academic validation essay

Wednesday, May 15th, 2024

Filling the void through academic validation Students experience burn-out from over-working themselves for the sake of success.

Academic stress, academic validation, and academic burn-out—three terms that most of us know far too well. The absolute desire to succeed in school—which leads to feeling like we’re disappointments with no real trajectory—is a paralyzing thought .

There seems to be a misconception that in order to be the best of the best, you need to struggle as much as possible. Otherwise, you have no value, or you don’t deserve whatever success you do manage to receive. 

Why do people do this? Why do people overwork themselves in order to feel like they’re a good student or a good worker or a good friend even? If we’re not in agony and swamped with work or responsibilities, why do we feel like we’re not doing enough?

Comparison.  

It all started in middle school when friends would ask each other what they got on that math test or that English essay. Comparison bruises your ego. It places you in a contest and a race to get the highest grade in the class, or to have the most credentials by the time you graduate. 

While some don’t view their friends as competition, there are those who constantly take an extra course load, join as many clubs and societies as possible, and seek a multitude of work-study opportunities in the hopes that it’ll make them feel like they’re worth something. 

We often look at the student in six clubs, three internships, and four upcoming public speaking events and think, “they’re so intelligent and capable.” We make similar remarks while speaking of that one co-worker who stays overtime every night. We, as human beings, have a tendency to equate struggle to success, and success to value. 

Truly, as time passes, it becomes apparent that those who attempt to over-compensate in academics are genuinely trying to find a means to fill whatever void exists within themselves. While this may not be the case for everyone, and perhaps is a little bit of an exaggeration, for many, striving for success with this unhealthy mindset can be detrimental to their mental well-being and contribute to more frequent instances of burnout. 

I say this because I do this, and I know countless others who do the same. Here I am, at 9:12 p.m. on a Wednesday night, still at my university campus, slaving away at the computer screen in hopes that all this fatigue, exhaustion, and over-working will not only secure a stable future but also aid me in my attempts at feeling happy. I do all this because society and the students around me have led me to believe that a struggling student is a successful one. 

There are individuals who sacrifice all aspects of their social and home life to excel at school. They make no time to see friends or family and give little effort to the activities that once filled them with joy. 

So, while people exhaust themselves beyond comprehension, it’s so unequivocally true that quality beats quantity in the eyes of employers and graduate schools. An individual might have the longest resume ever seen, but unless they’ve gained real skills that can be carried to every sphere of life, what good will it do when they finally meet the real world and have no idea how to navigate it? What fun will there be when they want to celebrate but there’s no one to celebrate their successes with? Moderation, in all the beautifully complex and exhausting parts of life, remains to be the key to genuine success.

Changing Leaves Columnist (Volume 49); Managing Editor (May–November, Volume 49) — Aia is a fourth-year student studying Psychology and completing a double minor in French and Philosophy. She became a Staff Writer for  The Medium  in the 2021-2022 publishing year and was determined the team couldn’t get rid of her so soon. In her spare time, she can be found café hopping in the hopes to find the best iced chai in the GTA, writing her weirdly complex thoughts down in her notes app, or taking a million pictures a day of her friends. Aia hopes that students find  The Medium  and feel the sense of belonging she has felt. You can connect with Aia on  Linkedin .

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The Role of Academic Validation in Developing Mattering and Academic Success

• Published: 24 March 2022
• Volume 63 , pages 1368–1393, ( 2022 )

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• Elise Swanson   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4529-9646 1 &
• Darnell Cole 2  

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We use survey data from three four-year campuses to explore the relationship between academic validation and student outcomes during students’ first 3 years in college using structural equation modeling. We examine both a psychosocial outcome (mattering to campus) and an academic outcome (cumulative GPA). We find that both frequency of interactions with faculty and feelings of academic validation from faculty are positively related to students’ feelings of mattering to campus and cumulative GPA in their third year. Our results suggest that academic validation, beyond the frequency of faculty–student interactions, is an important predictor of students’ psychosocial and academic success.

