I’d be lying if I said I breezed through high school. I played varsity sports, was involved in clubs and had to study all the time to maintain high grades. I was the straight-A student who appeared to have her life together even when I didn't. As I began college, I kept the same work ethic and was able to manage everything. I ended my freshman year with all A's and with the mindset that college wasn’t that hard.
Boy was I wrong. Attending a challenging high school helped me prepare for my first year of college, but nothing could prepare me for the second. I was no longer in easy freshman electives. Instead, I took several honors classes and upper level math classes. The semester was anything but easy (or even bearable), and for the first time, my grades began to drop.
Last semester, I made the first B in my entire life. Most people are probably laughing or making a snarky comment, but, honestly, it took quite a toll on me. For several weeks after receiving my transcript, I kept thinking back to that one letter grade and how it would probably ruin my life. I thought I would never graduate or get a job or live a successful life. Because of that B, a 4.0 is impossible.
This is not an article to brag about high grades -- I work hard and have no shame in being the nerdy girl. This article is about acceptance. Growing up surrounded by motivated, smart friends is amazing, but it also creates an extremely competitive environment. Teachers condition us to think that anything below an A has no worth, and everyone is constantly concerned with who has the best grades, who is the most athletic, etc. When you constantly strive to be the best of the best (or you actually are the best of the best), failure will shatter you. It’s something you're not used to, and you may not know how to deal with it. While you may see your failure as a total devastation, others would consider themselves to be lucky in your position.
We need to accept our differences and that some people’s strengths are other people’s weaknesses. We can’t all be good at everything, but that’s what makes everyone so unique. We all have different breaking points, and because of that, we have no right to judge one another.
Even though I made my first B last semester, I accepted that everything will be OK. In the long run, one or two grades that are out of my typical range won’t kill me. In fact, it will make me stronger and more motivated to do better in the upcoming semesters. Everything happens for a reason, and this is something we must accept. We must also accept our failures, successes and everything in between. To anyone who hasn’t been up to their normal standards lately: hang in there. Everything will get better, and you will soon understand why things are happening and how to fix them.
