It’s easy for students to get overwhelmed with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and other obligations, but students should always be looking at how they can leverage their natural talents and abilities to meet these challenges head-on. Taking a comprehensive strengths assessment like the HIGH5 test can provide valuable insights into your inherent strengths, allowing you to make the most of them in your academic and personal pursuits. By understanding your unique strengths, you can approach tasks and challenges with a greater sense of confidence and focus on areas where you naturally shine. In this article, we will examine student strengths, what they are, how you know which ones you have, and finally how you can make the most out of your best academic qualities.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
Start your journey of self-discovery by taking the HIGH5 strengths assessment. Identify your top strengths and think about how you can apply them to various aspects of your student life, from study habits to time management and extracurricular activities.
What are student strengths?
Many students may be tempted to label themselves as smart or not. The truth is that we all have strengths and weaknesses. Our strengths may be different from others, but they still have the power to help us succeed in unique ways. A student’s strength can be any personal trait or ability that sets them apart and helps them thrive in an academic setting. This could manifest as a talent for quickly memorizing information, exceptional mental stamina for focused study sessions, or even creative problem-solving skills.
Taking a strengths assessment like HIGH5 can help you pinpoint your unique strengths, empowering you to use them more effectively. By understanding your natural strengths, you can develop strategies to leverage them in your studies, whether it’s using your natural leadership skills to motivate others on group projects or using your natural playfulness to turn even the most boring study session into a game. Strengths are unique aspects of a student’s character, and no two students are alike. When we are clear on academic areas where we more naturally excel, we get to take pride in our uniqueness because it makes us special and helps us achieve our goals.
Too many students go through school without ever hearing positive feedback about themselves or their work from an instructor or teacher, which can make them believe they don’t matter and everything they do is not good enough. Focusing on our personal strengths, rather than on others’ negative opinions about us, helps build our confidence and energizes us to keep going even through the most challenging academic material.
Strengths are unique Our strengths can be physical, mental, or emotional, but all of them can support our academic progress when we know how to use them advantageously. If you know your student strengths, then you will always know how to make up for your weaknesses if needed when faced with challenges during your student life. Once you start paying attention to what you do best, a pattern will emerge and success will follow.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
Reflect on your study habits and academic performance. What tasks or subjects come more naturally to you? What activities energize you? Use these clues to identify potential strengths, and then explore them further through the HIGH5 assessment.
15 examples of student strengths
List of most common student strengths:
- Confidence
- Playfulness
- Critical thinking
- Intelligence
- Leadership
- Openness to learning
- A sense of humor
- Kindness
- Creativity
- Prioritization
- Enthusiasm
- Persistence
- Courage
- Willingness to explore
- Integrity
How can I develop strengths as a student?
It is so easy to get caught up in the stress of school work, deadlines for assignments and exams, and even extracurricular activities. However, there are ways that you can take time out for yourself to recognize what your strengths may be and develop them even further. Why focus on strengths when you have so many mistakes to correct? It’s easy to get hung up on perceived weaknesses, but a more empowering approach is to focus your time and energy on cultivating the things you’re naturally good at. While it’s important to acknowledge areas for improvement, student strengths are ultimately more consequential for success [1].
Taking a strengths assessment like HIGH5 can help you identify your innate talents and abilities, allowing you to double down on developing those areas rather than trying to “fix” aspects of yourself that may be more challenging to change. By playing to your strengths, you can maximize your potential, achieve greater fulfillment in your academic pursuits, and even put your shortcomings to work for you. For example, a student with strong artistic skills may find themselves in art projects with their peers quite often. This can give them an outlet for stress and anger from the day’s difficulties. This is also an example of how developing student strengths can also lead us to developing skills relevant to careers, such as teamwork and communication.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
After taking the HIGH5 assessment, choose one or two of your top strengths to focus on developing further. Brainstorm ways to intentionally exercise those strengths in your studies, whether it’s through project topics, extracurricular activities, or study techniques that align with your natural inclinations.
Evaluating yourself sincerely
The first step to making the most of your education is being honest with yourself about how you’re performing in school. Self-evaluation is not just about your grades but about understanding every aspect of what you do as a student and as an individual. Taking a comprehensive strengths assessment like HIGH5 can provide valuable insights into your natural talents and abilities, helping you identify areas where you excel and can potentially achieve even greater success.
By aligning your academic pursuits with your inherent strengths, you can approach your studies with a greater sense of purpose and enthusiasm. Take time for self-reflection to get an accurate picture of where you stand academically and mentally so that you can start taking steps toward improvement. This means that you should be proud of your accomplishments but also willing to admit when you’re not up to par.
Don’t worry if this kind of honesty with yourself is hard for you at first. Instead,, take that first step towards self-assessment, because it can make all the difference in your academic success. Once you’ve seen the benefits you can gain from your positive changes, you will want to invest even more time and thought in self-reflection.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
After taking the HIGH5 assessment, reflect on how your top strengths might influence your study habits, time management, and overall approach to academics. For example, if one of your strengths is discipline, you might thrive with a structured study schedule and goal-setting. If creativity is a strength, consider incorporating visual aids or mind maps into your note-taking process.
Being open with those you trust
Sometimes, with all the pressures of student life, you might feel like you are standing alone against your challenges. Thankfully, that’s not ever true. One thing that helps conquer that feeling is talking with someone you trust about what’s going on in your life. While many most students find reaching out difficult, you might be surprised at how helpful just one conversation could be. Getting the perspective of a person you trust can help you see hard truths about yourself because you already know that person wants the best for you and isn’t just trying to hurt you.
