Just Having A Whack At It

For students attending elite educational institutions, it is common to set academic goals and find ways to stay motivated to attain them. At elite institutions such as Colby College, students usually set their standards for academic success pretty high. For example, students strive to keep up their grade point average (GPA) by achieving straight As in their courses, aiming for that coveted 4.0.  This is likely due to the nature of the students that you would expect to be enrolled at these high-level colleges, those whose good grades and high academic achievements in high school led them there in the first place. So wouldn’t you expect these goals of high academic achievement to carry over to students attending other elite institutions? For example, the students at Everdeen in Melbourne, Australia? I know I certainly would, but to my surprise, I found that that is not always the case. 

Now, I cannot speak for all of the students who attend Everdeen, in fact, at this moment, I can really only speak for the student whose interview transcripts I read. While I am sure that his thoughts on academic goals are not the same as all of his classmates, I would have to assume that there are at least a handful of other students who are thinking the same way. When the student was asked if he sets academic standards for himself, he answered by telling the interviewer that he just tries to aim for getting at least a 70% in his courses. In all honesty, this answer kind of shocked me. Coming from a college where anything below 90% is considered “bad” for most students, hearing that this student was just aiming for 70% threw me for a loop. I always assumed that students who get selected to attend elite educational institutions by going through rigorous admission processes are very high achieving academically to begin with, and they strive to keep that up once they are at the institution. While here in the U.S. 70% is considered “average,” it is considered to be about a B in Australia. This is slightly above average, but still not the high range that you would expect from students at elite institutions. This mentality of aiming for just okay grades and scores just did not seem to be lining up with the typical goals and mindsets of students at such an elite school, but let’s take a look at where his motivation is coming from. 

When asked about where this goal is coming from and who set it, the interviewer asked if it was a personal choice, or if it was influenced by his parents and/or teachers. The student replied by saying that he and his parents have discussed it and they agreed that aiming for at least 70% in school subjects and “hav[ing] a whack at it” is the goal. He then explained that the teachers at Everdeen are the ones who are pushing a bit harder, having the students aim for 80% and 90%. To me, this makes a lot more sense given the nature of high academic achievement in elite educational institutions. It is interesting that this student’s parents appear to be aligned with him, and agree that 70% is a good goal. I am sure that they know him better than I do, but from my own personal experience my parents definitely tell me to set my goals high, but they are always understanding if I happen to fall short. Here, both the student and his parents seem to be ready and willing to accept these grades, while the teachers do not. Why could this be? 

Sometimes, even at Colby, it can feel like your performance while you are here doesn’t matter so much because no matter what, you will have “the name” following behind you. By this, I am referring to Colby College being written on your diploma, and not your GPA. Colby, like Everdeen, carries an incredible amount of worth just in its name from its established reputation as an elite institution. There are standards set in order to be admitted, and there is an expected rigor that occurs once you begin your studies here. These things alone are sometimes enough for people to form their opinions about you and your achievements, both personally and academically, without even knowing the details like your GPA. The reputation that these schools have built up, and the resulting reputation that you get just by attending them, sometimes feels like all you need in order to succeed after leaving. This could be the case with the student that I read about as well as many others. They may feel that just by going to a place like Everdeen they are doing enough to succeed, and how they perform while they are there doesn’t matter so much.

Citation

Ola. (2022, August 31). Complete Guide: University Grading System in Australia. Casita.com. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.casita.com/blog/complete-guide-university-grading-system-in-australia