It's that time of the year. Classes are over, and you can't wait for finals to start so you can go home to real food. However, instead of looking at these positives, it feels as if life keeps falling apart at the seams.

Grades. Oh, those grades. As college students, we break our backs to get the best grades we can. Our parents expect all A's, and it doesn't help that everyone around you seems to get them effortlessly while you struggle for a D. As long as I can remember, I've never been a star student. School was something I absolutely loved but struggled to excel in. Things other than English were a challenge, and I worked my butt off for every grade I earned.

People like to whisper that I don't try hard enough, that I don't care enough about my major or my classes. I'm not that type of person to constantly brag about any feats I've made in my field, and I worked very hard to earn the opportunities I've received. Those who judge us will find that karma works in mysterious ways. To some, grades are all they do, all they care about. College is a time to balance many aspects of life, like friends, family, clubs and organizations as well as some sort of social life. We can start the year with friends just to lose them by finals, or begin a class with a decent grade only to end up struggling to pass.

College and high school are worlds apart. College strips you naked and throws you to the wolves. You have to reinvent how you take notes, where and how you study, and who you study with. High school was a walk in the park for many of us, causing college to be a serious wake-up call.

Now as a sophomore in college, I've come to realize that classes don't get easier, they will continue to become more complex as the years continue on. I will have to push myself every day and try my very best. Those who say your best isn't enough haven't gone to college for a while, so don't take what they say to heart. Until adults have taken a college class from this period in time, they have no idea just how stressful it really is.

Students are expected to juggle so many things along with perfect grades, and it just isn't possible. Sacrifices must be made for perfect grades. No Saturday nights out with the girls or late night binging of "Grey's Anatomy" on a hard day. Mental Health Days? Yeah, I doubt those can be allotted into the schedule.

My mental health has seen better days, especially this semester, but I know better now. It's more important to make sure you are OK before your grades. Have that doughnut before class, or buy that cute sweatshirt from the bookstore you've been eyeing all semester. Do you before anyone else.

Before you judge me for my grades, ask me about how I'm doing, and what's been going on in my life. There isn't always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and that's OK.