Factors Leading to Underachievement Among College Students

Numerous college students have a poor level of literacy when they leave schools. They also have low examination grades. Often, these students are not the ones with the lowest IQ. They are not the less intelligent or less hardworking students either. Some of them are even smart and fast thinkers. Yet, they underachieve. There are several factors leading to under achievement.

1. Instability in family unit

The modern family is in turmoil, stressed and overcommitted. Parents have to worry about the day-to-day running of the family and their jobs at the same time. Sometimes, there are marital discords. Job pressures and financial constraints are constantly on the rise. They barely have time for leisure or for the family. Also, moving out of the extended family usually means less care and attention to the children. The day-to-day educational tasks of the children are no longer the primary concern of parents.

2. Too many extra-curricular activities

Extra-curricular activities are important for the overall development of college students. It opens a new world, besides the academic arena, where students can explore their talents. However, too much of anything is bad. Students who demonstrate an elevated potential for learning are often found to be involved in many activities at the same time. They usually stay after school hours for these activities. They dedicate their afternoons and evenings to extra-curricular activities and keep homework for the late night. This frantic pace leads them to become underachievers.

3. Too much pressure

Parents mean no bad when they prioritize educational achievement of their prodigies. However, this often results in too much pressure on the children. It also leads to the phenomenon of counter-identification. This is a situation where the parent amplifies the success or failure of the children. The outcome is that the child feels he could never live up to expectations from his parents. Where there is a high achiever in the family, the other might be pressurized to do as well. This leads to rebellion and underachievement.

4. Lack of challenge

When not intellectually challenged, even gifted students tend to give up. They do not accord as much importance to learning. They even stop caring about working at the school and giving their best. These students need to overcome a certain level of difficulty to be reminded that no grade or achievement is given. They have to work for it. This is how high achievers are triggered to perform well. Otherwise, they end up underachieving.

5. Choices for GCSE exams

This is the most determinant factor which leads to college students not achieving predicted grades. In UK, some underachievers choose a variety of academic subjects for their GCSE exams. They often choose Mathematics, English or English literature. Besides these, they may go for separate sciences, humanities subjects or modern languages. This combination of subjects is challenging. It leads them to achieve less than they would on the right combination of subjects.

Conclusion

College students are most affected by underachievement. This is because they are at a delicate age. Teenagers tend to take things at heart and might overreact in response to certain issues. All these factors lead to underachievement. It is, therefore, important to provide the right environment for them to perform well.

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