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Unread 30-04-2007, 23:51
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AKA: Bjorn Westergard
FRC #1418 (Vae Victus)
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Re: Grades and Student Travel, Etc

After a year long posting hiatus, I have returned for this thread. Having academic restrictions on FIRST team membership is incorrigible.

Success by the metrics of formal education requires a host of skills and personality traits distinct from an aptitude for or understanding of the subject matter. You have to be organized, disciplined, and interested in jumping through arbitrary hoops to prove yourself to your superiors, peers, and society at large.

In my case, I lacked (and to some extent still need to work on) the latter traits. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I was very interested in math/science/engineering/programming in high school, and knew quite a bit about areas of each. Often (but, I'll admit, not always) I did well on my exams but received poor grades overall due to my abject failure to complete assignments. I'm sure a lot of people in my position, finding little validation of their talents in academia, would give up on these harder subjects. These people should not be turned away from FIRST. It saddens me to think that this is the case on some teams, as it seems like they are the sort that could benefit the most from it. For those lacking the traits required to succeed in the academic world, FIRST can provide some validation for what can sometimes seem like hopeless aspirations. This validation can inspire continued efforts to change habits and attitudes.

The carrot and stick approach is demeaning and laughable. Some people are simply not going to master the academic game in high school, no matter how many well meaning adults or peers try to help them. These people (like me!) should just be shunned? Being an underperforming high school student can be pretty hellish - you have every imaginable incentive already to turn things around. For a few students it might be the push they need, but for others it would a serious blow. Had my school had this policy, I would be a very bitter person today.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ComputerWhizIA
High School is just a stepping stone to College, which is a stepping stone to a career; meaning that you should do good in school while being in FIRST to gain the maximum benefit from it.
I disagree entirely. Every moment of your life has value on it's own, regardless of it's preparatory function. Life doesn't start until (or if...) your career arrives? Or is that just preparation for retirement? Education, and the experiences outside it in high school and college have intrinsic value. My best friendships (practically my only friendships) from high school were made during the robotics season. Really, it was one of the few positive aspects of those years, but it was so great that I look back on them fondly.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Fultz
People who award scholarships want to help students succeed in college, and one of the best indicators for that is demonstrated academic ability in high school.
No no, they want people who will succeed with as little help as possible. Everyone else is a liability to the institution, and a potentially short-lived revenue source.

GPA measures in the individual those traits required to play the academic game well. These are traits that can be developed though, and it's much easier to do than developing passion for a subject. If you can get young people seriously excited about engineering/math/science, teaching them study skills seems like a trifling matter by comparison.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Fultz
When you are ready to graduate from college, many employers will use where you went to school and your college GPA as a screen. If you are not above some level, your resume won't even get reviewed.
Really? Other than Google and a few other companies, I have very rarely heard of employers asking for GPA. They usually want transcripts to verify you actually earned a degree, and potentially to check your areas of concentration, but practically no one cares what grades got you that degree. Getting in to graduate school, if you go, is the last time anyone will ask you about your GPA.
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