I remember in all the movies and TV shows I used to watch growing up, the coolest characters would always be the ones who didn't care about school. Heck, they didn't care about anything. When they got a bad grade, it only made them cooler. Poor students were glorified, but not rightfully so. This is not the case anymore. It's not considered a good thing to do badly in school. Unfortunately, some people haven't discovered this yet.

I know people that will intentionally not do assigned homework because they've already accepted the fact that they are going to get a poor grade. It drives me crazy when I hear people talk like this. I don't understand why they wouldn't always want to try their best. It's disappointing to see that there are still people that don't care about school. I see it all the time. They don't show up to class, don't do the homework, miserably fail tests and eventually have to drop the class. Excuse me, but why are you in college? The only successful thing these people are doing is wasting money. Now for the people that study, put forth effort and still struggle with grades, this rant is not about you.

The sad part is that most of these people have so much potential and choose not to use it. Rather than fully apply themselves, they only do well enough to get by. And sometimes that isn't even the case. They do not take challenging courses and do not use additional resources outside of the classroom. Whether this is because they are lazy or just simply don't care, I couldn't tell you. But most of these people don't realize how much their decisions today affect their futures.

It doesn't come easy for everyone. Trust me — I get that. In my personal experience, life was easy breezy until I came to college. It was at that point that I got my first C in a class and my GPA plummeted. I realized that I had to kick it into gear. I am now the type of person that lives in a corner of the library during finals week. I'll bring enough snacks and drinks to hold me over for a few meals. Starbucks and energy drinks are my best friends during those last few weeks of the semester. (In reality, that's probably not the best studying method either.) The point is that I have to work my butt off to get decent grades. But it's 100 percent worth it. I can display my GPA on a job resume with pride. I can happily tell my parents about my grades without worrying about their reactions. I can look at the dean's list and find my name.

Many people (especially in college) think that if they focus too much on school they'll miss out on real life experiences. That's not true. I have participated in my fair share of college parties while still managing to maintain a steady grade point average. If that means having to pass up on "Thirsty Thursday" every once in awhile then so be it. It's all about balance. Learning to balance your school, work, and social lives is essential to future success and even just growing up.

So why settle for average? Why accept a poor grade? We are not going to get perfect grades all of the time. If you do poorly on a test, use that to motivate you. Study twice as hard on your next test. The only one stopping you from utilizing your full potential is you. To the students that do not care about their grades, C's might get degrees, but remember that it pays to get A's.