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8 Overcoming Challenges College Essay Examples

The purpose of the Overcoming Challenges essay is for schools to see how you might handle the difficulties of college. They want to know how you grow, evolve, and learn when you face adversity. For this topic, there are many clichés , such as getting a bad grade or losing a sports game, so be sure to steer clear of those and focus on a topic that’s unique to you. (See our full guide on the Overcoming Challenges Essay for more tips).

These overcoming challenges essay examples were all written by real students. Read through them to get a sense of what makes a strong essay. At the end, we’ll present the revision process for the first essay and share some resources for improving your essay.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Essay 1: Becoming a Coach

“Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one.

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we competed with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

This essay begins with an in-the-moment narrative that really illustrates the chaos of looking for a coach last-minute. We feel the writer’s emotions, particularly their dejectedness, at not being able to compete.

Through this essay, we can see how gutsy and determined the student is in deciding to become a coach themselves. The writer shows us these characteristics through their actions, rather than explicitly telling us: To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side.

One area of improvement of this essay would be the “attack” wording. The author likely uses this word as a metaphor for martial arts, but it feels too strong to describe the adults’ doubt of the student’s abilities as a coach, and can even be confusing at first.

Still, we see the student’s resilience as they are able to move past the disbelieving looks to help their team. The essay is kept real and vulnerable, however, as the writer admits having doubts: Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

The essay comes full circle as the author recalls the frantic situations in seeking out a coach, but this is no longer a concern for them and their team. Overall, this essay is extremely effective in painting this student as mature, bold, and compassionate.

Essay 2: Starting a Fire

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the garb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire. 

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. 

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt. 

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. 

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses. 

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

This essay is an excellent example because the writer turns an everyday challenge—starting a fire—into an exploration of her identity. The writer was once “a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes,” but has since traded her love of the outdoors for a love of music, writing, and reading. 

The story begins in media res , or in the middle of the action, allowing readers to feel as if we’re there with the writer. One of the essay’s biggest strengths is its use of imagery. We can easily visualize the writer’s childhood and the present day. For instance, she states that she “rubbed and rubbed [the twigs] until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers.”

The writing has an extremely literary quality, particularly with its wordplay. The writer reappropriates words and meanings, and even appeals to the senses: “My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame.” She later uses a parallelism to cleverly juxtapose her changed interests: “instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano.”

One of the essay’s main areas of improvement is its overemphasis on the “story” and lack of emphasis on the reflection. The second to last paragraph about changing perspective is crucial to the essay, as it ties the anecdote to larger lessons in the writer’s life. She states that she hasn’t changed, but has only shifted perspective. Yet, we don’t get a good sense of where this realization comes from and how it impacts her life going forward. 

The end of the essay offers a satisfying return to the fire imagery, and highlights the writer’s passion—the one thing that has remained constant in her life.

Essay 3: Last-Minute Switch

The morning of the Model United Nation conference, I walked into Committee feeling confident about my research. We were simulating the Nuremberg Trials – a series of post-World War II proceedings for war crimes – and my portfolio was of the Soviet Judge Major General Iona Nikitchenko. Until that day, the infamous Nazi regime had only been a chapter in my history textbook; however, the conference’s unveiling of each defendant’s crimes brought those horrors to life. The previous night, I had organized my research, proofread my position paper and gone over Judge Nikitchenko’s pertinent statements. I aimed to find the perfect balance between his stance and my own.

As I walked into committee anticipating a battle of wits, my director abruptly called out to me. “I’m afraid we’ve received a late confirmation from another delegate who will be representing Judge Nikitchenko. You, on the other hand, are now the defense attorney, Otto Stahmer.” Everyone around me buzzed around the room in excitement, coordinating with their allies and developing strategies against their enemies, oblivious to the bomb that had just dropped on me. I felt frozen in my tracks, and it seemed that only rage against the careless delegate who had confirmed her presence so late could pull me out of my trance. After having spent a month painstakingly crafting my verdicts and gathering evidence against the Nazis, I now needed to reverse my stance only three hours before the first session.

Gradually, anger gave way to utter panic. My research was fundamental to my performance, and without it, I knew I could add little to the Trials. But confident in my ability, my director optimistically recommended constructing an impromptu defense. Nervously, I began my research anew. Despite feeling hopeless, as I read through the prosecution’s arguments, I uncovered substantial loopholes. I noticed a lack of conclusive evidence against the defendants and certain inconsistencies in testimonies. My discovery energized me, inspiring me to revisit the historical overview in my conference “Background Guide” and to search the web for other relevant articles. Some Nazi prisoners had been treated as “guilty” before their court dates. While I had brushed this information under the carpet while developing my position as a judge, i t now became the focus of my defense. I began scratching out a new argument, centered on the premise that the allied countries had violated the fundamental rule that, a defendant was “not guilty” until proven otherwise.

At the end of the three hours, I felt better prepared. The first session began, and with bravado, I raised my placard to speak. Microphone in hand, I turned to face my audience. “Greetings delegates. I, Otto Stahmer would like to…….” I suddenly blanked. Utter dread permeated my body as I tried to recall my thoughts in vain. “Defence Attorney, Stahmer we’ll come back to you,” my Committee Director broke the silence as I tottered back to my seat, flushed with embarrassment. Despite my shame, I was undeterred. I needed to vindicate my director’s faith in me. I pulled out my notes, refocused, and began outlining my arguments in a more clear and direct manner. Thereafter, I spoke articulately, confidently putting forth my points. I was overjoyed when Secretariat members congratulated me on my fine performance.

Going into the conference, I believed that preparation was the key to success. I wouldn’t say I disagree with that statement now, but I believe adaptability is equally important. My ability to problem-solve in the face of an unforeseen challenge proved advantageous in the art of diplomacy. Not only did this experience transform me into a confident and eloquent delegate at that conference, but it also helped me become a more flexible and creative thinker in a variety of other capacities. Now that I know I can adapt under pressure, I look forward to engaging in activities that will push me to be even quicker on my feet.

This essay is an excellent example because it focuses on a unique challenge and is highly engaging. The writer details their experience reversing their stance in a Model UN trial with only a few hours notice, after having researched and prepared to argue the opposite perspective for a month. 

Their essay is written in media res , or in the middle of the action, allowing readers to feel as if we’re there with the writer. The student openly shares their internal thoughts with us — we feel their anger and panic upon the reversal of roles. We empathize with their emotions of “utter dread” and embarrassment when they’re unable to speak. 

From the essay, we learn that the student believes in thorough preparation, but can also adapt to unforeseen obstacles. They’re able to rise to the challenge and put together an impromptu argument, think critically under pressure, and recover after their initial inability to speak. 

Essay 4: Music as a Coping Mechanism

CW: This essay mentions self-harm.

Sobbing uncontrollably, I parked around the corner from my best friend’s house. As I sat in the driver’s seat, I whispered the most earnest prayer I had ever offered.

Minutes before, I had driven to Colin’s house to pick up a prop for our upcoming spring musical. When I got there, his older brother, Tom, came to the door and informed me that no one else was home. “No,” I corrected, “Colin is here. He’s got a migraine.” Tom shook his head and gently told me where Colin actually was: the psychiatric unit of the local hospital. I felt a weight on my chest as I connected the dots; the terrifying picture rocked my safe little world. Tom’s words blurred as he explained Colin’s self-harm, but all I could think of was whether I could have stopped him. Those cuts on his arms had never been accidents. Colin had lied, very convincingly, many times. How could I have ignored the signs in front of me? Somehow, I managed to ask Tom whether I could see him, but he told me that visiting hours for non-family members were over for the day. I would have to move on with my afternoon.

Once my tears had subsided a little, I drove to the theater, trying to pull myself together and warm up to sing. How would I rehearse? I couldn’t sing three notes without bursting into tears. “I can’t do this,” I thought. But then I realized that the question wasn’t whether I could do it. I knew Colin would want me to push through, and something deep inside told me that music was the best way for me to process my grief. I needed to sing.

I practiced the lyrics throughout my whole drive. The first few times, I broke down in sobs. By the time I reached the theater, however, the music had calmed me. While Colin would never be far from my mind, I had to focus on the task ahead: recording vocals and then producing the video trailer that would be shown to my high school classmates. I fought to channel my worry into my recording. If my voice shook during the particularly heartfelt moments, it only added emotion and depth to my performance. I felt Colin’s absence next to me, but even before I listened to that first take, I knew it was a keeper.

With one of my hurdles behind me, I steeled myself again and prepared for the musical’s trailer. In a floor-length black cape and purple dress, I swept regally down the steps to my director, who waited outside. Under a gloomy sky that threatened to turn stormy, I boldly strode across the street, tossed a dainty yellow bouquet, and flashed confident grins at all those staring. My grief lurched inside, but I felt powerful. Despite my sadness, I could still make art.

To my own surprise, I successfully took back the day. I had felt pain, but I had not let it drown me – making music was a productive way to express my feelings than worrying. Since then, I have been learning to take better care of myself in difficult situations. That day before rehearsal, I found myself in the most troubling circumstances of my life thus far, but they did not sink me because I refused to sink. When my aunt developed cancer several months later, I knew that resolution would not come quickly, but that I could rely on music to cope with the agony, even when it would be easier to fall apart. Thankfully, Colin recovered from his injuries and was home within days. The next week, we stood together on stage at our show’s opening night. As our eyes met and our voices joined in song, I knew that music would always be our greatest mechanism for transforming pain into strength.

This essay is well-written, as we can feel the writer’s emotions through the thoughts they share, and visualize the night of the performance through their rich descriptions. Their varied sentence length also makes the essay more engaging.

That said, this essay is not a great example because of the framing of the topic. The writer can come off as insensitive since they make their friend’s struggle about themself and their emotions (and this is only worsened by the mention of their aunt’s cancer and how it was tough on them ). The essay would’ve been stronger if it focused on their guilt of not recognizing their friend’s struggles and spanned a longer period of time to demonstrate gradual relationship building and reflection. Still, this would’ve been difficult to do well.

In general, you should try to choose a challenge that is undeniably your own, and you should get at least one or two people to read your essay to give you candid feedback.

Essay 5: Dedicating a Track

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

While the writer didn’t succeed in getting the track dedicated to Coach Stark, their essay is certainly successful in showing their willingness to push themselves and take initiative.

The essay opens with a quote from Coach Stark that later comes full circle at the end of the essay. We learn about Stark’s impact and the motivation for trying to get the track dedicated to him.

One of the biggest areas of improvement in the intro, however, is how the essay tells us Stark’s impact rather than showing us: His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The writer could’ve helped us feel a stronger emotional connection to Stark if they had included examples of Stark’s qualities, rather than explicitly stating them. For example, they could’ve written something like: Stark was the kind of person who would give you gas money if you told him your parents couldn’t afford to pick you up from practice. And he actually did that—several times. At track meets, alumni regularly would come talk to him and tell him how he’d changed their lives. Before Stark, I was ambivalent about running and was on the JV team, but his encouragement motivated me to run longer and harder and eventually make varsity. Because of him, I approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The essay goes on to explain how the writer overcame their apprehension of public speaking, and likens the process of submitting an appeal to the school board to running a race. This metaphor makes the writing more engaging and allows us to feel the student’s emotions.

While the student didn’t ultimately succeed in getting the track dedicated, we learn about their resilience and initiative: I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Overall, this essay is well-done. It demonstrates growth despite failing to meet a goal, which is a unique essay structure. The running metaphor and full-circle intro/ending also elevate the writing in this essay.

Essay 6: Body Image

CW: This essay mentions eating disorders.

I press the “discover” button on my Instagram app, hoping to find enticing pictures to satisfy my boredom. Scrolling through, I see funny videos and mouth-watering pictures of food. However, one image stops me immediately. A fit teenage girl with a “perfect body” relaxes in a bikini on a beach. Beneath it, I see a slew of flattering comments. I shake with disapproval over the image’s unrealistic quality. However, part of me still wants to have a body like hers so that others will make similar comments to me.

I would like to resolve a silent issue that harms many teenagers and adults: negative self image and low self-esteem in a world where social media shapes how people view each other. When people see the façades others wear to create an “ideal” image, they can develop poor thought patterns rooted in negative self-talk. The constant comparisons to “perfect” others make people feel small. In this new digital age, it is hard to distinguish authentic from artificial representations.

When I was 11, I developed anorexia nervosa. Though I was already thin, I wanted to be skinny like the models that I saw on the magazine covers on the grocery store stands. Little did I know that those models probably also suffered from disorders, and that photoshop erased their flaws. I preferred being underweight to being healthy. No matter how little I ate or how thin I was, I always thought that I was too fat. I became obsessed with the number on the scale and would try to eat the least that I could without my parents urging me to take more. Fortunately, I stopped engaging in anorexic behaviors before middle school. However, my underlying mental habits did not change. The images that had provoked my disorder in the first place were still a constant presence in my life.

By age 15, I was in recovery from anorexia, but suffered from depression. While I used to only compare myself to models, the growth of social media meant I also compared myself to my friends and acquaintances. I felt left out when I saw my friends’ excitement about lake trips they had taken without me. As I scrolled past endless photos of my flawless, thin classmates with hundreds of likes and affirming comments, I felt my jealousy spiral. I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.” When that didn’t work, I started to feel too anxious to post anything at all.  

Body image insecurities and social media comparisons affect thousands of people – men, women, children, and adults – every day. I am lucky – after a few months of my destructive social media habits, I came across a video that pointed out the illusory nature of social media; many Instagram posts only show off good things while people hide their flaws. I began going to therapy, and recovered from my depression. To address the problem of self-image and social media, we can all focus on what matters on the inside and not what is on the surface. As an effort to become healthy internally, I started a club at my school to promote clean eating and radiating beauty from within. It has helped me grow in my confidence, and today I’m not afraid to show others my struggles by sharing my experience with eating disorders. Someday, I hope to make this club a national organization to help teenagers and adults across the country. I support the idea of body positivity and embracing difference, not “perfection.” After all, how can we be ourselves if we all look the same?

This essay covers the difficult topics of eating disorders and mental health. If you’re thinking about covering similar topics in your essay, we recommend reading our post Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?

The short answer is that, yes, you can talk about mental health, but it can be risky. If you do go that route, it’s important to focus on what you learned from the experience.

We can see that the writer of this essay has been through a lot, and a strength of their essay is their vulnerability, in excerpts such as this: I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.”

The student goes on to share how they recovered from their depression through an eye-opening video and therapy sessions, and they’re now helping others find their self-worth as well. It’s great that this essay looks towards the future and shares the writer’s goals of making their club a national organization; we can see their ambition and compassion.

The main weakness of this essay is that it doesn’t focus enough on their recovery process, which is arguably the most important part. They could’ve told us more about the video they watched or the process of starting their club and the interactions they’ve had with other members.

Still, this essay shows us that this student is honest, self-aware, and caring, which are all qualities admissions officer are looking for.

Essay 7: Health Crisis

Tears streamed down my face and my mind was paralyzed with fear. Sirens blared, but the silent panic in my own head was deafening. I was muted by shock. A few hours earlier, I had anticipated a vacation in Washington, D.C., but unexpectedly, I was rushing to the hospital behind an ambulance carrying my mother. As a fourteen-year-old from a single mother household, without a driver’s license, and seven hours from home, I was distraught over the prospect of losing the only parent I had. My fear turned into action as I made some of the bravest decisions of my life. 

Three blood transfusions later, my mother’s condition was stable, but we were still states away from home, so I coordinated with my mother’s doctors in North Carolina to schedule the emergency operation that would save her life. Throughout her surgery, I anxiously awaited any word from her surgeon, but each time I asked, I was told that there had been another complication or delay. Relying on my faith and positive attitude, I remained optimistic that my mother would survive and that I could embrace new responsibilities.

My mother had been a source of strength for me, and now I would be strong for her through her long recovery ahead. As I started high school, everyone thought the crisis was over, but it had really just started to impact my life. My mother was often fatigued, so I assumed more responsibility, juggling family duties, school, athletics, and work. I made countless trips to the neighborhood pharmacy, cooked dinner, biked to the grocery store, supported my concerned sister, and provided the loving care my mother needed to recover. I didn’t know I was capable of such maturity and resourcefulness until it was called upon. Each day was a stage in my gradual transformation from dependence to relative independence.

Throughout my mother’s health crisis, I matured by learning to put others’ needs before my own. As I worried about my mother’s health, I took nothing for granted, cherished what I had, and used my daily activities as motivation to move forward. I now take ownership over small decisions such as scheduling daily appointments and managing my time but also over major decisions involving my future, including the college admissions process. Although I have become more independent, my mother and I are inseparably close, and the realization that I almost lost her affects me daily. Each morning, I wake up ten minutes early simply to eat breakfast with my mother and spend time with her before our busy days begin. I am aware of how quickly life can change. My mother remains a guiding force in my life, but the feeling of empowerment I discovered within myself is the ultimate form of my independence. Though I thought the summer before my freshman year would be a transition from middle school to high school, it was a transformation from childhood to adulthood.

This essay feels real and tells readers a lot about the writer. To start at the beginning, the intro is 10/10. It has drama, it has emotions, and it has the reader wanting more.

And, when you keep going, you get to learn a lot about a very resilient and mature student. Through sentences like “I made countless trips to the neighborhood pharmacy, cooked dinner, biked to the grocery store, supported my concerned sister, and provided the loving care my mother needed to recover” and “Relying on my faith and positive attitude, I remained optimistic that my mother would survive and that I could embrace new responsibilities,” the reader shows us that they are aware of their resilience and maturity, but are not arrogant about it. It is simply a fact that they have proven through their actions!

This essay makes us want to cheer for the writer, and they certainly seem like someone who would thrive in a more independent college environment.

Essay 8: Turned Tables

“You ruined my life!” After months of quiet anger, my brother finally confronted me. To my shame, I had been appallingly ignorant of his pain.

Despite being twins, Max and I are profoundly different. Having intellectual interests from a young age that, well, interested very few of my peers, I often felt out of step in comparison with my highly-social brother. Everything appeared to come effortlessly for Max and, while we share an extremely tight bond, his frequent time away with friends left me feeling more and more alone as we grew older.

When my parents learned about The Green Academy, we hoped it would be an opportunity for me to find not only an academically challenging environment, but also – perhaps more importantly – a community. This meant transferring the family from Drumfield to Kingston. And while there was concern about Max, we all believed that given his sociable nature, moving would be far less impactful on him than staying put might be on me.

As it turned out, Green Academy was everything I’d hoped for. I was ecstatic to discover a group of students with whom I shared interests and could truly engage. Preoccupied with new friends and a rigorous course load, I failed to notice that the tables had turned. Max, lost in the fray and grappling with how to make connections in his enormous new high school, had become withdrawn and lonely. It took me until Christmas time – and a massive argument – to recognize how difficult the transition had been for my brother, let alone that he blamed me for it.

Through my own journey of searching for academic peers, in addition to coming out as gay when I was 12, I had developed deep empathy for those who had trouble fitting in. It was a pain I knew well and could easily relate to. Yet after Max’s outburst, my first response was to protest that our parents – not I – had chosen to move us here. In my heart, though, I knew that regardless of who had made the decision, we ended up in Kingston for my benefit. I was ashamed that, while I saw myself as genuinely compassionate, I had been oblivious to the heartache of the person closest to me. I could no longer ignore it – and I didn’t want to.

We stayed up half the night talking, and the conversation took an unexpected turn. Max opened up and shared that it wasn’t just about the move. He told me how challenging school had always been for him, due to his dyslexia, and that the ever-present comparison to me had only deepened his pain.

We had been in parallel battles the whole time and, yet, I only saw that Max was in distress once he experienced problems with which I directly identified. I’d long thought Max had it so easy – all because he had friends. The truth was, he didn’t need to experience my personal brand of sorrow in order for me to relate – he had felt plenty of his own.

My failure to recognize Max’s suffering brought home for me the profound universality and diversity of personal struggle; everyone has insecurities, everyone has woes, and everyone – most certainly – has pain. I am acutely grateful for the conversations he and I shared around all of this, because I believe our relationship has been fundamentally strengthened by a deeper understanding of one another. Further, this experience has reinforced the value of constantly striving for deeper sensitivity to the hidden struggles of those around me. I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story.

Here you can find a prime example that you don’t have to have fabulous imagery or flowery prose to write a successful essay. You just have to be clear and say something that matters. This essay is simple and beautiful. It almost feels like having a conversation with a friend and learning that they are an even better person than you already thought they were.

Through this narrative, readers learn a lot about the writer—where they’re from, what their family life is like, what their challenges were as a kid, and even their sexuality. We also learn a lot about their values—notably, the value they place on awareness, improvement, and consideration of others. Though they never explicitly state it (which is great because it is still crystal clear!), this student’s ending of “I won’t make the mistake again of assuming that the surface of someone’s life reflects their underlying story” shows that they are constantly striving for improvement and finding lessons anywhere they can get them in life.

Where to Get Your Overcoming Challenges Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Overcoming Challenges essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Essay on Resilience: Why it important & how to develop it? (1400+ words)

The word resilience is defined as the ability to recover quickly from difficult conditions, illness, or setbacks. The meaning of this word has become more important in today’s society. We are constantly reminded of how hard it is to get through an average day, let alone a rough patch in life.

