If you're in college, you've probably gotten some criticism for how you get your grades.

BUT WHY THOUGH?

If you've ever criticized someone, what did you hope to get out of doing that? Why bother? I know I've personally heard it done to other students, as well as me.

We're (pretty much) all paying loads of money to get a higher education.

Leave that petty stuff in high school. If someone can take a test without reviewing the materials, that's great. If someone is struggling, there's no need to point it out. I took a college algebra class (I'm very bad at math) and my professor actually had to announce to the class that if she heard any more conversations harassing other students for struggling that she would automatically fail them.

Even the professors know what's up.

Just because you may think a course/professor is easy doesn't mean that someone else may not be struggling. I took that same math professor twice, as she was kind of the best. I got an A in the first class I took with her and a D in the second class (which still counted as passing somehow). That didn't stop people in my class from laughing at anyone who openly admitted they were struggling.

Getting a bad grade sucks already, but having to quickly hide it from prying eyes that just want to laugh at you is worse.

The fact that I'm even in college and gaining credits towards graduation is a feat in itself. I'm happy that you aced that paper, but I struggled. You don't need to make me feel worse for that. What do you gain from that? I personally could never imagine bullying another student for struggling for good grades. If anything, I'd try to help (but not math).

I don't know why that isn't the norm for all students.

I've also realized very quickly that my English building is infested with these bullies. I can't tell you the number of people who brag at random about how they're going here without paying a cent of tuition and how everything is just so easy. It's really self-centered to do that, as you don't know who may be listening (*ahem* someone who actually failed out of college *ahem*).

If I need to record every single lecture, then let me.

I try to hide the fact that I record my lectures, to be completely honest. I can't concentrate on class sometimes and it's better for me to record and relisten to the lecture and rewrite notes while taking breaks at my leisure than struggling in class and knowing I have no way of going back. I made the mistake this week of recording the lecture of a class and leaving my phone unlocked, letting people see that I was recording. A student next to me laughed and told the person in front of them "I thought recording lectures was something only try-hard freshmen do."

Excuse me for doing what I need to do to learn, and I still fail to see how that affects you.

English and, for example, math is that English can have many answers. There is no singular wrong or right answer when trying to interpret a work of literature or a poem. However, some pretentious students will think that their answer will always be the superior one. In an online class, I had to give my interpretation on a novel we had to read and boy oh boy did a bunch of students comment how wrong I was about it. Just because I read something one way doesn't mean it's wrong. That's why we're English majors.

I just really don't understand why there is so much negativity in college.

We're all beyond fortunate to be able to get this education, so why put someone down? Hopefully, if you see someone struggling, you offer to help. If someone is talking bad, stand up to them. Be the change. Don't be another bully.