Midterms are in full swing and you know what that means -- crying hysterically in the library at 1:30 a.m. with a large coffee in one hand and a study guide in the other. Admit it. We’ve all been there. There is no way I’m the first person to ever have a mid-semester breakdown, complete with a call to my mom, telling her my plans to drop out of college. Every semester, I go through the same exact cycle: studying my butt off, avoiding sleep, crying, shot-gunning espresso, crying, waking up early to review before the exam, crying, taking the exam, crying -- and usually getting a decent grade. After all the whirlwind of exam ends, if I do well, usually everything goes back to normal and I feel okay. But what if I don't do well?
Since I was little, grades have always been kind of a big deal. You have to do well in high school so you can get into college. You have to do well in college so you can get into grad school. You have to do well in grad school because, well, you just should. But what if we don't do so well?
Fret not, my friends, because I am going to let you in on a little secret: You are better than your bad grade. I can't even count the amount of times when I've gotten a bad grade and spent days feeling terrible about it. Perhaps one of the worst feelings ever is studying day and night, and still not getting the grade you expected or wanted. Here's the crazy thing: we are human. Students are just as much human as everyone else, and for some reason we're always forgetting that.
I remember I took a class when I was a freshman called, "Management Information Systems," and it was impossible. I would go home, study for hours and still fail. After a while, it began to bruise myself esteem until I realized that the stupid saying we all make fun of is actually true: grades do not define you. Sure, it's important to get good grades and try your best, but one C+ from an evil Orgo, or MIS, professor does not determine your worth.
Exams are here, fellow warriors, and there's no escaping the all-night cramming sessions. Just remember, one bad grade does not define your worth. Keep on keepin' on.
As the great Kanye West said, "Embrace your flyness.”
