College is a time when you're supposed to be "finding yourself," figuring out who you are and who you want to be. College is also a very stressful time, mostly because you're balancing a multitude of things. Maybe you have a job, perhaps you play a sport, or maybe you're a member of a myriad of organizations. You might even have leadership roles in those organizations.
On top of all of these commitments, you're also expected to get good grades. It can be highly taxing, and for many of us, an A is the only grade that we will accept.
I myself have never been a straight A student. I have mostly been a B-C student, but I'm okay with that. I once had a professor tell me that students who get A's are most likely not doing much outside of the classroom. I don't know if I necessarily agree with that statement since I have many friends with 4.0 averages that do tons of extracurricular activities, and many of them also are juggling one or multiple jobs at the same time.
I have watched these friends basically exhaust themselves to their "breaking points" because they are trying to get everything done. Many of these friends have scholarships that they need to keep. I think it's wonderful that they have scholarships, I don't think it's wonderful that they stress themselves out to the point where they are are barely functioning.
I'm not writing this article because I want to devalue an A. Getting an A on an assignment is definitely something to be proud of. Getting an A becomes an issue when you stress yourself to the point of losing sleep, and you forget to eat because you're so focused on doing the best job that you can.
If your physical or mental health is suffering for a grade on a paper, you're taking it too far. Yes, college is supposed to be a time where we challenge ourselves and we strive to become better versions of ourselves, but college is about more than just the grades you earn at the end of the semester.
College should be a time when you take risks and step outside of your comfort zone. Many times people are afraid to do this because they fear that their grades will suffer. They want to do things the way that they always have because that method works.
Think long term on this: if your grade suffered, but you developed a useful skill through risk-taking, then wouldn't it be worth the risk?
If you took a chance and you had less time to spend on an assignment, but you networked with future professionals in your field or you traveled somewhere new and exciting wouldn't that be worth the risk? Thinking outside the box and trying new things is always beneficial no matter the outcome.
If you tried something new and failed, you learned what not to do. If you tried something new and it worked, you now have a multitude of ways to accomplish a task.
College is important, grades are critical, and A's are amazing. All I'm saying is don't let the A define you. You are more than your grades. Academic transcripts are a great way to sum up how well you can do your work, but they are a terrible estimate of who you are as a person.
Travel and see the world, try something new, meet new people, try new foods. College is a time to experience novel and exciting things. College is also a time to build your resume. Make sure when you leave college that you have a personal resume that you can be proud of.
Don't allow yourself to be defined by the grade you see on the paper, or the cumulative GPA that you leave with. At the end of the day, grades are important, but they shouldn't define you.
An A is a fantastic achievement; it's something to be proud of, but an A isn't everything.