Essay on Resilience

What does it mean to be resilient? The word “resilient” means “to bounce back”. This is what we’re aiming for: bouncing back from a challenge or adversity and achieving something healthy and positive as a result.

No matter how tough life gets, some people find a way to keep going. And that’s what resilience is all about. Resilience is the ability to come back from hard times or failure.

What is resilience?

Resilience is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice and determination. It is your mental, emotional and physical ability to handle adversity and triumph in the midst of hard times.

This trait, which has become somewhat of a buzzword, allows you to push through struggles and difficulties in life and go on to live a happy, fulfilled life.

Types of Resilience

There are many types of resilience. There is psychological resilience, which is the ability to overcome adversity and persevere in spite of circumstances. There is also social resilience, which is the capacity for communities to maintain their connections after an event or disaster.

But not all people are resilient enough.

Why it matters

Resilience is more important than ever because of a combination of factors. The first is that humans are evolving, which means that, as a species, we are becoming more and more resilient.

The fourth factor that is changing and weakening our mental reserves is the rate at which we are growing.

Stress and anxiety

“The emotional reaction to stress is our body’s way of protecting us.” In addition, stress and anxiety can be extremely harmful to our health and even life.

If we don’t have a good level of resiliency in our lives, our health can be affected and even in some cases, we can even die.

Coping with depression

Depression is an often misunderstood mental health condition. It is a harmful mental condition that we don’t talk about often.

But there are things we can do to develop resilience, so that we are equipped to cope with depression. There are many signs that depression is beginning to interfere with your life and people suffering from it often think that it is simply situational.

However, depression can impact your mental and physical health. With depression you may feel depressed, lethargic, have anxiety, and/or a lack of appetite or focus. You may feel like you’re going through the motions of daily life. You may have thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

How to develop resilience

Don’t procrastinate and give yourself breaks.

Change your mindset

Resilience, like love, is a choice. When we begin to focus on the present rather than dwell on the past, or worry about the future, we begin to see things in a more positive light.

When we get caught up in worrying about what’s going to happen next, we forget to appreciate what we have.

We dwell on what might go wrong instead of taking the time to be grateful for all that’s going right in our lives.

Be active and positive

For some, it’s feeling strong and powerful, like we are in control of our lives. For others, it’s working hard to manage the things we have been dealt.

But, the truth is, as in all things, there is no one-size-fits-all definition for this word. Many people fall into one of two categories – those who say resilience is something you get from within and those who believe it’s something you can only acquire.

Get enough rest

The ability to cope with difficult times comes from having enough sleep. Insufficient sleep is a prime example of the challenge of being resilient.

If we make it through the challenging times that life throws at us, we’ll find that we did have a great amount of resiliency.

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One Expert's Advice to Help You Write a Strong Overcoming Adversity Essay

Leslie Tucker PhD, Jun 07, 2021

Learn how to pick the right adversity story and write an impressive overcoming adversity essay

Whether you’re working on college or scholarship applications, you’re bound to come across the overcoming adversity essay sooner or later. While every type of college application essay is unique, the overcoming adversity essay presents particular challenges for students.

What’s the best way to talk about the adversity in your life? What if you come off as too whiny? What if you don’t have any significant obstacles to write about? Will you be at a disadvantage?

Every year, my students ask me how to tackle this tricky part of their college applications. Luckily for you, I’ve developed a fool-proof approach for writing the overcoming adversity essay , and I’m eager to share it.

Keep reading to learn why the adversity essay is important, how to choose the best topic, and how to write an impactful overcoming adversity essay.

Why the overcoming adversity essay is important

When colleges ask you to write a personal hardship essay, what are they trying to learn? Many students think they’re trying to find and admit the applicants who have faced the most adversity. Not true! Trust me, the adversity essay is NOT a competition to see who has it worse.

The purpose of the overcoming adversity essay is to reveal how you respond to difficult situations. Think about it. College is hard—not everyone has what it takes to succeed. Colleges want to accept students who have the skills and resilience to persevere through the adversity they’re bound to face.

So when an admissions officer reads your adversity essay, they’re trying to answer these questions:

●      How do you manage stress?

●      How do you attempt to resolve adversity?

●      How do you reflect on the challenges you face?

●      How do you apply lessons to your life?

If you can successfully answer these questions, you’ll write a stand-out overcoming adversity essay.

Not sure how to recognize an overcoming adversity essay prompt? Here are a few examples.

The Common App

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

The University of Miami

Considering your ability to control your own motivation and behavior, how have past experiences helped build your courage and resilience to persist in the face of academic and life challenges so that, once these storms pass, you can emerge in continued pursuit of your goals?

The University of California

Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

How to select the best story for your overcoming adversity essay

Choosing what to write your overcoming adversity essay about can be a challenge. The hardest things you’ve faced in life might not actually be the best topics. So I always encourage students to brainstorm lots of ideas before committing to one.

Here’s what I suggest. Sit down with a family member or close friend. Write a list of all the adversity you’ve faced—big and small. From challenging school projects to your parents divorce to the death of a family member, add everything you can think of to your list.

Next, you’ll want to remember and record how you reacted to each of the obstacles on your list. What were you thinking? What actions did you take?

To choose your adversity essay story, you’ll actually focus on your reactions list. Search for the instances when you showed impressive grit, strength, resilience, and problem-solving skills. These are the best stories to use for your overcoming adversity essay.

Weak topics for your adversity essay

As you’re selecting which topic to write about, beware of choosing a story that falls into one of these categories.

●      Adversity you faced due to COVID or virtual learning—everyone dealt with these circumstances, so it’s not a unique topic and won’t help you stand out.

●      Obstacles you dealt with in elementary or middle school—it’s a bit too outdated. Find a more recent instance of your grit and resilience.

●      Interpersonal struggles you had with a teacher or coach—these essays can come off like you don’t get along well with adults, which isn’t the impression you want to give.

Strong topics for your adversity essay

Any story that shows your maturity and problem-solving skills is a good choice for your overcoming adversity essay. Even so, there are few topics that might be better options for you than others, depending on your circumstances.

●      Ongoing obstacles you’re still facing but you’re handling well—important if this obstacle will carry on into college.

●      Adversity that interfered with your academic achievement—important if you had a GPA dip you’d like to explain.

●      Something that will resonate with the school you’re applying to or the career you’re pursuing—important if adversity drove you to choose a specific type of school or major.

How to write an impressive overcoming adversity essay

Now we’ve arrived at my fool-proof overcoming adversity essay formula. Once you’ve chosen the right story that demonstrates your resilience, just apply this formula to create a memorable adversity essay.

This formula is simple. It’s all about crafting a narrative. Remember, you’re telling the story of when you faced an obstacle. So you want it to sound like a real story, not a school report.

Here is the five-step formula to writing the perfect overcoming adversity essay.

• Introduce the obstacle or adversity
• Describe your emotional response
• Discuss the actions you took to face the problem
• Share the outcome of the situation
• Reveal what you learned from the experience

See? It’s a piece of cake. Now let’s see how it looks applied to an adversity story.

• The adversity: My family moved across the country between my sophomore and junior year.
• Emotional response: I was devastated to lose my friends and scared to start over in a new place.
• Actions taken: I scheduled regular talks and virtual hang outs with my old friends to ensure we’d stay in touch. Then I pushed myself to join two clubs at the beginning of the school year.
• Outcome: I stayed connected with friends from home. And even though it was intimidating to make new friends, putting myself out there helped me quickly meet people who shared my interests. I felt less alone and adjusted to my new environment sooner than I expected.
• Lessons learned: I am stronger and more adaptable than I thought I was. I am capable of thriving in new places and creating a new community for myself wherever I go.

With extremely little effort, I made a strong outline for an adversity essay using this formula. You can do the same!

Dos and don’ts for your overcoming adversity essay

The formula will take you a long way in structuring your adversity essay, but here are a few additional tips and tricks to make sure your writing is outstanding.

●       Don’t try to garner sympathy or pity —be honest about what happened, but remember your purpose isn’t to make the reader feel bad for you.

●       Do maintain a positive and upbeat tone throughout your adversity essay.

●       Don’t spend too much time describing the problem —keep it brief and to the point.

●       Do focus the majority of the essay on how you responded to and resolved the obstacle.

●       Don’t forget to include the outcome and the lessons you learned —self reflection is impressive to application readers.

●       Do connect what you learned with your future in college or in your chosen career.

Remember, one of the great things about the overcoming adversity essay is that you’re telling a story. You’re not making an argument or delivering an informational report. Once you have your story and the structure in place, have fun with the rest!

Final thoughts about the overcoming adversity essay

I’ll never say writing a college application essay is easy. But hopefully I’ve convinced you that the overcoming adversity essay isn’t as intimidating as it seems. In fact, I hope you have an enjoyable time writing your adversity essay and celebrating your resilience. Be proud of yourself. You are amazing!

I want to hear from you! What are your thoughts and concerns about the overcoming adversity essay? Drop a comment below, and I’ll be happy to address them.

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Essay on Resilience

Students are often asked to write an essay on Resilience in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Resilience

Understanding resilience.

Resilience is like a rubber band. It’s about how much we can stretch when life pulls us and then bounce back. It’s our strength during tough times.

Why is Resilience Important?

Imagine falling and not getting up. Sounds tough, right? But with resilience, we learn to get up, dust off, and move on. It helps us grow.

Building Resilience

We build resilience by facing challenges. Every time we solve a problem, we become stronger. We also build it by learning from our mistakes.

Resilience and Success

Resilience is key to success. It helps us keep trying until we achieve our goals.

250 Words Essay on Resilience

Components of resilience.

Resilience comprises several elements: emotional awareness, perseverance, self-confidence, adaptability, and optimism. Emotional awareness involves recognizing our emotions and their impact on our actions. Perseverance, in contrast, is the will to keep going despite obstacles. Self-confidence fuels our belief in our abilities, while adaptability allows us to adjust to new situations. Finally, optimism is the lens through which we view challenges as opportunities rather than threats.

Resilience isn’t a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that can be learned and developed. Building resilience requires getting out of your comfort zone, embracing change, and learning from your experiences. It also involves fostering positive relationships, setting realistic goals, and practicing self-care.

Resilience in the Face of Adversity

Resilience is crucial in the face of adversity. It’s the inner strength that helps us recover from setbacks, adapt to change, and keep going in the face of adversity. Resilient people view adversity as a catalyst for growth and transformation, rather than an insurmountable obstacle.

In conclusion, resilience is a vital psychological tool that empowers us to cope with life’s challenges and thrive in the face of adversity. It’s a skill that can be cultivated and strengthened, offering us the ability to bounce back and rise above our circumstances.

500 Words Essay on Resilience

Introduction.

Resilience, a term frequently used in psychology, refers to the ability to recover from adversity, maintain flexibility in the face of stress, and continue to develop despite obstacles. This capacity to bounce back from difficult experiences and adapt to challenging situations is not only a personal characteristic; it’s a dynamic process that involves complex interactions between individuals and their environments.

The Essence of Resilience

Resilience comprises several key components. Firstly, it involves acceptance of reality. Resilient individuals understand that setbacks are inevitable and part of life. Secondly, resilience is about perspective. Those who are resilient can reframe negative experiences and view them as opportunities for growth. Thirdly, resilience involves personal control. Resilient individuals believe in their ability to influence outcomes and shape their destiny, rather than feeling helpless.

Resilience and Mental Health

Resilience plays a crucial role in mental health. It serves as a protective factor against the development of mental disorders following traumatic events. Resilient individuals are less likely to develop conditions such as depression and anxiety. They are also more likely to recover from such conditions more quickly should they occur. Moreover, resilience can enhance overall wellbeing, leading to higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness.

In conclusion, resilience is a powerful tool in navigating life’s challenges. It’s the backbone of mental health and a cornerstone of personal growth. It enables us to face adversity, learn from it, and emerge stronger. By understanding and cultivating resilience, we can enhance our capacity to thrive amidst life’s inevitable ups and downs. It’s not about avoiding adversity, but about learning, growing, and thriving in the face of it.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Happy studying!

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The Power of Resilience

• Posted May 5, 2021
• By News editor
• Counseling and Mental Health
• Disruption and Crises
• Early Education
• Families and Community
• Human Development

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the aftereffects of isolation, stress, fear, and sadness are sure to linger. How can we fortify ourselves to grapple with the legacy of this unprecedented year? How can we offer relief to ourselves, our children, our colleagues, and our loved ones? Join us as we dig into the power of resilience — not as a magic cure-all, but instead as a way to build the tools we need to contend with difficulty, fear, or loss, and to take care of ourselves, and others, so that we can weather the storm.

Three experts explore the notion of resilience from a variety of perspectives, offering helpful insight into how to sustain ourselves through challenging times.

• Junlei Li , Saul Zaentz Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Co-Chair, Human Development and Education Program, HGSE
• Richard Weissbourd , Senior Lecturer on Education, Faculty Director, Human Development and Psychology Master's Program, and Director, Making Caring Common Project, HGSE
• Lisa Damour , clinical psychologist, best-selling author and news commentator, and author of the monthly Adolescence column in the New York Times
• Lisa Damour's New York Times column on adolescence
• Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting (podcast)
• Making Caring Common
• Education Week : One Key to Reducing School Suspension: A Little Respect

Education Now

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What Is a Resilience Essay

Let's start with the definition of essay on resilience . This paper discusses and analyzes how people survive and thrive under challenging circumstances. This term has been used since 17s century for describing human’s ability to cope and adapt to trauma, stress, or tragedy. We often speak about this issue in psychology studies or social care courses. 

These essays are usually not long — only 200–500 words. But it should be clear with definitions and types of analysis to provide. To know how this paper looks and how to make your own better, start with samples we prepare for students. 

Great Resilience Essay Examples

The best way of getting a good paper is to focus on a reflective essay on resilience. Look at this topic through personal perspective and feelings. Most of us have experience dealing with complex life events. Or we have friends or family in the same situation. Write clear and specify cases you want to describe for the paper. It can be your reflection on other conditions or the history of this topic. Discuss how this term is interpreted in academic work. 

To ensure your confidence in structuring reflection writing, use pdf examples we offer students for free! Learn about advanced writing from successful students!

Resilience College Essay Examples

In most cases, you will work with a resilience college essay while studying at the university. There are few things to remember while working with this topic for a student's assignment. First, it is necessary to base on academic rules or requirements. Second, you should have clear understanding of the theoretical background of this field. Essays should be grounded in theory. It's better to start by reading and researching the topic, even if you want to write about your personal feelings.

College essays about resilience usually do not include literature review sections or research methodology. But it still should be academically correct. Check all citations and style requirements. (APA, Chicago, MLA, or other.) 

Also, check sample college essays we offer for students. 

How to Write a Resilience Essay

Even a short essay on resilience should have its structure and reasonable argumentation. Let’s discuss a few steps to create a great sample of such a psychology paper . 

• Start with research. First, figure out the term, application cases, and theoretical ground for future argumentation.
• Define resilience essay topics. Students can have various approaches to term analysis. You should choose the one you want to focus on. 
• Learn from samples. We have a lot of sound samples of such essays. Look how other students got this task to write excellent pieces.
• Create an outline. This is the structure of the paper. Be clear with each argument at the beginning of the writing process. It means the outline is a roadmap for future writings. 
• Start writing. Be constructive, use only solid argumentation and check all academic requirements.
• Decide on resilience titles for essays. It should be attention-catching, including essential details.
• Proofread! It is the last step. At the same time, it is one of the most important steps for good grades. So, have some rest before doing it!

FAQ About Resilience Essays

StudyBounty offers free essays on resilience, and anyone can check or download them. We try to make samples affordable for everyone. You can access them at any time and from any location without registration. Moreover, our examples will be accessible in the future.

Essays about resilience are demanding tasks for any student. You can start with research, read about this term, and decide on your writing approach. Write clearly and structure the text based on academic requirements. Your essay should contain three main parts — introduction, main body, and conclusion. Include personal views and as many details as needed.

All the samples you can find on the website are free but can not be copied to your work. You may cooperate with our team and order work to get a unique and advanced job. If you need essays on resilience, you can also contact our specialists and order a paper from scratch.

We offer students ​​free resilience essay in English, but it does not mean they can use them as their own. All samples can be used only as samples that help you understand the topic better. If you need support from a professional writer, you can contact StudyBounty.

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Resilience: Strengthening the Human Spirit Essay (Critical Writing)

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

The capacity, outcome or process of successful adaptation to threatening circumstances, challenges or frightening experiences is termed as resilience (Masten, Best and Garmezy, 1990). Resilience emanates from family relationships, communities, normative human resources in minds and brains, and everyday ordinary occurrences and not from rare and special qualities (Masten, 2001).

The origin of the resilience construct can be traced to the foundational study carried by Werner and Smith (2001) and they found that a third of the Kauai children followed from 1995 on wards were doing well despite the underlying dangers of parental mental instability, poverty and parinatal problems against the expectations. The children developed into caring, confident and competent adults (Werner, 1995). Inner assets, or personal characteristics are the characteristics of an individual which are the positive developmental outcomes that reveal that the innate capacity is engaged but do not cause resilience. They are associated with healthy development and success in life. These outcomes include; social competence, sense of purpose, autonomy and solving of problems. According to Werner and Smith (1992; 2001), these strengths and competences transcend time, geography, gender and culture, and ethnicity.

Social competence includes forgiveness, altruism, compassion, caring, empathy, communication, and responsiveness. Problem solving on the other hand involves insight, critical thinking, resourcefulness, flexibility, and planning. Autonomy includes self awareness, mindfulness, resistance, adaptive distancing, mastery, self-efficacy, initiative, internal locus of control, and positive identity. Sense of purpose involves spirituality, sense of meaning, faith, hope, optimism, imagination, creativity, special interest, educational aspirations, achievement motivation, and goal direction. These personal strengths has been said to be what resilience looks like.

Social competence which has also been termed as emotional or interpersonal intelligence helps individuals to form relationships and attachments to others. Easy temperament (responsiveness) is predictive of adult adaptation according to Werner and Smith. It defines an individual’s ability to elicit positive responses from others and is depended on by social competence.

Proper communication by asserting of oneself while avoiding violation of others helps in conflict resolution and mediation. Positive youth success and school success has been linked to the ability of youth to learn the “codes of power” and retention of their self identity and culture. This is the ability of youth of non-dominant culture to move back and forth between the dominant and their primary culture, or accommodation of the culture that is dominant without being assimilated into it. Relational development is fostered by the ability of an individual to know how another one feels (empathy). Empathy also fosters formation of compassion, care and forgiveness.

Caring has been found to diminish as youths grow, which includes loss of compassion, especially in males, has been termed as a disturbing trend. Experiences of compassion have yielded psychological and physiological health as documented by a recent mind-body research (Rein et al., 1995). According to Oliner & Oliner, (1989; Higgins, 1994), altruism, which entails assisting others as they need and not what you want to assist them with, is the highest form of social competence. Even in the absence of opportunities and environmental support, altruism has been found to be a transformative adaptive defense which turns lead into gold. A significant association between a non-verbal measure of problem-solving skills at 10 years of age and adaptation in adulthood was found among people who were at high risk but succeeded against the odds (Bonnie, 2004).

Competence in planning has predicted happier and long lasting marriages for women, while it has predicted greater occupational attainment for men. Women who led successful and healthy lives by overcoming the odds have been linked to planning for the choice of mates. One of the most named personal resources which ahs helped adults deal with challenge and stress is being flexible. It also helps people to resolve conflicts and change courses other than being stuck. People and places have had a turnaround through the strength of resourcefulness, as documented in a research that reviewed adults who were sexually abused at childhood. It also helps connect people with environmental resources to better their lives. Critical thinking helps people to devise strategies to overcome oppressive structures by others, and helps them overcome the sense of victim-hood.

Autonomy involves the ability of an individual to feel a sense of control to their environment and having the ability to acting independently. Absence of anxiety and depression and personal well-being as factors of optimal psychological functioning, has been linked by research to having a clear sense of identity.

In an effort to describe the factors contributing to resilience, there is one approach developed by Rutter (1985; cited in Luthar, 2003), among the two concepts. Rutter argued that the protective factors needed be more than the converse of risk factors. An interactive relationship between the protective factors, risk exposure and outcome was developed in a concept. The relationship was such that those who were exposed to risk factors benefited from exposure from the protective factors, unlike those who did not face exposure to risk factors. Some factors contributing to resilience may not conform to the interactive model developed by Rutter, which is a feature of protective factors and his conceptualization may prove a barrier to understanding the origins of resilience. According to the protective factors fall into the following categories (Masen & Garmezy, 1985; Werner, 1995; cited in Lam & McBride, 2007);

• Personal characteristics like being optimistic, IQ, close bond with the caregiver, and temperaments eliciting positive responses
• Conditions of the family like relations that are secure and warm, rules and structures in the family, competence of the parent care, and supportive siblings
• Support from the community including teachers, and other role models

Mental health and educational achievement have been found to be consistent with resilience as identified by Phinney (1996). Mental health can help the individual feel confident, love, trust, hope and be able to seek solution to problems perceived as adverse experiences. Educational achievement may not promote resilience because an individual may be educated but not able to face adverse experiences except at school. Promotion of resiliency can occur in culture/ethnic settings that promote mental health and mastery outcome. Mastery is adoption to educational achievement which involves acquiring of skills, problem solving, communication and seeking solution to problems. This may be gained beyond the school setting.

