College students are dropping the academic ball because of a lack of motivation and effort.
The National Survey of Student Engagement recently surveyed students and faculty from more than 970 universities across America. Out of the 850,000 students, 92 percent said they expect to make at least a B in their college courses.
Over-achieving students are few and far between. Although most college students welcome the idea of getting an A, few are willing to earn it.
George Kuh, director of the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University-Bloomington, labels America’s college students as the “entitlement” generation, telling the Star-Telegram many students believe they have a right to good grades.
Thus, the majority of America’s college students seem more concerned with earning a college degree than mastering the material, not realizing that a degree is essentially worthless without the knowledge to back it up.
In fact, most community college students claim they enrolled to complete degree requirements more quickly. They do not want to stray from their degree plan, even if the additional classes would provide valuable knowledge.
Although some may disagree, students should jump at the opportunity to experiment their freshman and sophomore years, taking a couple of classes in their desired career field to discover if their major is worth pursuing.
To get the most of a college class, faculty say the average student should study six hours a week per class, though the survey found that most students barely open a book for half of the advised time.
Time is often the greatest obstacle. Balancing family, job, classes and social life is difficult. But according to Wayne State University, the key to time management is refusing to over commit, keeping priorities on school.
Making the dean’s list is not grueling, but it does require effort. The TCC faculty advises students time and time again to study two hours for every hour in class.
Taking adequate notes is also crucial. Some are even advised to record a lecture too detailed to follow.
Although a lack of effort is a major cause of poor grades, college preparation is another factor to consider.
Janet Marling, director of new student and mentoring programs at UNT, told the Star-Telegram that many students feel overwhelmed by college work because they take so few classes their senior year of high school.
“ Typically, students will goof off in high school and say, ‘Well, when I get to college I’m going to get to work,’” Clayton Brown, TCU history professor, told the Star-Telegram. “Well, guess what? Your mind doesn’t grow overnight.”
In the same story, Cheryl Cardell, a UT-Arlington assistant vice president, said the current statistics may turn around as more Texas high school students enroll in more challenging courses and more universities offer academic aid to boost graduation rates. However, until the remaining 78 percent of college students take advantage of academic assistance, students have no validation for self-pity.
