The academic year is finally coming to an end and students around the world are either moving forward with the next phase of their academic lives or finally putting their pens down. We are seeing most students jumping for joy that they don’t have to stress about deadlines and assignments anymore but on the other side of the academic world, some students are apprehensive that their academic lives are coming to an end.
Here’s when the issue of academic validation kicks in. What happens to students after graduation? What had them craving this validation from the start?
We asked a student about graduating university and how their academic life is coming to an end. Their experience with academic validation started in kindergarten and how one appraisal led to wanting more of that. Their target was always to feel respected and on top of their class.
Having their role models praising their work and putting them as an example for others to look up to felt like “royal treatment”. The downside of academic validation is the need to be the best at everything. No matter how smart and dedicated a student is, one mistake can have them mentally break down and question their entire past success.
Since it’s mental health awareness month, it’s important to highlight how anxiety and stress play a huge part when it comes to passing and getting the perfect grades. Students fail to realize that their mental health is far more important than grades and lose the sense of it too.
But what happens after graduation when grades are no longer a factor? A student has told us “It’s time to learn from the past and apply the lesson through accepting change, embracing it, and buckling up for whatever life has to offer next and know in my gut that validation will come in different forms.“
While some students are ready to accept change, others can benefit from pursuing careers in education. Students can apply that change to acceptance and that ignorance can be bliss. Life has a funny way of showing what more it can offer other than building your whole life around academia.
What is the best advice to give students who seek academic validation after graduating?
