Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Pursuit of Knowledge



    When we discuss all of the elements of college planning and advising or the cat and mouse game students play with college admissions offices or strategies that can eek out a few extra points on the SAT or ACT we are far too often overlooking the most critical element of our educational system, the pursuit of knowledge.
     In my actions as a counselor, I’m as a guilty of this as anyone else. However, I do try to catch myself now and again and try to remember that all that we do in schools should come down to learning. If a student works to leave each school day knowing a little more and being just a little sharper than they were the day before, they are doing something right.
     When we start talking about college admissions, we lose ourselves in a difference in grades between an 89 and 90. We’re not so worried about our mastery of the content covered on the SAT as we are about whether there is a penalty for guessing on the test. And, we pass up the opportunity to take classes we might be interested in because it might not carry the AP designation or be a weighted credit.
     Okay, college admissions is a big deal and an intricate process, so we have to do those things. Though, I think if students remember their job is to learn and work with that mindset in the forefront, their goals will come along. It’s all in how you spin it to the colleges. If you’re able to convince them that you took a course because that course delivered what you wanted to know--if you can convey that genuinely and meaningfully to them--colleges will be hard pressed to fault you for that.
     One of my recent graduates was interested in nursing. Now, this was very high achieving student but she decided to participate in our CNA program during her senior year. This program is designed for students who are most likely to take their CNA certificate and go right to work after high school. The program pretty much consumes the course selection of senior year and is frankly not one that looks as rigorous as a full slate of AP classes. Well, this student got into the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school, and will be there this fall. I think Penn appreciated the fact that she wanted to be a nurse, so she took classes that would give her the most experience in that. She just wanted to learn what she wanted to learn. How can any academic institution hold that against you?
     The very best students are aware of their grades but at the end of the day, they just want to be the smartest person in the room. The hard work that they put in doesn’t necessarily come from a place of trying to get the best grades or the best scores so they can go to the best college. It comes from an internal drive to be better. If a young person can develop that as their primary motivator and execute accordingly, the other pieces are sure to fall into place for them.