As parents, we want the best for our children. We want them to succeed. When our children become college students, the definition of success is sometimes more elusive. We want our students to receive good grades. We want our students to feel good about themselves. We want our students to make friends and have a fulfilling social life. We want our students to be able to get a job after graduation.
It may seem as though taking difficult or hard courses might not be the best choice for your student. Hard courses take a lot of time. Hard courses can be frustrating. Hard courses may not boost your student’s GPA. But there are some compelling reasons why taking some of those more difficult courses may benefit your student in many important ways.
Of course, your student needs to keep their schedule in balance and needs to keep everything in perspective. Taking all difficult courses, or all easy courses, does not make a balanced schedule. And one student’s definition of difficult is another student’s easy course. Knowing their own strengths and learning style is helpful. But with all of this in mind, here are eight reasons why a few difficult courses can benefit your student.
- Taking a difficult course helps your student learn how to do difficult things. As simplistic as this may sound, students who have not attempted something difficult, or who have been protected from too many challenges, may not have the coping skills necessary when they confront something difficult in the future. While a difficult course may be a struggle right now, your student will learn important coping skills and strategies.
- Your student will get their (or your) money’s worth out of college. Hopefully, your student is attending college to learn. Avoiding difficult courses may mean that they also miss a great deal of knowledge, experience, and exposure to some great professors.
- Your student won’t be bored if they are being intellectually challenged. Sticking to easier, more comfortable courses may mean that they will also be bored by repetition and lack of challenge.
- Your student may discover new abilities as they challenge their limits. Your student may learn that they are capable of more than they thought. They may discover new interests or passions as they throw themselves into their coursework.
- Your student will feel good when they succeed. There is nothing quite as satisfying as accomplishing something that you thought you might not be able to do. Your student’s self-esteem will grow.
- Hopefully, it won’t happen often, but if your student should not succeed, they will learn how to cope with failure. Students who never attempt something difficult, and so never fail, never learn how to deal with failure. Learning how to handle failure at this point, learning to deal with it emotionally, to bounce back, and to strategize a new plan, will help your student when they face the possibility in some future situation. They will not be intimidated by challenges in the future.
- A few difficult courses look good on your student’s transcript, and a future employer will notice. Your student should remember that employers look at more than the GPA, and they will recognize that your student has been willing to take on challenges.
- Your student will know that they were able to put all of their effort into something, pull their resources together, and prove something. Attempting a difficult course, taking on a challenge, should be something that your student because they want to, not for anyone else. The satisfaction that they will experience in discovering their capabilities is irreplaceable.
Your student will need to make their own choices about courses. They will need to evaluate goals, needs and the appropriate balance of courses. They will need to work with their academic advisor to choose the courses that are best for them at each stage of their college career. As a parent, you can encourage your student not to shy away from those difficult courses that may provide numerous benefits now and in the future.
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I’ve been trying to decide if I should suggest that my son take difficult classes in college. I didn’t know how many benefits can come from it! Discovering new abilities and challenging their limits is a great way to make sure that they succeed in life. Thanks for sharing!