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Developing a student conception of academic rigor.

From Policies to Principles: The Effects of Campus Climate on Academic Integrity, a Mixed Methods Study

The Role of Non-cognitive Variables in Identifying Community College Students in Need of Targeted Supports

Data availability.

The data used for this analysis are restricted-used and under the purview of the Promoting At-promise Student Success project. Interested researchers may apply to access the data. The survey used was for this research was compiled by researchers at the Pullias Center for Higher Education. Certain scales on the survey were used with permission from other research organizations; the survey instrument used for this study may not be used without appropriate permissions for all scales on the survey.

Code Availability

All analyses were conducted in Stata; code is available from the authors upon request.

A concern with this modeling decision is that our estimates of the relationships between validation and faculty interactions, respectively, and third-year GPA may include the indirect relationship between prior (e.g., T1) validation and faculty as well as the direct relationship between the T2 measurements and third-year GPA. When we include students’ high school, first semester, first year, second year, and third year GPA, we find no significant relationship between students’ first-year faculty interactions and second-year GPA and a small, marginally significant relationship between first-year validation and second-year GPA, mitigating this concern. We also estimate the model including lagged direct paths between first-year validation and faculty interactions and third-year GPA; we find similar results to those presented below affirming the importance of second-year validation for predicting third-year GPA, again mitigating concerns of bias in our main estimates. However, a conservative interpretation of our results is as the cumulative relationship between second-year student-initiated interactions with faculty and feelings of academic validation with GPA. Goodness-of-fit measures are similar across specifications.

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We would like to thank Adrianna Kezar, Tatiana Melguizo, Ronald Hallett, Gwendelyn Rivera, KC Culver, Joseph Kitchen, Rosemary Perez, Robert Reason, Matt Soldner, Mark Masterton, Evan Nielsen, Cameron McPhee, Samantha Nieman, and all the other members of the broader mixed-methods evaluation team for designing and implementing the Longitudinal Survey of Thompson Scholars, for helping us get a better understanding of the program and providing feedback on previous versions of this manuscript. We would also like to thank Gregory Hancock for his assistance with the structural equation modeling. Finally, we would also like to thank the staff at the Thompson Scholars Learning Communities for their reflections and continued work to support at-promise students. This study received financial support from the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. Opinions are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the granting agency or of the authors’ home institutions.

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Swanson, E., Cole, D. The Role of Academic Validation in Developing Mattering and Academic Success. Res High Educ 63 , 1368–1393 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-022-09686-8

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Received : 03 March 2021

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Published : 24 March 2022

Issue Date : December 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-022-09686-8

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• Janvi Pandey
• Oct 8, 2023

The Double-Edged Sword of Academic Validation

Academic validation, the process by which scholarly work is evaluated, acknowledged, and accepted within the academic community, plays a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of knowledge and education. It serves as both a powerful catalyst for intellectual growth and a potential source of stagnation. This essay explores the dual nature of academic validation, highlighting its positive and negative aspects, and how it can either foster progress or hinder innovation.

The Positive Side of Academic Validation

1. Quality Assurance:

One of the primary benefits of academic validation is its role in ensuring the quality and rigour of research and education. Peer review, a cornerstone of academic validation, subjects research papers, articles, and academic projects to scrutiny by experts in the field. This rigorous evaluation helps maintain high standards and minimises the dissemination of inaccurate or poorly researched information. Consequently, academic validation provides a reliable foundation upon which further knowledge can be built.

2. Credibility and Trust:

Academic validation enhances the credibility of research and scholarship. When work is peer-reviewed and published in reputable journals, it carries a stamp of authority and trustworthiness. This trust encourages other researchers, students, and the general public to rely on and build upon validated knowledge. A robust academic validation system thus serves as a bulwark against misinformation and pseudoscience.

