Let's just admit it. If you post your GPA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you're only doing so to show off and make others jealous. You want to show that classmate that always beat you in high school or that super competitive friend. I understand that you worked hard this semester and want to tell everyone you know about it. However, please take into consideration how annoying and obnoxious your post may come off to others. After coming home from a long, tiring and stressful semester, the last thing many of us what to see is how well someone did when maybe we just want to forget about the semester entirely. Plenty of people try really hard and fail to do as well as they had planned for various reasons. Although you may have sincere intentions, your post may end up causing more harm than good. It can be very difficult for people to come home and forget about their semester when all they see are "Omg I got a 4.0 wow look how great I am" posts. There are also some people who really struggle with academics and would do anything to find it as easy as you do. They may be truly happy with a low GPA because they know how challenging their classes were for them. You may leave them with a bad feeling about themselves.

I guess this article sounds like it is coming from a place of anger or jealously, and I promise it is just the opposite. I worked hard this semester just like everyone else did and I did as well as I had hoped to, but I don't feel the need to plaster my GPA on all my social media accounts. I told the people that matter to me in my life because I knew they would be the ones who would be happy to hear it. They're the ones who support me every day and want to hear of both my successes and troubles. I bet you don't post all the problems you face on social media. When you failed that test or received a low grade on that paper, you told your closest friends and family members, not all your Facebook friends or Instagram followers. So let's do the same with our triumphs.

Yes, I understand that you may say that you post your grades online to inform your extended family members or friends you may not see every day. However, if you post online you're not really posting it because you want to tell your closest friends and family members. If you only wanted to tell them, you could find a more private way to do so. Why don't you try telling them in person, giving them a call, sending them a text, messaging them privately on Facebook, or even writing them an email? I'm sure they would be happy to hear it.

So if you did well this semester, congratulations. I sincerely mean that. Enjoy that great GPA and be proud of all your hard work, but if you can, please keep it off social media.