The external supports of resilience of an individual involve the cultural/ethnic identity that defines the values, role models and supports. These are labeled ‘I have’. The others are ‘I am’ and ‘I can’ (Grotberg, 1995), as the sources of resilience where the two psychological outcomes-education achievement and mental health-can be placed. A culture must foster the inner strengths of an individual-(labeled ‘I am’ in the resilience paradigm) which are hope, responsibility, altruism, autonomy, empathy, self-esteem, and identity.

Interpersonal and problem-solving skills-labeled ‘I can’ in the resilience paradigm-involves mastery of mainly the skills of problem solving, behavioral management, and communication, and the extent to which the culture in which an individual lives supports them, determines his ability to end up with a good life after adverse experiences.

A study meant to explore the resilient influences of coping flexibility and personality traits which are gender related on psychological adjustment and life event stress, involving 291 Chinese young adults, found out that masculinity favored the link between interpersonal functioning and life event stress. The study also found out that the linkage between depression and life event stress was discouraged by coping flexibility. Greater resilience to recent life stress was shown among non-gender-typed than the gender-typed respondents (Lam & McBride-Chang, 2007).

There are a number of studies which have been carried out which can help in the understanding of the concept of resiliency which can help individuals facing adversity develop an inward effort, as well as stimulating their families and the community at large, into lending a hand in providing them with a conducive environment to improve their lives and conditions.

In conclusion, resiliency depicts a condition where an individual excels or proceeds to realize a better or excellent life, after advent of adversity. The factors that render a person acquire resiliency in the face of adversity include personal characteristics which involve personal traits like temperament and also IQ, family conditions like parental care among others like rules and regulations in the family, external influences like teacher effects and effects from role models. Gender and human sex have also been linked to resilience of individuals. Notably, mental health and mastery to skills may help an individual acquire resiliency, and they link resilience to cultural or ethnic factors. The culture must help individuals in promoting the positive attitudes, hope, belief in self and determination.

• Bonnie Benard. (2004). Resiliency: What We Have Learned. WestEd
• Grotberg, E., (1995) A guide to promoting resilience in children: Strengthening the human spirit . The Hague: The Bernard van Leer Foundation
• Grotberg, E. Resilience and Culture/Ethnicity. Examples from Sudan, Namibia, and Armenia .
• Lam Bun Chun and McBride-Chang Catherine. Resilience in Young Adulthood: The moderating Influences of Gender-related Personality Traits and Coping Flexibility. Sex Roles. 56 (3-4). 2007. Springer Netherlands
• Luthar Suniya. (2003). Resilience and Vulnerability . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Masten, A.S., Best, K.M., & Garmezy, N. (1990) Resilience and development: Contributions from the study of children who overcome adversity. Development and Psychopathology, 2 , 425-444
• Phinney, J.S., (1996). When we talk about American Ethnic groups, what do we mean? American Psychologist 51(9) 918-930
• Media Violence and Altruism
• Altruism and social behavior
• Altruism and Social Responsibility in Psychology
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• Family Therapy With Cultural Groups
• Autism. Child and Family Assessment
• Fine and Lee on Psychoeducational Program for Parents
• "Preventing Violence in Relationships" by Wolfe D. A.
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IvyPanda. (2021, October 10). Resilience: Strengthening the Human Spirit. https://ivypanda.com/essays/resilience-in-adulthood/

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1. IvyPanda . "Resilience: Strengthening the Human Spirit." October 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/resilience-in-adulthood/.

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IvyPanda . "Resilience: Strengthening the Human Spirit." October 10, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/resilience-in-adulthood/.

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The Power of Resilience by Sierra

Sierraof Lincoln's entry into Varsity Tutor's September 2014 scholarship contest

The Power of Resilience by Sierra - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

The skill I believe is most important to college success is the ability to bounce back; resilience. Though it’s not a physical skill, it’s something that can be practiced and learned and improved, so, in my opinion, it can justifiably be considered a skill. College is full of challenges, and not all of them are easily conquered. A person’s resilience allows them to see these obstacles in a different light, recognize how that error could have been avoided, and use that insight to be more successful next time.

Making mistakes, minor and massive, is all part of the learning experience! It’s important to realize that everyone messes up in one way or another all the time. Once in a while, there are even things that happen that were unavoidable, but we must deal with the consequences, like a death or traumatic event. However, it’s very important to not let those setbacks derail you. I know a lot of people who have met obstacles in their lives and let the feeling of failure completely take over. It affects not only your current mood, but also you actions and your future. Resilience is a necessity if you plan on conquering the roadblocks you’ll surely meet in college.

In college, there are a million things that can happen in ways we hadn’t planned on. It could be that you slept through your morning classes on accident. Maybe you forgot to study for a test you have today and end up flunking it. Or, perhaps you wrote a paper in philosophy that you were sure was right on as far as what your professor was asking for, but you somehow received a low grade because your professor actually thought you were a little off the mark. Messing up or thinking you have things figured out and realizing that you don’t can be embarrassing, but if you look carefully, there are lessons to be learned. Missed a class? It’s not reason to feel stupid or ashamed and decide not to go; that’s going to backfire. Failing your exam will teach you that you need to find a method of studying that works better for you. If a professor didn’t like exactly what you had to say this time, you will have a better idea of what they’re looking for in your next paper. When students let themselves feel defeated by the challenges they face in college, it’s really easy for them to dig themselves into a hole that it’s extremely difficult to pull themselves out of. But, even if you’re looking up at the world from the bottom of the pit that you dug, that has not sealed your fate, and you are not doomed to failure. There may be some negative consequences involved, like taking a bad grade or falling behind a little. The experience isn’t a purely positive one, which is where a lot of students get stuck in the “failure” mindset. However, when one uses their resilience and triumphs over the obstacle instead of surrendering to it, they most definitely learn from that experience. Resilience allows us to see the positive aspects of our mistakes and to learn from them.

Seeing the lessons to be learned leads us to the next step, which is applying that newfound knowledge. By making mistakes and not letting them deter you from trying again, we are able to make another, more educated attempt. When you accept defeat, you waste a valuable opportunity to move forward with more insight than you’d had before. One “oops” is not the end of the world! Learning by experience teaches us the most valuable lessons of our lives. How often are we ever going to use the quadratic equation, really? Learning how to handle difficulties and handle them in the ways you’ve seen as most effective is much more important; that applies to all aspects of life.

Practicing and improving one’s resilience, I believe, is the most helpful thing you can do in order to be successful in college. It’s great to have good study habits, know how to write a paper, and be skilled in the art of Pulling an All-Nighter. However, no matter how awesome things can be, there are bound to be bumps in the road, and being able to handle those sets you up for success not only in college but in life as well.

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The Secret to Building Resilience

• Karen Dillon,
• Danna Greenberg

It’s a team sport.

The ability to bounce back from setbacks is often described as the difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Resilience has been shown to positively influence work satisfaction and engagement, as well as overall well-being, and can lower depression levels. But resilience isn’t just a kind of solitary internal “grit” that allows us to bounce back. New research shows that resilience is also heavily enabled by strong relationships and networks. We can nurture and build our resilience through a wide variety of interactions with people in our personal and professional lives. These interactions can help us to alter the magnitude of the challenge we’re facing. They can help crystalize the meaningful purpose in what we are doing or help us see a path forward to overcome a setback — these are the kinds of interactions that motivate us to persist. Are your relationships broad and deep enough to help support you when you hit setbacks? Here’s an exercise to help you think that through.

An anesthesiologist we’ll call Jacob used to describe his job as “90% boredom, 10% horror.” With a few exceptions of challenging surgeries and managing a department of several hundred physicians and nurses, most of the time, Jacob’s role was routine. But that was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Since anesthesiology is not a specialty that can resort to remote “telemedicine,” Jacob and his team entered an overwhelmed hospital day after day. “For two months, I wasn’t sleeping at night,” he shared with us. “I was sending my team into battle with inadequate protection, not even really knowing how many of them might get sick.” The burden of being responsible for both a team he cared deeply about and the lives of a huge volume of patients affected by the pandemic was crushing. Routinely putting in 16-hour days, Jacob was having to determine how and when his team would work in these trying circumstances. “There were nights and weekends when some [colleagues] called me and were crying on the phone. Let’s face it, they were scared for their lives.” And Jacob was, too.

But Jacob didn’t break. He and his team have held together as they continued to do their work throughout the pandemic. So what allowed Jacob to endure this period of extraordinary stress? Resilience.

The ability to bounce back from setbacks is often described as the difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Resilience has been shown to positively influence work satisfaction and engagement , as well as overall well-being , and can lower depression levels. There is even evidence that resilience can help protect us from physical illness . But resilience, conventional thinking assumes, is something we find within ourselves only when we are tested — a kind of solitary internal “grit” that allows those of us who are strong to bounce back.

But that’s not necessarily true. Our research (which is not yet published) shows that resilience is not purely an individual characteristic, but is also heavily enabled by strong relationships and networks. We can nurture and build our resilience through a wide variety of interactions with people in our personal and professional lives. These interactions can help us to shift or push back on work demands and alter the magnitude of the challenge we’re facing. They can help crystalize the meaningful purpose in what we are doing or help us see a path forward to overcome a setback — these are the kinds of interactions that motivate us to persist. People in our support systems can provide empathy or simply help us laugh and bolster our resilience by shifting perspective and reminding us we are not alone in the fight. In short, resilience is not something we need to find deep down inside ourselves: we can actually become more resilient in the process of connecting with others in our most challenging times.

Based on in-depth interviews with 150 leaders (five men and five women from 15 different organizations who were considered to be among their “most successful” leaders), we have defined how connections can help us become more resilient when we encounter major life or professional challenges. A well-developed network of relationships can help us rebound from setbacks by:

• Helping us shift work or manage surges
• Helping us to make sense of people or politics in a given situation
• Helping us find the confidence to push back and self advocate
• Helping us see a path forward
• Providing empathic support so we can release negative emotions
• Helping us to laugh at ourselves and the situation
• Reminding us of the purpose or meaning in our work
• Broadening us as individuals so that we maintain perspective when setbacks happen

As Jacob (who was among those we interviewed) learned in what was unquestionably the toughest period of his entire career, resilience is a team sport.

While, clearly, a portion of Jacob’s fortitude came from personal strength, our discussion with him revealed a number of ways that relationships bolstered his resilience. A patchwork of different people in his network collectively played a critical role in helping Jacob navigate and survive this extraordinary period — each offering a different perspective or helping hand in some way. First, his boss was a continual source of input and validation, boosting Jacob’s confidence as he faced unprecedented medical and leadership challenges. “She always made herself available and these interactions helped me quit worrying endlessly about different decisions.” In addition, he tapped into the strong working relationship he had with another department head to jointly manage surges in workload. The resources he was able to “borrow” from this colleague enabled him to push back on non-essential work, as well as bypass typical bureaucratic gridlock to secure resources. “At a couple of really important junctures, this helped us from getting over-run.” And a very strong chief of staff stepped in and took ownership of several work-streams put in place to help deal with Covid. For Jacob, knowing that this reliable person had those domains in hand “took stress from a 10 to an 8 many times.” Even his daily exchanges with his office manager played a critical role — she was able to find ways to laugh with him even under this stress. “It wasn’t gallows humor, but sarcastic comments about difficult people or situations that lightened things for us and made us feel on the same team,” he recalled.

Jacob was also lucky in that his home was a critical refuge for him through this time. His wife, who also had a medical background, provided an outlet to vent that yielded both empathy and possible solutions. His children even played a role that he did not realize until past the early crisis: “They were proud of me. They would tell me this, and it was better than anything else to help me buckle down and keep pushing through.”

In short, Jacob shows us that resilience is found not just in having a network of supporters, but in truly connecting with them when you need them most. It’s in the actual interactions themselves — the conversations that validate your plans, reframe your perspective on a situation, help you laugh and feel authentic with others, or just encourage you to get back up and try again because the battle is a worthy one — that we become resilient. Yes, we’re all told to build a network to help further our careers, but what’s important to understand is how essential these relationships can also be to our day-to-day emotional well-being — if we are building these relationships in the right way as we progress through our careers. Relationships may be our most undervalued resources.

But such a network won’t materialize overnight. When we talk to people who have shown exceptional resilience, it’s clear that they often have cultivated and maintained authentic connections that come from many parts of their life — not only through work, but through athletic pursuits, volunteer work, civic or religious communities, book or dinner clubs, communities of parents they’ve met through their children, and so on. Interactions in these spheres provide critical “dimensionality”, broadening their identity and “opening the aperture” on how they look at their lives. We become more (or less) resilient through our interactions with others.

Are your relationships broad and deep enough to help support you when you hit setbacks? Here’s an exercise to help you think that through.

Step 1: Identify your top resilience needs .

Below are eight common relational sources of resilience, the same ones we noted above. Our research shows that these sources are not universally or equally important to everyone. For example, some people value laughter, while others prefer empathy. In short, our resilience needs are personal and are shaped by our unique history, personality, and professional/personal context. But collectively, the relationships we develop are a toolbox that we can turn to in our most difficult times, which we can rely upon to help us navigate day-to-day life challenges.

Using the framework below, identify the top three sources of resilience that you would most like to strengthen in your life . Make a note of those that are most important for you to work on developing.

Step 2: Plan how to expand your network .

Reflecting on the top three resilience needs you indicated, place the names of people or groups that you could invest in to further cultivate sources of resilience. Connections that yield resilience can be intentionally cultivated in two ways. First, we can broaden existing relationships by, for example, exploring non-work interests with a teammate or strengthening mutually beneficial relationships with influential work colleagues that help us push back. Second, we can initiate engagement with new groups or people to cultivate important elements of resilience — for example spiritual groups that remind us of our purpose, or affinity groups that allow us to laugh. Broadening our network helps us develop dimensionality in our lives — a rich variety of relationships and connections that help us grow, that can provide perspective on our struggles, and that can offer us a stronger sense of purpose.

These groups may come from any and all walks of life — athletic pursuits, spiritual associations, nonprofit board work, community organizing groups around social, environmental, or political issues, etc. Engaging in nonwork groups (particularly board work, social action, and community organizing groups) helps us develop resilience in our work life as well. Exposure to a diverse group of people allows us to learn different ways of managing, leading, and handling crises, and helps us develop different relational skills such as negotiating with various stakeholders. It also helps us cultivate empathy and perspective that we carry back into our work, among other benefits. In summary, meaningful investment in non-work relationships broadens the toolkit one can rely upon to manage setbacks when they arise.

One critical insight from our interviews is that relying on your network in times of transition matters a great deal. When people told us stories of significant transitions — moves, job losses, role expansions, or family changes — they tended to separate into one of two groups. One group tended to lean into the transition and relied on existing relationships to work through the ambiguity and anxiety they were experiencing. This group also used the transition to reach out to one or two new groups such as a working parents group, a newcomers group, or a work-based coaching circle. In contrast, the second group operated with a mindset that they just needed to absorb the transition and closed in on their circle. They felt overwhelmed and said they would lean into activities when they had time in the future. Over the ensuing 18 months, this group became a smaller version of themselves and often drifted away from the connections that had been so important to their lives.

Covid has created a significant transition for us all. The importance of building and maintaining your connections has never been clearer. For most of us, the challenges and setbacks we are experiencing in work and life during this pandemic have been relentless. But you’re not alone in this battle. You can build resilience. Start by understanding the critical importance of growing, maintaining, and tapping a diverse network to help you ride out the storm.

Support and funding for the research behind this article was received from the Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources.

• Rob Cross is the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and a senior vice president of research at the Institute for Corporate Productivity. He is the coauthor of The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Add Up—and What to Do About It (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023) and author of Beyond Collaboration Overload (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021).
• Karen Dillon is a former editor of Harvard Business Review and coauthor of The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems — and What to Do About It (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023). She is also coauthor of three books with Clayton Christensen, including the New York Times best-seller How Will You Measure Your Life?
• DG Danna Greenberg is the Walther H. Carpenter Professor of Management and Organizations at Babson College. Her latest book, Maternal Optimism: Forging Positive Paths through Work and Motherhood , explores the uniqueness of each working mother’s journey to integrate career and family.

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February 14, 2024

The Resilience Factor: How Flaws and Failures Can Strengthen Your Application

A speaker recently told a story about traveling in Asia, where he saw a stunning emerald. Enchanted by the stone’s beauty, he decided to buy it on the spot.

He returned home and took the emerald to a jeweler for appraisal. The jeweler began examining the stone through his magnifier, and as he did so, his face went pale.

“What’s the matter?” asked the proud owner of the emerald.

“I can’t find a flaw,” said the jeweler.

“Wonderful!” said the stone’s owner.

“No, it’s not. If it’s flawless, it’s a fake. A phony. Nothing in the natural world is flawless,” replied the jeweler.

“Then find a flaw!”

After a few more tense moments, the jeweler discovered a small flaw, and the owner of the stone stopped worrying that he had been taken in by a piece of plastic masquerading as a gem.

What does this have to do with admissions? Just this: When the adcoms ask you to write about a flaw or weakness in your essays, and you either fail to offer any or the ones you come up with sound like you are just checking a box – mentioning something vague and generic and not of much significance – you will seem like a fake in their eyes.

Everything in nature has an imperfection or two (or three), including human beings. Don’t misunderstand: we’re not suggesting that you cop to every weakness you know that you have and say, “This is me. Take it or leave it.”

But if you have learned and grown from your weaknesses or succeeded in overcoming obstacles , you are well positioned to flip those shortcomings into strengths in your essays. It takes honest self-reflection, a desire to improve, and hard work to break an unhealthy habit, pattern, or way of thinking. The ability to demonstrate self-awareness by working to minimize your flaws and develop new skills or talents to compensate for weaknesses will prove your maturity while also building your resilience. These are qualities that adcoms especially want to see these days. 

How can failures and flaws really build resilience? 

Recently, we worked with a client who was applying to MBA programs and had once made the type of mistake that could have not only gotten him fired but also destroyed a lucrative business relationship between his employer and a major customer. 

Here’s the story: “Sami” was working in an analytics department and played a role in the incorrect interpretation of some key data. This incorrect reading led his employer to recommend a business strategy to the firm’s customer that was the exact opposite of what it should have been. What a disaster! Sami didn’t discover this catastrophic error until after the new strategy had been implemented. 

He could have watched from afar as the strategy failed and things fell apart. Instead, he came clean and waited for the blowback. Sami expected the worst and nearly began clearing out his desk.  

Instead, he was rewarded for his integrity, despite the risk to his reputation. Not only did he keep his job, but the relationship between his employer and the firm’s customer actually flourished. This experience clearly positioned Sami to write about a “failure” and the lessons he learned about owning up to one’s mistakes and accepting responsibility. He didn’t look smaller because of his mistake – his stature grew because of his honesty.  

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

Essay questions that ask you to discuss failure, risk, mistakes, conflict, difficult interactions, or overcoming obstacles often make applicants cringe. After all, you’re on a mission to show the admissions committee that you are on top of your game and ready to conquer the world. The last thing you want to do is wave a flag that calls attention to the gory details of when and where you’ve fallen short. 

As Sami’s experience proves, however, questions about failure provide a window into your character. How resilient are you in the face of a setback? How did you respond to the situation? Did you shrink from the impact of your actions, or did you muster the courage to try to set things right, as best as you could, under the circumstances? What did you learn about yourself, about the world of business, about relationships, and/or about communication? What wisdom did you gain that you have applied in your life since then? Can you show convincingly that you view your stumble as an inevitable, vital, even transformative step on the road to achievement?

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” So take heart: writing about your flaws and setbacks is an opportunity for you to shine by showing your humility, commitment to growth, and determination to apply lessons learned. Reading about your setbacks allows the admissions committee to understand what you’re really made of. 

Follow these four steps to transform your setbacks into achievements.

1. demonstrate how your failure led to success..

The mistake you made might have led you to discover a new idea, strategy, or invention that you otherwise would not have discovered. Or, it might have given you the determination to strengthen your skills or knowledge base. Be specific when you present your examples. A mistake you made in the lab might have cost you weeks of work. However, as a result, you learned something important about lab techniques, and now you’ve adopted more fastidious research practices. (Note: this needs to go way beyond the normal trial-and-error nature of research.) If you are discussing a personal failure, maybe you neglected an important relationship to the point where the relationship died. Feeling this loss keenly, you now make a point of treating people with greater respect. When writing about professional or personal failures and lessons learned, you cannot simply claim that you’ve changed without citing evidence. Clearly spell out what you learned and how you have changed. Offer true, believable examples of times when you behaved differently, more purposefully and sensitively, as a way of investing more deeply and wisely in your relationships.

2. Show that you truly understand why something went wrong.

Explaining what went wrong is only half the game in these essays. You must also explain why it went wrong. Doing so will show the adcom that you have taken time to really think about and reflect on your role in the situation and your understanding of the dynamics that led to the problem. Don’t play the blame game. Explain the process you went through to get real answers and solutions. Relate some of the steps you have taken to avoid making similar mistakes since. Perhaps you caught yourself about to repeat the mistake, but realized that impulse was not the “new you” and saved yourself from making the error again. Let’s look at an example. You pushed your colleagues hard to complete a work project, but your hard-driving nature made them resent you, and with no benefit to the project. Having realized your mistake – even though your sole intention was to get the job done on time – perhaps you could write about the focused attention you now pay to your colleagues’ suggestions, efforts, and capabilities. In other words, from that error you have learned to turn lemons into lemonade. Offer at least one specific example of how your efforts have paid off.