By talking to someone who can give you the right unbiased, non-judgmental advice and support, you can find yourself going to the next level as a student and as a friend or family member. There are also other resources available for student success off campus such as friends’ houses, extended family member’s homes, counseling centers, and support hotlines. Be sure to find out what’s available for students in your community.
Developing your sense of motivation
It’s not enough to just go through the motions. You have to know what your goals are and give yourself a chance to reach them. That’s why it’s so important to keep track of where you are starting out, what progress you are making, and which direction to take next [2]. One way to practice being motivated is to take some time out of your day, maybe in the morning before class or at night after dinner, and jot down three things that went well today and how they made you feel great about yourself and brought you closer to your goals.
Some successes you could track this way could be anything from getting an A on a test to receiving praise for doing something right by someone important in your life. You might also want to add any other goals or achievements you want to work on next, as this can inspire you to stay motivated when times get tough.
Build confidence in yourself and others
There are many ways to gain confidence, and by taking charge of your own growth in self-assurance, you can find out what opportunities help you gain belief in the power of your strengths. One way of doing this would be by setting aside time each day where you reflect on your positive qualities and achievements that make you feel good about yourself. Another suggestion is to keep a journal of any compliments people have given you.
While basing our self-worth only on the opinions of others can undermine our confidence, it’s also a great feeling when we hear someone else sees the good in us. If these don’t seem like enough then ask a trusted friend, parent, or tutor what it is they see as your strengths, and ask them to give specific examples of when they saw you acting on those strengths. Then help others become more confident by doing the same for them.
15 student weaknesses that get in the way of your strengths
Here are the most common shortcomings we see in students:
- Stubbornness
- Lack of focus
- Fear of failure
- Procrastination
- Emotional impulsiveness
- Lack of motivation
- Greed
- Aggressive
- Inability to work as part of a team
- Disorganization
- Narrow-mindedness
- Passivity
- Irresponsibility
- Impatience
- Chronic difficulty staying engaged
Should I get to know my student weaknesses?
Student weaknesses are what prevent students from being their best. Again, focusing on your strengths is the more powerful way to set and achieve good goals, but there is a place for knowing your weaknesses as well as your strengths. After we are familiar with our strengths, we must identify our weaknesses and figure out how and why they impact our success. Let’s have a close look at an example of a student’s weakness. For instance, many students struggle with procrastination. This means they delay helpful decisions and actions.
A student who is not aware of their own tendency to put things off is likely creating more stress for themselves than is necessary with behaviors like rushing to meet deadlines that could have been met at a steadier, less frantic pace. A student who is aware of a habitual shortcoming of procrastination is then able to leverage their strengths in the fight against this weakness. For instance, a procrastinator who excels in leadership can create a team of classmates who encourage each other to work on a steady schedule rather than putting things off until the last minute.
How can you make the most of your student strengths?
Being aware of both student strengths and weaknesses allows us to find solutions that work best for each of us rather than relying on one-size-fits-all approaches. However, we can’t put our strengths to work for us without a few key tools that help us maximize the positive effect of our best qualities.
Be Humble
Being humble is vital to academic success because we cannot learn unless we admit we don’t know everything. The first step in being humble as a student is being grateful for what you have, including your unique strengths and abilities. By taking a strengths assessment like HIGH5, you can gain valuable insights into your natural talents and inclinations, which also gives you a baseline from which to practice gratitude for those innate abilities and tendencies.
Pro Tip From HIGH5
After taking the HIGH5 assessment, identify one strength that you can leverage to overcome a current challenge or obstacle in your academic journey. For example, if persistence is a top strength, you could apply it to gradually improving in a difficult subject through consistent practice and perseverance.
Get a mentor
Once you are humble enough, you can benefit greatly from the feedback of a mentor. There are many benefits to having a mentor as a student. Mentors can guide you in all areas of life: schoolwork, college applications, career aspirations – even emotional support. Getting guidance from someone who has been there before can help you be successful now and in the future. One of the most important benefits is that mentors can help you find your strengths and teach you how they can be used in college.
A mentor will also give you advice on what to do when facing challenges, like making friends or overcoming procrastination. A good mentor will also listen and provide feedback on any problems you have with your schoolwork. The best way to get a mentor is by reaching out. Ask teachers, coaches, and family members, and see if anybody would be willing to spend some time helping you succeed at school.
Students strengths FAQ
What are learners’ strengths?
Any quality that helps you retain information and understand how to apply that information in your school or work life can be considered a learner’s strength.
What are some examples of learners’ strengths?
Some general strengths for learners include being knowledgeable about different topics and facts, easily grasping different subjects such as math or biology, having a great visual memory, and being able to think critically. Strong learners tend to make connections between things they’ve learned in the past and things they’re about to learn. They integrate their past experiences with the future and use this skill to advance their knowledge and skills.
Conclusion
Student strengths have the power to make your academic life more successful not just now but in the future. By knowing your strengths as well as your weaknesses, you can empower yourself to adapt to a number of different learning contexts, even when those contexts seem to bring out your greatest weaknesses. By being on the lookout for how your strengths are already bringing you success, you can leverage those good qualities into even making your weaknesses work for you. This way, you will be able to meet any challenge head-on and achieve long-term success in academics, your career, and even your personal life.
References:
- Storkel, E. (2019, March 12). What is a strength-based approach? (Incl. examples & tools). Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/strengths-based-interventions/
- Chowdhury, M. (2019, May 2). The Science & Psychology of Goal-Setting 101. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-psychology/
