Ray Diffley
Director of Admission
Choate Rosemary Hall, CT
Member of AISAP Board of Directors
Motivated or competitive…do students need to be both? Should schools assess or address both?
One
yearly debate that comes around for me during Admission Committee time
is the difference between two traits: a motivated student and a
competitive student.
Which trait is more important for school
success? Which one is more essential for real life success? There's so
much talk about "competing" out in the real world, what role should
schools play and what value, if any, should admission officers place on
being motivated or competitive? I've often lightly associated
motivation with schools and competition with the workplace. In fact I
often hear folks say they are looking for kids who are not competitive,
at least toward one another, to create a healthy school culture. But a
colleague will always chime in and offer the thought that at some point
our students will graduate to the real world, where competition lives.
A
couple of years ago I interviewed influential people who select talent
in fields some of our students dream of being in: The Financial sector:
I interviewed a Director of Human Capital (aka Hiring Director) at a
major financial firm. The Arts: I interviewed a successful casting
agent on Broadway. Professional sports: I interviewed a director of
player personnel and drafting for an NHL team. Through these
conversations I probed the difference between the motivated person and
the competitive person. I found that indeed being competitive was of
value, but much like our committee discussions often revert back to,
they also said they need to be collaborative and a team player.
However, they stressed that when it's time to compete, they need to be
ready. And being ready to compete comes with practice. What do you
think?