3. Focus on what you’ve learned on a personal level.

Mature applicants view and consider situations and people differently – and make decisions more deliberately – after making mistakes. Prove that you are this kind of applicant. Show how you grew by, for example, taking a course in time management to help better juggle all your responsibilities without dropping the ball, starting therapy to help with your anxiety when work pressure feels overwhelming, or another tangible step forward. Add power to your explanations by describing “before and after” situations: the “before” stressed-out, not-well-organized person staying up till 3 a.m. to get everything done and delivering haphazard work, and the “after” person practicing time-management and mindfulness skills, and coping with responsibilities more calmly, deliberately, and competently. Demonstrating these changes through real-life examples presents you as more grown-up and emotionally intelligent. And you can bet the admissions committee wants to see these valuable traits.

4. Show the adcom how you’ve become more resilient.

“Resilience” has become a cliche, but it’s critical to appreciate the concept: it is the building of inner strength and fortitude in the face of conflict, pain, or disappointment. Successful adults must be resilient to cope with life’s rocky patches. Naturally, colleges and universities want to see evidence that you have this important quality. 

Earlier in this article, we said that a weakness or failure could be flipped into a strength, given the right attitude and effort. Similarly, a weakness can also be the flip side of a strength. For example, perhaps your tendency to be “too detail oriented” resulted in your discovering a critical error before it triggered a larger problem. Identifying your weakness and giving it careful thought might have prompted you to take steps to correct or minimize it.

Be thoughtful in your responses to questions about weakness or failure, and don’t shy away from them. Successful leaders must have honesty and integrity as part of their DNA and be able to identify and admit to failures and weaknesses. As motivational speaker Zig Ziglar pointed out, “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts.” 

Nobody’s perfect, but a “perfect” answer to questions about flaws and failures just might get you admitted! To make sure your essays reflect you at your best, work with us . Every consultant at Accepted has years of experience in admissions and guiding applicants to gain coveted acceptances at top schools worldwide. Let them do the same for you!

By Judy Gruen, a former Accepted admissions consultant. Judy holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University and is the co-author of Accepted’s first full-length book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools . Want an admissions expert to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

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Home — Application Essay — Business School — Resilience: Fighting to Remain Strong in My Family

Resilience: Fighting to Remain Strong in My Family

• University: William and Mary College

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Published: Jul 18, 2018

Words: 629 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

If I had to describe the culture of my family in one word, it would be "resilient." Every year, my father gets a new assignment... fight in the skies above Iraq, train future pilots in Mississippi, advise a four-star general in Hawaii, and now, command an entire base in Texas. There is a motto in our branch of the military: "Home is where the Air Force sends us." True to this sentiment, regardless of the disposition of my father's new assignment, my family fights to remain strong. When orders come, we move, leaving behind our friendships and worldly attachments, but always taking a little bit of that place's culture with us. This resilience defines our family's character and strengthens our bonds.

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This transient lifestyle is not new to my parents. My mother is a product of the Vietnam war, born in Da Nang to a native mother and a U.S. Army officer before they immigrated to America and raised her, like me, as a military brat. My own father had a similar upbringing, living with his Army chaplain dad even during extended deployments in Panama before joining the force himself. Being raised in military households taught my parents to embrace the lifestyle they now choose to have. When given orders, one must accept them and make do with what one is given. Growing up in a household that upholds this philosophy -- to make the most out of situations -- has shaped me as a person. Because I often change schools every year, I cannot always devote myself to the same sports or extracurricular activities. For example, when my family moved to Hawaii, my new high school did not offer the robotics program in which I had excelled through my previous school in Mississippi. So I joined the debate team, and have managed to break into the state finals every year since.

In the same manner, living in 13 different places over the first 17 years of my life has impacted my view of the world and of what makes me feel at home. With every move, we add something to our family's traditions. When my family moved from Hawaii to Texas, I brought with me a newfound passion for boxing (a required skill for youth growing up in the Pacific) and started a self-defense club at my current school. It is now impossible for my mom to cook fried rice without adding Spam. My baby brother still talks about paddle boarding in Hickam Harbor with the sea turtles. And sometimes, I think about the friends I used to have a move or two ago... I don't wonder if they miss me, just if they remember me, whether I had any impact on their life, or if they would even recognize me today. Not whether I look the same, but how my behavior has changed... if I've really matured like I think I have, or if I've fundamentally changed as a person.

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As seen from the essay, I was raised in a house characterized by resilience, a trait needed for the military lifestyle. I was also brought up in a dozen different societies, each showing me a different perspective on things and changing me in some way. At Boy's State, I had the chance to interact with students from every corner of life in Texas. As I talked to them and befriended them, I realized something... no matter how different from me that person may seem to be, we could relate to each other. Regardless of whether we were strangers minutes before, we could become comfortable and share some of the things we experienced in our lives, because chances were that at some point, I had gone through something similar to them. My past has taught me many lessons. I hope for the chance to share them with my university.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Resilience building in students: the role of academic self-efficacy.

• Psychology and Public Health, University of Salford, Salford, UK

Self-efficacy relates to an individual's perception of their capabilities. It has a clear self-evaluative dimension leading to high or low perceived self-efficacy. Individual differences in perceived self-efficacy have been shown to be better predictors of performance than previous achievement or ability and seem particularly important when individuals face adversity. The study investigated the nature of the association between academic self-efficacy (ASE) and academic resilience. Undergraduate student participants ( N = 435) were exposed to an adverse situation case vignette describing either personal or vicarious academic adversity. ASE was measured pre-exposure and academic resilience was measured post-exposure. ASE was correlated with, and a significant predictor of, academic resilience and students exhibited greater academic resilience when responding to vicarious adversity compared to personal adversity. Identifying constructs that are related to resilience and establishing the precise nature of how such constructs influence academic resilience will assist the development of interventions aimed at promoting resilience in students.

Introduction

Psychological resilience.

A shift in emphasis in mental health policy to include promotion of positive mental health as a preventative measure ( WHO, 2005 ), together with the identification of resilience and coping as one of eight positive mental health grouping ( Parkinson, 2008 ), underlines the value of studies examining resilience. Abiola and Udofia (2011) suggest resilience is associated with increased quality of life, wellbeing and functional capacity in times of adversity. Although there is an intuitive appreciation for the “meaning” of resilience and what it infers (about the individual), consensus in defining psychological resilience, both conceptually and operationally as a measurable construct, has yet to be reached. As Friedland (2005) notes, perspectives on resilience are highly diverse and the concept of resilience is highly elusive. In an attempt to illustrate the concept, Gilligan (2001) uses the example of a resilient child as a child who does better than they ought to, bearing in mind what has happened to them. Friedland (2005) goes on to discuss resilience as inferring hardiness, toughness, and resistance, along with—somewhat paradoxically—elasticity and flexibility. This suggests that resilience is both multi-faceted and multi-leveled and the range of available definitions reflects this in both their depth and their breadth. Resilience is described by Hamill (2003) as competence in the face of adversity and by Gilligan ( 2001 , p. 5) as “a set of qualities that help a person to withstand many of the negative effects of adversity.” Pooley and Cohen ( 2010 , p. 34) define resilience as “the potential to exhibit resourcefulness by using internal and external resources in response to different contextual and developmental challenges….” Garmezy and Masten ( 1991 , p. 459) refer to resilience as “the process of, capacity for, or outcome of successful adaptation despite challenging circumstances.” Abiola and Udofia (2011) offer a fuller account, discussing resilience in terms of inner strength, competence, optimism, flexibility, and the ability to cope effectively when faced with adversity, minimizing the impact of risk factors, such as stressful life events, and enhancing the protective factors, such as optimism, social support, and active coping, that increase people's ability to deal with life's challenges.

Although seemingly diverse, most definitions of resilience feature adaptive, resourceful and innovative enabling responses to adversity, threat or challenge as a core element. As such, resilience is considered an asset or strength, a desirable and advantageous quality, characteristic or process that is likely to impact positively on aspects of an individual's performance, achievement, health, and wellbeing ( Bartley et al., 2010) .

As is common with many psychological constructs—self-efficacy for example ( Bandura, 1997 )—, there is debate around the existence and relevance of a global resilience construct. Instead, there is a strong argument for resilience to be considered—and measured—as a context-specific construct. Riley and Masten (2005) explain the need to contextualize resilience on the basis that judgments about risk and adversity relate directly to events and contexts, as do evaluations of competencies and outcomes. Both Liddle (1994) and Waxman et al. (2003) refer to the need to contextualize resilience in order to generalize findings from resilience studies and in order to consider specific practical implications for building resilience. The present study examines resilience in the context of education and learning (i.e., academic resilience), considering resilience as an asset and seeking to identify factors that may contribute to resilience promoting interventions for students, suggested by Zautra (2009) to have long-term benefits.

Academic Resilience

Wang et al. (1994) refer to academic resilience as an increased likelihood of (academic) success despite environmental adversities. Resilient students are described by Alva (1991) as those who maintain high motivational achievement and performance even when faced with stressful events and conditions that place them at risk of poor performance and by Waxman et al. (2003) as those who succeed at school despite the presence of adverse conditions.

As is the case with general resilience, work focussing on academic resilience has led to the emergence of apparently distinct yet related concepts and constructs, each aiming to address a seemingly similar issue. Although drawing some explicit distinctions between their own constructs and resilience ( Perkins-Gough, 2013 ), both Duckworth and Dweck provide significant contributions to the field of academic resilience with their work on “grit” and “mindset.” Duckworth describes grit as an individual's tendency to sustain interest, passion, effort and persistence toward achieving long-term future goals (despite challenges and failures) and reports grit as a better predictor of academic success than IQ ( Duckworth et al., 2007 ; Duckworth, 2013 ) or talent ( Duckworth and Quinn, 2009 ). Dweck's (2006 , 2010 ) work on mindset has led to the identification of two types of mindset, fixed and growth. A fixed mindset describes individuals with fixed beliefs regarding their level of intelligence and ability, which they believe remain stable. A growth mindset instead describes individuals who view their intelligence and ability simply as a basis for development and believe that challenges, including failure, are opportunities to develop their capacity for success through effort and practice. The influence of mindset is emphasized further by Snipes et al. (2012) , who consider a growth mindset to be a major contributory factor in the development of grit. Despite noted dissimilarities—Duckworth considers resilience to be only one factor explaining grit ( Perkins-Gough, 2013 )—there are clear overlaps between academic resilience and the constructs proposed by Duckworth and Dweck, and their relevance is illustrated by Farrington et al. (2012) who reports that the combination of a growth mindset and grit in students is been associated with higher academic grades.

Another construct, closely related to academic resilience, proposed by Martin and Marsh (2008 , 2009) is academic buoyancy. Described as the “capacity to overcome setbacks, challenges, and difficulties that are part of everyday academic life.” ( Martin, 2013 , p. 488) it is seen as distinct from academic resilience, which instead relates to the capacity to overcome significant adversity that threatens a student's educational development. Martin (2013) does present evidence that whilst buoyancy and resilience are related, buoyancy better predicts low-level negative outcomes and resilience better predicts major negative outcomes, which aligns with Martin and Marsh's (2008) earlier description of buoyancy as reflecting “everyday” academic resilience.

Waxman et al. (2003) suggest that studying resilient students will provide important implications for improving the education of students at risk of academic failure and evidence already exists supporting the relevance of academic resilience. McLafferty et al. (2012) reported that both resilience and emotional intelligence predicted coping at university, with resilience as the only significant unique predictor of coping subscales for grades, attendance, and studying. Furthermore, Abiola and Udofia (2011) reported higher perceived stress, anxiety and depression in low resilience medical students following completion of a major professional examination.

Waxman et al. (2003) note that resiliency refers to factors and processes that limit negative behaviors associated with stress and result in adaptive outcomes in the presence of adversity. They discuss the value of resilience studies that identify differences between resilient and non-resilient students and that focus on alterable factors to design more effective educational interventions. They suggest that focusing on educational resilience and those factors that can be altered to promote resilience may help address the gap in achievement between those students who are successful and those who are at risk of failure. Like Wagnild (2009) , Waxman et al. (2003) further suggest that rather than being fixed, academic resilience can be promoted by focussing on alterable factors including social competence, problem-solving skills, autonomy, a sense of purpose ( Bernard, 1993 ), motivation and goal orientation, positive use of time, family life, and learning environment ( McMillan and Reed, 1994 ). The potential for building resilience, together with Munro and Pooley's (2009) suggestion that resilience may mediate adversity and success in university students and Hamill's (2003) prioritizing of self-efficacy over other resilience factors, provides the major premise for the present study examining academic self-efficacy (ASE) as a factor influencing student responses to academic adversity.

Resilience and Self-efficacy

Waxman et al. (2003) proposes that academic resilience research needs to examine indicators of resiliency in order to identify what processes can promote protective mechanisms and calls for more affective and motivational training for students to assess their impact on students' affective and motivational outcomes. Aiming to provide a more “expansive” analysis of the factors related to academic resilience, Martin and Marsh (2006) reported self-efficacy, planning, persistence, anxiety, and uncertain control as predictors of academic resilience. Using class participation (behavioral) and enjoyment at school (cognitive-affective) as educational outcome constructs and general self-esteem (global-affective) as a psychological outcome construct, Martin and Marsh hypothesized that the outcome constructs were consequential to students' capacity to effectively deal with challenge, adversity and setbacks experienced in a school setting. As hypothesized, academic resilience was the strongest—relative to the other five motivational and engagement factors—predictor of each of the outcome measures. Analysis to determine students' profiles according to academic resilience revealed that resilient students were high in self-efficacy, persistence and planning and low in anxiety and uncertain control. Hamill (2003) also reported self-efficacy as an important characteristic that distinguished resilient and non-resilient 16–19 year old students.

The pursuit of those factors that distinguish resilient from non-resilient individuals and the promotion of resilience have been at the center of existing research in the field resilience ( Hamill, 2003 ). There is sufficient evidence indicating that self-efficacy is one resilience factor worthy of further study in this respect. Self-efficacy emerged as a central facet in Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, where is it described as “the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the course of action required to manage prospective situations” ( Bandura, 1995 , p. 2). In educational studies, individual differences in perceived self-efficacy have often been shown to be better predictors of performance than either previous achievement or ability ( Cassidy, 2012 ).

Like resilience, self-efficacy is context specific and seems particularly important when individuals face adversity, when positive self-efficacy beliefs are associated with increased motivation and perseverance ( Bandura, 1997 ; Bandura et al., 2001 ) and an increased likelihood of rejecting negative thoughts regarding own capabilities ( Ozer and Bandura, 1990 ).

Self-efficacy is considered to be the foundation of human agency ( Bandura et al., 1999 ) and is referred to as an important protective factor regulating human functioning and emotional wellbeing through cognitive, motivational, affective, and selective processes ( Hamill, 2003 ). And whilst Bandura (1993) does describe how self-efficacy operates to contribute toward academic development—stating that students' beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning and master academic activities determine their aspirations, level of motivation and academic accomplishment—there is a lack evidence-based detail accounting for exactly what high self-efficacious individuals do that impacts positively on academic outcomes; as noted by Hamill (2003) , despite an abundance of self-efficacy focussed research, relatively little work has examined how self-efficacy relates to resilient behaviors exhibited in response to adversity.

Present Study

Operationalizing academic resilience as students' cognitive-affective and behavioral responses to academic adversity, the present study seeks to establish examples of context-specific resilience factors and resilience responses to academic adversity. Self-efficacy has been identified as a key construct in previous studies examining factors affecting academic achievement (e.g., Cassidy, 2012 ), where high self-efficacy is commonly reported as associated with better academic performance. What has not been clearly established in these studies are the specific responses of self-efficacious students to instances of academic adversity, when self-efficacy beliefs are particularly relevant because of their association with increased motivation and perseverance ( Bandura, 1997 ) and resistance to negative thought ( Ozer and Bandura, 1990 ). Hamill (2003) has explored this issue but using generalized measures of self-efficacy and coping responses in the context of general stressful life events in a small sample of 16–19 year old students—limitations which Hamil partly acknowledges. Hamil reported an association between self-efficacy and resilience, adding support to the merits of the present study and its aim of uncovering differences in context-specific resilience responses adopted by self-efficacious and non-self-efficacious students, and the study's longer-term objective of promoting resilient responses in students.

Riley and Masten (2005 , p. 13) define resilience as “referring to patterns of positive adaptation in the face of adversity…,” and describe resilience as requiring “that significant adversity or threat to adaptation or development has occurred” and “that functioning is okay, either because adequate adaptation was sustained over a period of adversity or because recovery to adequate functioning has been observed.” In order to represent the key constituents of resilience (i.e., adversity and positive adaption) in a context-specific and authentic manner to serve the purposes of the study, an academic adversity case vignette and a response to academic adversity scale (Academic Resilience Scale-30) were developed [see Section Academic Resilience Scale-30 (ARS-30)].

The content of the case vignette was intended to represent adversity in a context-specific academic setting that undergraduate students would consider authentic despite its hypothetical nature. The vignette describes academic failure and its wider impact as an example of authentic adversity for students. Although there is some debate in the existing literature on the specific effects of, and perceptions of, negative feedback (e.g., Kluger and DeNisi, 1996 ), reference in the vignette to failure and the wider negative impact of such failure was considered to be sufficient to instill academic adversity. There are two versions of the vignette presented in Section Academic Resilience Scale-30 (ARS-30), personalized and vicarious . The personalized vignette asks that participants imagine that they are personally facing adversity and how they would respond, whilst the vicarious vignette asks participants to imagine that a fellow student is facing adversity and how that student should respond. The vicarious vignette was developed in order to explore any differences between responses to personal adversity and responses advocated for a fellow student facing adversity, and to examine in what way self-efficacy beliefs are associated with any differences. Gaining such insight may be valuable for resilience building interventions, whereby any differences in personal and advocated responses can be used to highlight self-limiting responses or belief systems that may also limit students' capacity for acting in advocate roles, including peer-assisted learning programmes.

Based on previous studies it is anticipated that findings will reveal a positive relationship between ASE and academic resilience, although it is unclear which of the 30 responses to academic adversity will present as most pivotal in defining differences in academic resilience between lower and higher ASE students. Because self-efficacy is a “self” construct most closely related to personal functioning, it is anticipated that any association between self-efficacy and resilience will be more pronounced in responses to the personal adversity vignette as compared to the vicarious adversity vignette.

Participants and Design

The sample comprised 435 British undergraduate students (see Tables 1 , 2 ). The study adopted a self-report questionnaire-based design with correlational and between-subjects components. Academic self-efficacy and academic resilience were measured during a single data collection point in participants' first, second, or third year as undergraduates. Gender, age, and year of study data were also collected. Whilst the gender bias evident within the sample was not desirable, that over 80% of the sample were female is representative of a typical student intake, at least in psychology ( Bourne, 2014 ).

Table 1. Total sample details .

Table 2. Sample details by vignette group .

General Academic Self-efficacy Scale (GASE)

This is 23 item context-specific scale measuring student ASE. The General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale was adapted from the Health Student Self-Efficacy (HSSE) Scale originally developed by Eachus (1993) as a measure of self-efficacy beliefs in students on health-related courses involving clinical training and practice. Cassidy and Eachus (2002) revised the HSSE scale, removing reference to clinical placements, and developed the GASE scale for use with general undergraduate student populations. Participants record their level of agreement with each of the 23 items along a 9-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The scale contains both positively and negatively worded items, examples of which include “I know I have the ability to complete this course successfully” and “I have some doubts about my ability to grasp some of the topics taught on this course.” Scores for negatively worded items are reversed so that a high GASE score indicates high (or positive) ASE. Scores for the 23 items are summed providing a total scale score between 23 and 207. Cassidy and Eachus (2002) report high internal (α = 0.86) and external ( r = 0.71) reliability for the GASE scale and construct validity is further demonstrated through significant correlations with academic locus of control and computer user self-efficacy. A similarly high alpha (α = 0.84, N = 434) is reported in the present study.

Academic Resilience Scale-30 (ARS-30)

In the absence of a suitable measure of academic resilience, the ARS-30 was developed as a context-specific measure of student response to academic adversity. Scale items represent a sample of relevant positively and negatively phrased behavioral and cognitive-affective responses that participants have to rate as likely or unlikely along a 5-point Likert scale following exposure to the personal or vicarious adversity case vignette:

Personal Vignette : You have received your mark for a recent assignment and it is a “fail.” The marks for two other recent assignments were also poorer than you would want as you are aiming to get as good a degree as you can because you have clear career goals in mind and don't want to disappoint your family. The feedback from the tutor for the assignment is quite critical, including reference to “lack of understanding” and “poor writing and expression,” but it also includes ways that the work could be improved. Similar comments were made by the tutors who marked your other two assignments.

Vicarious Vignette : John has received a mark for a recent assignment and it is a “fail.” The marks John received for two other recent assignments were also poorer than he would want as he is aiming to get as good a degree as he can because he has clear career goals in mind and doesn't want to disappoint his family. The feedback John received from the tutor for the failed assignment is quite critical, including reference to “lack of understanding” and “poor writing and expression,” but it also includes ways that the work could be improved. Similar comments were made by the tutors who marked John's other two assignments.

