Finals are around the corner, and this has led me to reflect. In high school, I was obsessed with getting a 4.0 in every single class and was horrified when I didn’t do well on a test or exam. However, now that I’m in college, I’ve realized that there are more important things than grades.
High School Expectations
As an overachiever in high school, I had high expectations for myself. School wasn’t very challenging. I always had a 4.0 GPA or higher, and I believed that anything else would’ve represented a lack of effort.
In high school classes, which weren’t incredibly difficult, this mentality wasn’t too damaging for me. The expectations may have been high, but they were reasonable for me. It was nothing I hadn’t already done for years.
Failure is the Best Teacher
The problem with high school is that there aren’t opportunities to fail. Therefore, anything less than an ‘A’ becomes a failure. Even AP classes are structured to give you a grade boost just for taking them. You may get a ‘B’ in an AP class, but your transcript still shows an ‘A,’ cementing this idea that only ‘A’s are acceptable.
The hardest class I ever took in high school was AP Physics. It was the first class where I truly failed. As a matter of fact, I failed almost every test in that class. It was almost unbearable at first, and it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that trying my best didn’t automatically give me an ‘A.’ Once I began to accept that I was trying as hard as I could, I disregarded the grades and focused on actually learning the material. I loved my AP physics experience so much that when it came time to choose a major, I chose Astrophysics – not because it was something I could get an ‘A’ in, but because I loved it.
College Changes Things
The college view of a “good” GPA is completely different from that of high school. Here, anything higher than a 3.5 is considered great, but if I had gotten a 3.5 GPA in high school, I would have been crushed. Part of this change comes from the fact that in college, failing at certain things is inevitable and considered a healthy part of growing and learning. People accustomed to always getting a 4.0 in high school often aren’t ready for this. They can’t take it and stress themselves out endlessly about getting perfect grades, even in their hardest classes.
So many high school overachievers flounder in college when they discover that if they want an ‘A,’ they actually have to work hard for it. And at the same time, they have to realize that sometimes you can work super hard and still not earn that 4.0. Different professors grade on a harsher scale, teach differently, or give tests that are designed to be particularly challenging.
Knowledge Over Grades
Some college students put unnecessary stress on themselves to get perfect grades and can’t function when the outcome isn’t what they want. And yet, if I do my very best and I learn the content, I am happy with a ‘B.’ That’s because I am not focused on the grade. Instead, I want to learn. If I’m truly learning the material, the grades will fall into place.
“Into place” doesn’t always mean a 4.0. And if I’ve gained the knowledge, it doesn’t have to be. I’ve learned to be happy with my grades regardless, as long as I’ve done everything I can and learned what the class is teaching. If I get something wrong on a test, I ask for clarification from the professor – not to get points back but to learn what I did wrong and why.
At the end of the day, we know deep down inside if we’ve done the best we can. I know if I’ve studied and understood the material, and I know if I haven’t. If I have learned about as much as I can in a class but get a 3.0, I’m happier than if I’m confused but get a 4.0 anyway. The grade doesn’t matter. We’re not at college to get perfect grades. We’re here to learn about what we are passionate about. Don’t let grades stand in the way of the objective, because life is about more than a number on a test. If you do your best and focus on gaining the knowledge, you’ll be better off than anyone who ties their self worth to a grade. Good luck this finals season, and keep striving for the knowledge!