On Facebook within the past few weeks, it seems as though college student after college student is posting their “Look, everyone, I didn’t suck academically this semester!” posts. While I myself am beyond proud of my hard work this semester to attain a high GPA, I know that at the end of the day, I’m not defined by a number ranging from .00 to 4.0+.

That being said, GPAs do still have some sort of meaning. They can represent so much more than a person’s intelligence. Here are 4.0 reasons why your GPA is meaningful, regardless of if it defines you or not:

1. It can show your hard work

For many, many people, it is near impossible to breeze through any class and still manage an A+ (except for maybe you, underwater basket weaving.) When someone works hard and understands the expectations set forth for them, it’s incredible to tangibly see his or her success through a grade.

Some classes are hard work, and even the hardest of work won’t pay off in terms of a grade. I know for me, I worked my butt off in one of my introductory public relations classes, and still barely managed a C. Teachers are tough, school is tough, but if you work hard, you’ll manage to get by.

2. It exemplifies your struggles

My sophomore year, I did the worst I’ve ever done in school. This wasn’t because I was taking extremely tough classes (other than accounting. Damn you, accounting). I had some tough life situations that came around (unexpectedly, as most life problems do). I needed to focus on my personal life rather than my professional life. I still needed to be successful in school, but my success was limited by these problems outside of the classroom, and my GPA showed that.

Does that mean I gave up? No. It means college taught me how to prioritize, how to create a work-life balance, and how to be responsible. That’s what college is for anyways, and I know that this isn’t the case for just myself.

3. It won’t stop you from graduating with higher education (most of the time)

We’ve all heard it before, “Cs get degrees.” And they do. Your GPA is truly only of importance post-grad for an internship, or maybe your first job. And after that, it’s a forgotten number.

If you’re able to manage above a 2.0 GPA, you’re going to graduate. You’re going to have far more education than so many other people in the world are able. You’ve taken the best opportunity available to you and ran with it. Go you, you’re doing something to better yourself, and that is admirable no matter how you look at it.

4. It’s such a small number

We all know we’re 10s (on the inside and outside) anyways *wink wink*.

Never stop working hard in school, but never forget that you are so much more than just a number.