I see you. In the corner of the library, surrounded by homework and notes, wondering how your standards got so low. Wondering how you graduated high school with a 4.0 and now strive just to keep a 2.5 in college. Why is your life like this? I'll tell you why: because college is a different world. This is not the world of coming to class every day, doing the bare minimum, and getting a 98 in the class. This is the world where you study 16 hours for a test and make a 36. It's okay... really.

I'll probably never forget coming home from my first semester of college after having made the Dean's List. I was so proud, but I was also afraid my mom would be mad that I had made a B in calculus. She wasn't; she actually told me "good job." Was this the same woman who grounded me for Bs in high school?! She explained to me that a B in college was quite good, and I wasn't held to the same standards as I had been in high school. Okay, fine, cool. I didn't put any less effort into school, but I was marginally more chill when I got bad grades. Then, I got into organic chemistry, where my test average was a solid 54. Because of the state of America's education, I still passed with a C. But nothing in my life has quite knocked my ego down like that did (not even having to retake calculus II).

Sometimes you try your best and it still doesn't work. Sometimes the professors are mean and unfair. Or maybe you could've put more effort into it! But if you had, would you have gotten any sleep, or spent any time with your friends? College is about more than just a degree, despite what your older family members might say. A degree is the end goal, but there is a lot on the journey that matters too.

Your grades do not determine how smart you are, or how brightly you shine when you laugh. They do not represent your success or your future. So try your best, but don't neglect relationships or having fun, just to get a few points higher on the next exam. Go to bed and get a good night's rest, or go watch that movie you've been trying to make time for because you aren't here forever. Whatever you do, remember that Cs do get degrees.

And It's going to be okay.