A study conducted at the University of California-Irvine produced empirical data showing students feel entitled to good grades based on effort alone.
The study titled “Self-Entitled College Students: Contributions of Personality, Parenting, and Motivational Factors” was led by Ellen Greenberger, a research professor at UC-Irvine.
Data collected from a survey of 839 college students aged 18 to 25 showed one-third of students believe they deserved a B for attending class, while 40 percent reported a B was deserved for completing required reading.
“I think students do feel entitled for grades, but I think the explanation for that has a lot do with how they’ve been trained to work through their K-12 experiences,” said Aaron Brower, vice provost for teaching and learning at the University of Wisconsin. “In high school, people laid out … a cookbook formula to get the [desired] grade.”
Brower added learning is not just about getting a good grade or working the system but about challenging oneself with ideas and applying knowledge from one class to another.
“I’m 5-foot-8. If I go to the gym to lift weights and practice my jump shot every day on end, I won’t make it to the NBA. The same thing applies to college. You can study for hours on end but you still have to be able to perform. Effort should be commended but should not become a substitute for achievement,” UW freshman Jason Segal said.
According to the Undergraduate Admissions Office, the middle 50 percent of enrolled freshman in fall 2008 were ranked in the 86-96th percentile range of their graduating high school class.
Brower added students who come to the university are used to getting good grades and do not know how to react when the same effort they put into high school classes does not yield the same result in college.
UW freshman Sara Waller said hard work should merit better results, and test scores should not be the only grade-evaluating factor.
“If you do everything and try really hard … I’m the worst test taker known to [the world] — you can even ask my dad. If you know all the concepts and are just a bad test taker, I don’t think that’s fair (to get a low grade),” Waller said.
Because the university understands the transition from high school to college is often difficult, it provides many resources through the Center for the First-Year Experience to aid students in acclimating.
Wren Singer, the center’s director, said the first year of college is one of the most difficult transition periods in most peoples’ lives.
“From one day to the next, students are … engaging in academic work that is far more challenging than anything they have experienced,” Singer said. “This transition is eased significantly by experiences, opportunities and people dedicated to helping students progress successfully through the transitions,”
Singer added various campus resources are available including tutoring services, writing support, First Year Interest Groups and residential learning communities.
