Tae's Blog

What drives students to universities?

Do students go to universities purely because of their passion towards higher-level education, or is it because their passion towards an easier route to a satisfied and potentially wealthy future?

In Exploring Ethan Tam’s blog post “What is a student’s motivation?” I started questioning the reasoning behind the pursuit of many students to attend UBC, even from the opposite side of the world, and what motivates them to be so dedicated to school work and be involved in clubs.

Ethan discussed that the primary motivation for students for joining clubs is their will to “feel sense of belongings,” as opposed to receiving recognition, as peers typically do not care enough about others’ participation to make it status symbol on campus. Although I agree with his argument, I want to expand on the reasoning behind participation further through applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory and how it applies to students’ will to fulfill these needs.

It is suggested that the titles of club positions will assist student resumes as an experience which will eventually reward them as making them more compatible in a competitive job market. Furthermore, getting better grades will get students into better programs, schools, and eventually careers, thus studying hard will reward students in the future as well.

The reward for joining clubs and being active on campus may not be monetary and likely will not present itself to students immediately, but the majority understand, or have been informed that their hard work will eventually pay off in the future through a variety of ways. For instance, it will bring them secure and well-paid jobs which are satisfying lower-order needs and even expand their opportunity to reach up to higher-order needs, such as social, esteem, and self-actualization.  Therefore, I believe that many students’ desire to fulfill such needs in their future motivates them to be more involved in school.

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Works Cited:

Langton, N., Robbins, S., Judge, T., & Robbins, S. (2013). Organizational Behaviour (7th ed.). Toronto: Pearson Canada.