Quote:
Originally Posted by PayneTrain
What to people think of FIRST advising the mentors to choose juniors instead of seniors this year?
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Personally, I think it makes complete sense. The Juniors can benefit more from getting on the Dean's List than Seniors can. That doesn't stop a team from recognizing the effort their Seniors put in, though - The mentors can certainly write something up and give it to the students or present it infront of the team.
Another aspect of this is expectations. Look at what mentors expect from a senior. They might be a captain, or a design leader, or hold some other leadership role on the team. The expectations are set pretty high - you expect them to do that job on the team, and there's relatively little room for them to exceed expectations. Now, look at what you expect from a rookie. You want them to show up, learn, and work hard. It's relatively easier for them to exceed their expectations, by doing something that would just be expected of an older, more experienced member.
For me, the real question for a team is: Do you nominate a sophomore or freshman? With our team, everyone has an equal chance of improving the team and the community - there's no preference or additional opportunities for seniority. That allows an underclassman (or a rookie!) to be just as influential as a Senior. But, a freshman will have several more chances to be nominated, while a Junior won't (if you rule out nominating Seniors).