College students across the country are stress-filled and anxiety-driven as finals season approaches once again. But why are students willing to sacrifice so much for such a small payoff?
As I entered into college, I was among many students who had excelled highly in high school and graduated at the top of their class. Sadly, I had wrongly assumed this academic success would translate into my college career as well.
But in college, you're not meant to be a 4.0 student.
In fact, it's nearly impossible. Professors have their grading standards designed so the majority of the students in the class will receive either a "B" or "C," which equates to a 3.0 or 2.0 GPA respectively. In other words, I'm working as hard to be an average student in college as I did to excel in high school, and I'm realizing that's okay.
Now, these opinions are coming from someone without any intention of furthering my education through graduate or professional school, but your GPA in college possesses significantly less importance than it did in high school. In high school, it made sense to strive for exceptional grades. College admissions were competitive, and I personally dedicated my time to receiving proper grades for applications rather than getting involved in activities throughout my town.
It wasn't until college that I realized I would rather settle for a "B" and keep my mental health and sanity intact rather than losing sleep for that "A." I spent way too much time in high school worrying about grades and exams, and because of that, I missed out on great opportunities and memories. I would much rather hang out with my friends on a Friday or Saturday night than sit in my room for the chance of doing a few points better on my upcoming exam.
Because college is more than just about receiving an education. It's about learning to be building experiences, building relationships, and building yourself; many of these things I didn't even consider in high school.
Whether it's a job, internship, or student group on campus, it's best to get involved and build experiences. Entering the workforce after college, many job positions will request past experience in the field through a previous job or an internship as a qualification for the position. A better grade in a course does not necessarily equate to a better job performance, but more job experience will definitely appear well on a resume. Although your grades may not be exceptional due to dedicating your time elsewhere, you still have the chance of receiving the position due to your background in the field.
Additionally, building relationships with people is a huge part of college. Many times, you're making friends you'll keep for the rest of your life. Attending sporting events, activities hosted by your college, or just free events around the city can get you involved and expand your interests and knowledge in a vastly different way than academics. You're making choices and memories that shape who you are, and most importantly, you're building the very best version of yourself along the way.
My intention was not to discourage students from exceeding the professor's expectations in their classes, but rather, I wanted to address it's acceptable if they don't. Accept it probably won't be possible to maintain the 4.0 in college, but recognize all of the time, memories, and relationships you will have the opportunity to build with your peers instead of stressing about your grades. Your grades do not define you, but your personality accumulated from experiences and friendships will carry you a long way.
