Being a C-student is the new normal: a literature review on grades, self-worth, and mental wellbeing

Abstract

The competitive application process for manyCanadian engineering schools can lead to enrollingcohorts of students where nearly everyone is accustomed to having above average grades. Anecdotally, instructors frequently observe a difficult transition to earning average or below average grades. This may be due to students strongly basing their sense of personal worth on academic performance. Declines or variability in selfworth or self-esteem can impact mental wellbeing.Given the widely reported prevalence of mentalhealth concerns and counselling usage at Canadianuniversities, we chose to explore the connections between receiving lower than expected grades, self-worth and mental wellbeing as well as possible interventions that instructors could employ to help students manage this transition.