3. Encourages Innovation:

Academic validation, when conducted fairly and with an open-minded approach, can stimulate innovation. Researchers are driven to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of existing knowledge to make a meaningful contribution to their field. Knowing that their work will be subjected to rigorous scrutiny, scholars are incentivized to think critically and develop groundbreaking concepts, technologies, and theories.

The Negative Side of Academic Validation

1. Stifling Creativity:

While academic validation can encourage innovation, it can also stifle creativity and unconventional thinking. A rigid adherence to established norms and paradigms within academia may discourage scholars from pursuing novel and unconventional ideas. This conservatism can hinder the development of groundbreaking concepts, as researchers may fear rejection by the academic establishment.

2. Publication Bias:

The academic publishing industry's reliance on validation through publication can lead to publication bias. Journals often prioritise research with positive results or novel findings, which can skew the overall body of knowledge. Negative results or replication studies may be less likely to be published, creating an incomplete and potentially biased view of a particular field.

3. Delayed Dissemination:

The peer-review process, while important for quality assurance, can significantly delay the dissemination of knowledge. It may take months or even years for a paper to navigate the review process and finally reach publication. In fast-paced fields, this lag can impede the timely dissemination of critical information.

In conclusion, academic validation is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it upholds high standards of quality, fosters credibility, and encourages innovation. On the other hand, it can stifle creativity, introduce bias, and slow down the dissemination of knowledge. Striking a balance between these aspects is essential for a healthy academic ecosystem. Embracing diversity of thought, supporting interdisciplinary research, and reevaluating the publication process are some steps that can help mitigate the negative aspects of academic validation while preserving its essential role in advancing knowledge and education. Ultimately, academic validation should be a tool for progress, not a barrier to it.

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Validating Students: A Conceptualization and Overview of Its Impact on Student Experiences and Outcomes

2011, nrollment M

The importance of the validation of students through transformative teaching and counseling (Rendón, 1994) emerged as a framework to conceptualize the underlying mechanisms necessary to validate the experiences, expectations, and performance of college and university students, particularly low-income students. In this paper, we examine the divergent perspectives of how validation has been defined since its foundation. We also draw upon a corpus of qualitative and quantitative data that centers on the role of ...

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The study of students’ sense of validation holds promise for understanding college student retention and success, but more research is needed regarding the generalizability and use of the concept. The development of quantitative measures can help facilitate use across student populations in multiple types of institutions of higher education. The present study empirically examines two validation constructs, student perceptions of academic validation in the classroom and general interpersonal validation, in a new nationally available instrument, the Diverse Learning Environments (DLE) survey. Construct validity and cross-validation tests indicate that survey items tap into these latent factors for students of color and White students, and that students of color perceive lower levels of both forms of validation compared to White students. These factors and survey items may be used in future research to examine the relationship between validation, student experiences, and educational ou...

Throughout scholarly literature, researchers have continuously documented the low retention of African American male students at institutions of higher education (Druery & Brooms, 2019; Emetu, 2019; Harewood, 2013; Lundy-Wagner, 2013; Phillip, 2011). Though women have traditionally outnumbered men in college enrollment across all ethnicities since the 1980s (Emetu, 2019; Mcdaniel, Diprete, Buchmann, & Swed, 2011; Tolliver, Kacirek, & Miller, 2019), the largest gender gap persist among African Americans with females leading males by a margin as large as 27% (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2014; Harris, 2018; Tolliver, Kacirek, & Miller, 2019). Moreover, when compared to all other ethnic gender groups, African American male college students have traditionally maintained the lowest retention and graduation rates in post-secondary education (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2014; Emetu, 2019; Harris, 2018; McDaniel et al., 2011). Production of this article sought to provide recommendations for incorporating validation as a means of supporting academic achievement. But an important first step is understanding the barriers that they encounter.

