I am sure you are all familiar with the phrase “C’s get degrees” right? Well, if you are anything like the old me you do not believe in receiving anything less than perfect. Let us take a second and flashback to the good old days of high school. As a graduate of Ligonier Valley, I can remember how absurd I though the grading scale was; I needed a 93% or higher to be rewarded an A for any class. Sorry, what? I remember thinking, “I cannot wait until I am in college and I will only need a 90% for an A. That will be so easy!” Well I quickly learned how wrong I was.
In high school I would barely study for tests and by the grace of God I would pass almost every exam with a high letter grade, and most of my classmates did as well. But, here I am as a junior in college, studying for days, hours on end, for one little exam only to get the test and think “Oh no, what is this? Did we even talk about that?” Then, shortly after I will get my grade back and as it turns out I failed it. In high school, basically everyone got A’s and was on high honor roll or honor roll, and had way above a 3.0, some even over a 4.0 (I was not one of those students). In college, if you get an A in a class, then that is a true accomplishment. Especially at a small liberal arts school like Saint Vincent.
For those of you who have gotten that “bad grade” like I did, I have some news for you; it is not the end of the world. I was so used to getting A’s in high school, but my freshman year I took an accounting class and got a C as a final grade. My stomach sank and I felt like crawling into a hole and never taking another college class again. But, I learned something; getting a grade less than an A, or even a B, is okay. Not having that beautiful, heart-warming 4.0 is not going to make anyone think you are incompetent or less worthy of a degree than the next student. It took me four semesters to finally get on Dean’s list, and I just barely made the cut. There is no shame in getting a C. Do you realize how many assignments and exams and projects the average student completes throughout their college years? A ton. If there is only a few not-so-great grades, then where is the harm? After all, a C is average. Getting an A is supposed to be hard and so is getting a degree. Think of it this way, if everyone were to get perfect grades, what would be the point of GPA’s in the first place?
College is a different world. If you attended a small high school and are now at a huge university, you probably went through a little culture shock. When you were in high school you could not study, do everything last minute (literally right before the class started) and pass with flying colors. In college, you need to put in hours of work, way ahead of time. I am sure you
have heard for every hour of class you should study for three. Most of us struggling college students have a problem with this concept due to the fact we need to have a balance between school, work and our social lives. Plain and simple, it is pretty difficult to balance these. I personally take 19 credits and work 2 jobs, stay involved with clubs, and make time for friends at the same time. Like many of you, we fight to stay awake during class because we stay up studying until the sun shines. We sometimes quit studying because our brains are fried and you remember you have not eaten anything for hours just because you are so dedicated to getting a good grade.
My final thought is, the A is always worth it so work for it, but do not beat yourself up if you get something lower. Set realistic goals and rank your classes in order of difficulty. Shoot for A’s in the classes you are strong in and aim for B’s in the classes that are not really working out for you. As much as it hurts to get that ugly C, think about all of the other higher grades you are bound to get (because you are so smart!). If you are freshman, just chill; you have time to bring that GPA up. If you are a senior, you will be out soon and employers overlook that little C you got your sophomore year in a class that does not even relate to your major (liberal arts schools get us on that). Remember, professors and tutors are always there, so do not hesitate to take a trip over and get some help and guidance. Do not think that since you have a bad GPA in college and you had a good GPA in all of high school that you have become any less smart. It is simply just a different environment and a competitive one at that.