Scoring of positively phrased items was reversed so that a high ARS-30 score indicated greater academic resilience. Cronbach's alpha for the combined (α = 0.89, N = 432), personalized (α = 0.88, n = 224) and vicarious vignette (α = 0.85, n = 208) all reached acceptable levels indicating internal reliability and construct validity ( Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994 ). Analysis of the relationships between ARS-30 scores and ASE and differences between personal and vicarious responses to adversity further supported the construct validity of the ARS-30 as a measure of academic resilience (see Section Results).

Exploratory factor analysis [principle component with oblique (promax) rotation] was conducted to explore the structure of the ARS-30. Sampling adequacy was verified (KMO = 0.91) and whilst initial analysis revealed seven factors with eigenvalues of 1.0 or above ( Kaiser, 1960 ) explaining 55.75% of the variance, the scree plot inflection ( Cattell, 1966 ) supported retention of only three factors ( Hatcher, 1994 ; Stevens, 2002 ). The three factor model explained 40% of the variance with all items—except one, which loaded at 0.29—loading above 0.3 ( Field, 2014 ). Interpretation of Item-factor clustering suggests that factor 1 represents positive or adaptive responses to adversity, factor 2 represents negative or non-adaptive responses to adversity and factor 3 represents long-term future aspirations. Thus, factors 1 and 2 may simply represent two aspects of the same underlying generalized academic resilience construct. This is partly supported by Schmitt and Stults (1985) and Spector et al. (1997) who report that reverse-phrased items commonly load on different factors, even in the absence of multiple constructs, and by the inter-factor correlation (−0.45) between factors 1 and 2. That factor 3 aligns with closely associated and relevant constructs such as Duckworth's “grit,” which has its basis in long-term goals, suggests that a three factors solution presents an interpretable solution to the ASR-30.

The study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the British Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Conduct and the Research, Innovation and Academic Engagement Ethical Approval Panel, University of Salford with written informed consent from all subjects in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

After completing the GASE scale, participants were randomly assigned to one of the adversity vignette conditions and completed the ARS-30 (personal or vicarious). Data collection was anonymous to improve the validity of responses. A median-split approach was used to create discrete groups according to scores on the GASE. Participants with scores equal to or below the GASE sample median of 148 were assigned to the lower ASE group, while participants scoring above the median were assigned to the higher ASE group. Whilst the median-split approach is criticized on the basis of loss of statistical power and the potential for spurious outcomes in cases of multiple variables ( MacCallum et al., 2002 ; Irwin and McClelland, 2003 ), the approach has received support in terms of producing meaningful findings that are understood by, and accessible to, a wider audience where statistical power and effect are not necessarily reduced ( Farrington and Loeber, 2000 ). Thus, the use of dichotomization here is defended on the basis that correlational and regression analysis were also performed for the main analysis using GASE scores as a continuous variable; that the mean difference between groups (30.3) provided, it is suggested, sufficient numerical distance between groups; and the wish to illustrate, in a meaningful way, distinctions between groups in terms of specific responses to adversity.

Significant positive correlations between ASE and academic resilience were observed for the combined vignette groups (medium effect size r = 0.34, Cohen, 1988 ) and for the personal (large effect size r = 0.51) and vicarious vignette groups (small effect size r = 0.21) separately. Academic self-efficacy was a significant predictor of academic resilience explaining 26.2% of variance in resilience in the personal vignette group, 4.6% in the vicarious vignette group, and 14% in the combined groups (see Table 3 ).

Table 3. Zero order correlations and regression analysis with academic self-efficacy (ASE) as a predictor of academic resilience .

A 2(vignette: personal vs. vicarious) × 2(ASE: lower vs. higher) between-subjects factorial ANOVA was conducted to examine differences in academic resilience between personal and vicarious vignette groups as a function of ASE (see Table 4 ).

Table 4. Mean academic resilience scores by vignette group and academic self-efficacy (ASE) Group .

There were significant main effects for vignette group [ F (1, 427) = 101.91, p < 0.001, d = 0.96], such that the vicarious vignette group reported significantly higher academic resilience ( M = 128.51, SD = 11.47) than the personal vignette group ( M = 116.25, SD = 14.07), and for ASE group [ F (1, 427) = 38.26, p < 0.001, d = 0.58], with the higher ASE group reporting significantly higher academic resilience ( M = 126.16, SD = 11.99) than the lower ASE group ( M = 118.20, SD = 15.20). A significant interaction effect [ F (2, 427) = 10.9, p < 0.001, d = 0.33] indicated that the influence of ASE on increasing academic resilience was significantly greater in the personal vignette group, where the effect size was large ( d = 0.86), than in the vicarious vignette group, where the effect size was small ( d = 0.30) (see Figure 1 ).

Figure 1. Mean academic resilience by ASE group vignette type .

Both lower and higher ASE groups scored higher academic resilience when responding to the vicarious vignette than when responding to the personal vignette, though the effect size was larger for the lower ASE group (large ES d = 1.21) than for the higher ASE group (medium ES d = 0.71).

Table 5 shows ASR-30 (personal vignette) mean item scores by ASE group (lower and higher). A One-way MANOVA was performed on these data with ASE group (lower vs. higher) as the independent variable and ASR-30 item scores as the dependent variables. There was a significant multivariate effect [ F (1, 222) = 2.971, p < 0.001] and significant univariate effects. Significant univariate effects are denoted by “*”and reflect scores indicating significantly higher academic resilience for the higher ASE group on all items except items 1, 6, 14, 26, and 29, where any differences were non-significant ( p > 0.05). Effect sizes were medium ( d ≥ 0.5) for 12 of the items and small ( d ≥ 0.2 < 0.05) for the remaining 13 items where a significant group difference was reported.

Table 5. Academic resilience scale (personal vignette) item summary statistics by academic self-efficacy (ASE) group .

Table 6 shows ASR-30 (vicarious vignette) mean item scores by ASE group (lower and higher). A One-way MANOVA was performed on these data with ASE group (lower vs. higher) as the independent variable and ASR-30 item scores as the dependent variables. The multivariate effect was non-significant [ F (1, 205) = 0.659, p >0.05]. Significant univariate effects were only found for items 6, 11, 15 and 24 ( p < 0.05) and reflect scores indicating significantly higher academic resilience for the higher ASE group, although effect sizes were small or minimal ( d < 0.2).

Table 6. Academic resilience scale (vicarious vignette) item summary statistics by academic self-efficacy (ASE) group .

Table 7 shows ASR-30 mean item scores by vignette group. A One-way MANOVA was performed on these data with vignette group (personal vs. vicarious) as the independent variable and ARS-30 item scores as the dependent variables. There was a significant multivariate effect [ F (1, 430) = 14.929, p < 0.001] and significant univariate effects. Significant univariate effects are denoted by “*” and “**” and reflect scores indicating significantly higher academic resilience for the vicarious group on all items except items 5 and 19 where academic resilience was significantly lower in the vicarious group (with minimal or small effect size) and items 1, 2, 10, 11, 13, 15, and 17, where any differences were non-significant ( p >0.05). Effect sizes were large ( d ≥ 0.8) for one item, medium ( d ≥ 0.5) for seven items, small ( d ≥ 0.2) for 12 items, and minimal ( d < 0.2) for the remaining three items where a significant group difference was reported.

Table 7. Academic resilience scaleitem mean scores by vignette group .

Figure 2 shows that while the difference in mean academic resilience scores between the personal and vicarious vignette groups was significant [ t (430) = 9.908, p < 0.001], with a large effect size ( d = 0.96), there was no significant difference in ASE scores [ t (432) = 0.356, p > 0.05].

Figure 2. Mean academic resilience by vignette group .

Age, Gender, and Year of Study Analysis

Gender and year of study analysis did not reveal any significant differences in academic resilience ( p > 0.05). Correlational analysis did not reveal any significant association between age and academic resilience ( p > 0.05), although a small significant correlation between age and ASE [ r (429) = 1.58, p < 0.001] was reported.

Overall results support the hypothesis that ASE is associated with, and a predictor of, academic resilience. Significant positive correlations between ASE and academic resilience were reported for both the personal and vicarious vignettes, although effect size was large for the personal vignette group and small for the vicarious vignette group. Analysis of ASE as a predictor of academic resilience also led to significant results for each of the vignette groups, with the greatest variance in academic resilience (26.2%) accounted for in the personal vignette group compared to only 4.6% in the vicarious group. Although previous studies have reported self-efficacy as an important contributory factor for resilience ( Hamill, 2003 ; Martin and Marsh, 2006 ), the present study offers additional insight into the context-specific interplay of these constructs. As advocated by Pajares (1996) and by Riley and Masten (2005) , Liddle (1994) and Waxman et al. (2003) , both self-efficacy and resilience were measured as context-specific constructs and in relation to—it is argued here—an authentic adverse situation and relevant adaptive responses. In both general and context-specific terms, findings support the relevance of self-efficacy beliefs to individual psychological resilience; having positive self-efficacy beliefs is likely to contribute toward increased resilience in students.

Once a relationship between ASE and academic resilience was established, further analysis sought to identify differences between lower and higher self-efficacy students in their specific responses to adversity. As anticipated, higher self-efficacy students reported significantly higher academic resilience for both case vignettes, although a significant interaction effect indicated greater influence of self-efficacy for the personal vignette, where the effect size was large, than for the vicarious vignette, where the effect size was small. The greater influence of self-efficacy on personal resilience is unsurprising in light of Bandura's (1993) account of self-efficacy as a mechanism of personal agency that makes causal contributions to own functioning. Analysis of responses to individual items on the Academic Resilience Scale-30 (personal vignette) showed that the higher self-efficacy group scored significantly higher on 25 of the 30 items, with small to medium effect sizes reported (see Table 5 ). This level of analysis highlights specific examples of responses to adversity where self-efficacious students responded in a more adaptive manner, providing a basis to better understand the precise nature of the influence of self-efficacy on resilience and offering a potential basis for interventions promoting resilience. Conversely, the items where there was no significant difference between self-efficacy groups are of little value in differentiating resilient and non-resilient students, at least on the basis of ASE beliefs. Responses to these items could still be adaptive or non-adaptive, conferring resilience or lack of it, but may be determined by individual difference constructs or processes other than self-efficacy. Similar analysis of responses to the vicarious adversity vignette revealed significant differences in only 4 of the 30 items, all with small effect sizes. This further supports the nature of self-efficacy as a mechanism for personal (human) agency and illustrates the limited influence of self-efficacy beliefs on the potential to perform academic advocacy roles, such as peer assisted learning mentors.

Results comparing responses to personal and vicarious vignettes revealed a significant difference and large effect size, with students reporting significantly higher resilience for the vicarious adversity vignette (see Figure 2 ). This effect was not explained by group differences in self-efficacy. That students advocate more positive adaptive responses to adversity experienced by a peer provides potentially valuable insights for resilience building. In general terms, it supports the value of peer mentoring and peer assisted learning and lessens concerns that negative belief systems might impact negatively on academic advocacy. In fact results suggest that students, including those with lower self-efficacy, are likely to be a positive source of encouragement and resilience for peers who are experiencing challenge and adversity. This is an important finding given continued growth in the implementation, evaluation and reputed benefits of peer assisted learning initiatives ( Ginsburg-Block et al., 2006 ; Smith et al., 2007 ; Romito, 2014 ). In more specific terms, results suggest that students are aware of what are and are not adaptive responses and have the potential to exhibit greater personal resilience than they may be currently exhibiting. One aspect of interventions promoting resilience could involve highlighting this difference between personal and vicarious resilience and encouraging students to reflect on their own reasons for advocating greater resilience for their peers and to explore the potential to move toward greater personal adoption of the responses advocated for their peers. Using examples of differences in specific responses, where significant differences in 23 of the 30 items are reported (see Table 7 ), could be helpful in this respect, enabling students to focus on areas where responses could be more adaptive.

Whilst academic resilience was significantly higher for the vicarious vignette for both lower and higher self-efficacy groups, the difference between personal and vicarious vignettes was greatest for lower self-efficacy students (see Figure 1 ). One interpretation of this is that lower ASE students have more to gain than students with higher self-efficacy from reflecting on how they respond to adversity experienced by a peer and using this to help promote more adaptive responses to personal adversity.

Consistent with previous studies ( Munro and Pooley, 2009 ; McLafferty et al., 2012 ), no significant differences in academic resilience according to age, gender, or year of study were observed in the present study. That females were heavily underrepresented in the sample does limit confidence in this particular finding, particularly in light of studies that do report greater academic resilience in female undergraduates (e.g., Allan et al., 2014 ).

Limitations

Although the study offers advances in applied academic resilience research and practice, some important limitations need to be considered when interpreting the results and conclusions of the study. Resilience studies commonly operationalize adversity in terms of difficult or unpleasant situations or experiences. It is suggested that the case vignettes developed for the study represent adversity in a relevant and authentic way for the purposes of studying academic adversity. Others—Martin and Marsh (2008 , 2009) and Martin (2013) for example—may argue that the vignette is not sufficiently traumatic, stressful or prolonged to adequately represent adversity as it is routinely represented in resilience studies. The ARS-30 is a newly developed measure of academic resilience and although findings do support its reliability and validity, further development work, particularly examining its predictive validity, will add to its integrity as a measure of academic resilience. Comparisons of personal and vicarious resilience were made between subject groups, introducing individual difference error; within-subject comparisons would provide a more robust basis upon which to draw conclusions regarding this aspect of the study. Also, given the differences that emerged between responses to the personal and vicarious case vignettes, those parts of the analysis that combine resilience response data across the vignettes should be treated with caution, focussing instead on analyses presented for the vignettes independently.

Future Directions

Whilst the lack of consensus that exists in terms of conceptualizing and operationalizing resilience ( Maclean, 2004 ; Friedland, 2005 ) is less pronounced within the narrower field of academic resilience (see Dweck, 2010 ; Duckworth, 2013 ; Martin, 2013 ), it is nonetheless suggested that there are two key areas of development necessary for increased impact of future general and academic resilience research. The first should address how best to capture aspects of resilience in a valid and reliable construct measure or measures. Grotberg (1997) for example summarizes the three aspects of resilience as: “I have” (e.g., trusting and loving relationships, encouragement to be independent); “I am” (e.g., proud of myself, responsible, hopeful); and “I can” (e.g., manage my feelings, solve problems). Similarly, caring relationships, good problem solving and intellectual functioning are identified by Masten and Coatsworth (1998) as factors promoting competency in individuals faced with adversity. The second area of development should continue to address the issue of identifying key factors and constructs associated with resilience. Discussing building resilience in vulnerable and disadvantage children and young people, Maclean (2004) identifies several familiar “qualities” or factors associated with resilience. These include initiative and insight, optimism, intellectual ability, placid temperament, trust, autonomy and decision making, humor, identity, social support, education, attainment, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Maclean goes on to raise the issue of the lack clarity surrounding how practioners can help individuals become more resilient; identifying associated constructs, as Duckworth's (2013) and Dweck's (2006 , 2010 ) have done with their constructs of grit and mindset, will assist the development and implementation of interventions promoting resilience, both in general and academic contexts. Evaluating new interventions is clearly a further avenue for research exploring academic resilience. Other avenues include longitudinal cohort studies examining the predictive value of academic resilience against outcomes including achievement, student satisfaction, retention and wellbeing.

In light of a recent impetus for intrapersonal research in education (Network on Intrapersonal Research in Education, 2015 ), future studies should consider examining both inter-individual and intra-individual variation in academic resilience. Such studies would reveal the extent to which population data can be generalized to patterns of resilience observed in individual students (and vice-versa), and would be particularly valuable in helping explore process aspects of resilience, as opposed to outcomes measures such as grade point average, in the evaluation of interventions or where adverse situations occur and are time-bound. Windle et al.'s (2011) description of resilience as the process of negotiating, managing and adapting to significant sources of stress or trauma emphasizes the importance of adopting such a process-focused view of resilience.

Conclusions

The present study sought to identify factors that contribute, in a meaningful way, to academic resilience and to examine how such factors influence specific, and meaningful, responses to academic adversity. Consistent with previous studies ( Hamill, 2003 ; Martin and Marsh, 2006 ), findings presented support ASE as predictive of academic resilience and go beyond earlier studies in identifying specific examples of responses to academic adversity, where lower and higher self-efficacy students respond in a differentially adaptive manner. As such, it is suggested that self-efficacy training, already shown to be effective in an educational context ( Siegle and McCoach, 2007 ), offers one approach to building academic resilience in students. Illustrating how self-efficacy influences specific responses to adversity, and the propensity to advocate greater resilience for peers facing adversity, should form another—metacognitive—aspect of resilience building for students. As Martin and Marsh (2006) have stated, identifying the specific facets comprising academic resilience will support an enhanced and more targeted approach to interventions aimed at enabling students to cope with the demands of academic life.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Keywords: resilience, self-efficacy, adversity, student, learning

Citation: Cassidy S (2015) Resilience Building in Students: The Role of Academic Self-Efficacy. Front. Psychol . 6:1781. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01781

Received: 29 May 2015; Accepted: 05 November 2015; Published: 27 November 2015.

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Copyright © 2015 Cassidy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Simon Cassidy, [email protected]

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How and When Resilience can Boost Student Academic Performance: A Weekly Diary Study on the Roles of Self-Regulation Behaviors, Grit, and Social Support

• Research Paper
• Open access
• Published: 30 March 2024
• Volume 25 , article number  36 , ( 2024 )

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• Kongqi Li 1 ,
• Huatian Wang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2982-1166 1 ,
• Oi-Ling Siu 1 &
• Hong Yu 2  

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Resilience has been found to have positive impacts on college students’ well-being and mental health. However, we still lack knowledge on how and under what conditions resilience can help to facilitate college students’ academic performance. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study investigated how resilience could be positively linked to college students’ academic performance through increasing self-regulation behaviors, and to what extent this indirect effect could be strengthened by individual grit and social support. Using 74 Chinese college students with a four-week longitudinal survey (296 observations in total), we confirmed our hypotheses. The results of multilevel moderated mediation showed that weekly self-regulation behaviors mediated the positive relationship between weekly resilience and college students’ weekly academic performance and that this positive indirect effect became stronger for those who had a higher level of grit and perceived a higher level of social support. Further, we found that weekly resilience was also positively related to the next week’s self-regulation behaviors, which in turn, increased next week’s academic performance. Social support can strengthen such a carry-over impact of resilience on next week’s self-regulation behaviors (but not for grit). To conclude, our study uncovered the short-term fluctuations of resilience and its impacts on students’ study outcomes. We highlight the important roles of personal resources (grit) and social resources (social support) that can leverage the positive effects of resilience on students’ weekly basis.

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1 Introduction

College students face a wide range of ongoing stressors related to academic performance (Lee, 2017 ). Compared with high school, the learning environment and learning methods of universities have undergone significant changes. Subject knowledge has increased, and learning requirements have become more stringent. These changes have resulted in many students experiencing adaptation problems and a decreased interest in learning (Glennie, 2022 ). These changes may also lead to emotional instability and declines in self-confidence, which seriously affects students’ academic performance (Frazier et al., 2019 ). Therefore, scholars suggest that students need to equip themselves with the resilience ability to fit the changing situations (Li, 2017 ). Studies found that resilience was positively related to one’s adaptability (Clinton, 2008 ), goal attainment (Connor & Davidson, 2003 ), subjective well-being (Yubero et al., 2021 ), and academic performance (Ayala & Manzano, 2018 ).

Recent research provides valuable insights into how resilience affects college students’ academic performance through affective and cognitive mechanisms (Bell et al., 2020 ). For example, resilience could be linked to a higher level of subjective well-being (Yubero et al., 2021 ), mental health (Hartley, 2013 ), growth mindsets (Zeng et al., 2016 ), and self-regulation (Pillay et al., 2022 ), which in turn, improved their academic performance. However, few studies to date have used a longitudinal design to explore the behavioral mechanism by which resilience can heighten students’ academic performance, which might be a major omission in the existing literature. A behavioral mechanism is also worth our attention because only knowing how resilience regulates one’s affect and cognition may not be able to uncover a complete resilient process. We still do not know whether resilience can activate any specific personal actions. It is essential to gain insights into how resilience can lead to meaningful self-regulatory behaviors, and in turn, achieve satisfactory academic performance on a daily basis. In addition, research shows that resilience is not always fixed, but constantly fluctuating and dynamic within individuals (Chmitorz et al., 2020 ), which means that an individual may exhibit varying self-regulatory behaviors to respond to different environmental hassles during his/her resilient process. Thus, it is meaningful to investigate a short-term fluctuation among one’s resilience, self-regulation behaviors, and academic performance. Recognizing this research gap, based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ), we aimed to examine how student resilience benefitted academic performance through self-regulation behaviors on a weekly basis.

Furthermore, we suspect that the student weekly resilient process may be influenced by individual differences. That is, not all students may benefit from the process of resilience through self-regulation behaviors on academic performance equally. In a recent study in grade 4 school students, it was found that the impact of social support on academic performance was mediated by psychological capital (including resilience) and then study engagement (Siu et al., 2021 ). In other words, college students with more personal and social resources may have more capabilities to deal with various study stressors and environmental hassles and engage in self-regulation behaviors more successfully. Thus, based on the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ), we further proposed two types of resources, i.e., grit (personal resources) and social support (social resources). The literature suggests that social support helps individuals cope with life adversity and stress and helps individuals to get through tough situations (Wang et al., 2014 ), and that grit helps students maintain perseverance and enthusiasm for long-term goals and control their emotions and desires in challenging or difficult situations (Kannangara et al., 2018 ). We attempted to test whether the mediating effect of student resilience on academic performance through self-regulation behaviors was stronger for those with high levels of grit and social support.