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Retention interventions focus on support programs, measures of success, and demographics. This study offers an alternate student-based narrative relative to student college preparation and self-diagnosed functionalities and compatibilities. We examine metrics that portray economic and environmental settings and social frameworks – as well as interactions, behaviors, and responses – that comprise first-year students’ experiences for the spectrum of engagement behaviors. We analyze the return on investment for student retention efforts at a four-year public university by applying a predictive and proactive retention model. We also discuss ensuring accessibility to services, diagnosing student intervention, and considering subsequent engagement behaviors.

Educational Policy

Employing Rendón’s theory of validation, the validating elements in Community College Puente are identified. Implications for promoting access, use of involvement and validation theory, and employment of learning theory for nontraditional student populations are presented.

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Are You Striving or Suffering in the Pursuit of Academic Validation?

What is academic validation, the cause behind academic pressure, the side effects of academic validation, how to manage academic validation and help regain control over your life.

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Academic validation: is it really worth all the stress.

It may feel rewarding, but it takes a toll on your mental health

Academic validation is when a student relies on their academics to feel recognized as an individual. What many don’t realize is how draining constantly worrying about your grades and pushing yourself to only do your best in school really is in the mind of a teenager. Art Credit: Crystalyn Estabillo

Crystalyn Estabillo April 13, 2022

Ever since many of us were little, we’ve heard the phrase, “Get good grades and do your best!” But, who knew a statement would have such a major effect later on in life? It wasn’t until I entered high school that I realized the emotional connection I had based on academic success. 

In a school setting, every teenager has their own academic goals and aspirations. Many teenagers say they must only get straight As, while others are okay with a “C” average. Maintaining an outstanding high school transcript can be beneficial in the future, but is it really worth all of the stress to know I’m currently ranked number 27 out of 397?

There are numerous reasons students rely on academic validation. Some aim to become the next valedictorian at graduation , while others want to go to ivy-league colleges and some feel the need to live up to their parents’ standards.

  But, while a variety of students are gifted academically, the constant amount of stress they put themself under hinders their ability to be fully successful. Not all students are strong test takers, which makes up a significant percentage of the current grading system, and affects the overall grade for those who continuously do poorly on these kinds of assessments. Students also have other responsibilities such as sports, jobs or helping around the house, which adds more stress and interferes with reaching the success they crave in academics. 

Despite all of the stress, everyone is different when it comes to academics. The need to feel validated academically can give an individual motivation to put effort in their schoolwork. Academic validation gives students the boost of self-worth and reassurance they look for in life. Many students say that relying on academics for positive reinforcement gives them the push to stay up endlessly studying, or working on assignments to ensure they do well on them.

Breaking out of the toxic mindset that academic validation instigates can be difficult. We should start to understand that we do not need to hold such high standards for ourselves constantly. Prioritize our health. Work out more often, meditate or do something you enjoy. Reflect on the mistakes you made, and learn how to grow from them. Find balance in your academic life and personal life.

Grades are just grades. Students, myself included, should be proud of our efforts and accomplishments, without the need to put ourselves through immense amounts of stress and pressure. You are more than what your report card says.

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Jerry • Nov 8, 2023 at

I love this!

Read the Sixth Edition of “A Fireside Tale” NOW

Openai is facing numerous lawsuits for copyright violations, is journalism foundational to democracy, top 5 spots around town to study for your upcoming exams, autism awareness month ends today: educate yourself and help advocate for inclusivity, success is boring. find your own path., have you ever wondered what actually brings april showers, ranking starbucks’ new spring menu 2024, a breakdown of the best premier league teams, what is antimicrobial drug discovery and why should you care about it, we don’t talk enough about academic validation, chelsea’s perspective and advice.

We, as students, live in an environment where there is no room for failure, and yet, consistently, there is supposed to be room for “improvement.”

These standards, tied to self-image, are only exacerbated by the knowledge that someone is doing better. Moreover, the flawed reward system ingrained into American education leads students to perceive their self-worth relative to how well they perform in school.

