the leap from high school the college can be pretty big especially if your
high school class was pretty small colleges with tens of thousands of
students in attendance might make you feel lost and if you're used to being
the top of your class and then transition to a big College with a whole
bunch of other students who are at the top of their classes it can be
especially stressful so let's break it down when you're a leader of a small
group you feel pretty good maybe you were in the honors classes and got some
of the best grades maybe you were a gifted student that felt comfortable in
gifted classes and invincible in normal classes with you where the valedictorian
are just a kid that everyone wanted to cheat off during exams you probably felt
pretty good during your school years I was actually that student I actually
earned a hundred four percent in my high school calculus class and absolutely
felt like I knew more than all the other students when it came to calculus and
then college came you're in 100 person lectures and everyone has an opinion in
class the students in your dorm room also earned top grades and you don't
even want to hear what their SAT or AC t-- scores work because you may know
that you're not the top earner among your roommates classmates and peers I
remember not knowing anyone when I was in college it was scary and specifically
the university I went to was known for being the best of the best in
engineering college in the state the anxiety and awkwardness isn't just you
it's defined by a theory called the big fish little pond effect when you
recognize this effect and using your knowledge to your advantage
this can help you improve the way you view your performance in college and
ensure that you're reaching your true potential with an increased self
confidence so what is this big fish little pond effect scientists and
psychologists believe that people feel better when they are a big fish in a
little pond numerous studies around the world have looked at this effect in
students and athletes and other people who are expected to perform and rank for
a certain skill what they found that is typically a big fish thrive in a small
pond and their performance is overall better this increased performance can be
accredited to the fact that their big fish status validates them and helps
them feel more confident and to move forward and achieve more so are you
applying to college there might actually be a reason to apply it to smaller
schools the big fish little pond effect is often linked to something called
relative deprivation relative deprivation is a theory that explains
how our achievements our status our overall situation changes when we change
environments we compare our successes to that of others around us and likewise we
also compare our failures renowned author Malcom Gladwell uses this theory
and the big fish upon defect to make the case for
applying to smaller schools he makes the argument that applying for and attending
a big-name university is setting yourself up to be a little fish in a
small pond when you're still in high school the ability to get accepted to
and enrolled in something like an Ivy League school is a noteworthy
accomplishment but once you're actually there however your pond increases
dramatically and the chances that you reach your full potential actually
decrease so if you haven't applied to schools yet or you're in the process of
choosing a school consider the size of the school and why you want to attend in
the first place even if a big-name school will look good
on your resume after graduation you will need to prepare yourself for the
obstacles that come with being a little fish in a big pond keep watching and
I'll tell you what I did about my little fish big pond problem so let's say
you've chosen a College and you've put yourself in a big pond no one is asking
you to transfer just so that you can feel more comfortable but you can use
the idea of the big fish little pond to create spaces and communities where you
can actually lead achieve and thrive in college after my first semester of this
big-name university I went to I actually dropped out and went to a local
Community College the heavy classwork and the lack of friends was miserable
for me and I just wanted to get my passion for learning back apparently my
mom said she could see it in my eyes that I was starting to hate school in
the classes I was taking so here's some tips you can do if you feel like a small
fish in a big pond number one be conscious of your self-concept the
process of feeling like a small fish in a big pond does not immediately or
directly impact your performance studying among tens of thousands of big
fish does not knock your IQ down a few points it doesn't take away any of the
work that you have accomplished to get to where you are today in-between the
feeling of feeling like a small fish in a big pond and a decreased performance
is how the situation affects your concept of yourself so you need to be
mindful and conscious of how you feel when you're attending classes and
studying do you feel comfortable raising your hand and contributing to the
conversation or do you feel sheepish are you okay talking with your peers
about your academic performance I actually felt okay around half of the
semester when I was talking to a friend of mine about a recent exam and realize
that half of the class also got a C on the exam which was completely not
normally what I would get if you start to notice that your self-esteem is
affecting your motivation in class you should probably reach out to a counselor
an advisor or maybe even your professor as awkward as you may feel expressing
your feelings about feeling like a small fish in a big pond
you will be understood this happens all the time your situation is normal and
the adults in your community may have opportunities where you can shine and
reach your true potential the second tip I have for you is to pay attention to
your class size freshmen lectures especially ones for general education
classes are usually gigantic there was like 300 people in my chemistry class
your class size will decrease as you take more specific classes you can still
opt for smaller classes early on in your college career talk to your advisors
about classes that tend to have a smaller attendance in smaller classes
you can make your voice heard and you'll be more likely to receive recognitions
from your professor this is something I think that really helped me in high
school is actually getting that personal recognition the competition to
contribute to a discussion will be a lot smaller in a more intimate class and tip
number three is to run for leadership positions different organizations can
help you decrease the size of your pond if you're regularly meeting with a small
group to organize events or to reach a common goal you will be able to take
charge and you can shine if you enjoy being a leader these organizations can
be anything that sparks your interest whether you would join a club a Greek
organization or join the planning committee for your dorms events you can
decrease the size of your pond even if you're in your first semester at college
it's not too late to run for a position ask current members and leaders when the
organization will be accepting applications for leadership positions
and then express your interest the sooner you can establish yourself as a
committed member to the organization the sooner you will start to feel like a big
fish again remember moving into a big pond doesn't take away your
accomplishments or your intelligence you should be confident be mindful and take
extra steps to shine and whatever pond you jump into next also if you're
interested in self development and growing yourself or your business I want
to let you know about a mastermind group that I recently created called the
practical growth Academy if you're interested I create weekly animated book
summaries actionable worksheets to go along with the summaries and also a
monthly mini course of a topic that I think you'll find helpful in fact
reading during college was one of the best ways I actually boosted my own
confidence so far there's over 25 book summaries and seven many courses on
stuff like productivity money management social skills and other stuff that's
really important and self-improvement if you want to get immediate access to all
of this plus a link to a private discord server where all the members share
stories they share ideas and help each other grow you can check the link in the
description if you sign up today I'll personally send you a $20 Amazon gift
card and you should know that the mastermind is only seven
$18 a month with the discount below and that you can cancel anytime including
the first month if you want to thank you guys so much for watching this video and
I hope this video helps you in college