Is College Only About the Grades?

While sitting in my Chemistry class the other day, I found myself thinking about everything else but the lecture. Did I mention I was not paying attention to a single word my professor was saying? However, an exchange of words between my professor and a student brought me back to Earth:

“Is this something we need to know? Will it be on the test?” I nodded in agreement after I glanced at the equation written on the board—was it?

“That’s all you guys worry about nowadays. ‘Will this be on the test?’ Why can’t you guys just be interested in learning?” My professor’s response triggered another question in my head: Is College only about the grades?

If you ask some, they’ll probably tell you yes, as you would need good grades to get into a good graduate program, or even into medical or law school.

If you ask others, they’ll say that college should be an enlightening experience and that you should enjoy these years, because you will never get them back.

“College should be fun, but you should also be focused on what you have to do. Yeah, grades are important, but that shouldn’t dictate your mood.” says Alexa, a freshman.

But Kira, also a freshman, thinks differently. “The reason we are in college is because we are furthering our education.” She adds. “Partying and all that stuff can wait until a degree’s in my hand.”

Is this worrying about grades taking away from a true learning experience? It could be so. I have noticed in many of my classes that the most popular question is “Will this be on the test?” And I am guilty of worrying just about my grades, and letting that take away from a true learning experience.

We may not use all the information we are learning in classes in our career. But, it is not harmful to sit and take in all of the information your professor is giving you. Who knows, it could possibly be useful in a debate of sorts.

Collegiattes, we will never get these four years back again! Study hard, but when you are out of college, make sure you can look back and say your experience was enlightening!