We all know her. The girl who stresses over every little imperfection, who constantly checks to see if her psychology exam grade has been posted, who can’t stop obsessing over getting a 4.0 in every class for the entirety of her college career.
There’s nothing wrong with her — it’s never a bad thing to be academically motivated and looking towards your future success. The problem lies in how it affects your mental health, and unfortunately, it’s easy for your concerns to spiral out of control and become constant thoughts at the front of your mind.
Yes, this is college and yes, there is plenty of pressure on students to do well so they can get their degree, graduate with honors and immediately find a great job (or continue on in grad school). But putting so much pressure on young people and falsely leading them to believe that they won’t be successful without a high GPA is just plain wrong and unfair. It’s much more important that you protect your sanity and simply work your hardest.
College can be a difficult time, between the stress of completing a degree and the pressure to discover yourself and what you’re meant to do in the world, but it’s also supposed to be one of the best times of your life. To quote our favorite movie character Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
Remember that there is so much more to life than acing your physics exam. Make sure to set aside some time each day to relax and do something you enjoy. Remind yourself that a grade is just a grade — it doesn’t define you, and it won’t affect your success. You are brilliant and capable of anything. All you can do is your best.