The Underrated Soft Skill: Empathy by Sydney

The Underrated Soft Skill: Empathy by Sydney - February 2023 Scholarship Essay

Whether it be poor test scores or issues within your social life, being a student isn’t easy. You’re constantly finding time to balance homework, deadlines, extracurriculars, studying, and various other aspects of academics. Not to mention the effort that goes into maintaining relationships and stoking the flames of new ones. Even those who balance the heavy list of responsibilities can crash and burn with it all. Out of all the soft skills and hard skills needed to succeed in not just rigorous academic settings, but life in general, I believe that empathy is hugely underrated. And I don’t just mean empathy for others, I mean empathy for ourselves. As humans, we aren’t immune to failure, but that’s why empathy is important. With empathy, we can better cope with the mistakes we make and the missteps we take.
Having empathy for ourselves helps remind us of one important detail: perfection isn’t possible. In fact, everyone’s definition of perfection is different. For one student, getting the highest grades may define their success. For another, simply passing a class fuels their perception of perfection. If the students who always wanted the highest grades barely passed a test, they’d be significantly harder on themselves if they didn’t validate their struggles. Rather than seeing the situation objectively and all the extraneous variables contributing to their grade, they’d identify with the grade they received as evidence of their failure. However, if these students recognized the obstacles that prevented them from achieving the grade they wanted, they’d be able to forgive themselves. Empathy allows us to be more adaptable when it comes to obstacles in our academic and personal lives. When you practice empathy for yourself, these bumps in the road only slow you down instead of stopping you.
Having empathy for others is also important, and that includes professors, classmates, family members, friends, and anyone you interact with. If a teacher didn’t upload the notes like they said they would, or one of your classmates doesn’t contribute much to the group project, empathy is a valuable skill. Being more empathetic protects your peace, and this skill is even more powerful when you stand up for your needs and your values. That classmate or professor could’ve been grieving a recent loss, or they could’ve been balancing something that doesn’t seem significant to you. One of the most important facts about the human experience is that our lives are unique to us, and our experiences and emotions will never be linear. The study of social psychology promotes this idea, as so many aspects of life comprise our current outlooks.
Overall, empathy involves being forgiving of yourself and others. By being more compassionate towards yourself when things don’t go as planned, you’ll be able to get right back up again. It’s counterproductive to set unobtainable standards for yourself that you then feel shame for not reaching, especially in terms of academics. Rather, it’s more realistic to set obtainable but challenging goals and cheer yourself on for the effort you put into reaching them. Though being a student is demanding, it doesn’t have to be a grueling experience. It’s important to make room for the activities that promote your academic success, and it’s especially important to make room for empathy. With this skill, you’ll still trip, but you will never fall.