The overachievers shmoop. The Overachievers Alexandra Robbins Analysis 2022-10-16

The overachievers shmoop Rating: 8,4/10 1769 reviews

The term "overachiever" is often used to describe individuals who consistently exceed expectations and perform at a level that is significantly higher than their peers. While being an overachiever can bring many benefits, it can also have its drawbacks and can lead to a range of negative consequences.

On the positive side, overachievers often have a strong work ethic and are highly motivated to succeed. They are willing to put in the extra effort and time required to excel in their chosen field, and this dedication and commitment can lead to impressive accomplishments. Overachievers are often respected and admired by their peers and superiors, and their success can serve as an inspiration to others.

However, the pressure to constantly excel and meet high standards can also take a toll on overachievers. They may experience high levels of stress and anxiety as they try to balance their demanding workload with their personal lives. This can lead to feelings of burnout and exhaustion, and overachievers may find it difficult to relax and enjoy their free time.

In addition, overachievers may struggle with perfectionism, which can lead to an unhealthy focus on achieving flawless results. This can result in a lack of flexibility and a tendency to become overly critical of oneself and others. Overachievers may also have difficulty delegating tasks or accepting help from others, as they may believe that they need to do everything themselves in order to succeed.

It is important for overachievers to recognize the potential downsides of their drive to excel and to find a balance between their desire for success and their need for rest and relaxation. This may involve setting reasonable goals and learning to delegate tasks or ask for help when needed. It is also important for overachievers to prioritize their mental and physical health and to take breaks when necessary.

Overall, being an overachiever can be a double-edged sword. While it can bring many benefits and lead to impressive accomplishments, it can also have negative consequences if not managed properly. It is important for overachievers to recognize the potential drawbacks of their drive to excel and to find a healthy balance between their desire for success and their need for rest and relaxation.

the overachievers chapter 1 summary

the overachievers shmoop

While in most cases, the Whitman students are their own worst critics, a few of the students interviewed by Robbins have overachievism thrust upon them at home. All of that is not really relevant unless you know me IRL, because then you'd know that I'm also from the DC Metropolitan area which just made this book that much more This book literally killed me and brought me back to life. Every page keeps you wanting more, and the shockingly true facts that this book is replete with only add to this feeling. Teachers and school administrators are often blamed for poor test results of students, that are then reported to the media. About 250 pages into the book I discovered that my big problem with the book was that I felt like I was being fed the same information in every section that was not about the kids Robbins was following, making the book repetitive and uninteresting for me in the long run. This book has helped me constantly remind myself that grades are not an accurate judgment of what the potential an average student like I may have, and that school is just an environment to learn and grow.

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The Overachievers

the overachievers shmoop

Robbins' diary-style writing makes the book feel a lot more personal, as if the reader were reading a friend's journal about the everyday stress from school. In the novel, Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, author, Alexandra Robbins, argues that it is not good for the students to be under an extreme amount of pressure in school and I certainly agree with this statement. Barry and Rose use situations in their own life to help readers understand their point of view. Of all the books that I've read, this is probably one of the most important. I would identify as an overachiever myself having been called this by multiple people and I did find myself relating intensely to many of the characters interviewed by Robbins.


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The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids

the overachievers shmoop

Outside of math, Cady has been able to experience more of the world and different cultures than it seems her peers have. Honestly, I don't quite know why because it just gets me so righteously angry whenever I think about my own college application experiences in terms of this book -- curse the Early Decision admission track and curse Vanderbilt for having not one but TWO Early Decision tracks instead of an Early Action one -- but this book was still so relevant to me. Many parents have such high expectations for their kids to succeed, that it will result in their children doing just about anything to meet those expectations, even if that means cheating. She touches topics like the overbooked schedule of the American teenager, "helicopter" parents, and the stress of getting into a top rated college. Alexandra's Robbins work is exciting and captivating.

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The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

the overachievers shmoop

Virginia has been proving SOLs to students for years now. Some test takers make themselves so nervous and stressed out over these tests that it interacts badly on their scores. The overachieving students may come across as perfect on the outside, but by having so much pressure placed on them to be perfect, they may get into a mindset where they focus too much on comparing their …show more content… Starting from when their child is only two years old, some parents will do anything to get their children into an elite pre school because they believe that it will ultimately lead to an Ivy League acceptance letter fifteen years down the road. The ghost was a slave who was murdered in that house. This quote demonstrates the fact that students feel that they are defined by their test scores and they measure their academic capabilities.

