The Apocryphal Ideal Student

At the beginning of this semester we were asked to write a blog post on what we believe an ideal student is.  Originally I wrote about how it is someone who, despite their circumstances, perseveres until they achieve what they want, whether it be to get an A in a class or get their desired degree.  I formerly believed that if someone would take the time needed to study and were willing to ask for help then they could achieve this.  However, after a semester of college my views have changed.

Dictionary.com defines ideal as a standard of perfection or excellence and student as any person who studies, investigates, or examines thoughtfully.  So, if you were to put those two definitions together an ideal student would be something along the lines of the perfect person who studies thoughtfully. This definition doesn’t sit well with me, because I personally believe it is impossible for someone to be perfect.  Someone may strive to be perfect their entire life and just when they think they are there, someone else comes along who is smarter, better, or just more favored.

Also, I have learned through personal experiences that sometimes your best effort isn’t enough.  Each teacher has their individual preferences and you won’t always fit the mold.  You can study your hardest in the most “thoughtful” way and never reach perfection.  You can do all the assignments to the best of your abilities and fulfill all the requirements and more and it still may not be good enough.  This has further increased my belief that perfection is not attainable.

So, to sum this up, I believe that the ideal student depends on what their teacher is looking for.  The work the student may do, despite them giving their best effort, may not be enough to get the A.  So, is there really such a thing as an ideal student if it can be a different thing to every person?  I personally have started to believe that there is no set in stone ideal student.  I’ve learned that you must just be who you are.  Even though your best may not be enough for what one teacher wants, it may be exactly what another is searching for.  You just have to keep trudging on and don’t let one bad grade get to you.  Eventually things will turn around and you will find that class that you will be exceptional at.