Now that I'm halfway through my second semester of freshman year, one of the most important things I've learned is that grades don't define you. Although I've heard it many times before, I haven't truly experienced it until this past semester.

The most frustrating thing that almost every student, if not every student, experiences at least once is studying hours for a test and still not doing well. The feeling of defeat you get when you receive your test back is probably one of the top 10 worst feelings in the world.

After having this happen to me recently, I've realized that people shouldn't be judged based on grades and that grades don't define you.

The person sitting next to you in class who got a 40% on the last midterm? He studied his ass off and went to tutoring 5 times a week. He's probably the sweetest person on campus and cares so much for everyone. The person sitting in the back of the class who got a 60% on the midterm? She's been battling depression and had one of the worst episodes the night before the exam. The person sitting on your right who got a 70% on the midterm? His grandmother recently passed away from cancer, and because he had to go to her funeral a few days before the midterm, he didn't have a chance to study.

My point isn't that if you do well, you didn't put in the effort to receive the grade. My point is that if you did badly, you didn't necessarily deserve it, and that you shouldn't be judged on your grades. You can be the hardest worker, but you will still fail at some point, and that's just the hard truth.

So the next time you see someone who didn't do so well on an exam that you aced? Don't judge. You don't know what their life is like. And if you're the one who didn't do well on an exam? Believe it or not, life does go on, and the sun will rise the next day. Don't use it as an opportunity to let you down; instead, use it as an opportunity to improve.