To sum up, the current study aimed to examine by what mechanism and under what conditions student resilience could improve college students’ academic performance over time. Using a weekly diary study design, we conducted a multilevel moderated mediation model and examined the mediating role of weekly self-regulation behaviors and the moderating roles of grit and social support. Our study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, we explored a behavioral mechanism to understand the relationship between resilience and academic performance, while this line of research predominantly focused on the affective and cognitive mechanisms (Bell et al., 2020 ). Examining the mediating role of self-regulation behaviors, we provided insights into how resilience can activate a self-regulatory process in which individuals plan, monitor, and reflect on various situational events, and in turn, obtain desirable outcomes. Second, we explored a short-term dynamic relationship among resilience, self-regulation behaviors, and academic performance, shedding light on a resilient process that unfolds over time within individuals (rather than between individuals). By contrast, previous studies primarily adopted a cross-sectional in nature treating resilience as a fixed factor (Al Omari et al., 2023 ) and examining how a fixed resilience level affected mental health (Wu et al., 2018 ), self-esteem (Al Omari et al., 2023 ), and well-being (Siu et al., 2009 ; Yubero et al., 2021 ). Finally, we particularly highlight the important role of grit in one’s resilient process. While previous studies have revealed many individual-level moderators in facilitating resilience processes, such as positive emotions (Sher, 2019 ), self-control (Liang et al., 2022 ), and self-efficacy (Santoro et al., 2020 ), only a few scholars have investigated the moderating role of grit as an important personal resource. We underscored the importance of grit in unleashing the full potential of a resilience process and enhancing the successful execution of weekly self-regulation behaviors.

2 Literature Review and Hypothesis Development

2.1 resilience and academic performance.

Academic performance is one of the most important learning outcomes for students (Dogan, 2015 ). Academic performance refers to the level of success a student achieves in their educational pursuits (Kuh et al., 2006 ; York et al., 2015 ). It encompasses academic achievement, attainment of learning objectives, acquisition of desired skills and competencies, satisfaction, persistence, and post-college performance (Kuh et al., 2006 ; York et al., 2015 ). To maximize academic performance, scholars indicate that students need to cultivate and develop different study abilities, such as cognitive ability, memory ability, innovation ability, and problem-solving ability (Rodrı́guez-Fornells & Maydeu-Olivares, 2000 ). Previous studies have demonstrated that a higher level of academic performance can lead to higher self-esteem and self-confidence as well as lower levels of anxiety and depression (Tadese et al., 2022 ). Also, some studies indicated that a higher level of academic performance can predict students’ early career success and career satisfaction (Van Dierendonck & Van der Gaast, 2013 ).

Recently, positive psychologists have suggested that resilience is a crucial ability for enhancing student academic performance. Masten and Reed ( 2002 ) referred to resilience “as a class of phenomena characterized by patterns of positive adaptation in the context of significant adversity or risk” (p.75), and they argued that resilient individual could thrive through positive adaptation to adversities encountered. In an academic context, resilience refers to a student’s ability to overcome and recover from academic adversities that may influence a student’s academic advancement (Martin, 2013 ). Previous research pointed out that resilience can lead to academic goal attainment (Connor & Davidson, 2003 ) and subjective well-being (Yubero et al., 2021 ). Berdida ( 2023 ) found that resilience positively influenced self-directed learning and academic motivation. Besides, some studies showed that being resilient can reduce test anxiety and academic stress (Hartley, 2013 ) and allow students to adapt to and recover from negative experiences (Clinton, 2008 ). Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ), we argued that resilience is positively related to academic performance. This is because COR theory posits that individuals tend to conserve, protect, and acquire resources. Therefore, individuals strive to utilize existing resources to acquire new resources in order to minimize resource loss and avoid psychological issues that may impact academic performance. Resilience, as a positive affective resource, can enable individuals to act positively to gain more (study) resources and avoid resource loss. Resources, as Hobfoll ( 1989 ) suggested, refer to things that individuals consider valuable and functional to them or ways that can help them obtain valuable things, such as material resources, conditional resources, individual characteristic resources, and energy resources (Hobfoll, 1989 ). With a higher level of affective resources, students will be able to relieve their stress and inject a higher level of motivation to learn, finally improving academic performance (Hobfoll, 1989 ). Focusing on student weekly context, we hypothesize:

H1: Weekly resilience is positively related to college students’ weekly academic performance.

2.2 The Mediating Role of Self-Regulation Behaviors

We further examined by what behavioral mechanism resilience can help to improve academic performance on a weekly basis. In an academic context, self-regulatory behaviors refer to the alteration of behaviors (or other states) to bring them into closer alignment with a specific standard, or goal (Baumeister & Vohs, 2006 ). We believe that weekly resilience is positively related to weekly self-regulatory behaviors. Based on the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ), individuals are motivated to preserve, protect, and acquire resources. Students actively construct and maintain their current resource reserves to cope with possible future scenarios of resource loss. This helps students alleviate the negative psychological state caused by resource loss. Thus, resilient people would like to take proactive actions (e.g., self-regulatory behaviors) to invest in acquiring new resources and avoid the loss of existing resources (e.g., cognitive resources, conditioned resources, personal resources), as suggested by the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ). Resilient individuals are capable of identifying situational cues such as challenges, stress, and opportunities, and then planning their actions based on personal goals, preferences, and interests. Previous research demonstrated a strong association between resilience and various self-regulatory components. Including (a) the ability to recognize and predict potentially threatening situations in an academic context, (b) the development of goals and regulation of behaviors to pursue these goals over time, and (c) the promotion of positive beliefs regarding one’s self-regulatory capacity and the implementation of decisions using appropriate skills (Dillon et al., 2007 ). Moreover, some studies have shown that resilience-related variables, such as self-motivation and volitional regulation (Valenzuela, 2020 ), can affect the self-regulation behaviors of college students. Pichardo et al. ( 2014 ) found that perseverance, decision-making, and learning from mistakes (the key components of resilience) were positively associated with self-regulatory behaviors.

Subsequently, we expect that weekly self-regulation behaviors will be positively related to weekly academic performance. According to the self-regulation theory (Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2014 ), students with higher levels of self-regulation behaviors tend to exhibit greater motivation to learn, set realistic goals for themselves, and employ effective strategies to achieve their academic objectives. Consequently, we argued that self-regulation behaviors are likely to be associated with an elevated level of academic performance. This is because, based on the self-regulation perspective, students who frequently engage in self-regulating behaviors can monitor and manage their own learning process in alignment with their goals (Greene et al., 2012 ). A goal orientation process can guide individuals toward goal attainment and motivate them to capitalize on their existing resources (e.g., energy, knowledge, networks) to achieve different study objectives (Hobfoll, 1989 ). Previous studies found that self-regulation capacity is a crucial individual factor that impacts academic success (e.g., transmitting from elementary school to higher education; McClelland & Cameron, 2011 ). Self-regulation behaviors are associated with improved academic achievement (Nota et al., 2004 ). Additionally, other studies have documented self-regulation behaviors in general as a robust predictor of social and behavioral adjustment in the school context (Fosco et al., 2013 ). Taking altogether:

H2: Weekly self-regulation behaviors mediate the positive relationship between weekly resilience and college students’ weekly academic performance.

2.3 Grit as a Moderator

We further discuss how the impact of weekly resilience (through weekly self-regulation behaviors) on weekly academic performance depends on individual differences. We propose two individual-level moderators – grit and social support. Duckworth et al. ( 2007 ) defined grit as working strenuously towards challenges, maintaining effort and interest despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress. Based on the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ), personal resources include various skills and traits that individuals possess and that contribute to their ability to resist stress. We believe that grit (personal resources) moderates the indirect effect of weekly resilience on academic performance through self-regulation behaviors on both within-person and between-person levels. This is because grit, as a personal resource, can help students to prevent the loss of resources and decrease the perceived situational threats when confronted with a stressful situation. At the within-person level, highly gritty individuals can be more successful to utilize their existing resources to demonstrate proactivity and enhance, sustain, or adapt their current behaviors in response to ever-changing external circumstances over time. At the between-person level, compared to those who are low in grit, students with high grit are generally more motivated and energetic to deal with academic difficulties (Hobfoll, 1989 ). Research has demonstrated that gritty individuals tend to invest sustained effort in achieving their goals (Kannangara et al., 2018 ). Thus, individuals with high levels of grit can enlarge the positive impact of resilience on self-regulating behaviors. By contrast, when the level of grit is low, individuals may struggle to persist and venture beyond their comfort zone (Kannangara et al., 2018 ). Therefore, for individuals with low levels of grit, the beneficial effects of their self-regulatory behaviors may be constrained due to a lack of perseverance and motivation in pursuing long-term objectives (Muenks et al., 2017 ).

Emerging evidence suggests that grit buffers against adverse circumstances for mentally ill people (Blalock et al., 2015 ). For example, Lam et al. ( 2020 ) found that grit can buffer the negative impact of children’s aggressive behaviors. Ma et al. ( 2020 ) revealed that grit strengthened the relationship between student adaptability and self-control, highlighting its role as a potent and positive force for promoting continuous self-control, self-regulation, and self-motivation in the face of difficulties and setbacks. Kundu ( 2017 ) argued that compared to students with low levels of grit, students with high levels of grit are more likely to possess the confidence to take personal initiative in confronting anticipated failures, surmount the barriers in the pursuit of academic and career achievements, to explore diverse tasks within their future occupations and academic pursuits, encourage themselves to social adaptation under unfavorable circumstances. Thus, we hypothesize:

H3(a): Grit moderates the within-person level indirect effect of weekly resilience on weekly academic performance through weekly self-regulation behaviors, such that the within-person level indirect effect will be stronger for those who have high grit (vs. low). H3(b): Grit moderates the between-person level indirect effect of weekly resilience on weekly academic performance through weekly self-regulation behaviors, such that the between-person level indirect effect will be stronger for those who have high grit (vs. low) .

2.4 Social Support as a Moderator

In addition to the moderating role of individual resources, our study also attempted to explore the moderating role of social resources. Social support refers to friends, family, and significant others who can provide instrumental, informational, or emotional assistance (House et al., 1988 ). Conservation of resources theory posits that social support is an important resource that facilitates the building of positive psychological resources (Hobfoll, 2002 ; Newman et al., 2018 ). Based on COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ), social resources play an important role in supporting and safeguarding the future development and growth of individuals, helping them unleash their potential and achieve their life goals and values. Therefore, we believe that social support (social resources) moderates the indirect effect of weekly resilience on academic performance through self-regulation behaviors on both within-person and between-person levels. This is because, at the within-person level, when students receive greater social resources from their peers, teachers, and families, they are more likely to leverage these external resources to turn the current predicament into a solvable situation over a longer period of time. At the between-person level, compared to those who receive less social support, students who receive more social support can have a more stable and harmonious social environment where people help and encourage each other, which can promote the development and maintenance of effective self-regulation strategies, and thereby improve academic performance. Thus, students with high levels of social support, students are better equipped to overcome challenges and have access to more social resources for managing their self-regulatory behaviors on a daily basis. In contrast, students with low levels of social support, individuals have less resources to use (e.g., ask whom for help or feedback) to solve the difficulties. As a result, achieving their set goals becomes increasingly difficult due to the absence of adequate external support.

Previous evidence showed that people with high levels of social support are generally more psychologically and physically healthy than those with low levels of support (Szkody et al., 2021 ). Wang et al. ( 2014 ) found that social support can moderate the relationship between adversity environment and psychological state, enabling individuals to adopt proactive behaviors to alleviate negative emotions and increase positive evaluations of their abilities. However, individuals with insufficient social support tend to experience more negative emotions such as loneliness, helplessness, and depression (Guo et al., 2022 ). Furthermore, they are less capable of employing proactive self-regulatory behaviors to overcome challenging situations and may need more time to recover from difficulties, compared to those with high levels of social support (Wang et al., 2014 ). In addition, Demaray et al. ( 2005 ) found that teacher and peer support (as key indicators of social support) can boost student adaptability. The emotional support received can moderate the relationship between academic stress and mental well-being, suggesting that university students who face academic stress but receive ample emotional support can be able to attain greater mental well-being compared to those with weak emotional support (Green et al., 2021 ). Thus, we hypothesized:

H4(a): Social support moderates the within-person level indirect effect of weekly resilience on weekly academic performance through weekly self-regulation behaviors, such that the within-person level indirect effect will be stronger for those who perceive high social support (vs. low). H4(b): Social support moderates the between-person level indirect effect of weekly resilience on weekly academic performance through weekly self-regulation behaviors, such that the between-person level indirect effect will be stronger for those who perceive high social support (vs. low).

3.1 Procedure and Participants

We used a weekly diary design to test our hypotheses. Following the recommended procedure (Ohly et al., 2010 ), our weekly diary research is divided into two parts: an initial general questionnaire and four weekly diaries. In the general questionnaire, we gathered basic information, including age, gender, and our moderating factors (i.e., grit and social support). At the end of this questionnaire, we asked participants to create a unique identification code that would be used for matching with the next four-week diaries. We emphasized that this study would examine how their activities and moods evolved over time and that there was no right or incorrect answer (i.e., we hide the real research purposes to reduce demand social desirability). The confidentiality and anonymity were guaranteed. After that, we distributed weekly diary questionnaires in which we tested our focal variables (i.e., resilience, self-regulation behaviors, and academic performance). The weekly diary questionnaires were delivered to participants every Wednesday for consecutive four weeks. We expected participants to finish the weekly diary questionnaire by Sunday.

Additionally, we conducted a power analysis to determine sufficient statistical power before recruiting people. The results of the power analysis indicated that a sample size of 36 with four-time repeated measurements was able to get 95% statistical power. Gabriel et al. ( 2018 ) reviewed 90 diary studies and recommended recruiting at least 83 participants for a three-day diary study. Based on power analysis and previous suggestions, we decided to recruit no fewer than 80 students for our study. Ultimately, we matched 74 individuals who filled both in the general questionnaires and four weekly diary questionnaires (296 data points in total). Our sample contained around 57% men. The ages ranged from 19 to 24 (SD = 0.77).

3.2 Measurement Instruments

The surveys were distributed in Chinese. 5-point Likert scale was used for all measurements (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). To ensure the validity of the content, we followed a back translation procedure (Brislin, 1970 ).

Weekly Resilience was assessed with a scale developed by Mueller ( 2023 ). We used 8 items to measure weekly resilience and adjusted the items to fit the weekly context. An example item was “This week, when challenged with troubles I do not give up easily”. Cronbach’s α was 0.935, 0.930, 0.935, and 0.927 respectively.

Weekly self-regulation behavior s were assessed with a scale developed by Gaumer and Noonan ( 2018 ). We used 13 items to measure weekly self-regulation behaviors and adjusted the items to fit the weekly context. Examples are “This week, I planned out projects that I want to complete” (plan), and “This week, I kept track of how my projects are going” (monitor). Cronbach’s α was 0.720, 0.816, 0.772, and 0.789 respectively.

Weekly academic performance was assessed with a scale developed by Williams and Anderson ( 1991 ). We used 2 items to measure weekly academic performance and adjusted the items to fit the weekly context. An example item is “This week, I fulfilled all the requirements of my study work”. Cronbach’s α was 0.782, 0.839, 0.800, and 0.830 respectively.

Social support was measured with the scale developed by Zimet et al. ( 1988 ). We used 4 items to measure social support. Note that social support was only measured once. An example item is “My friends really try to help me”. Cronbach’s α is 0.929.

Grit was assessed with a selected 4-item scale developed by Duckworth and Quinn ( 2009 ). An example item is “I am ambitious to achieve certain things during my lifetime”. Cronbach’s α is 0.834. Note that grit was only measured once.

Control variable . We also added gender and age as the control variables in our model.

3.3 Statistical Analysis

Three sets of analyses were conducted. First, we conducted a multilevel CFA using Mplus version 8 to analyze if each of the five indicators (i.e., weekly resilience, weekly self-regulation behaviors, weekly academic performance, grit, and social support) was a distinct construct. The analysis type was TWO LEVEL. The cluster variable was participant ID. Results of multilevel CFA showed that all five variables as separate constructs showed relatively acceptable fit indices (χ 2 (408) = 652.201; CFI = 0.91; TLI = 0.90; RMSEA = 0.06; SRMR_between = 0.05; SRMR_within = 0.06), indicating that all constructs were sufficiently distinct from one another. We also compared this measurement model with other alternative models. We have made a table to present our CFA results (see Table B in the supplementary document due to page limits). To conclude, the multilevel CFA results supported the discriminant validity of constructs.

We also tested a measurement invariance test of our target variables. Three types of measurement invariance were tested: configural invariance, metric invariance, and scalar invariance. Results showed that setting the factor loadings of each item equal across the four waves (i.e., models with metric invariance) did not significantly decrease model fitness compared with models with configural invariance, except that self-regulation construct did not pass the metric invariance test. Additionally, setting the intercept of each item equal (i.e., models with scalar invariance) across the four waves did not significantly decrease model fitness compared with models with metric invariance. Therefore, the scales had relatively sufficient measurement equivalence across time. We put the results in the supplementary document (see Table C ), due to page limits.

In addition, to justify our multi-level analysis, we computed the ICC (intra-class correlation) to examine whether there was significant variance on the weekly level (i.e., within-person variance). Results showed that the within-person variance of weekly resilience, weekly self-regulation behaviors, and weekly academic performance were 60.8%, 45.4%, and 47.8% respectively. We concluded that our variables varied both within and between persons, which warrants an examination of predictor variables at the person and week levels.

Finally, we used MLmed macro (Rockwood & Hayes, 2017 ) to examine the multilevel mediation and multilevel moderated mediation effects. This approach can provide bootstrapping iterations with the confidence interval. To be noted, although grit and social support may be correlated, we argued that estimating their moderating effects separately could allow us to examine their contributions without potential confounding effects. When highly correlated variables are included in the same model as moderators, multicollinearity issues may arise, leading to unstable estimates and difficulties in interpreting the results accurately (Kyriazos & Poga, 2023 ). Therefore, we decided to enter grit and social support in separate models.

Means, standard deviations, and correlations among all the study variables are reported in Table  1 . Week-level variables across the 4 weeks were averaged to correlate them with measures at the person level. Since our constructs were all self-reported, which may contain the common method bias (CMB), we further conducted Harman’s one-factor test. The results showed that there were 27.96%, 27.91%, 30.81%, and 30.75% of variance extracted at T1, T2, T3, and T4, which were all less than the threshold of 50%. Thus, we concluded that CMB might not be a serious issue in this study.

4.1 Hypothesis Testing

Table  2 showed that the direct effect of resilience on academic performance was b  = 0.4198, 95% CI = [0.1702, 0.6694] at the within-person level. This implied that weekly resilience was positively related to weekly academic performance. Hence, H1 was supported. In addition, we found that the indirect effect of resilience on academic performance via self-regulation behaviors was b  = 0.1872, 95% CI = [0.0617, 0.3332] at the within-person level (see Table  2 ). Hence, H2 was supported as well.

In support of Hypothesis 3, Table  3 showed that the two-way interaction term was b  = 0.2141; p  = .0376 at the within-person level (95% CI [0.0124, 0.4158]); and b  = 0.1676; p  = .0062 at the between-person level (95% CI [0.0490, 0.2862]). Furthermore, the MLmed results showed the index of moderated mediation at the within-person level was b  = 0.0941, CI [0.0034, 0.2187], which did not include zero, but the index of moderated mediation at the between-person level was b  = 0.0653, CI [-0.0173, 0.1798], which include zero. This means that grit is significant personal resource to moderate the effect of weekly resilience on weekly self-regulation behaviors over time. We further did a simple slope test to show the cross-level moderation effect, and results showed that resilience was more positively related to self-regulation behaviors when grit was higher (+ 1SD), b  = 0.623, p  < .001, compared to when it was lower (-1SD), b  = 0.372, p  < .001. We made a two-way interaction figure to visualize the moderating effect of grit (Fig.  2 ). In conclusion, H3(a) was supported and H3(b) was rejected.

Conceptual model

The interaction effects between resilience and grit/social support on self-regulation behaviors

In support of Hypothesis 4, Table  4 showed that the two-way interaction term was b  = 0.3035; p  = .0262 at the within-person level (95% CI [0.00365, 0.5705]); b  = 0.1762; p  = .0134 at the between-person level (95% CI [0.0376, 0.3148]). In addition, the MLmed results showed the index of moderated mediation at the within-person level was b  = 0.1334, CI [0.0116, 0.3009], which did not include zero, but the index of moderated mediation at the between-person level was b = 0.0678, CI [-0.018, 0.1944], which include zero. This means that social support is a significant social resource to moderate the effect of weekly resilience on weekly self-regulation behaviors over time. We further did a simple slope test to show the cross-level moderation effect, and results showed that resilience was more positively related to self-regulation behaviors when social support was higher (+ 1SD), b  = 0.490, p  < .001, compared to when it was lower (-1SD), b  = 0.204, p  = .004. We also made a two-way interaction figure to visualize the moderating effect of grit (Fig.  2 ). In conclusion, H4(a) was supported; H4(b) was rejected.

