Athletics are big at Northwood School, so it is a big accomplishment if you are recognized for your athletic achievement. But there is a select group of Northwood Students who have reached an even more exclusive accomplishment: they have earned a spot on the Dean’s list. To make Dean’s List, Freshman and Sophomores must achieve a minimum GPA of a 3.7, and for Juniors and Seniors, the minimum GPA is a remarkable 4.0, each with no grade below a B+. Remarkably, despite these lofty requirements, 36 students are on the Dean’s List for the first trimester.
The Mirror spoke with a few of these special Northwood Students to find out how they achieve such high marks, and what advice they would give student aspiring to make the Dean’s List.
Alex van Schalkwyk ‘19, of South Africa, is a striker on the soccer team. He said that he usually spends about 2 hours every day studying. “I stay motivated because I want to get into a good college, and those schools have high expectations academically. Also, I like to push myself to improve in life every day.”
Aleksei Rutkovski ‘19 is from Russia and plays hockey. “I usually spend about 4 hours at my working space, but I don’t study that entire time. Work time for me is probably only about 2 hours a night maximum.” Aleksei balances his school work with other commitments or responsibilities. “I have a list of priorities that often switch around, making me spend more or less time on different things. For me, successfully managing my time mainly comes down to just understanding my goals, and deciding if what I want to do at any given time is worth it in the long term or not,” said Rutkovski.
Aiden Smith ‘19, a ski racer from New Jersey, stays motivated to do so well in school in part by competing with his twin sister Chelsea, also a senior. They are constantly trying to one-up each other in their grades. He also said that, aside from this sibling rivalry, he also wants to put himself on a good track for life.
Aiden was asked, “what one piece of advice that you would give to students who are aspiring to make Dean’s List next trimester?”
“Just understand that what works for me might not work for you,” advised Aiden. “So study as much as you can, and go to teachers for any questions you have,” he added.
All of these students may have come from different parts of the world, possess different backgrounds, and see the world in different ways, but in the end, one thing applies to all of them: They are all very accomplished students who have bright futures ahead of them.
