It seems in the present time that college students are far too preoccupied with grades. Whatever happened to the good ole days when all we received were check marks for effort?
Upon entering the college experience, students are left in shock after the first week of classes due to the overwhelming demands of professors-especially introductory professors. As a junior trying to fulfill the General Education Curriculum, I find myself in a couple of introductory courses, mostly filled with freshmen, and often wonder what they think of professors who deduct a percentage point for missing a single class and bombard their students with assignments often associated with 3000 level courses. These freshmen are straight out of high school, and while the collegiate experience is all about personal and intellectual growth, I find it hard to believe they are prepared for what is thrown at them upon arrival. Professors typically cover the syllabus on the first day of classes, and I am willing to bet that there is not a syllabus in existence without some form of a grading rubric explaining how to “make the grade” in a particular class. I feel that more emphasis is placed on grading as opposed to what is to be gained by taking that particular class.
This brings me to my point. All too often, students’ sole concern is the end result of a course-whether or not they made the “A.” But what slips the mind is whether or not they learned anything while taking the course. We’re all guilty of it, but I am quizzical as to why we do it. An emphasis on doing well in school has been instilled in students from day one. But have you ever been questioned as to whether or not you learned anything along the way? All the time students are saying, “I don’t have time. I’m studying. I’m doing homework. I’m working on a project.” Multiply that by five courses and the result is an overload. Add on the emphasis of getting the best grade and you’ve got students spending sleepless nights in the library just to juggle 15 hours of classes with social activities and other extracurricular activities, and the result is a bogged-down individual with one thing on his or her mind: sleep.
Let’s be honest. We all need a break. A vivid memory comes to mind when I think of a break-a particular wellness professor named Birdie Barr. Out of all the courses I have taken thus far at SMU, I have learned the most from hers. Birdie always preached about the necessity of a sound mind, body and spirit. She practices what she preaches, too. She allows her students “mental health days” when they need a break from school, and while these may sound like a cop-out for skipping class, they are a complete necessity. Everybody needs a break from school. I hear people all the time muttering about how burned out they are on school work because they just finished their fourth exam that week-what kind of culture is that providing students? Mentally broken down, physically exhausted from studying every waking hour-it simply promotes an unhealthy atmosphere to students.
Back to making the grade.: How often do you find teachers who teach only the material that’s going to be covered on the all-important exam? Whatever happened to going to class to learn, to actually care about what information is being processed by your powerful brain? How much is learned when you cram it with loads of pointless information, regurgitate it on the test and then forget about it? Just the other day, a professor postponed an exam out of fear that the sole concern of the students was to learn what was to be on the exam rather than understanding the concepts for what they are. Students today are so concerned with what the end result of the class will be and how it’s going to affect their GPA that they forgo all opportunities to enjoy learning the information in the process and focus only on a two-digit number that forecasts their future. Think about it: When you’re 35, is that 60 you made on your statistics exam really going to matter?
I think the mental health of college students today is at great risk due to the overarching structure of the majority of classes at universities. Students are punished for missing class just because they needed an extra hour of sleep. Let’s face it: Everybody needs an extra hour of sleep sometimes. How great would it be if your professor cancelled class because he or she slept in on a rainy day? Try it sometime; it might remind you what it feels like to live a little, to break convention-it’s liberating. When’s the last time you went on a walk without the distraction of a cell phone or iPod and just listened to the sounds all around you? To some it might be scary; some may pretend they don’t have time for such unproductive things. I bet the benefits far outweigh the consequences.
I leave you with this: a challenge to all professors to remove the emphasis on making a good grade in your class and to promote learning to learn, and a challenge to students to go to class to learn and absorb information rather than being concerned with making the grade. Take a mental health day every now and again, even if you are going to be docked points for doing so; I guarantee it will be worth it in the long run.
About the writer:
Will Cooper is a junior CCPA major and Spanish minor. He can be reached at [email protected].