4.2 Lagged Effects Analyses

We also created the lagged terms, so that we can also check the carry-over effects of weekly resilience on self-regulation behaviors and academic performance in subsequent weeks. Specifically, resilience during the first three weeks was used as a predictor of academic performance in subsequent weeks. Resilience during the last week (week 4) was treated as missing in this series of analyses. Likewise, to examine the (moderated) mediation effect, we used academic performance (t + 1) as the outcome variable, resilience (t) as the predictor, self-regulation behaviors (t + 1) as the mediator, and the general grit and social support (only measured once) as the moderators.

Table  5 showed that the current week’s resilience was not directly positively related to next week’s academic performance ( b  = 0.1534, p  = .1401). However, we found that the current week’s resilience was positively related to the next week’s self-regulation behaviors, which in turn, improved next week’s academic performance ( b  = 0.3018, CI = [0.1667, 0.4350]). Further, the moderated mediation results (see Table  6 ) showed that the two-way interaction term about social support was b  = 0.2084, p  = .0071 (95% CI [0.0578, 0.3590]). Therefore, social support is a significant moderator for this carry-over effect of resilience. However, the two-way interaction term about grit was b  = 0.1099, p  = .0896 (95% CI [-0.0173, 0.2371]). Therefore, grit is not a significant moderator for this carry-over effect of resilience (see Table  7 ).

4.3 Additional Analysis

We further tested several additional models to strengthen our (causal) mediation effects. First, tested the effect of self-regulation behaviors (t + 1) on academic performance (t + 2). However, the results were not significant (see Table A in the supplementary document). This implied that self-regulation behaviors may only have more immediate effects on performance variables, rather than longer-lasting effects. This was in line with previous self-regulation study, stating that self-regulation behaviors can be enacted in the present moment and have a direct impact on immediate outcomes (Baumeister et al., 2006 ). Self-regulation behaviors are often task-specific and context-dependent. They are tailored to address the specific demands and challenges of a given situation or goal. As a result, their effects are more immediate and observable within the specific task or context in which they are applied (Baumeister et al., 2006 ). The task-specific nature of self-regulation behaviors supports the notion that their effects are more immediate and localized.

Second, we tested an alternative model with a different sequence, so that we can better determine the longitudinal mediation claim. We found that when we used the outcome variable to predict the mediator and the predictor, the results were not significant. This implied that the reverse effects were not supported. The causal mediation effect of self-regulation behaviors on the relationship between resilience and academic performance can be supported. We put the results in Table D in this letter in the supplementary document.

Third, we conducted a time series analysis to make better use of our data. Based on the data structure, we conducted a cross-lagged panel model (one form of a multivariate time series model). This model can testify more causal direct effect and mediation effect over time. The results showed that resilience at T1 was positively related to self-regulation behaviors at T2 (b = 0.402, p  < .05); self-regulation behaviors at T2 was positively related to academic performance at T3 (b = 0.551, p  < .05). Similarly, we found that resilience at T2 was positively related to self-regulation behaviors at T3 (b = 0.277, p  < .05); and self-regulation behaviors at T3 was positively related to academic performance at T4 (b = 0.395, p  < .05). These findings are in line with our hypothesis and our multilevel regression results. To check the reverse model, we found that academic performance at T1 was not significantly related to self-regulation behaviors at T2 (b = 0.277, p  = .07); self-regulation behaviors at T2 was not significantly related to resilience at T3 (b = 0.069, p  = .59). Likewise, we found that academic performance at T2 was not significantly related to self-regulation behaviors at T3 (b = -0.040, p  = .83); and self-regulation behaviors at T3 was not significantly related to resilience at T4 (b = 0.206, p  = .13). We presented the results in Table E in the supplementary document.

5 Discussion

Resilience is an important personal resource for students to successfully navigate a school life. Based on the conservation of resources theory and the self-regulation theory, the current study investigated how and when resilience can facilitate student academic performance on a weekly basis. Drawing a multilevel moderated mediation model, we found that weekly resilience was positively related to weekly self-regulation behaviors, which subsequently linked to improved student weekly academic performance. Further, this positive indirect effect was found to be stronger for those who possessed a higher level of grit and social support. Social support can strengthen such a carry-over impact of resilience on next week’s self-regulation behaviors. Finally, our lagged analysis results also revealed that resilience was not only positively related to the current week’s self-regulation behaviors, but also with the following week’s self-regulation behaviors, consequently improving next week’s academic performance. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed below.

5.1 Theoretical Implications

First, our multilevel results showed that weekly resilience was positively related to college students’ weekly academic performance at both within-person and between-person levels. This implies that not only those who were more resilient (vs. those not) tended to have a higher level of academic performance (i.e., at the between-person level), but also those who were more resilient can predict a higher level of academic performance over a short period of time (i.e., at the within-person level). Thus, we underscore that resilience is indeed a vital personal ability that can help students bounce back from potential academic setbacks, failures, and challenges, ultimately leading to academic achievements in the school setting over time. This finding echoes the previous studies indicating that academic resilience is a strong predictor of academic effort (Kotzé & Kleynhans, 2013 ). This finding can contribute to the student academic performance literature (Ayala & Manzano, 2018 ) by highlighting the significant positive role of resilience within a school environment.

Second, our multilevel mediation results showed that weekly self-regulation behaviors mediated the positive relationship between weekly resilience and college students’ weekly academic performance. This implies that self-regulation behaviors are an important behavioral process that can transform one’s metacognition, motivation, and vision (the components of resilience) into appropriate learning strategies. In other words, resilient individuals are able to take goal-oriented, self-regulatory actions to achieve study outcomes. This finding aligns with previous studies revealing that high levels of self-regulation predicted better academic achievement (Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2014 ), greater professional success (Van Hooft et al., 2021 ), and stronger interpersonal relationships (Fitzsimons & Finkel, 2010 ). Unlike previous studies mainly examining the cognitive mechanism of resilience (Mak et al., 2011 ; Bell et al., 2020 ), we contribute to the resilience literature (Kotzé & Kleynhans, 2013 ; Johnson et al., 2014 ) by suggesting a behavioral mechanism by which resilience can improve academic performance over time.

Third, our multilevel moderator mediation results showed that grit moderated the indirect effect of weekly resilience on weekly academic performance through weekly self-regulation behaviors, in such a way that the indirect effect became stronger for those who have high grit (vs. low). This implies that grit as a personal resource, can amplify the positive effects of resilience. High-grit individuals may have more stamina and energy to adopt proactive behaviors to persevere through adversity, hone personal abilities, execute plans, break through barriers to learning, and excel in future challenges to achieve academic excellence (Ayala & Manzano, 2018 ). This finding echoes previous studies, for example, Lan and Moscardino ( 2019 ) noted that high levels of grit can sustain students’ school well-being (e.g., academic engagement and school satisfaction). Hodge et al. ( 2017 ) pointed out that grit can moderate the relationship between engagement and academic outcomes for university students, which means that students with higher grit may have more energy to put into the learning process, thus leading to higher academic outcomes. Therefore, we highlight the relevance of grit as a desirable student characteristic. We contribute to student self-regulation literature (Webb et al., 2018 ) by highlighting the beneficial role of grit during the self-regulation process.

Fourth, the results further indicated that social support moderated the indirect effect of weekly resilience on weekly academic performance through weekly self-regulation behaviors. This implies that people with higher social support can feel cared for by others (e.g., teachers and parents), which in turn stimulates persistent and proactive behavior in pursuit of their learning goals (Jolly et al., 2020 ). According to COR theory, social support as an external environmental resource can help to increase students’ social connections and sense of belonging (Jolly et al., 2020 ) and reduce stress and improve wellbeing (Poots & Cassidy, 2020 ). Conversely, people with limited social support are prone to give up or make poor decisions when facing difficulties. This finding echoes previous studies revealing that social support can make students more perseverant (Song et al., 2021 ), and buffer the negative impacts of adverse environments on students (Demaray et al., 2005 ). Therefore, we contribute to the student self-regulation literature (Webb et al., 2018 ) by highlighting the important beneficial role of social support during the self-regulation process. Social support can facilitate the continuous adjustment of goals and plans for success.

Fifth, we used the weekly diary approach to examine a short-term dynamic relationship among resilience, self-regulation behaviors, and academic performance. We indicate that resilience and self-regulation behaviors are dynamic and are not static, that is, undulate over time. Thus, it is worthwhile examining such a dynamic relationship. This finding was consistent with previous studies, for example, Turner ( 2006 ) proposed that the process of self-regulation is dynamic rather than fixed; Koo and Fishbach ( 2008 ) elaborated on the importance of dynamic self-regulation from socio-cognition and intrinsic motivation perspectives. Thus, the current study provides empirical evidence on the fluctuating effect of resilience on individual behaviors and outcomes.

Sixth, our lagged analysis results showed that resilience can also have a lasting effect on the next week’s self-regulation behaviors, which in turn, increased next week’s academic performance. This implies that resilience has carry-over effects on individual behaviors and outcomes. This can be explained by the COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ) stating that when individuals are driven to preserve existing (personal) resources and obtain new resources, they can achieve a gain spiral or cycle, which has long-lasting beneficial effects. This is also in line with the broaden-and-build perspective (Fredrickson, 2001 ) suggesting that positive psychological states broaden an individual’s thought-action repertoires, which can lead to the building of personal resources that can continue to be used to engage in meaningful personal actions and goals (Fredrickson, 2001 ). Thus, when individuals exhibit resilience in the current week, they can accumulate their positive psychological resources and gain more sense of accomplishment and meaningfulness. Subsequently, such positive states will continue to facilitate positive behaviors (e.g., self-regulation behaviors), and in turn, obtain positive outcomes (e.g., academic performance). With this in mind, we highlight that resilience is a dynamic and evolving process through which one can take lasting self-regulatory actions to acquire the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary to achieve goals. This finding also aligns with some previous studies. For example, Wu et al. ( 2020 ) found that resilience could significantly predict positive mental health status one year later. Fan et al. ( 2022 ) found that resilience predicted subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive and negative affect) over five months. This finding adds to the resilience literature (Ayala & Manzano, 2018 ; Kotzé & Kleynhans, 2013 ) by highlighting the carry-over effect of resilience.

Finally, we also examined the moderating roles of grit and social support on the carry-over effects of resilience through self-regulation behaviors on next week’s academic performance. Our results showed that social support can strengthen such a positive carry-over effect, but not for grit. This finding implied that social support is a crucial environmental booster that can help students reap more benefits from the long-lasting effect of resilience. With a higher level of social support, students will feel more secure and energized to accumulate their personal resources and then engage in self-regulatory behaviors in a more frequent and proactive manner. That said, a socially supportive environment can encourage resilient people to engage in longer-lasting self-regulation behaviors. Unfortunately, previous studies did not pay attention to the moderating role of social support on the carry-over effects of self-regulations behaviors (or other goal-oriented behaviors), except that Liu et al. ( 2021 ) found a buffering effect of social support in a two-year longitudinal study. Thus, we highlight that social support can help individuals develop and maintain resilience ability over a short period of time, so as to reinforce more self-regulation strategies on a daily basis. Therefore, we contribute to the resilience literature (Ayala & Manzano, 2018 ; Kotzé & Kleynhans, 2013 ) by highlighting the moderating role of social support on the longer-term effect of resilience on self-regulation behaviors.

5.2 Limitations and Future Research

First, all the constructs in our study were self-reported, which raises the question of whether common method bias (CMB) can explain the results (Podsakoff et al., 2003 ). Although Harman’s one-factor test showed that CMB was not a serious issue in this study, we recommend future research to take more objective measures of the study variables. For example, academic performance could be measured by students’ test scores.

Second, we collected diary data from second-year college students at a single university in China, which may limit the generalizability of the results. It is well known that college students at different levels (e.g., freshmen and seniors) may exhibit different attitudes, behaviors, and performance (Lehmann, 1963 ). The inclusion of college students at different levels would increase the generalizability of the study. Therefore, future studies should consider enrolling more diverse students.

The third limitation is the region setting. China is a collectivist cultural environment in which group orientation and interpersonal harmony are valued, which may differ from the Western culture. Previous study pointed out that resilience has universal as well as culturally and contextually specific aspects and exerts differing amounts of influence on a person’s life (Ungar, 2008 ). For example, social support networks may be more emphasized in the collectivistic culture (Burholt et al., 2017 ). Power distance (e.g., hierarchy) may also influence individual behaviors and attitudes (Kanter, 1976 ), which may influence the generalizability of our results. Therefore, it is unclear whether our findings are specific to the Chinese context or can be generalized to other contexts. We suggest that future research involves the investigation of whether the effects of resilience and self-regulation behaviors differ in other cultural settings.

5.3 Practical Implications

Our study presents three main practical implications. First, our results suggest that resilience, through self-regulation behaviors, is positively associated with academic performance for university students. Thus, we recommend that students need to learn to be resilient in the school setting. For example, students can learn to take feedback positively, develop patience and tolerance, learn from mistakes, and build confidence in themselves. There is evidence showing that resilience training may lead to positive outcomes for students: Boardman’s ( 2016 ) study found that resilience could be built through self-efficacy and self-regulation behaviors over a 13-week period. Thus, we suggest universities can help students improve resilience by organizing intervention programs, such as adaptation skills for challenges, building psychological capacities, communication skills, and relaxation techniques.

Our results suggest that grit reinforces the indirect effect of resilience on college students’ academic performance. This implies that students who are more grit are more likely to engage in self-regulatory behaviors and to experience positive feelings. Therefore, according to COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ), universities and educational practitioners need to pay more attention to the development of personal resources such as grit. More training courses on developing grit could be considered to guide college students to maintain adequate personal resources to cope with stressful events. For example, Hwang and Nam ( 2021 ) developed an intervention to cultivate grit from cognitive, behavioral, and emotional domains.

Social support is another important (environmental) resource. Teachers should be proactive in creating a supportive environment and provide both tangible and intangible assistance to students in formal and informal learning arenas. For example, universities should provide positive emotional support to students when they cope with stress and challenges; encourage students to express their negative learning experiences, and seek help from teachers and classmates when needed (Babicka-Wirkus et al., 2021 ). These forms of social support will help improve students’ resilience so that they can deal with difficulties or adversities encountered in the learning processes and continue to invest energy in learning through self-regulating behaviors.

Data Availability

The data can be obtained via request from the corresponding author.

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Li, K., Wang, H., Siu, OL. et al. How and When Resilience can Boost Student Academic Performance: A Weekly Diary Study on the Roles of Self-Regulation Behaviors, Grit, and Social Support. J Happiness Stud 25 , 36 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00749-4

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Fostering College Student Mental Health and Resilience

• August 15, 2023
• Healthy living for mental well-being, Patients and Families, Teens and young adults

College student mental health has been the focus of much attention in recent years. Mental health is integral to student success and mental health concerns among college students are an ongoing and systemic problem; not just a consequence of the pandemic.

• 73% of students reported moderate or severe psychological distress in 2021, according to the National College Health Assessment
• 60% of college students reported experiencing one or more mental health challenges in 2021, according to the National Healthy Minds Study(.pdf).
• The percentage of students experiencing mental health problems has increased nearly 50% since 2013 .

Students are affected by a range of stressors and challenges, including academic pressure , balancing obligations, social pressures, and more global/societal concerns. A recent survey found that more than half of Gen Zers (teens and young adults aged 14 to 25) experience mental health impacts related to concerns about gun violence and climate change. Another recent survey of college students finds that more than half (56%) of students have experienced chronic stress (a consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time) in college. Chronic stress is linked to a range of mental and physical health problems.

Given the extent of the mental health concerns among college students, access to services and use of services is important. A recent national survey of college students found that, among students with a mental health condition, about 50% have not accessed any mental health services. Among all students, about one in four have used on-campus counseling, 12% have used telecounseling, 10% received referrals to off-campus therapists, and 6% have used a mental health hotline and urgent counseling. About two-thirds of students have not accessed any campus resources.

Increasing Student Access to Mental Health Services

Researcher Brett R. Harris, University at Albany School of Public Health, and colleagues offer a set of universal recommendations for increasing college students’ access to and use of mental health services. They note that while each campus is unique, they have developed universal recommendations “based on their experience working with colleges and universities across New York State to help change campus culture and increase uptake and usage of services. Their recommendations include:

• Start the conversation on mental health and increase ommunication. Increasing the conversation around mental health is a first step to reducing stigma.
• Make mental health promotion and puicide prevention a campus‑wide effort.
• Involve students, faculty, and staff in the development and implementation of mental health campaigns, services, resources, and supports.
• Don’t just make training available: Integrate training  into academics and student life and follow‑up with resources and support. Mental health or suicide prevention training should become a part of the set of annual trainings required for faculty and staff.
• Make sure information about services and supports Is readily available and communicated to students.
• Assess the needs of students and take a staged approach to meet their needs. For example, screening and assessment can be conducted for all students at the beginning of the semester via online survey or in college health and counseling centers.
• Collaborate with outside organizations and the community. Active collaboration with external organizations and the outside community may help to expand upon limited resources.

The authors also suggest that efforts need to go beyond mental health services in college counseling centers and involve a multipronged, public health approach with buy-in, support, input, and participation of key stakeholders.

Working with Peer Leaders to Promote Wellness and Resilience

A wellness program developed by the Radical Hope Foundation  is working to boost student resilience and promote wellness with the help of student leaders. It will be in place in more than 30 college campuses this fall. The RADical Health program works to empower students and equip them with knowledge and coping skills to stay well and stay resilient. During the four-week program students work in small groups with the support of peer leaders or faculty guides to explore themes including

• Staying well, staying resilient (building resilience).
• Connecting with others (strengthening emotional intelligence).
• Empowering yourself (examining principles and priorities).
• Engaging with the world (looking at’ Where do I go from here?’).

Students hear from notable figures in sports, entertainment, and business and participate in group discussions about the program themes, student life experiences and other aspects of their lives. Student Mental Wellness Tips for Thriving on Campus this Fall Students can be proactive in promoting their own mental wellness on a college campus.

• Familiarize yourself with mental health and wellness services offered on campus.
• Check that your health insurance will cover medical and mental healthcare in the area in which you are attending college.
• Look for ways to connect with others on campus. Join a campus organization.
• Communicate with your instructors about your needs.
• Prioritize sleep and a healthy diet. You may be tempted to grab easy not-so-healthy snacks or meals or to forgo sleep to study, but doing so will only make it harder to concentrate, learn and be productive.

More information on college student mental health:

• Jed Foundation
• Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA)
• Harris, B. R., Maher, B. M., & Wentworth, L. (2022). Optimizing Efforts to Promote Mental Health on College and University Campuses: Recommendations to Facilitate Usage of Services, Resources, and Supports. The journal of behavioral health services & research, 49(2), 252–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-021-09780-2
• Flaherty, C. 2023. Student Health and Wellness Survey: The Top 10 Takeaways . Inside Higher Ed.

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Essays That Worked

The essays are a place to show us who you are and who you’ll be in our community.

It’s a chance to add depth to something that is important to you and tell the admissions committee more about your background or goals. Below you’ll find selected examples of essays that “worked,” as nominated by our admissions committee. In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins.

Read essays that worked from Transfer applicants .

Hear from the class of 2027.

These selections represent just a few examples of essays we found impressive and helpful during the past admissions cycle. We hope these essays inspire you as you prepare to compose your own personal statements. The most important thing to remember is to be original as you share your own story, thoughts, and ideas with us.

Ordering the Disorderly

Ellie’s essay skillfully uses the topic of entropy as an extended metaphor. Through it, we see reflections about who they are and who they aspire to be.

Pack Light, But Be Prepared

In Pablo’s essay, the act of packing for a pilgrimage becomes a metaphor for the way humans accumulate experiences in their life’s journey and what we can learn from them. As we join Pablo through the diverse phases of their life, we gain insights into their character and values.

Tikkun Olam

Julieta illustrates how the concept of Tikkun Olam, “a desire to help repair the world,” has shaped their passions and drives them to pursue experiences at Hopkins.

Kashvi’s essay encapsulates a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and the invaluable teachings of Rock, their 10-year-old dog. Through the lens of their companionship, Kashvi walked us through valuable lessons on responsibility, friendship, patience, and unconditional love.

Classical Reflections in Herstory

Maddie’s essay details their intellectual journey using their love of Greek classics. They incorporate details that reveal the roots of their academic interests: storytelling, literary devices, and translation. As their essay progresses, so do Maddie’s intellectual curiosities.

My Spotify Playlist

Alyssa’s essay reflects on special memories through the creative lens of Spotify playlists. They use three examples to highlight their experiences with their tennis team, finding a virtual community during the pandemic, and co-founding a nonprofit to help younger students learn about STEM.

More essays that worked

We share essays from previously admitted students—along with feedback from our admissions committee—so you can understand what made them effective and how to start crafting your own.

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Threads of resilience: Chelsae Thompson’s 14-year journey to a college degree

By: Brian Dunn May 15, 2024

The cerulean yarn wound around Chelsae Thompson’s knitting needles, growing stitch by stitch, just as her dream of a diploma has taken shape through years of starts, stops and relentless persistence.

Her brown eyes never strayed. They kept a steady gaze forward as she shared her 14-year journey to a college degree. 

