Case Studies

The Strong Academic Student

They are usually the shining stars in their high schools – the students for whom studying and leaning come easily, who routinely receive perfect grades and who are involved in all the right clubs and sports.

The expectation for these well-rounded students is usually high – everyone from their teachers to their parents to their peers believes that they will want to attend the “top” colleges and universities and will have no problem being accepted. Because they have never known academic failure, they and their families assume they can write their own tickets. They get caught up in these expectations and often believe that they have no choice in the matter or that they will be letting others down if they don’t “shoot for the top.”

Jenn was just such a student in high school. In addition to maintaining a 4.3 GPA, she was very much involved with a number of extracurricular activities: she was a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, a member of the National Honor Society and the Irish American Culture Club. She performed 400 hours of community service and worked part time at her church. She was living a life she loved.

When we met Jenn, she was planning on applying to such colleges and universities as Harvard University, The College of William & Mary, Georgetown University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, and Boston College. It was our job to make sure that she was really thinking about what she wanted and that she was making her choices based on what was right for her, not because “this is where everyone thinks I should go.”

What we saw in Jenn was a very smart, warm young woman, but not a very competitive one. Certainly she was a natural student, but she wasn’t interested in beating other students. She just loved to learn. What we saw in the schools to which she was applying was a very competitive environment that wouldn’t have made her feel good as a student, that wouldn’t have supported the other activities that were so important to her.

Our biggest challenge with Jenn was giving her the space to realize what her own dreams and desires were and to give her the confidence to think and speak for herself. She was gung-ho about applying to those top schools so we made a deal with her: she could apply to those schools as long as she also applied to a school that we chose.

She reluctantly agreed. So in addition to her choices, Jenn visited several of our choices, including Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA. Once there, she quickly realized that it was an environment in which she would not only thrive, but a place where she wanted to be. The atmosphere is perfect for learning – ideal for a student who wants to be challenged academically – but it’s also a place that would allow Jenn to be involved in the other kinds of activities she enjoys without penalizing her.

Now as a sophomore she’s studying pre-law and the humanities. She’s not necessarily interesting in becoming a lawyer, but she finds the curriculum challenging. Interestingly enough, she was not accepted at all the schools to which she applied. She was, however, not only accepted at the schools we suggested, she was also offered scholarships.

One of our strengths is knowing what the options are and having relationships with officials and professors at many colleges and universities throughout the country. Our role in this case was to say “Yes you are talented and smart, but in a big, competitive school, everyone will be just like you. What makes you special won’t be valued and it will feel like failure just to be normal.” We also helped Jenn find her voice and be able to speak for herself.