There are many factors when it comes to academic achievement — raw intelligence, work ethic and organization are all components of academic success.
How do these components work together, and how important is each in predicting academic achievement? Raw intelligence may play a small factor in academic success and even success in other aspects of life.
“(Some) students can perform well on tests, and other students have heart,” said Dr. Aaron Striegel, who heads the Counseling Department at Trinity High School. “Some tests are set up in ways that aren’t the best indicators of success.”
Striegel cited the importance of a good work ethic. He said, “We get caught up in test scores and not plain old hard work.”
Organization, or a lack of, can be a strong component in determining academic success.
Striegel pointed to “missing assignments, not writing things down in their planner, not completing assignments, procrastinating” as behaviors that hinder performance.
For people with organizational issues, particularly procrastination, Striegel suggests setting “some short-term goals, like not having as many missing assignments. Make yourself a list of things to complete. Have a two-hour window for homework. Have discipline and let nothing interfere with your time.”
While Trinity senior Zack Baugher thinks he “overall gave my best effort” during his high school career, he had trouble motivating himself when classes came easily to him.
What determines academic success for Baugher? “I think in most cases it is hard work,” he said. “But in complicated classes like chemistry or physics, you need raw knowledge. Nowadays in education they only measure raw IQ and not circumstances. They give everyone a generic test and don‘t take into account other things. I get part of it, but people who don’t do well on tests could do well at auto mechanics or other things.”
When it comes to school work, senior Alex Edens said, “There’s always room to improve. I could have done my maximum effort and when I was younger, I slacked off, and it has caught up with me. On big papers I tend to wait until the last couple of days.”
Baugher expressed a similar problem. He said, “To be honest I procrastinate all the time. There have been days when I have stayed up all night. I regret doing it at times. Usually I do it for small assignments that turn into big ones like papers.”
Baugher intends to modify his approach. “I think I‘ll have to stay focused and stay organized,” he said. “I’m going to try my best to develop study habits and write things down.”
Academically proficient students “do their daily work,” Striegel said. “They take care of things on a regular basis. Not completing assignments or getting half credit is going to kill your grade.”
