What do you think makes a good student? Your response may include that a person must go to class, understand the material, study hard and take tests well. These are all important aspects of being a good student, yet there are also factors involved that may at first seem counterintuitive. Success in school also depends on how you compare your performance to others and how happy you are.
Students unable to judge their performance: Have you ever gotten a test back and thought you did pretty poorly, but later realized that you performed well above the average? Or, on the other hand, have you received a grade and thought you did well, then found out that most people in the class did better than you did? Students tend to misinterpret their performance in reference to their peers. High achieving students will believe that they performed worse than they actually did compared to other students, and thus will put in more effort towards studying in the future. Students who performed poorly but still believe they are doing well do not change their study skills and, as a result, will continue to receive poor grades. While social comparison isn't always a good thing to do, it may be beneficial to rate your performance against other students in the class so that you know how to alter your studying in the future.
Happiness leads to success: Success in school isn't all about how smart you are. A happy person has traits such as optimism, confidence and self-efficacy. People with these traits are good at coping with stress, are sociable and liked by others, have more creativity and flexibility, and are also more able to pursue their goals. There are more benefits too, such as higher energy, immunity, activity and overall wellbeing. While effective study skills are necessary as well, people who are happy are better able to handle the academic challenges that come their way. So if you feel yourself stressed and unable to work toward your goals, it would be wise to take care of yourself emotionally and pursue activities that make you happy.
Midterms are coming up, along with fun fall activities all over Gainesville. Keep in mind that it is important to keep up your studying, but also vital that you are having fun and maintaining your happiness!
Posts in Gator Minds appear on Wednesdays.