“Getting my degree is something I’ve never wavered on,” she said. “I always knew I was going to get my degree.” 

That commitment has carried the 33-year-old mother of five and military spouse through four colleges, three states and two countries.

Early struggles, new beginnings 

Chelsae’s journey started at Murray State University, where she planned to rush Sigma Sigma Sigma. But the night before the initiation, she discovered she was pregnant with her first child. After a short break, she returned to school at Indiana University Southeast, where a year later, she learned she was expecting her second child with her husband, a U.S. Army soldier. 

As her family grew, Chelsae’s education took a backseat. She found solace in knitting and reading, calmed her anxiety and allowed her to continue learning while balancing her roles as a mother and military spouse. 

As her husband’s military career progressed, she attended classes sporadically. All while moving from Kentucky to Alaska and then to Kentucky and Colorado.  

“Life had turns. It’s been a wild journey, to say the least,” she recalled while looping yarn around her knitting needles. 

Chelsae was determined to complete her degree when the military stationed her family for the second time at Fort Campbell. Upon visiting Austin Peay State University, she fell in love with the campus. 

“I’ve been in love ever since,” she said.

Chelsae Thompson accepts the Hattie Walker Wilhoite Award

Finding support at APSU 

At Austin Peay, Chelsae found an empathetic and supportive environment. 

“The transition to Austin Peay was actually really smooth,” she said. “I am a mom of five, and because of my husband’s military service, I was afraid that no one would understand. Austin Peay is probably the most empathetic campus I’ve been on. My teachers never lower their standards but provide understanding.” 

Chelsae’s dedication to her studies and ability to balance multiple roles are clear in her campus leadership. Chelsae has served as a Transfer Student Leader with the Adult, Nontraditional, Transfer Student Center, hosted Adult Cafe, and was the finance intern for Student Life Engagement and the ANTS Center. During this time, she created financial literacy programs for students. Currently, Chelsae serves as vice president of the Larry W. Carroll Govs Fund in the College of Business, is president of the Tau Sigma National Honor Society, and will travel to Argentina to study abroad this summer. 

“I’ve been able to do everything I ever wanted to do in college, and I’m super grateful for that,” she said. Studying abroad was the only thing that I hadn’t marked off. I’ve always wanted to travel, and I haven’t traveled in 16 years.”

Chelsae Thompson, seated, second from right, and the Gov Fund members.

Balancing roles, managing mental health 

Despite frequent moves and the challenges of raising a large family, Chelsae remained committed to her education. Her knitting provides a creative outlet while assisting in managing her anxiety and ADHD. 

“I’ve always been very vocal with my professors about my mental health,” she said. “They’ve been really supportive, meeting me where I’m at, and as a result, I do my best to go above and beyond because they’ve been understanding.” 

That includes allowing Chelsae to knit in class while fully engaged with the professors. 

“The repetitive motion helps me focus and manage my anxiety,” she said. “And as a result, I learn and retain information better.”  

Balancing motherhood, studying and being a military spouse requires meticulous time management and unwavering family support. 

“I set a schedule and stick to it,” she said. “I do my best to communicate with my kids what’s going on, and we work together to accommodate their needs as well as mine. And to be frank, my husband is incredible and always willing to take over when I need to focus.” 

Leadership, recognition 

As she nears completion of her undergraduate degree, Chelsae aims for an MBA from APSU. She later plans to pursue a doctorate and teach on a college campus. 

“My dream has always been to be a college professor or to work on college campuses,” she shared. “I love learning and the versatility that being a professor allows. I get to follow my passion wherever it leads.” 

Chelsae’s leadership style, shaped by her experiences as a mother, is characterized by transparency, empathy and playfulness. 

“I want to be the kind of leader who listens and understands,” she said. “Inclusivity is important to me. I want everyone to feel heard.” 

Her advice to other nontraditional students is simple but powerful: “Don’t be afraid to engage. Life happens, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pursue your dreams. The journey might be longer, but it’s worth it.” 

She has put that advice to work. 

Chelsae is a cornerstone of the Adult, Nontraditional, and Transfer Student (ANTS) Center at Austin Peay. She works as a student assistant and transfer student leader to provide guidance and support to fellow nontraditional students. Her favorite spot on campus is the ANTS Center, a haven for students like her. 

In February, Student Life and Engagement awarded her Student Leader of the Month. Just last month, she was also recognized as Outstanding Non-traditional Student of the Year during the annual Student Organization and Leader Awards and received the Hattie Walker Wilhoite Award, named after the first African American female APSU graduate. The award acknowledges her contributions and leadership and was presented by the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center.  

Aspirations

Chelsae has pursued several majors, starting with liberal arts and shifting to teaching, then chemistry, general studies, accounting, and finance—a field she describes as her “accidental passion.” 

“It sounds cocky, but I’m good at all the things because I just like to learn,” Chelsae said with a laugh. “Finance allows me to do anything and everything I want.” 

She is set to graduate with a bachelor’s in business administration in finance in December. 

After graduating in December, Chelsae’s main goal is to pursue her MBA at Austin Peay and dedicate a year solely to her MBA coursework. 

Her long-term goal is to pursue a doctorate and become a college professor. She plans to take a break after her MBA to work and gain experience in finance, specifically in financial planning and wealth management. 

“I’ve always been in love with learning,” she said. “And APSU has given me the opportunity to pursue my passion and make a difference.” 

As Chelsae’s future unfolds, she will continue to inspire, lead and achieve, just as she did with her blanket — stitch by stitch, each thread a testament to her unwavering spirit and determination.

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The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Going to College

Benjamin B. Bolger has spent his whole life amassing academic degrees. What can we learn from him?

Bolger has spent the last 30-odd years attending top universities. Credit...

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By Joseph Bernstein

• Published June 3, 2024 Updated June 5, 2024

Benjamin B. Bolger has been to Harvard and Stanford and Yale. He has been to Columbia and Dartmouth and Oxford, and Cambridge, Brandeis and Brown. Over all, Bolger has 14 advanced degrees, plus an associate’s and a bachelor’s. Some of Bolger’s degrees took many years to complete, such as a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Others have required rather less commitment: low-residency M.F.A.s from Ashland University and the University of Tampa, for example.

Listen to this article, read by Robert Petkoff

Some produced microscopically specific research, like Bolger’s Harvard dissertation, “Deliberative Democratic Design: Participants’ Perception of Strategy Used for Deliberative Public Participation and the Types of Participant Satisfaction Generated From Deliberative Public Participation in the Design Process.” Others have been more of a grab bag, such as a 2004 master’s from Dartmouth, for which Bolger studied Iranian sociology and the poetry of Robert Frost.

He has degrees in international development, creative nonfiction and education. He has studied “conflict and coexistence” under Mari Fitzduff, the Irish policymaker who mediated during the Troubles, and American architecture under the eminent historian Gwendolyn Wright. He is currently working, remotely, toward a master’s in writing for performance from Cambridge.

Bolger is a broad man, with lank, whitish, chin-length hair and a dignified profile, like a figure from an antique coin. One of his favorite places is Walden Pond — he met his wife there, on one of his early-morning constitutionals — and as he expounds upon learning and nature, it is easy to imagine him back in Thoreau’s time, with all the other polymathic gentlemen, perhaps by lamplight, stroking their old-timey facial hair, considering propositions about a wide range of topics, advancing theories of the life well lived.

And there’s something almost anachronistically earnest, even romantic, about the reason he gives for spending the past 30-odd years pursuing college degrees. “I love learning,” he told me over lunch last year, without even a touch of irony. I had been pestering him for the better part of two days, from every angle I could imagine, to offer some deeper explanation for his life as a perpetual student. Every time I tried, and failed, I felt irredeemably 21st-century, like an extra in a historical production who has forgotten to remove his Apple Watch.

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A study on the coupling coordination of urban resilience and the tourism economy in the beijing–tianjin–hebei region.

1. Introduction

2. literature review, 2.1. the concept of urban resilience, 2.2. urban resilience and the tourism economy, 3. research methods and data sources, 3.1. research methods, 3.1.1. entropy weight method, 3.1.2. coupling coordination degree model, 3.1.3. kernel density estimation, 3.1.4. obstacle degree model, 3.2. index system, 3.2.1. indicators of urban resilience, 3.2.2. indicators of the tourism economy, 3.3. data sources, 4.1. urban resilience level, 4.2. tourism economic development levels, 4.3. the coupling coordination degree of urban resilience and the tourism economy, 4.3.1. the dynamic evolutionary characteristics, 4.3.2. spatial distribution characteristics, 4.4. the main obstacle factors affecting the coupling coordination degree, 5. discussion, 6. conclusions and recommendations, 6.1. conclusions, 6.2. policy implications, 6.3. limitations and future studies, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Share and Cite

Zhang, Y.; Li, Y. A Study on the Coupling Coordination of Urban Resilience and the Tourism Economy in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region. Sustainability 2024 , 16 , 4946. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16124946

Zhang Y, Li Y. A Study on the Coupling Coordination of Urban Resilience and the Tourism Economy in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region. Sustainability . 2024; 16(12):4946. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16124946

Zhang, Ying, and Yunyan Li. 2024. "A Study on the Coupling Coordination of Urban Resilience and the Tourism Economy in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region" Sustainability 16, no. 12: 4946. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16124946

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That old ‘Gatsby’ magic, made new 

American Dream turned deadly

Just one family’s history – and the world’s

This course changed how i see the world.

Students from the class “Vision and Justice” include Elyse Martin-Smith (from left), Toussaint Miller, Tenzin Gund-Morrow, Ryan Tierney, Marley Dias, and Anoushka Chander.

Photos by Dylan Goodman; photo illustration by Judy Blomquist/Harvard Staff

Dylan Goodman

Harvard Correspondent

A photographer’s love letter to ‘Vision and Justice’

How has visual representation both limited and liberated the definition of American citizenship and belonging? That’s a key question that Professor Sarah Lewis ’ class “ Vision and Justice: The Art of Race and American Citizenship ” aims to answer.

I was lucky to be one of the 50 students out of 200 who got a seat in the course through the General Education lottery administered by the College. I had no idea at the beginning of the semester how deeply the class would alter my photographic eye and perception of the world. It challenged me as a photographer to understand history through the lens of my passion.

Lewis is an art and cultural historian. In addition to the “Vision and Justice” course, she is also the founder of the Vision & Justice civic initiative, which she explains focuses on “original research, curricula, and programs to reveal the foundational role visual culture plays in generating equity and justice in America.” However, “the work in the classroom is the heart of it all,” she said, as she loves “seeing transformation in my students before my eyes. The sense of empowerment, heightened awareness, and joy is like nothing else.”

Sarah Elizabeth Lewis is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University.

Photo by Dylan Goodman

Dylan Goodman ’25, story author and photographer.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Her primary teaching goal was to “compel” students to understand and see the power of visual culture for justice across disciplines. “How can we define the trajectory of a country founded on the tension between slavery and freedom, liberty and genocide, equality and exclusion?” said Lewis. “We have done it and continue to do it through the work of culture.”

Leaving this course, I find myself thinking of my photographic subjects as collaborators, just as LaToya Ruby Frazier does; I think about how my photographs can be used to create counternarratives and fight for equality, just as Frederick Douglass did. With every click of the shutter, I think about Lewis’ teaching: Visual art matters. 

My classmates came from a variety of concentrations and backgrounds, and they took away just as wide a range of lessons. Below, some of them reflected on their time in the classroom.

Professor and student.

Toussaint Miller ’25

Neurobiology, secondary in music.

“The pedagogy of vision and justice is more applicable than it may explicitly seem… As an aspiring surgeon, I could not help but ask how these ideals — rooted in eugenics and polygenesis — have influenced modern medicine. How do the practices of the 18th and 19th century contribute to the health disparities affecting marginalized communities even still today?” Toussaint Miller

Miller enrolled in “Vision and Justice” for two primary reasons: He believes in the power of representation in defining who we are and what we will become, and he wanted the opportunity to discuss the legacy of art and culture with his peers.

The course has “armed me with the tools necessary to intellectually consider the underlying meanings and contexts of visual art,” he said, noting that he sees visual art as a way to honor human life and denigrate it. A standout moment from the class was discussing how Confederate monuments have come to be the “new battleground of racial contestation” and help us understand how America’s past affects its future.

Marley Dias ’26

Sociology and data analytics, secondary in african american studies  .

“While I thought that American history could be divided into racial history, Professor Lewis has taught me the way these histories are constantly intertwined and has pushed my thinking toward seeing cultural movements as essential mechanisms for justice in America.” Marley Dias

Dias enrolled in this course because of her passion for representation in media. As the founder of the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, an international movement to collect and donate books with Black girls as the main character, Dias believes capturing the “full spectrum of identity can heal the wounds of our oppressive history.”

Dias said the course changed the way she understands race. She learned how to use visual analysis and historical context to understand how sight plays an integral role in race, especially in how we can challenge oppression.

Ryan Tierney ’24

History and literature, secondary in economics.

“As a second-semester senior, I expected that I would be ‘cruising to the finish line,’ having already experienced all of the perspective-shifting classes of my College career. I was so wrong, and I have been profoundly impacted by this class.” Ryan Tierney

Tierney said he loved the discussions Lewis led, explaining that “the way in which she amplified everyone’s perspective was really helpful to our overall understanding … When it comes to art and images, perspective matters.”

He defined the course as centering around changing the way individuals view representation in the U.S.

Elyse Martin-Smith ’25

Social studies and african american studies.

“I love that this GenEd brings together people from many different areas at the College. As someone who focuses in Black Artivism (arts and activism), it is enlightening to examine the shared struggle of other marginalized communities, exploring deep parallels and linked fate.” Elyse Martin-Smith

Martin-Smith enrolled in the class because of her passion for the arts, primarily music, in honoring the traditions of Black people.

Martin-Smith enjoyed the lectures, engaging with guest speakers, materials from the Harvard Art Museums, and the process of hearing classmates grapple with their own opinions on the content. She said she felt inspired to “take action” and “challenge harmful histories” from what she learned.

Tenzin Gund-Morrow ’26

Social studies.

“‘Vision and Justice’ has gifted me the language to more exactingly analyze, understand, and explain the issue of citizenship and race in America. It’s provided me with the critical visual skills that are more useful than ever in our modern digital age.” Tenzin Gund-Morrow

Gund-Murrow had heard that “Vision and Justice” was “one of those special classes that explodes how you see the world.” It changed the way he saw himself as well. Lewis has “forever altered the trajectory of my studies by elucidating the inextricable tie between visual culture, political identity, and public policy.”

Gund-Morrow, who has a scholarly interest in criminal justice, said the class forced him to question the role media and visual artifacts play in the modern carceral system.

He was most struck by the unit on lynching. He said he learned lessons about the “liberatory potential of Black contemporary artists” in addressing its legacy.

Anoushka Chander ’25

“The class asks us to understand that visual culture — through art, photos, and monuments — has created a narrative of who does or does not count in American life.” Anoushka Chander

In high school, Chander interned with the Smithsonian Institution museums. She had always viewed these artistic spaces as a place for fighting social injustice. “Museums reckon with ugly histories of oppression, celebrate the beauty and resilience of diverse Americans, and challenge racist beliefs,” she said. Additionally, as a singer and performer, she has always been interested in how art can further representation.

Chander connected the course to her concentration, focusing especially on visual representations of Black motherhood. “In my midterm paper, I discussed how Serena Williams’ pregnant cover photo of Vanity Fair presented Black motherhood as powerful and beautiful, challenging racist assumptions.”

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Sofia Barnett

ChatGPT Is Making Universities Rethink Plagiarism

In late December of his sophomore year, Rutgers University student Kai Cobbs came to a conclusion he never thought possible:  Artificial intelligence might just be dumber than humans. 

After listening to his peers rave about the generative AI tool  ChatGPT , Cobbs decided to toy around with the chatbot while writing an essay on the history of capitalism. Best known for its ability to generate long-form written content in response to user input prompts, Cobbs expected the tool to produce a nuanced and thoughtful response to his specific research directions. Instead, his screen produced a generic, poorly written paper he’d never dare to claim as his own. 

“The quality of writing was appalling. The phrasing was awkward and it lacked complexity,” Cobbs says. “I just logically can’t imagine a student using writing that was generated through ChatGPT for a paper or anything when the content is just plain bad.” 

Not everyone shares Cobbs’ disdain. Ever since OpenAI launched the chatbot in November,  educators have been struggling with how to handle a new wave of student work produced with the help of artificial intelligence. While some public school systems, like New York City’s, have banned the use of ChatGPT on school devices and networks to curb cheating, universities have been reluctant to follow suit. In higher education, the introduction of generative AI has raised thorny questions about the definition of plagiarism and academic integrity on campuses where new digital research tools come into play all the time. 

Make no mistake, the birth of ChatGPT does not mark the emergence of concerns relating to the improper use of the internet in academia. When  Wikipedia launched in 2001 , universities nationwide were  scrambling to decipher their own research philosophies and understandings of honest academic work, expanding policy boundaries to match pace with technological innovation. Now, the stakes are a little more complex, as schools figure out how to treat bot-produced work rather than weird attributional logistics. The world of higher education is playing a familiar game of catch-up, adjusting their rules, expectations, and perceptions as other professions adjust, too. The only difference now is that the internet can think for itself. 

According to ChatGPT, the definition of plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work or ideas without giving proper credit to the original author. But when the work is generated by some thing rather than some one , this definition is tricky to apply. As Emily Hipchen, a board member of Brown University’s Academic Code Committee, puts it, the use of generative AI by students leads to a critical point of contention. “If [plagiarism] is stealing from a person,” she says, “then I don’t know that we have a person who is being stolen from.”

Hipchen is not alone in her speculation. Alice Dailey, chair of the Academic Integrity Program at Villanova University, is also grappling with the idea of classifying an algorithm as a person, specifically if the algorithm involves text generation.

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Dailey believes that eventually professors and students are going to need to understand that digital tools that generate text, rather than just collect facts, are going to need to fall under the umbrella of things that can be plagiarized from. 

Although Dailey acknowledges that this technological growth incites new concerns in the world of academia, she doesn’t find it to be a realm entirely unexplored. “I think we’ve been in a version of this territory for a while already,” Dailey says. “Students who commit plagiarism often borrow material from a ‘somewhere’—a website, for example, that doesn’t have clear authorial attribution. I suspect the definition of plagiarism will expand to include things that produce.” 

Eventually, Dailey believes, a student who uses text from ChatGPT will be seen as no different than one that copies and pastes chunks of text from Wikipedia without attribution. 

Students’ views on ChatGPT are another issue entirely. There are those, like Cobbs, who can’t imagine putting their name on anything bot-generated, but there are others who see it as just another tool, like spellcheck or even a calculator. For Brown University sophomore Jacob Gelman, ChatGPT exists merely as a convenient research assistant and nothing more.

“Calling the use of ChatGPT to pull reliable sources from the internet ‘cheating’ is absurd. It’s like saying using the internet to conduct research is unethical,” Gelman says. “To me, ChatGPT is the research equivalent of [typing assistant] Grammarly. I use it out of practicality and that’s really all.” Cobbs expressed similar sentiment, comparing the AI bot to “an online encyclopedia.”

But while students like Gelman use the bot to speed up research, others take advantage of the high-capacity prompt input feature to generate completed works for submission. It might seem obvious what qualifies as cheating here, but different schools across the country offer contrasting takes.

According to Carlee Warfield, chair of Bryn Mawr College’s Student Honor Board, the school considers any use of these AI platforms as plagiarism. The tool’s popularization just calls for greater focus in evaluating the intent behind students’ violations. Warfield explains that students who turn in essays entirely produced by AI are categorically different from those who borrow from online tools without knowledge of standard citations. Because the ChatGPT phenomenon is still new, students’ confusion surrounding the ethics is understandable. And it's unclear what policies will remain in place once the dust settles—at any school.

In the midst of fundamental change in both the academic and technological spheres, universities are forced to reconsider their definitions of academic integrity to reasonably reflect the circumstances of society. The only problem is, society shows no stagnance. 

“Villanova’s current academic integrity code will be updated to include language that prohibits the use of these tools to generate text that then students represent as text they generated independently,” Dailey explained. “But I think it’s an evolving thing. And what it can do and what we will then need in order to keep an eye on will also be kind of a moving target.”

In addition to increasingly complex questions about whether ChatGPT is a research tool or a plagiarism engine, there’s also the possibility that it can be  used for learning. In other educational settings, teachers see it as a way to show students the shortcomings of AI. Some instructors are already  modifying how they teach by giving students assignments bots couldn’t complete, like those that require personal details or anecdotes. There’s also the matter of detecting AI use in students’ work, which is a  burgeoning cottage industry all its own. 

Ultimately, Dailey says, schools may need rules that reflect a range of variables.

“My guess is that there will be the development of some broad blanket policies that essentially say, unless you have permission from a professor to use AI tools, using them will be considered a violation of the academic integrity code,” Dailey says. “That then gives faculty broad latitude to use it in their teaching or in their assignments, as long as they are stipulating explicitly that they are allowing it.”

As for ChatGTP, the program agrees. “Advances in fields such as artificial intelligence are expected to drive significant innovation in the coming years,” it says, when asked how schools can combat academic dishonesty. “Schools should constantly review and update their academic honor codes as technology evolves to ensure they are addressing the current ways in which technology is being used in academic settings.”

But, a bot would say that. 

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