It's drilled into our heads from the day we start elementary school, "Get good grades or no dessert tonight." Then in high school, we're threatened with, "If you don't get good grades you'll never get into college and end up working at McDonald's." And in college we constantly hear, "You need to be on dean's list or you'll never get a job offer, be successful, and make enough money to support yourself."
But are grades really that important? Sure, getting good grades matters, but only to an extent. For all of you, who killed yourself to get straight A's in college, sorry to break it to you but your future employer is not going to care whether you got an A or a C in Intro to Philosophy. And nobody is going to throw your resume away if you don't have a 4.0 GPA.
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Sometimes we get so caught up in getting good grades we forget that there's so much more to a successful future. To be honest, in the long-run, grades really don't matter as much as we think they do. And they don't accurately measure intelligence or success, and here are some reasons why.
Studying
More often than not the people who have 4.0's aren't necessarily the smartest in the class but the ones who dedicate the time to properly learn the material and study. Many of us have other obligations and priorities; we work, are part of a sport's team and involved in 50 different clubs all the while trying to have at least somewhat of a social life. The people who get straight A's most likely aren't as involved as students that do not. They have the time to sit down, read the chapter and memorize it all a week before the exam. While some of us struggle to find the time to study the night before. Not having the time to study as much as we should do not mean we aren't smart or we're lazy. Some people just have different priorities and it's okay. Not everyone's situation is the same and just because you didn't have time to study enough to ace your exam doesn't mean you're stupid or you won't amount to anything in the future.
Testing
In college, a majority of your grade in a class is determined by exams. This is extremely unfortunate for the bad test takers of the world. There are some people who know the class material inside out before the exam but when it comes to taking the exam, it was impossible to reciprocate that knowledge onto confusingly worded multiple and fill in the blank questions. Luckily, your future employer isn't going to have you sit around and take tests all day (unless you become a professional test taker). So don't sweat it if you aren't good at taking tests, they are just one way to measure intelligence and tests definitely do not determine your future success.
Cheating
The harsh reality of the world is that not everyone follows the rules and not everyone has the best moral compass. Nearly every college cheats at one point in their college career; either by copying someone else's homework, plagiarizing an essay, writing formulas on the cover or their calculator, or finding a copy of the exam the day before the test. The pressure to get good grades is so insane that people lose all integrity and feel the need to cheat. I don't know about you, but I've never cheated. I know that means I won't get an A and it's unfair because other people will because they cheated. But sometimes integrity and character mean more than a good grade. In fact, integrity is a very valued quality employers look for!
Motivation
You know those kids who show up to class with their homework done on a napkin in the blue crayon they somehow found at the bottom of their backpack? Okay that's an exaggeration. But you know what I mean, the slackers of the class. You probably think their IQ is lower than a goldfish's, but then you get put in a group project with them one day and find out that they're actually brilliant. You think to yourself how someone so smart could just not care about school? Well, the thing is, some people are only motivated by things that interest them. So maybe you have a Pre-med major in your English class that just isn't putting the effort in and is sliding by with a B-. But put them in a class that they are truly interested in and are passionate about, and you will see just how much effort they put into their work and how smart they really are.
Passion
Some of the smartest people I know are the most passionate. Now this usually means they aren't the best well-rounded student but if you put them in a class they are passionate about, they might know more than the teacher. I knew a girl who loved to read. She could tell you anything about any classic literature work and every historical event. She was probably the smartest person I knew, but she didn't have a 4.0. She dedicated her time to reading and learning about things she was interested in instead of classes she was taking. Some maybe may not be all around motivated or well versed in all areas but they could be extremely passionate and well educated on what matters to them.
Personality
Some people aren't book smart but have extremely high street smarts. This doesn't mean they're stupid and won't amount to anything, it simply means they learn in a different way and have a different type of intelligence. In fact, most jobs aren't given out to students on the dean's list but rather students who know how to network and have amiable personalities. Employers hire you based on your interview, how you come off as a person and how passionate you are about your work. If your grades are just okay, you shouldn't worry about it because what gets you the job, in the end, is who you are and what experience you have.
So relax, everything's going to work out just fine in the end!
So next time you get a bad grade in a class, remember it's not the end of the world. Don't think you're stupid or you're never going to get a good job after college. Grades do not determine how smart you are or how successful you'll be. There are so many other factors that determine intelligence and success. Everything's going to turn out just fine; you're going to be successful and get a job you love. Relax, everything will fall into place just fine.
