It’s that wonderful time of year when professors start piling on endless assignments, essays and exams. Keeping up your grades can be tough, but don’t give in to the stress of midterm season. Here are nine things that will always be more important than your GPA.
1. Your Family
Remember your mom? The woman who gave life to you?
It can be tough to keep up with essays and midterms while juggling a social and familial life. But even if you’ve been enjoying your independence away at college, it’s still a good idea to call the people who love you best. They probably want to keep up with the changes in your life and it’s okay to admit that you miss your Mom’s lemon bars or your dad’s sports lectures.
2. IQ
Good grades aren’t the best judge of intelligence.
It’s been a while since the days of high school, when you could get with away with cramming an entire semester worth the night before. Sometimes a busy schedule just gets in the way and you can’t put enough time into certain subjects. But many times, even if you keep up with the class, many students have at least one course that feels foreign. It feels like your professor is speaking another language no matter how many lectures you attend. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re not smarticle. Not to mention, good grades don’t guarantee you’ll succeed in the real world. Being innovative and resourceful are good indicators of IQ, and way more valuable skills to have than a transcript of straight As.
3. Your Best Friend
There’s nothing like a midnight snack session in the dining hall with your bestie. Make sure to keep up with your friends, whether it’s new friends that you made during Frosh week or high school friends you’ve known for years. A good circle of friends can be a great boost for your confidence and help keep your stress levels low.
4. Your Social Skills
You may have the entire formula of Lagrangian mechanics memorized, but do people like you? Can you look them in the eye while talking to them?
Your EQ is even more important than your IQ. In the real world, a high GPA won’t guarantee your success. However, a friendly smile and a charismatic personality just might get you the job. University is just as much a place to practice getting along with all types of people (even the ones you hate!), as it is a place to study and learn. It’s also important to invest in extracurricular activities and events around the city to help you develop your social skills, as well as your connections.
5. Your Pet
Fido is truly a girl’s best friend. Studies show that hugging a pet can literally reduce your blood pressure. It’s hard to stay stressed while staring into the eyes of a sweet Labrador retriever. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with midterms, take a short break to walk your dog, or play with your friend’s cat—even a bunny will do, if you don’t have one.
6. Your Health
Try not to sacrifice gym time for study time. In university, it’s not about how much time you study, but how well you study. Taking extra time to exercise can help get blood flowing to your brain and help you retain more information. The University of Toronto offers a zillion drop-in fitness classes like Zumba, kickboxing and Aquafit water classes, just to name a few. There are even dozens of yoga classes throughout the week that are specifically designed to combat anxiety with deep breathing techniques that can help slow down your mind and relieve some stress. With all these resources around you, why not give some of them a try?
7. Your Work Experience
While grades may seem like a huge deal in high school and university, most employers will be equally interested in the time you’ve invested on internships and volunteer positions. They want to see how much genuine interest you have in your field of study, not just whether you turned out an A or a B. Make sure to get involved with both on and off-campus activities that are relevant to your career path.
8. Your Attitude
Researchers at Stanford University said that your attitude is even more important than your IQ, when predicting if you will have more success in life. Even if midterm season doesn’t go as planned, try to maintain a positive attitude, and make the best use of opportunities around, whether that means using office hours, or joining study groups.
9. You, You and You
Even if you’re not an introvert, it’s a good idea to practice some self-love and schedule a me-time session once a day, or at least once a week. Even if you’re having the time of your life in school and breezing through your classes, don’t be afraid to develop an interest in something completely nonacademic. Whether it’s reading and collecting comic books, taking up the bagpipe, or becoming a documentary buff, give yourself a much deserved treat!
Image Sources
http://prosperityedwell.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/familypic.jpg
http://news.psu.edu/sites/default/files/styles/threshold-992/public/Flyn…