Through an endless cycle, students’ standards are raised so high that the achievement is unachievable and the goal is unclear. It is never truly about self-improvement—it’s about how others perceive your intelligence and if they deem you worthy of praise. The entire foundation of self-worth under the mindset of academic validation relies on the value of your work. Therefore, if your work is below your self-set standards, your inward perception becomes skewed, and your mental health deteriorates. It’s dangerous, unhealthy, and counterproductive.

It’s undeniably easy to fall victim to this cycle, as the environment of our schools vigorously reinforces the mindset of academic validation. Although unhealthy, it is unfortunately, a normal and common mindset for high school students to adopt. Breaking the cycle relies partly on changing the structure of our schools and valuing mental health as a society; however, these are changes that are, for the most part, out of an individual’s control.

A change in your own mindset, however, can be in your control. If you seek to overcome the desire for validation, you must understand that it’s OK not to exceed expectations. You may feel overwhelmed with the fear of disappointment; however, it is human nature to make mistakes, and mistakes do not encompass our entire identity. Mental health is fragile, so do not sacrifice it for insignificant validation from others. There is no harm in self-improvement, but there is harm in overworking yourself; you must learn to take time for your own well-being. Academic validation is a poisonous, unforgiving mindset that extends to the limit of your ability, but you must remember that you do not exist to please others. 

Katrina’s Perspective and Advice 

As the days dwindled down until the end of the first marking period, students tirelessly checked their grades, hoping for, and often depending on, a positive grade change. The craving for academic validation is embedded in student minds across the country. Emma Chamberlain, a social media influencer with a combined following of 25.7 million on YouTube and Instagram, spoke on the issue in her podcast. She recalls, “I tied my identity and my worth to my grades and I would literally look in the mirror after getting a bad grade on the test and see an uglier person.”

From there the conversation about academic validation spread. However, this phenomenon should not be viewed as a mindset or “trend” created by social media. I cannot count the number of times that I have heard students say “I’m so mad at myself” after an assessment. This behavior looks at simple mistakes or failure as a direct reflection of our work ethic, intelligence, and ultimately our worth. People may encouragingly say “you tried your best, that’s all that matters,” but how often is this actually taken to heart? It can feel impossible to separate self worth and academic worth when students’ lives at school and personal lives are nearly indistinguishable. Hours of homework bleeding into students’ free time inhibits the pursuit of hobbies and interests. This further prevents us from creating an identity not based purely on academics. 

It is normal to feel disappointed or worried when you receive a bad grade, but the problem begins when you let it consume you. A large portion of academic validation is also the desire to uphold or break a certain reputation. Those who have succeeded in the past want to continue to be perceived as “excelling,” and those who struggled in the past want to overcome their challenges. One of the best steps in preventing this reliance on academic validation is to break the reputation-dependent mindset. We must remind ourselves that the opinions of others should not affect the way we live our lives.

Another important step in damping our dependency on academic validation is to develop our identity away from school. It is important to devote time to finding and pursuing hobbies or interests. It can feel difficult to take time away from school work when you have a desire for good grades, but we have to push through the initial discomfort and remind ourselves that it is all in the pursuit for a better mindset. Once you free yourself from the confines of academic validation you can continue to care about grades, take pride in successes, and grow from failures. These behaviors are healthy as long as they do not dominate your life and self image.   

Mehek’s Perspective  

The increasing desire for perfection in academics can take a detrimental and irreversible toll on mental as well as physical health. For many students (myself included), receiving a bad grade can feel like the end of the world, especially after putting in tremendous effort. This need for excellence leads to students basing their self-worth on their grades, rather than their actual value as a human being. A common misconception is that the desire for academic validation can actually improve students’ grades and studying habits. However, when their self worth hangs in the balance, many students crumble under the weight of their own self-pressure. Many studies have proven that those who feel validated by their grades do not tend to perform better on assignments and tests, despite their high levels of motivation to study. 

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• Milligan News

Overcoming the Need for Academic Validation

I must confess that when I earned my first B in high school, it was an earth-shattering moment. It’s a sign , I thought, I’m not going to succeed in life. Who was I to ever think I was? Dramatic, I know, but it was indeed the world I was living in and many other students are living in it too. 

