This document discusses challenges faced by high-achieving college students and how advisors can help build their resilience. It notes that high achievers may struggle with perfectionism, invisible disabilities, and not having experienced failure or setbacks previously. The document recommends that advisors help students see failures as learning experiences rather than true failures, focus on long-term goals rather than single grades or tests, and provide support through empathetic listening without judgment. References are provided on perfectionism, resilience, and the relationship between effort, ability, and achievement motivation among gifted college students.

1. Dr. Emmanuel Garcia and Rebekah Chojnacki, M.A. University of
Texas at Arlington
October 21, 2016

2. Beyond Retention, Helping Build Resilience
 A focus on retention leads to a focus on students in
academic peril
 Students who are “in good standing” may need
support, but don’t get it because it’s not a high need
 We want to fill in gap

3. High Achievers and the Storms They Face
 Not having to study much/at all before college
 Little experience with failure/academic obstacles
 Different standards—if a student has never had a “B”
or “C” before, it can be traumatizing

4. Perfectionism
 Help students find balance—there’s a fine line
between burnout and engagement
 Seen in the US and in other countries—all high
achievers deal with this worldwide
 Sources of pressure
 External (family, peers, etc.)
 Internal (wanting to compete)

5. Invisible Challengers
 A common challenge – invisible disabilities
 High achievers may have invisible disabilities – e.g.
General Anxiety Disorder, etc.

6. How Can the Advisor Help?
 Literature is really lacking for advisor role—mostly
student based.
 Help us start the conversation and generate ideas!
 All students need our help—some just need us to
listen more than anything else.

7. Setback vs. Failure
 What did you learn from this experience?
 Show that bumps in the road are okay, you can still get
to your destination
 Look at the overall picture—one bad grade will not bar
you from all future opportunities

8. Sometimes Life Does Not Go as Expected
 Calm down with math – show them they will still
graduate
 Show what they have accomplished so far – AP, dual
credit, etc.
 High-achievers like to see a plan written down
 Re-assure plans can change

9. College is a Whole New World AP/Dual/IB Is Not the Same as
College Level
 AP – to claim or not to claim
 Discuss the cost/benefits of not claiming AP credit to
be more prepared for other classes
 Dealing with stress when realization hits…

10. “We” instead of “You”
 Use collaborative language
 Use empathy

11. Discussion
 What have you seen when working with high-
achievers?
 Discuss…

12. Dealing with Family Pressure
 Family Pressure
 Planning to confront parents
 Give major some more effort/mentors/research/tutoring
 Let parents know that you’ve tried—show them
 Don’t jump ship right away
 Send student to career center (strengths quest & career
planning)
 Knowing what they are good at vs. passion
 Hobbies vs. career

13. How to be Supportive
 Be supportive and listen
 What makes it important to the student
 Let the student talk it through to help guide them to a
solution
 Help the student see the bigger picture
 Let them have support to have venting time
 Know when to send them to counseling
 Help students build strategies for success

14. “I want more…”
 Achievers have internal drive…
 Introducing: University College Scholars

15. References
 Salanova, M., Schaufeli, W., Martínez, I., & Bresó, E. (2010). How obstacles and
facilitators predict academic performance: The mediating role of study
burnout and engagement. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 23(1), 53-70.
 Dickinson, M. J., & Dickinson, D. A. (2014). Practically perfect in every way: can
reframing perfectionism for high-achieving undergraduates impact academic
resilience?. Studies in Higher Education, (ahead-of-print), 1-15.
 Rice, K. G., Leever, B. A., Christopher, J., & Porter, J. D. (2006). Perfectionism,
stress, and social (dis) connection: A short-term study of hopelessness,
depression, and academic adjustment among honors students. Journal of
Counseling Psychology, 53(4), 524.
 Siegle, D., Rubenstein, L. D., Pollard, E., & Romey, E. (2009). Exploring the
relationship of college freshmen honors students’ effort and ability attribution,
interest, and implicit theory of intelligence with perceived ability. Gifted Child
Quarterly.
 Neumeister, K. L. S. (2004). Understanding the relationship between
perfectionism and achievement motivation in gifted college students. Gifted
child quarterly, 48(3), 219-231.