Empowering Students To Take Ownership of Their Academic Journey

I really want to empower students to take ownership of their own academic journey and progress. That’s something I am always trying to emphasize with my students.

You own your journey.

As a student, you have the power to speak up if you feel like you have been placed into a class that is below your level academically. Maybe you notice that your friends who get the same grades as you were all moved up a level and you were not. There is a way to respectfully advocate for yourself. Not only could this drastically change the long-term four-year course trajectory of high school, but it will show the teachers that you take initiative and you care about your learning. This kind of action can speak volumes in a positive way. 

Parents, especially parents of younger children, can also reach out to counselors if they notice this is happening, so I encourage them to be vigilant about checking their student’s course and level placement. Sometimes students are subtly placed into different groups based on a teacher’s perceived ability of that student. This happens most often in elementary school but can still happen in middle school and high school years. Sometimes students aren’t recommended for Honors or AP courses even though they are performing highly. If your son/daughter is consistently doing well but seems unchallenged in school, inquire whether they are in the hardest level of a particular course. Counselors can also take notice of students who seem to be overperforming in understimulating courses and have a conversation with the student and/or parent about level placement. 

In that same vein, students should strive to reach higher than just the bare minimum high school graduation requirements.

Colleges like to see that students go above and beyond the requirements, and the strength of curriculum and success in those courses is the number one factor colleges look at for admissions. I’m not saying that students need to take courses that make them miserable, but they should push themselves to take the next highest level in courses they do enjoy. 

Don’t be afraid to reach high and maximize your potential in your college list.

For students, when evaluating your college application list make sure that it is a list that is tailored to your academic profile. Statistically, low-income and minority students “undermatch” in the college application process. This means that they don’t go to or even apply to schools that are meeting their academic potential. A 2012 study in the National Bureau of Economic Research found that a majority of high achieving low-income students do not apply to selective colleges, despite being academically qualified. This can happen for a variety of reasons -- financial, needing to stay closer to home for family reasons and responsibilities, and not having access to information. If you aren’t sure if your college list is an accurate reflection of your academics, one place to verify on your own is by doing a college search on CollegeBoard Big Future or the College Navigator. There are options there for you to put in your test scores and GPA. If your school has access to Naviance you can use this as well. Counselors can also help. Counselors can collaborate with other counselors, especially counselors of color when recommending schools to students. Sometimes unintentional implicit bias can cause counselors to contribute to this phenomenon of undermatching, so having a system of checks and balances can help to combat this.

Want more tips on how students can maximize their college application process? Check out this podcast by the College Essay Guy or shoot me an email at [email protected].