Y201
Top students discuss motivation, way to 'A's
Continued from page 1
disappointment that I would have is if I felt I could have done better."
The 2.84 co-ced explained that she has never made anything below a 2.79, but that "anything above a 2.5 is fine" with her.
"BUT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE between, for example, a 2.4 and a 2.8 G.P.A." she said.
To what degree do social recognition and respect contribute as motivating factors?
"I think it's there," Swift said, "and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, but I don't think I would continue to make these grades if this were the only reason."
"THE SOCIAL RECOGNITION was always something that came after," said the upperclass woman with the 2.84, "and I haven't been working for that particular thing. It just always came as a result, and I've always worked because I want to get an A in the course."
"I imagine it plays a large part in most people's motivation," Haven said, "but I don't think a major part."
"When this (social recognition) does occur, I'm happy about it," Saricks said, "and perhaps latently it does have some sort of impetus, and it's a sense of pride to me right now.
"I can't say whether it's going to make me work that much harder to make my grades again or not," he said "or make me do anything differently than what I have been doing."
IN THE END, what motivates an A student to strive for the top grade?
"Probably much of what we've previously mentioned," Saricks said. "Certainly the transcript is going to be very important, especially in relation to graduate school.
"An important part is attitude," he said. "Generally, I'm not antagonistic towards any course I have. I may be a little disappointed with a course, but I enroll in a course knowing what is going to be asked of me, and because I am partially interested in at least some of the aspects that a course has to offer.
"BASICALLY." SARICKS CONTINUED, "the truth of the
matter is that I'm happy when I'm studying. Maybe not in the book sense, or just cranking it out, but absorbing and assimilating knowledge.
"I've been doing this most of my life," he said, "and it's sort of a part of me.
"I would say that just the general contentment it gives me is motivation for me to try and do well," Saricks said.
"When I have a really busy semester," said the 2.84 KU co-ed, "I keep thinking that there's really no reason why you can't get a B, but I can't just hand in a paper that I know isn't good, and that I can get better."
Setting your goals high and not worrying about the mathematical G.P.A. appears to be an important aspect when considering motivation.
"I USUALLY DON'T think that much about the overall grade points," she said. "I just try and make an A in each indi-fall where they would.
"The only way that I made a 3.00," Swift said, "is when I wasn't trying, or when I didn't make this my all-important goal. So I decided to do the best I could and let the grades fall where they would.
"A lot of motivation is based on past performances." he said. "That is, if you do well in the past, you will again. For example, I'm sure that there are many 1.5 students who if they make a 2.5 once, they would maintain that level from then on.
"I THINK PROBABLY the biggest motivating factor, at least with me, is that I like to learn," Swift said. "It would be ideal if we didn't have to worry about grades and just concentrated on learning.
"Another motivation with me is that I like to master things, particularly courses," he said. "Come to think of it, that is probably the real motivation—I want to master and understand, and what keeps me going is that occasionally I do."
PERHAPS SWIFT is speaking for all scholastic achievers of this caliber in his concluding comments, even though motivation to make A's is a complex subject.
14 Daily Kansas Thursday, May 11, 1967
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