“This one exam of your first semester of General Chemistry will not determine who you will marry, where your kids go to school, what kind of car you drive, where you vacation, or what kind of dog you have. Seriously, don’t sweat it if you didn’t do so hot.”
My middle-aged-New-York-accented professor’s words echoed in my head for the rest of the day. It seems that colleges and graduate schools are so focused on student’s GPAs as indicators of their success in college, however that shouldn’t be the case. In college, we should be doing things that interest us, excite us, fascinate us, motivate us, not doing things that stress us out, cause us to worry, or stay up all night studying for that impossible philosophy midterm.
Once we’re out there in the “real world,” no one will care what grade you earned in an introductory college course, heck they won’t even care what you got on your Senior Thesis. They will, however, notice if you’re doing something that makes you happy, if you’re excited to talk about your work, or if you can’t stop talking about your adorable children.
College is a time meant for us to learn, but more than that, it is meant for us to experience, to feel, to chase, and to explore. We should be driven by our own curiosity, not by our concern to do the best in the class. We should focus more of our time and efforts on what we want to do, not simply because we feel like we have to do it in order to succeed, fit in, or please someone else. As a science major, I’m expected to excel in biology, chemistry, and calculus and not be as strong in english and history. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my bio class, but I also adore my theology class, so much that I’m considering a double major.
The bottom line is: don’t get so caught up in thinking the perfect GPA will automatically mean a successful future. Take time to do what makes you happy, to pursue what you’re passionate about, to have fun and make mistakes, to be ambitious. These things trump grades every time.
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