I graduated from high school with a low C average and was told going to college would be a waste of time. They all knew grades in college would be a notch down from what we had in high school, so I would be a D student. I got my BA and had a middle C average. I went on to grad school, began to study what I wanted to study and not so much what I had to study and ended up with a B average when I finally got my MA.

Later during my teaching career, I had to face a major issue when the school administration tried to force me to change a student’s final grade. After undergoing a voluntary faculty review of the situation, the faculty committee voted 5-0 confirming no change was warranted. Comments from my peers….”Your grading system is so inherently fair, objective, and well documented both in record keeping and openness to the students.” Two committee members were seasoned faculty of more than 30 years each and taught English. They both shook their heads and said “I would hate for any of my students to challenge my grading. It’s so subjective. I have no way to accurately show how I determined why there was a difference between a B+ and an A-.”

Well, if grading English papers is subjective, I can only imagine how subjective your field of fashion must be. So, here is a self-assessment you can try to see if you are in denial about your abilities. While it may not judge your fashion designs, it will tell you if you are getting yourself job ready.

Step 1. Get a job description for the kind of fashion job you hope to get after graduating.

Step 2. Get a free copy of the US Dept of Labor SCANS checklists. Use this link to get the lists: http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/public/clubextra.html?nclubid=893282700&nid=268367529

These lists are items of knowledge and skills employers expect workers to do when starting to work in their companies. It isn’t specific to fashion, but it is generic to all work in general…and you can see what ones may be more important in your field.

Step 3. Use the SCANS list to do two inventories…one for you, personally (be brutally honest with yourself); the second one for the job description you chose.

Step 4. Compare / Contrast the two inventories. If there is a high degree of match between the two, great. The more completely the items are checked off, the better prepared you to do that job. The more incomplete the lists and the lower degree of match points of the areas you need to improve upon to be suited for that job.

The true power of your education rests with what you can do with it outside of the classroom. Classrooms are like a greenhouse, an enclosed environment that can be manipulated and controlled. Subjectivity can reign, and it appears to be true in your case. Get outdoors where everyone is affected by the forces of nature and some people may be in for a very rude awakening.

Many students get high grades, but have low ability to really get the job done. That’s why so many college grads are NOT working in the field of their major and are thus, “underemployed” for the level of their education. For the lucky ones who do work in the field of their major, again many are underemployed and are not fully utilizing the knowledge associated with their degrees.

Well, I was just an “average” student. But among my colleagues, some with vastly superior degrees from some pretty big name schools (in my field), I am recognized for my high level of competency and more garnered awards and honors (both in the US and overseas) for my work. Looking back at high school, many of the students voted “the most ….whatever” are not to be seen anywhere on the radar scope.

You are the key to the quality of your education…not the grades, the school, the instructors, or the books. Evaluate your own work. The hardest thing to do is to be brutally honest with yourself. The easiest thing is to slip into self-deception and denial. Become your own best teacher, and your own best critic. Then you will have more control over your life and work.

Hope this helps. Best wishes in your endeavors.

When I was in college, I did the same thing. Then an instructor explained it to me. He said that although I didnt score high on tests he knew that I knew the material. When he would ask me questions, I would give him the answers he was seeking. I got the ‘concept’ of things, but had a crap memory for all the ‘small details’.

You may be like that.

The important thing is……. do you think you will do well once you graduate, doing the thing you have been studying for all this time?

OF COURSE YOU WILL!!!

You are passing the classes and that is GREAT!

Don’t quit now you are making it through. Just keep plugging away. Get through it and quit comparing yourself to others. You have a lot to offer and I am sure you will do great.

Avoid trying to self-destruct. It is a real tendency with students as they get closer to completing their goals.

Trust the school that they know who to pass and not to pass. A ‘C’ is passing. You are doing fine, just keep going.

Huggggggs! :o)