In it’s annual survey, The American Teacher, Met Life looked at student life in 2002. It surveyed 2,300 high school students in grades 7-12 nationwide. It identified a number of hallmark differences between students who earn “A’s” and students who earn “D’s” and “F’s,” plus what students in general reported on some topics.
When compared to “A” students, “D” and “F” students were:
-Twice as likely to say they never eat breakfast
-More likely to say they rarely visit a library, or participate in activities such as sports, music or art
-More likely to say they never exercise
-More likely to say that their parents don’t know about important aspects of their lives
-More likely to report more family problems
-Less likely to describe their home and community life as extremely or very happy
-More likely to come from low income families
“D“&“F” students were more likely than “A” students to sleep less than 7 hours on a school night. Students who needed more sleep were likely to have considered dropping out of school (vs. those who did get enough sleep).
For students, feeling successful and earning high grades were closely related. Students who got “A‘s” were 15 times more likely to feel very or extremely successful at school. They were also 3 times more likely to feel very successful as a person, were happier with their school life, and felt that their school was preparing them to learn.
Jeffrey Ludovici, M.A., is a national level Higher Education Consultant based in Pittsburgh, PA. He’s worked with students and parents across the U.S. about college issues since 2001, and is a member of CSRDE that focuses on best practices in helping students. He is also a member of NACADA, the national college advising association in the U.S. Please see the program page for services Jeff offers.