Add to Cart: How A Shopping Period Could Be Groton’s Academic Stress Reliever

Many Groton students eagerly await course selection, excited by the plethora of options the course catalog shows. However, a few common narratives, both external and internal, quickly shut that excitement down. “Don’t take that class. It’s a GPA tanker,” one student says to a peer. “Take this one instead. It’ll boost your grade.”

“I’m better at STEM,” another remarks. “I could take that cool history elective, but it’ll probably hurt my grades.”

Groton’s course catalog states that the curriculum “is designed to prepare students for ‘the active work of life’ by encouraging breadth of intellectual exposure and depth of study.” That breadth cannot be achieved in such a stress-inducing environment. Too often, students avoid certain classes for fear of what may happen to their grade, especially due to their importance in college admissions.

We clearly need a structural fix. The “shopping period,” a system allowing students to sit in on classes, would do just that. Upper School students, declaring their openness to “shop” electives, would start with two free periods, expecting to fill one after a week they use to sit in on classes and find their interest. Students could do this with one class per term.

Brown University, known for the academic freedom students have, is the most notable example of a shopping period. The University of Pennsylvania has a similar system, as does Tufts’ Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy—all three ranked top 10 for their respective programs.

At these top universities, such a structure de-stresses the student body and emphasizes a culture prioritizing passion over GPA. At Groton, such a measure would do the same. When asked about the shopping period, one Brown professor told the Brown Daily Herald that he loves teaching “because almost no student is here because they have to be.” Brown consistently ranks the happiest among top universities, and a 2022 study found over 80 percent of the students describing themselves as “very happy” or “somewhat happy.”

On a similar note, Brown engineering professor Ruth Bahar told the Brown Daily Herald that she encourages her students to “really make every elective count. Shopping is going to help you make that decision.”

Something similar to shopping already exists: auditing Upper School courses. However, adding a sixth course is rarely feasible. A shopping period is a more accessible method for students to find academic classes they would love to try. Instead of being boxed into what they are “good at,” students would be encouraged to “test-drive” classes and see what piques their interest.

Such academic liberty would shift course selection culture away from a heavy grade emphasis, with more students stepping out of their comfort zones through their electives. The “humanities student” would try their hand at that interesting science elective, striving for that genuinely interesting experience.

A shopping period would better align with Groton’s goals as a college preparatory school. Ultimately, Groton aims to prepare students for higher education through dorm living, a busy activities schedule, and classes themselves. This shift would be another way for Groton to make that transition more seamless, emphasizing the importance of balancing achievement and curiosity. In admissions, universities would examine Groton students and see early capabilities and experience with this learning model, boosting their profiles as applicants. Even if that university does not have a shopping period or a similar measure, they would see students capable of operating in a college-level system, developing maturity in terms of class selection.

Groton is all about navigating our academic passions while helping us evolve as students and people. The freedom to explore in the courses we take may help us fulfill that ethos.