I have a feeling this may be controversial.

When a student in your class tells you they want to do something that they are not qualified for, I strongly encourage you as a good professor, to explain the landscape for the opportunity out there. For example, if a student as a 2.3 GPA and is applying to medical school where the average GPA of students is like 3.7, it is good to tell the student that their chances are slim (because they are). But it is also good to help them come up with options for the future with their next step.

There is a world of difference between the following:

Your GPA is significantly lower than what is typical of medical school applicants. If I were in your situation, I might look at some other alternatives because – and I am sorry – you have a very low chance of getting in. One thing you might do is apply to a Master’s program and hit the ground running from day 1. A great graduate experience can really help. I might also consider a career outside of college in the short run. I am willing to bet that no one will care about your GPA after you have been working successfully for 3-5 years. And maybe you will end up liking it and the salary that comes with it.

In order to get the next level you are going to need to do some really good things to showcase you are ready for it. Let’s look at some cool things you can work on. For example, I have found that students who spend time around the department studying, doing research, etc often do much better in classes.

What do you think about all this? How can I help you?

And

Whelp you are barely making it through your major with such a low GPA. Don’t expect to get any opportunities. If I were you and I wanted even to graduate, I would go back and read your lower-level text books and get yourself caught up. Your chances at medical school are basically zero.

While both of these are true. We want to go forward, not backward! We want to be positive. We also have to be truthful and direct.

Some positivity and helping them see avenues for success can really make a difference. All students are brilliant. Grades happen. And one’s grades are a function of a number of different factors, many in the student’s ability control and some outside the student’s ability to control. But if you shut them down and don’t give them a pathway then they definitely won’t succeed.

This is one of the reasons I don’t look at GPA when deciding who I want to work in my lab. In the 10 or years I have had some of the best Adelphi students in my lab (Really the best, like top five students in a year across campus). And I have some students that have done poorly in classes. The big question that I ask is will a research project encourage excitement. And is the student willing to learn. Listen, if they start getting excited about physics they will figure out all the details on their own time. I have seen it happen over and over again. It’s slower and messier than you would want. But you do get there. But if a student is genuinely excited and you shoot the student down, well they may never recover.

Also take the time to hear what student wants and how they are looking to you for help.

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I was taken back by a conversation I had this weekend with another professor. I have rewrote this blog post a number of times. I am struggling with this. I want to get it right. I am not sure what the right answer is. So here it is BLEH!

I am 45, have a phd, a chair that has tenure, a stable job, debt free, I am happily married to a beautiful brilliant wife, an amazing wonderful daughter, with a wonderful family, surrounded by the best friends a guy could want. And life is hard for me. Imagine what it must be like for 20 year old in debt unsure about their future. (and let’s not even throw all of the other things that could affect success.)