Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The most important lessons learned in school are not reflected by your GPA. I'm not jealous I was a good student but school is about so much more than academics.
The most important lessons learned in school are not reflected by your GPA. I'm not jealous I was a good student but school is about so much more than academics.
I think this is what the study was getting at. I was good in school too, and in retrospect, I should have focused less on grades, and more on networking and connections.
Also, don't forget: the study took place in Russia, so let's not overlook the cultural differences. It's something that person shared with me, so I wanted to see how true this would be in the US. So far, not very much, apparently.
Last edited by MillennialUrbanist; 10-01-2016 at 10:46 AM..
For starters, A students are not a homogenous group; you've got three main subtypes:
1. Those who are exceptionally bright and get A's with minimal effort
2. Those who are willing to put in the time and hard work to get A's, even if the subject is very challenging for them
3. Those who are willing to cheat to get A's
Same goes for C students:
1. Those who are fine with coasting and putting in minimal effort
2. Those who struggle academically and worked hard for those C's
3. Those who have other circumstances outside of class that prevents them from putting in as much effort as they would under normal circumstances
I think the original poster had in mind a more in-depth examination of the differences between "A" students and those who get "C" grades, than just how they would identify themselves to the "Who are you?" question.
When I was in school, they still followed the policy of stratifying the students into class sections with others who had received similar scores on the previous year's comprehensive achievement tests. In more recent times, many school districts do the opposite and mingle them all together with others who have gotten all levels of comprehensive test scores.
I was always put into the classes with those with the highest scores and most of them were "A" students. So I had many years of close exposure to those who managed to get the best report-card grades. My impression of them, is that they had become skilled at cramming their short-term memories with the bits and pieces of the subjects that were to be tested that day, in many cases, just minutes after their last cramming session. This kind of learning doesn't lead to much retained or useful information and is not effective for forming working concepts of the subjects.
But these were the students that were honored and received good scholarships to college. Of course, this same fact-cramming technique works for most college courses as well, although when getting into upper-division courses in one's major department, it may not be sufficient. Those "A" students from grade and high-school had to learn a new and deeper way of approaching their studies, in order to succeed, especially if they went on to graduate or professional schools. Some of them did this and others were not able. I regard report-card grades as more superficial, than the ability to develop good working knowledge and solve problems, when out in a vocational situation.
I took a quick evaluation of my classmates from high-school, who were in my college-prep English class, most of them "A" students and on the Honor Roll. About 1/3 of them went on to good careers in academics and professions, another third had satisfactory success in college and work, but didn't do much that was outstanding. Unfortunately, many of the rest fizzled and didn't do much in their careers. Some of this last group had actually completed college. As far as success in life and the happiness they enjoyed, I can't say that as a group, their overall outcomes were much better than those who consistently were "C" students in high-school.
But back then, being "C" students didn't exclude them from college, although in recent years, it's much more difficult to get into most universities, without higher GPAs. I think too much emphasis is put on high-school grades, as a qualifier for higher-education. Scores on truly comprehensive achievement tests should get more consideration, but they never have counted for much and are used more to measure the schools' effectiveness, than that of individual students. Tests like the SAT do count for college admission, but they are not comprehensive at all.
The gist of it is, that those "A" students who were able to expand their scope of learning and understanding beyond just getting high scores on quizzes and midterm/final exams, were mostly successful in the real world beyond classrooms. A long-term Senator from our state once said to his colleagues, "We should give more support to the "C" students, because they're not only the most numerous, but they become the backbone of our society". George W. Bush said much the same, when he addressed a graduating class at a university, telling them that a "C" student like himself, might become President.
Not all "A" and "C" students were created equally.
Some "A" students achieve success by doggedly studying and doing nothing else. Others are smart kids that happen to have lots of help from well-off parents. They succeed because their parents push above average kids to achieve at elite levels. Then you have the naturally clever types that basically can do whatever they want with a little elbow grease (entrepreneur, lawyer, doctor etc.).
"C" students aren't all the same either. Some kids have a knack for a particular type of subject. Perhaps they're decent math/science types but struggle with language arts, athletics, history classes etc. Intelligent kids that do better when they're able to really focus on a passion. Others are borderline geniuses that just happen to be big-time slackers.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
