly to blame. I feel as if I haven’t been exposed to much content but instead have focused on getting an A. Louis Menand really got me thinking about his theories of higher education. Theory 2 appealed to me tremendously. I haven’t gone through college yet, so I applied the principals of the theory to my high school experience. I began thinking, of questions like what if I would’ve taken classes in high school that seemed interesting to me? Maybe I would’ve found something I enjoyed? Instead, I was stuck in every AP/honors course with same students for four years. The principals of theory 2 were so fascinating to me. Although they were fascinating, I thought it was preposterous to throw out the ideas of grades.
I’m not denying the fact that getting good
grades in college is important. For instance, if I want to be admitted into The Ross School of Business, I have to receive excellent grades. For the first time in my life
I’m not going to take this "A" minded approach. I am going to take the advice my advisor
gave to me and focus on the content of what I'm learning. I am at the University of Michigan to receive an excellent education
and find something I want to do with the rest of my life. My "Michigan Difference" will entail thinking outside the realm of grades and finding something that I'm truly passionate about. Fellow Poly Sci 101 classmates, I challenge you to do the same.
Great post! I think the advise that your advisor gave you is spot on. So many people only care about grades that they fail to actually truly LEARN in college. These students are the ones who try to cram everything into their brain the night before the test, and while they may ace the test they end up forgetting all of the material five minutes later. What is the point of only seeking grades if one is not actually learning anything? I think about this sometimes. Think of the ridiculous amount of hours each one of us has spent in school and at home doing homework. Think of how much time/work school takes. What a colossal waste of one's time if they are not actually learning hardly anything or developing their mind! Students need to get engaged in whatever they are learning, and they need to find things that they are passionate about. The world is full of so much information and with our relatively short lifetimes we hardly get to explore any of it. Thank you for this post, so many people need to take follow your lead!
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ReplyDeleteSaeed,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I have heard many people saying they are students that fall under Menand’s second theory, myself included, and it’s refreshing getting a student’s perspective from Menand’s first theory. Our school is academically intimidating, and the jump from high school to college is a scary one. Michigan pushes students past their already brilliant talent to reach their fullest potential. College is one step further into the real world. In high school, we were living with our families and sleeping in our own bed in our room. College helps you attain a more realistic view of the world. An A can be achieved, but you’ll definitely have to work harder than high school for it. I realized that when I was a freshman transitioning to the college life. We spend so much time studying for classes here -- why not actual learn it? I agree with Libby’s comment that we might as well be learning and really retaining things we’re reading and studying. It makes our time at the library more worthwhile. It can be miserable spending hours at the library, so actually learning is the least we can do. The end goal of all this library time and cram sessions isn’t visible yet, but it will pay off in the end. I’m glad you’ve taken time to reflect on your college experience so far -- that’s a sign of self-growth, which is a focal point of Menand’s second theory! With your perspective on education and your time here, you'll be successful in whatever path of study you choose! Good luck, and great post again!
So glad I read this when I did. Today was one of the first times this semester that I found myself incredibly academically frustrated. Three out of my four classes cause me constant anxiety because there is no way of predicting realistically what my final grade will be. It’s driving me nuts because I’m also that kid. I must get all As.
ReplyDeletePolisci 101 is a great example. As much as I really respect the gamified system of education, I’m always just like “but what does 1000 really mean…” And it always takes a minute for me to put things in perspective and realize that LEARNING is what I’m here for. I’m ashamed to say it, but what I’m actually reading for my classes is often clouded by the thought of how much longer I need to read for and what work will follow it. The academics of school have had such a negative affect on my education.
My strive for perfection is truly a product of society; I became obsessed with my grades as soon as I started hearing that they guaranteed a great college, job, life, income, etc.,. Prior, I learned because I enjoyed it and grades were no concern. Then I got to middle school and I heard about high school transcripts. Then I got to high school and heard about college applications. Now I’m hearing about grad school. How can I not care about my grades?
