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| Help Gifted Students Transition to University |
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| Author : Council for Exceptional Children
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The road to university, an experience that students eagerly await, may be filled with potholes for gifted students. Issues to be resolved include adjustment and achievement, separation from friends and family, handling independence, and decision-making. Some will traverse the path smoothly; others will stumble over the many bumps that lie beneath the surface. Counselors, teachers, and parents can help students by keeping aware of the issues they confront and talking to students about their lives now and in the future.
New Challenges
Some gifted students have not been truly challenged academically. For them, study skills become an issue. These students may have a tougher time during the first year of college as they confront their limitations. Some panic and drop to a less rigorous program. On the other hand, many academically talented students enter university at a younger than normal age, raising social issues like fitting in. As with all students, maturity makes a difference. For gifted students, their level of maturity may determine whether or not the transition is smooth or bumpy.
The calendars of gifted students are often filled with daily extra-curricular activities, with family members acting as chauffeur, fan club, mentor, chef, or organizer. Carried into university, this level of frantic activity may be another pothole on the transition path. Independent living requires time � time to do laundry, get meals, and study. The students who seem to have the most problems are those who filled their lives with a host of activities and left little room for relaxation during high school.
On the Home Front
Many gifted students are highly intense and experience everything as though looking through a magnifying glass. Issues like separation from friends and family are part of the transition and may cause considerable disruption before students actually leave.
They are saying goodbye to friends who have been part of their world and may go through a grieving process.
During the time when university acceptance and rejection letters are arriving, best friends may be afraid to talk to one another in case the news isn't good.
The home scene may be one of high drama. Family dynamics often change during a student's last year at home, and as the time grows near, the looming detachment may cause unexpected reactions to things that were never controversial. Some students have to argue to say goodbye, which is difficult for everyone.
Practical decisions about the future have to be made � how to get money, phone home, live somewhat independently. Students may flip flop from day to day and run the gamut from exhilaration and excitement over leaving to nonchalance. Some create chaos over every decision from choosing a color scheme for a dorm room to buying a book bag or back pack. The smallest decision becomes agonizing, with great pains taken over the smallest details. Some announce loudly that they are now responsible for their own decisions and then demur when it's time to act.
Set Realistic Goals
University and career planning begins early for many gifted students. As soon as they are recognized as having academic talent, proud family members may assume that students will become doctors, lawyers, or other professionals. Some families expect students to go to a certain school.
Many families and students have unrealistic expectations, a major reason why students run into trouble during the first two years of university. They may not have the ability to make decisions, the knowledge necessary to set goals, or the maturity to live independently. Research indicates that students whose ambitions and expectations are misaligned with reality are among those most apt to drop out of university.
In contrast, students who have constructed a life plan that reflects their own interests and the steps to reach their goals are more likely to experience a smooth transition, regardless of their ultimate destination.
Such students see a connection between their own behavior and its consequences, and they demonstrate an understanding of what they must do to achieve their goals.
Smoothing the Way
University is a transition to life. Many gifted students have a tough time, because they are interested in everything and like everything. They may not know how to study or set aside time for relaxation. For some, finding a passion is the key to success. Research indicates that there are some things parents, teachers, and counselors can do to smooth the transition path for gifted students:
Help with decisions by pointing out different perspectives and options, constructing a spreadsheet, and asking clarification questions � for example, does this academic program provide mentors? Then support the final decision.
Be careful about how you encourage students. It's easy to transmit expectations. Allow students the option of taking a sensible course load and enjoying university.
Find out which services are available on campus. Hopefully, decisions about finances � where to get money, meals, and other life maintenance services have been made, and all parents have to worry about is campus security, drugs, alcohol, computers that go crash in the night, and letting go.
Tone down worries. The transition is filled with enough pitfalls to trap young vulnerable students in an anxious state. Adults need to support them by listening, responding, and expressing confidence that the student will succeed because of past experiences � be specific � and sending care packages at frequent intervals, especially during exams. �
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