Earlier this month, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan announced that they’d be piloting a new grading policy for first year students. The updated policy means that future freshmen in the university’s largest college will have private first semester grades that do not count toward GPAs or external transcripts. While the goal of the program is to “help first-year students acclimate to the demands of college and allow intrinsic motivations to guide personally meaningful academic journeys,” I think that this development is part of a bigger trend: one in which we are removing all meaningful accountability from students’ lives.
It isn’t just the University of Michigan making these policies. Other colleges like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College and California Institute of Technology have all implemented similar programs meant to protect student mental health and ease the transition to college level coursework.
While the transition from high school to college can be difficult for some students, especially those with a lack of financial and emotional support at home, it is important to understand that we should support students in meeting the new standards set for them, rather than eliminating them entirely.
The University of Connecticut and other higher-education institutions already offer a plethora of resources for students to take advantage of, that can both make their adjustment easier and teach them the skills needed to advocate for themselves. During the first weeks at UConn, orientation sessions strongly promoted First Year Experience courses, as well as the Academic Achievement Center and Learning Communities. Colleges have a responsibility to make these resources plentiful, easily accessible and well-known, but beyond that, it is the students’ responsibility to recognize when and how to use them.
Beyond the academic concerns that these policies aim to address, the mental health aspect is important to discuss. University concern for student mental health is valid, and data shows that students today are struggling, especially minorities and students that identify as female or financially distressed. Though this trend is alarming, there is a key difference between discomfort and harm. Stress, performance anxiety, and even failure are all uncomfortable parts of adulthood, but that doesn’t make them automatically harmful and removing them entirely also removes the potential for learning experiences. Instead, we should aim to address and learn to manage the “healthy” stress before it turns into something more serious. This goal is exactly what UConn looks to achieve with Student Health and Wellness mental health services. Away from home and the prying eyes of parents, students have opportunities to confidentially access therapy, medication and support through these services.
Finally, I want to address the University of Michigan’s implication that first semester grades are somehow destroying student potential for “personally meaningful academic journeys.” Responsibility for meaningful and exploratory growth goes both ways. In typical liberal arts curriculums like those at UConn and yes, the University of Michigan, general education requirements are meant for students to explore topics outside of their specialized degree. These core curriculum classes are introductory-level for a reason and are meant to be a place to discover or dive back into a passion in a low-stakes and easier-to-manage environment.
The opportunity to find something “personally meaningful” is there. Therefore, it is students’ responsibility to find and take courses that meet their ability level and areas of interest, even when the four letters before the course number don’t align with their major. Students who take the appropriate courses that align with their passion should feel driven to put in high effort, even when the content is not completely familiar or even when it means getting a B. For example, nursing students can fulfill their interest in healthcare and their philosophy requirement via PHIL 1175, Ethics in Healthcare. It isn’t a huge ask to expect students to pursue their interests, while also exploring them from multiple angles. Meaningful exploration doesn’t require guaranteed success, and part of exploration and mastery is learning to navigate unfamiliar environments without the promise of a perfect outcome each time.
18-year-olds aren’t perfect and they certainly don’t have all the answers in first semester. But neither do 22-year-olds, or 40-year-olds or 65-year-olds. So, if students aren’t ready to take accountability for their own wellbeing and success during first semester, then what makes second semester fundamentally different? If responsibility doesn’t begin at 18, then when does it begin? Beyond entering college, people of all ages will encounter a variety of transition periods as they start a career, manage finances and retire. These times don’t come with trial periods, but they do have training and support, so let’s teach our students the skills needed to leverage those resources instead of running away from the results.