Scared

I have a student who is very nervous about basically everything. I know that he wants to succeed, and he wants the absolute best for himself, but sometimes it is a little crazy. He is definitely one of the brightest students in my class, but at the same time I can say for certainty that he is the least confident. But we'll put aside a discussion of his endless "is this right" questions on the homeworks, and go to a different issue with his nervousness. Summer research.

So a couple of months ago he talked about working on summer research, either with me or at another institution, at a "Research Experience for Undergraduates," or some similar program. I of course told him he could work with me but that it would be better for him to go elsewhere. Partially because he is interested in more "practical" applications of the field, and so while my research would teach him a lot, it would not give him experience in what he thinks he wants to do.

So he applied and found out that he was accepted to a program at Columbia, which is the program that he really wanted. Fantastic, I thought, especially since two other students had already signed up to work with me over the summer. But now this student is panicking about whether or not to go. Obviously his choices are limited (the other places haven't responded, and he has to tell Columbia by Friday), but he is terrified about going somewhere new.

What is surprising though is that he has worked at City College for the previous two summers, so he is not opposed to other schools. I honestly do not see the reason for his fear. I think he feels that he was lucky to work for people at City College that he liked, and he knows he likes our department, but Columbia seems like a scary place. He is scared that he won't like it, or that his advisor will be terrible, and on and on. I also think that he doesn't feel "good enough" for the place.

I've never met someone so terrified of his success. I mean, I know plenty of people who are unsure of themselves or their accomplishments, or of doing something new, but this poor student is practically paralyzed with fear. I'm not entirely sure what else I can do, except push him to do this, knowing that he will enjoy it. I told him that even if it's not the ideal situation, he will learn a lot, and he will get a lot out of it.

I have a feeling when the fall comes, I'll be spouting a lot of "I told you so"s.