This, my friends, is what we call academic validation: when a student comes to rely on their academics to feel recognized and appreciated. It’s a good feeling, but when it leads to an unhealthy obsession, academic validation can become debilitating. It eats at a student’s brains, planting seeds of excessive doubt and worry.  

My struggle with academic validation began in high school when I realized I spent so much time achieving perfect grades, I hadn’t thought of my future career in any way. Although I’ve managed to loosen this grip a little in college, the craving of validation is still all-consuming. I’ve noticed a lot of my peers here at Milligan deal with relatively the same issue, feeling as if their worth is dependent on their academic success. 

Junior Bernice Luquin described her experience with academic validation as an addiction that eventually leads to burnout. 

“Getting perfect grades and compliments (especially from authority) is an intoxicating feeling,” she said. “It feels like a ‘high’, an adrenaline rush.”

But, when that well of compliments runs dry, or you don’t achieve that A , you begin to tear down your self-esteem and convince yourself you’re not good enough to make it. You hit the lowest of lows, and with nothing else to turn to, you’re forced to get back up again. It’s a vicious cycle that targets your self-worth not only as a student but as a human being.

Academic validation has its perks. I’ve completed some of my best work under the need to be perfect. For others, this constant seeking of approval can bolster a student’s determination. But how do you know when academic validation starts becoming toxic? 

Dr. Christine Browning, director of the counseling center ​at Milligan University, says the first step is to determine if your need for validation is intrinsic or extrinsic. In other words, whose approval are you trying to get?

“If you’re trying to excel in college for yourself, that’s intrinsic and tends to be more healthy,” she said. “But if you’re trying to be perfect at college because you’re seeking approval and acceptance from others, that’s extrinsic, which leads to a toxic mindset.”

For clarity, intrinsic validation is saying “I gave it my best, and just because I did worse than I intended doesn’t mean I’m a failure.” Notice how it carries a lot less pessimism? There’s not a lot of room for degrading or self-contempt. 

In our achievement-obsessed society, academic validation can become your total existence. This, as Dr. Browning notes, is a hint that validation is harming your ability to be rational.

“The ‘should haves’ and ‘could haves’ start pouring in,” she said. “If academic validation is your only source for self-fulfillment, you’re in a bad place.”

Students in this negative loop drown themselves in work in order to get the positive reinforcement they’re looking for. This often takes the form of neglecting one’s mental health, and sometimes even physical health. 

“It can be so draining,” said Luquin. “I’ve lost count of the times that I practically worried myself to death and overworked, all at the expense of my well-being.”

A student’s craving for academic validation often stems from a fear of failure and rejection. For some of us, our self-perception is skewed or blurry due to our childhood experiences. In my personal experience, being invalidated and rejected as a child has made me vulnerable to being dependent on other people’s opinions. 

“This is actually the case for many students who struggle with this particular issue,” said Dr. Browning. “I encourage students to go after the seed. Ask yourself: why am I seeking this validation so aggressively? The thing with trauma is that we try to control the results, and that’s not possible.”

Dr. John Paul Abner is a professor of Psychology at Milligan. He encourages students to think about the benefits of becoming lifelong learners.

“It is usually better to get a B in a class where you learn a lot versus an A in a class where you did not learn anything,” he said. “Think about graduate school where the learning is so much more important than the grade.”

Overcoming the obsession with academic validation isn’t easy, nor do I think it’s meant to be. All of us have an innate desire to be validated, and as a college student this feeling is magnified. We are all our own worst critics. As a human being, your worth is not dependent on your grades or how much you accomplish; college is meant to help you become a stronger intellectual. Don’t sacrifice your well-being for unsustainable academic validation. 

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USD Student Media

Academic validation: it isn’t everything

Talking about the dangers of sacrificing mental health for grades and validation, abigail cavizo / assistant social media manager / the usd vista.

