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Imagine, for a moment, a classroom where students feel valued for their insights rather than their scores — where the weight of grades is lessened and their mental health is prioritized. Such an environment is not impossible; it is a necessary change that acknowledges the complexity of the student experience.
Students of modern education are held to rigid grading systems, bound by percentages and letters that can often feel like arbitrary criterion rather than a measure of academic understanding. Syracuse University is no exception, especially as the colder months of central New York set in.

As winter arrives, mental health challenges tend to escalate, with many students facing heightened feelings of isolation, fatigue and seasonal depression. This decline in mental well-being underscores the need for an adaptive grading approach that allows faculty to account for the added strain on students’ minds. While our classrooms thrive on curiosity and discovery, the grading system remains unyielding, often amplifying stress precisely when students are most vulnerable.

Grades are supposed to serve as markers of achievement and progress, but too often they act as stressors that fuel a relentless all-nighter culture. Students feel immense pressure to sacrifice sleep, chug caffeine and push their bodies to the limit, all in pursuit of securing a certain grade. This cycle becomes an unspoken norm, driven by the high stakes that grades hold in determining academic and career prospects.

But this culture shouldn’t exist, as it forces students to compromise their health for short-term performance. A healthier approach to assessment could alleviate this pressure, allowing students to focus on meaningful learning without risking their well-being.

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For those who feel SU courses should maintain their rigor, consider the recent trends in student mental health. Anxiety and depression among college students are at an all-time high, with counseling centers flooded by students struggling to balance academic and personal demands. Data collected by the American College Health Association paints a sobering picture: over 60% of college students nationwide report overwhelming anxiety and more than 40% have felt so depressed that it was difficult to function.

At SU, students are no strangers to these feelings. Between the pressures of academic expectations, social life and career anxieties, the traditional grading system seems to exacerbate rather than alleviate this strain — especially during the colder months. In Syracuse, students are increasingly affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, which can intensify feelings of isolation, fatigue, and low motivation. The added impact of cold weather on mental health further highlights the need for a more flexible and compassionate grading approach that considers these seasonal challenges students face.

SU faculty must remain cognizant of their students’ well-being and recognize mental health is a crucial part of academic progress. Every semester, professors watch as students struggle, often silently, beneath the weight of exams, assignments and the looming task of final exams.

Beyond just considering alternative grading models, professors should strive to provide a genuine commitment to their students’ health and step into a more proactive leadership role, actively engaging with students beyond their test scores.

One solution, implemented successfully at schools like Brown University and Sarah Lawrence College, exemplifies what a shift toward a more holistic, narrative-driven evaluation model would look like here at SU. Rather than simply assigning a grade, professors provide students with feedback that reflects their progress, strengths and areas for improvement. And instead of dealing with the stress of a fluctuating grade, students can choose to select a satisfactory or no credit option during their registration. This approach prioritizes growth over perfection, allowing more flexibility to focus on learning rather than a perfect GPA.

If faculty are open to incorporating this form of teaching into their courses, students will become less driven by grades and more by genuine intellectual curiosity. It will foster an academic environment where learning is a shared journey rather than a race to the top.

At SU, we have the opportunity to pilot such a model. By incorporating a grading approach that’s both rigorous and accommodating, faculty members can create an academic environment that’s responsive to the needs of today’s students. Moreover, with mental health at the forefront of academic priorities, professors could implement regular check-ins and encourage open discussions about stress and workload.
Even small gestures, like asking the class how everyone is doing before starting a classroom session, offering flexible deadlines and optional or low-stakes assessments could make a world of difference for a student who is struggling with their mental health.

So, let’s start this conversation at SU. Let’s ask ourselves and our educators how to create a system that respects each student’s journey. Let’s not wait until the toll on student mental health forces us to act. The shift from a purely metric-based approach to one grounded in empathy and understanding is overdue. A better academic experience is feasible that doesn’t compromise students’ mental health, but nurtures it, providing a foundation for true learning and growth.

Max Lancer is a junior majoring in chemistry, biochemistry and mathematics. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at mlancer@syr.edu.

Published on November 3, 2024 at 10:34 pm