Utah State may add a class in grit

A workshop aimed at helping students develop resilience could become a credit-generating class at Utah State University by the fall of 2017.

Dr. David Bush, a psychologist at the school’s Counseling and Psychological Services center and the director of the workshops, said resilience is “the strongest predictor of academic success — more than GPA or IQ tests.”

Bush has received permission from the school to monitor the grades of students who have attended the resilience workshops. If he sees an improvement, Bush will begin expanding the curriculum to fill a semester-long class.

“I would love to see this workshop eventually expanded to a two-credit course,” said Becca Phillips, a student studying instructional leadership who helped research and develop the trainings. “Building resilience is a process, and it doesn’t happen right away.”

Phillips began her research in June. Despite spending more than five months studying and building up her own resilience, Phillips feels she has yet to master it.

“I have worked for years to develop these skills, and there is still potential for progress,” Phillips said.

Bush said the strength of one’s resilience applies to more than just academia.

“Everyone is going to encounter difficulties and disappointments,” he said, “but those that succeed are the ones that get up and do it again in a more effective and efficient way.”