In the “go-go-go” life of a college student, unplanned time off of school could be catastrophic–especially if it’s for multiple days. With last year being online, the screen confined us physically, but also mentally. I didn’t feel the extra pressure to prove myself to authority figures past the bare minimum required to get an A. Participation didn’t seem like a necessity. 

Now, as most of us haven’t been in a “real” classroom since the beginning of 2020, we have to re-learn proper classroom etiquette and the competitiveness to be the best. For first-year students, they have to handle an unfamiliar environment. For sophomores, it’s their first time in person and maybe even their first time on campus (It’s freshman year part two: the sequel no one asked for). For juniors and seniors, they have to make the alternating adjustment from in-person to online, then back to in-person amidst the most crucial years of their college experience. 

After all that time off, it now feels almost illegal to miss just one day of school, even if it’s from an uncontrollable illness or injury. Especially with the privilege of in-person classes, it’s every overachiever’s worst nightmare. 

Then suddenly, it happened to me. At the worst time possible in the height of my stress, I found out I had a concussion. My fast-paced college life was put on pause, forcing me to do something I hadn’t done since the beginning of the semester: rest. 

In the darkness, I couldn’t even look at a screen, meaning I was unable to go to the classes my professors offered on Zoom. I could only wallow in my own self-pity; but, something as uncontrollable as a concussion should not have been a reason for me to be mad at myself. 

During this dreadful week of resting, I had an important conversation with my roommates: we put so much pressure on ourselves to receive positive reinforcement from authority. This conversation sparked my question: is the need for academic validation a driving force in why we want to do well in school? I think, yes. For college students, there is an innate desire to be academically validated. 

For me, this validation motivates me to get through work and school. It’s an intoxicating feeling– being told by the person in charge of you that you’re doing well. It’s a high, the adrenaline rush that’ll never stop giving, as long as I’m the best at what I do. While academic validation can be a great motivator to begin with, it’s not sustainable enough to keep anyone going through four years of college. The well of compliments will always run dry. What happens when I don’t perform adequately because I don’t have the motivation to pull myself back up? It’s mentally exhausting. 

The smartest and most successful people are placed at the top of the  food chain, heralded as the “goal in life.” However, they’re not untouchable. They’re like us, chasing the never-ending high of validation. It’s a complex relationship between self-image and societal standards. If society puts so much value on our grades to achieve the success that I can ride until my death bed, doing bad in school or missing a couple days will push me into a downward spiral. Questions of doubt such as, “Am I good enough to make it?” will cloud the mind until eventually a mental storm forms, haunting my every move. 

A college student’s need for academic validation from professors further deepens when it’s a professor in their major. That professor is a professional in that field, so of course, we’re going to work ten times harder for their validation –  in our world, this person is the proverbial standard. We want this specific professor to give us a golden ticket saying “Hey, you’re good enough for this world too.” How can I dissipate the storm of doubt? 

I’m not saying that professors shouldn’t give any type of critique. That would be more harmful. Instead, we need to switch our perspectives a bit. Our self-worth is more than just the aggregate of other peoples’ opinions of us, even if it is the validation of a respected superior. Positive feedback shouldn’t be the sole reason I want to succeed, and negative feedback should not tear me down. Instead, it is meant to build me up because with every “negative” critique, I can apply it to myself and become a stronger intellectual. 

We’re all our own worst critics. I don’t want the fear of failure to live inside me for the rest of my college career and life beyond. My forced time off school might’ve been the best thing that could have happened to me. If you told me that a week and a half ago, I would highly disagree, but with nothing to do but sit in a dark room, I was forced to reevaluate my priorities. I almost forgot how much I genuinely love to learn. 

In the “go-go-go” of college, I almost forgot the reason why I’m here – to make a difference in my community. Being validated alone should not be a reason for me to work hard. This system of relying on praise for all the work we do creates a negative feedback loop that will always lead to burnout. I do not want to sacrifice my mental health for academic validation and you shouldn’t either.

• The USD Vista