Spring Break just passed, and everybody got a well-deserved break. It doesn’t really matter where you went; we weren’t in a lecture listening to a professor for two hours several times a day. Last week was the mix between a “long” break in the shortest amount of time. It was a good time to relax, spend time with friends, and be lazy. But now is the time to start again and finish the semester. We are halfway through the semester, and for some of us, this means graduation is near, and bittersweet emotions start to surface. And, for others, you are just completing another year/semester, which is an accomplishment to be proud of. Either way, two weeks ago or this past week might have been filled with midterm exams and/or projects. These can be really stressful, and in the end, our grades might not turn up the way we want or desire. However, this does not necessarily mean that we didn’t do enough or our best. Sometimes, the exams and/or projects were a bit too hard, or we had too many at the same time. And Guess what?! We are only humans!
I think a good lesson to learn and understand in college is that, yes, grades are important, but they don’t define you or your capabilities as a professional. This is an easy statement to hear and agree with, but believing it and understanding it is actually hard for a person. There are numerous reasons why it might be hard for someone to accept this, such as anxiety, pressure, and perfectionism. To be completely honest, I am a senior graduating in less than two months and I still struggle to accept this. It is easier to focus on the negative things and forget the other things we are good at. Just because we struggle with a specific subject does not mean we are dumb. For example, I love biology but have a hard time understanding and doing good in chemistry, especially organic chemistry. And in some moments, I started believing the lie that I wasn’t a good student or scientist and that I was just dumb. It was during this time that my friends and professors helped me find ways to improve my performance in class and also reminded me that I was so much more than the bad grade I got in an exam. And that a grade does not dictate my value.
Grades are important to complete your desired degree. Without good or passing grades, there is a higher chance that you might take longer to complete your goal, which could add a lot more frustration to the situation. So, always do your best on assignments and exams. Seek help from friends who already took the class, go to office hours, search for internet resources, or go to tutoring if you think you don’t understand the material or just as a push to keep you accountable to study. The other side of this message is that your grades can also be a reflection of the effort you are putting towards the class. If you know you aren’t doing your best or even trying in class, such as not going to class, not studying, or doing assignments, then you can’t expect to get splendid grades. If you aren’t committing a little bit of time to the material, at least then you can’t blame the professor first before reflecting on yourself. Most of the time, we need to change a part of our study routine to improve and seek out help. This brings me to another lesson: asking and reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness, but staying silent is.
If you do not understand something, as silly as you might think it is, go and ask your professor. That “silly” detail might be the mighty clue to uncovering the mystery of why you didn’t understand the material in the first place. For example, most of the time, I struggle with these “silly” things rather than the “complicated” parts of the material, so if I don’t clarify it with the professor, there is a high chance that I won’t do as well in the exam. So, I would highly recommend never being afraid to ask for help, and believe me, professors are not bothered by it. My professors would always joke and tell me that is the reason they are getting paid. But, also, please don’t spam your professor at 1 am the day of the exam or during the whole weekend. Try to be mindful and remember that they also have a life outside of campus, like we do.
This past week, I felt a little frustrated about a class grade because I don’t think I am doing as well as I want to and know I can do. My grade is not bad, but knowing that I have done better in a similar (but different) course had me frustrated. So, I went to the office hours of multiple professors because I wanted different perspectives on the matter, and in the end, they all provided great advice and feedback on how to improve for the future. But, mainly, they wanted to remind me that I was smart, even though I might not think I was at the moment. Also, other than studying, I should remind myself to take breaks so I don’t burn out and try to get out of my own head. This is because when we get too into our heads, we start believing the lies the mind creates, and our self-confidence decreases while our frustration increases.
At the end of the day, remember that when you walk across the stage at graduation, your diploma only has your degree and your name. Your GPA or your grades aren’t there. This shows that as long as you work towards your goal, the bad grade that made you cry or angry for a moment is insignificant in the end. Currently, I have a professor who, before every exam, asks us about how many grades we think he still has nightmares about and then proceeds to tell us that the answer is zero. He knows he struggled in some classes and didn’t get 100% in everything, but that does not make him lose sleep at night. At the moment, as students, we think: Yeah, it’s easy for you to say. But, in the end, he is right. Five years from now or even a year from now, my organic chemistry grade won’t matter. Right now, these grades might seem like the end of the world. But my reminder to you is you got this! You are doing great, and the “bad” grade does not take away from who you are and how others see you, even if it’s hard to believe it!