I’m resentful towards society that Menand’s first theory is so dominant. I’m a huge thinker and I love to learn, but even students like me really succumb to a theory one lifestyle. Like you said, I was also moved by it because it applied so accurately to my life. I like that you challenge your peers to remember real life is more than a 4.0, because I really had to hear that today.
I have also been "brainwashed" throughout my entire life that getting A's is the only way. It's been drilled into my head day after day, and I think that constant drilling mixed with the rigorous courses I've taken at Michigan spelled disaster. Having all A's equates to confidence and just being able to say "yeah, I have all A's at Michigan, what do you have?" That feeling is something nearly everyone craves, including me.
ReplyDeleteAfter a full year at the University, I have learned a lot about learning itself. I found myself simply memorizing everything last year, only to forget it once the test/exam/quiz passed. At this point in my life, short-term memorization is not beneficial in any facet, which is why it is more important to master the material I am presented with in courses, allowing me to use them to my advantage in the future should they be required. The amount of time each of us puts into school is outrageous, and it is all going to waste if we are not truly understanding what we are being taught, and just knowing the x's and y's.
After reading your post, I see you have taken the time to self-reflect and readdress your situation in a meaningful and smart way. I wish you luck with the rest of your academic career at the University of Michigan. Continue to apply the second Menand theory to your schooling and you will be just fine. Great post.
I am thrilled that you all agree with me on my post. I truly appreciate the positive feedback. Menand’s second theory has been working for me so far, so I’m going to keep applying it to my schooling. For example, while studying for my calculus midterm, I learned a lot. Instead of cramming everything into my head, I set time aside and actually tried learning the material. To my surprise, IT WORKED! I received one of the best math grades in my life, and it felt even better because I knew that I actually understood the material instead of cramming it.
ReplyDeleteIt’s reassuring that some of the older students have commented on this post giving me positive feedback and advice for the future. This is part of the reason I love this class, we all have so many opportunities to engage with each other. Dallas, I’m still fighting the urge of being brainwashed by getting good grades. It’s nice to see that one of my classmates has also been the victim of getting brainwashed, however I think it will help us in the end. We know what it’s like to be narrow-minded about getting good grades, and now we will all thrive under Menand’s second theory of applying our selves to the content and learning!
This is a very interesting post. I realized I am late responding, but it comes with reason. Halfway through my first semester of my freshmen year,I still see myself focusing on good grades. Many of my professors are indeed giving me very insightful information that I can relate to my personal life. I have mostly been ignoring those lessons and only wondering what my grade on the papers and exams were. I do not think it is possible for me to get rid of that mentality. When my family calls and asks how I am doing they ask how are my grades not what am I learning and am I relating it my life. If I told my family that I was not focusing on grades but learning, I would get scolded for not taking college seriously. With so much going on with class work, I barely have time to remember to eat. How can I have time to (hypothetically speaking) relate Hobbes State of Nature to the way I view my society. I believe learning is truly important, but in our superficial world, grades are better.
ReplyDeleteSaeed,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading all of these posts concerning the true meaning behind education. Personally i find them to be very inspirational as i was always taught to strive for the A. Parents coaches and even teachers always pushed me to get A's in highschool and i did. I did the homework to get the points and spend hours meticulously studying terms and concepts only to better my average in the class; not to learn about the information that was taught in the course. As we approach the end of the semester, i am now starting to realize that the A's are simply letters on a transcript and ultimately they do not mean you truly understand the concepts from the course.
Unfortunately, next semester i am almost positive that i will find myself relapsing and going back into my old "shoot for the A " way. i plan to apply to the Ross School of Business and with that comes certain classes that we are required to take to apply. Take calculus for instance. I have no real interest in finding derivatives and learning the area under a curve, i am really only taking the class because i have to. In college, i think that this is wrong and in a sense almost robbing someone of his or her education. Classes like these take up space in one's schedule that they could have filled with a course that truly interest them. But instead, the space is now filled with a class that is only being taken because the student needs an A to pursue his or her dreams.
While there are classes i have to take next semester, i am really going to try and make an effort to choose classes that really interest me. Ones that i care much more about learning the material than cramming the night before the test in order to do well.
I accept your challenge. Great post.