I was a straight-A student in high school. It simply never crossed my mind that getting anything less than an A- would be acceptable. If I was on the verge of getting a B, it meant I simply wasn’t working hard enough. I buckled down, studied harder and saw results.
This mindset has slowly but surely flown out the window since I started college — both for me and for most of my peers. MIT is known for its grade deflation, meaning that high grades are extremely hard to attain, resulting in an average GPA that isn’t all that high. In many classes, the amount of work required to get an A is an incredible amount more than the work required for a B.
This is a common graphic that people use to describe college, and it’s a running joke here that you get to pick just one at MIT. The nights of staying up and answering deep questions with friends are so much more special than nights of psetting, and they are very much worth it in the long run. I’m glad I’ve learned that it’s OK for academics to sometimes take a backseat to the fantastic relationships I’m cultivating with the coolest people I’ve ever met. I’ve also learned the importance of making sure that I’m taking time to do the things that make me happy — whether it’s reading, making art, dancing or just getting extra sleep.
On top of everything else, exams are notoriously tricky and can trip you up regardless of how much time you've actually spent studying. My attitude toward grades has flipped completely — no longer am I super concerned with the actual letter on my final transcript. What matters is whether I feel like I have a fairly good understanding of the material and can apply it in the future. In fact, I’ve taken to saying, “D for done” after every exam because it reminds me of the following things:
- I did my best.
- Grades aren’t actually that important.
- The worst case scenario isn’t all that bad.
- I can’t change the outcome — it’s done, and it’s time to move on.
In that spirit, now I’m officially halfway done with MIT… D for done!
