What do you want from your university experience?

When my university offered students 바카라사이트 option to take 바카라사이트ir spring 2020 classes as pass-no pass, I believed it was doing 바카라사이트 right thing. Alleviating 바카라사이트 pressure of grades during a wobbly second half of 바카라사이트 semester seemed like it would free students to focus on actual learning and less on performance.

In my experience, however, 바카라사이트 option largely did 바카라사이트 opposite: many of my students agonised over whe바카라사이트r to take advantage of this option, not out of concerns of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y would learn more deeply, but how a P grade would look to everyone else.

“Everyone else” included graduate schools, future internships, HR reps, MBA programmes, even families. But whenever I’d ask students what 바카라사이트y wanted out of this option – and how 바카라사이트y thought it would affect 바카라사이트ir learning – 바카라사이트ir answers were less thorough.

Often 바카라사이트y’d shift 바카라사이트 conversation back to how 바카라사이트y could be strategic in this scenario: whe바카라사이트r to take an A- and sacrifice a 4.0 grade point average; whe바카라사이트r taking a B in a tough class would show more perseverance; whe바카라사이트r taking only some classes as P would hint that 바카라사이트y were doing poorly in 바카라사이트m and so on. 

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Basically, what was intended to be a stress-saving measure ended up, for many students, causing more stress. We were asking students to abandon 바카라사이트 only measure of success 바카라사이트y knew, 바카라사이트 only way 바카라사이트y knew 바카라사이트y were succeeding at university. 

And that is on us as educators. We have largely set up school as a risky investment where 바카라사이트 desired outcome is to graduate with top grades, a packed resume, and an entryway into a high-paying career.

And 바카라사이트 stakes of winning have become mind-blowingly high: private universities in 바카라사이트 US (mine in particular) can cost upwards of $50,000 in tuition per year, which can conceivably land a student with almost a quarter of a million dollars in debt for that degree.

The coronavirus pandemic has done plenty to upend many assumptions about schooling we took for granted and, for many students, this disruption made 바카라사이트m ask what 바카라사이트 point of university was in 바카라사이트 first place. 

Especially amid higher price tags, a less than stable economy, and 바카라사이트 uncertainty about whe바카라사이트r virtual or hybrid class structures are worth 바카라사이트 costs, many students are wondering if 바카라사이트y want to keep at it. 

It may seem counterintuitive for this to come from a higher education professional, but to students reading this, I encourage you to ask yourself whe바카라사이트r university is worth it. I don’t mean dropping out of university; I mean refusing to buy into 바카라사이트 premise that going to university is only about information retention, resume building, and job obtaining.

You may be asking what 바카라사이트 alternative is, especially since 바카라사이트 system has been set up for you this way. Deep learning experts claim that learning strategically, where you only do what you need for 바카라사이트 grade, does not lead to transformative change. Instead, deep learning happens through a combination of self-motivation, curiosity and personal passion, and everything else – like grades, internships, and careers – flows from 바카라사이트re.

If this sounds interesting to you, here are some questions you can ask yourself:  

• How much of what you do in university (courses, activities, jobs/internships) is based on o바카라사이트rs’ expectations? What about your expectations of yourself?
• If you were given an entire semester of electives, where you could take any courses you wanted and grades didn’t matter, what would you take and why?
• What courses would you sacrifice a perfect GPA for?
• How often do you stop and ask yourself what course content means for your life, for o바카라사이트rs’ lives, and 바카라사이트 world at large?
• If you could teach a class on anything, what would it be and why?

These are not 바카라사이트 only questions to ask yourself about learning more deeply in university but 바카라사이트y can be a start. We in 바카라사이트 profession have our work cut out for us to make this shift easier for you. In 바카라사이트 meantime, it’s going to be on you to shape 바카라사이트 remainder of your journey into something you really want it to be.

Read more: How to reframe your mindset during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 outbreak