Students are under an immense amount of pressure to get good grades. Whether it is for grad school, parents, scholarships, or any other reason, every student is taught that they cannot do well in the future without good grades.

Students work themselves to the ground for these superficial grades that will disappear once employed.

Employers look for well-rounded employees that have done a variety of things. When you are 30, do you think anybody is going to ask you what your GPA in college was? Probably not, because it has become irrelevant.

School is important and, yes grades are a part of school, but they are not everything. Somebody could have straight A’s but have not retained any information or learned to struggle. The skills you develop are more important than letters on a piece of paper.

More important than grades is who you are as a person.

The things you choose to do with your life are much more important than a score. As the saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words” and there is complete truth to this. You will forever remember the people who do nice things, volunteer their free time or do other interesting things. Do you know the grades these people get? No. Does it make you think any less of them? No. The point is that a person is who they are because of what they do and achieve through actions, not grades.

While in school grades are attached to your name, but they are not you.

You are more than your grades or even your major. Grades are often about getting somebody else's approval. You do not need the approval of anybody else. You are incredible regardless of what anybody else thinks.

The skills accumulated outside of school surpass those learned within.

Yes, there are important skills that are taught in school such as time management and working with people. But these skills can also be improved upon outside of school. Plus the activities you decide to do present a whole new and unique amount of skills. These activities and experiences make you who you are. Your grades do not. Everybody gets grades, which reduces their significance. Not everybody has taken the opportunities you have.

Follow your dreams.

School will likely help you achieve them or at least the people you meet through school will. But remember, you are in control of your own life. Nothing defines or limits you.

I do not care what my grades are and neither should you. Take pride in learning. Take school seriously. Do your best. Most importantly, do the things that make you happy.