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Chapter Summaries of Alexandra Robbins' 'The Overachievers'

the overachievers shmoop

I can barely make it through the workday sometimes, how did I go to school, do homework, work at my job and play competitive sports and not simply die of exhaustion? The book is non-fiction, following the stories of several high schoolers and providing a commentary on the US education system and the beginning of the Age of the Comparison. The contents were made of students constantly in stress, because of their academics, It handeled the big problems in the education culture, and I thought that the theme itself was quite interesting. This has made it into my Top Five. S, but also to educating system in general. The uncanny feeling is clearly shown when Kenny is first discovering something odd is happening upstairs in his new house. Rachel Aviv of The New Yorker wrote a piece that featured the story of a math teacher, named Damany… Stress Management Children Rather than how much stress individuals experience, the critical issue seems to be how they perceive stress and respond to it. During Alexandra's 10-year high school reunion, she gathers a group of her friends' high school experiences and puts them in her book.

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Summary Of The Overachievers By Alexandra Robbins

the overachievers shmoop

A few of them here and there interested me, but not enough of them for me to ignore their some i genuinely liked this book--which surprised me. While I was somewhat bitter about my overworked, high-achieving high school student having to read 400+ page book about how high-achieving high school students are overworked on top of everything else he has to do, I did enjoy it. It can also affect their friendships with those who only play with the smart children. This was a great read for som When I read this after college, I felt like I was being transported back to high school. I recommend this to anyone who knows a child! Their stories are presented, alternated with statistics and information on subjects such as sports, SAT exams, the U.

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Overachievers: The Secret Lives Of Driven Kids By Alexandra...

the overachievers shmoop

There are also villains in this world of heroes called the Anarchists and within these villains is the niece of the formerly ruler of Gatlon City during the Age of Anarchy. She also gives her opinion of what she thinks of the current education system - bad and inefficient. In Pledged, Alexandra Robbins followed four college girls to produce a riveting narrative that read like fiction. Tommy supports this assertion by reviewing the 2010 study conducted by Josephson Institute of Ethics that found 59 percent of high school students had cheated on a test in the past year, and over 33 percent had cheated more than twice. This in itself is a cause for concern. I stress-cried within the first third of the book. .

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Summary and reviews of The Overachievers by Alexandra Robbins

the overachievers shmoop

Chapter 1: In the first chapter Robbins introduces the students she followed along with the overachiever culture that has rearranged high schools only purpose into getting students into the most prestigious Colleges and Universities rather than the school that would be the best fit for each student. The portraits of the teens are compelling and make for an easy read. It's been a while since I've truly liked a book that a teacher assigned me to read. This book should be required reading for high school parents, particularly if their children are college-bound. Students usually groan at the thought of reading a book because it is a school requirement, but I found The Overachievers to be quite an interesting read. There are many examples on ways that people react to fear irrationally.

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The Overachievers Alexandra Robbins Analysis

the overachievers shmoop

In 2004-2005, Robbins followed the lives of several high-achieving juniors and seniors at Walt Whitman high school in the DC suburb of Montgomery County, one of the most competitive public high schools in the country and one graduate, who was a freshman at Harvard. They both were really interesting but well-written examinations of a specific industry, maybe? The book may be best described in the words of the author, " It is not a call for mediocrity. By showing how Louis Zamperini suffers as a prisoner of war and his struggles after returning home, readers are able to see how faith can completely transform someone. She is reminding all high school students who constantly feel anxiety of getting into a name-brand college that school should be a place for learning - not a place for competing to be "number one. What I didn't see in myself, I saw in my classmates. By describing her own personal experiences, the audience begins to relate closer to Addison as a person, which establishes a connection and contributes to her emotional appeal. The book is non-fiction, following the stories of several high schoolers and providing a commentary on the US education system and the beginning of the Age of the Comparison.

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The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

the overachievers shmoop

For weeks, Louie and two other men drifted westward across a seemingly endless ocean, accompanied by a pack of sharks and surviving on scraps of bird and fish meat and the occasional rainfall. As I was reading this chapter in the novel, I was thinking that these parents are determined to try to get their children into elite preschools. Chapter 4: Chapter four outlines the importance placed on teaching to tests, including AP exams, and how NCLB no child left behind is changing the face of American education. Overall, this book was a good way of digesting the over competitive nature of schools today, while also especially as a teen empathizing with the students and further understand your own feelings toward school. If you are frequently anxious about your grades at school, I would definitely recommend this book to you.

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