The New York Times included a particularly sobering piece earlier this week in its Education section. The article examines the flourishing trend of “self-entitled college students.” These are students who believe they deserve a good grade just because … well, they show up every day and read the book. Who needs comprehension and mastery of the material?

Unfortunately, students at my alma mater (University of Maryland) were prominently featured in the article. Take, for example, senior Jason Greenwood,

“I think putting in a lot of effort should merit a high grade. What else is there really than the effort that you put in? If you put in all the effort you have and get a C, what is the point? If someone goes to every class and reads every chapter in the book and does everything the teacher asks of them and more, then they should be getting an A like their effort deserves. If your maximum effort can only be average in a teacher’s mind, then something is wrong.”

Let me guess, Jason. Your parents coddled you, always told you that you were brilliant, handsome, and perfect, and polished the participation trophy you received every year in Little League.

His opinion is echoed by Sarah Kinn, a junior English major at the University of Vermont,

“I feel that if I do all of the readings and attend class regularly that I should be able to achieve a grade of at least a B.”

Greenwood and Kinn’s responses are childish. I did what you told me to do … now reward me! Students should not get an “A” just because they really, really tried. You might study for hours every day for your organic chemistry and never understand some of the tougher concepts. So, you earn a “C” in the course. Sounds fair to me. A graduate school or employer who looks at your transcript and sees an “A” should be able to assume that you actually understand the content, not that you just read the book.

Jason and Sarah, let me tell you, sometimes maximum efforts are still going to result in average performance, and that’s life. I could practice running routes for eight hours every day and study the playbook in bed every night, but that doesn’t mean that coaches should call me to replace Hines Ward or Larry Fitzgerald. Come on, Coach Fisher … I’ve really been trying!! Put me on the squad!

Lest my husband read the quotes from these fine students and say something like, “Typical mindset of someone going to a state school,” James Hogge, an associate dean at Vanderbilt University is finding the same problem at the home of Nathan’s undergraduate studies. He said,

“Students often confuse the level of effort with the quality of work. There is a mentality in students that ‘if I work hard, I deserve a high grade’ … Attributing the outcome of a failure to someone else is a common problem.”

This belief that you should always make the team, get the grade you deserve, never have a teacher or other authority figure actually criticize your output, and generally get what you want when you want it is simply pathetic. These are students who will never be able to handle rejection or feel like they should try even harder or perhaps redirect their efforts in a different direction when they don’t meet success right away.