College, The Life-Sucker

Let me set this up for you...

You're at the very end of your semester. This semester you've accomplished so many amazing things! You joined a new club to write down on your resume (woo!), did some volunteer work (again for the resume), went to work at your job because otherwise you'd starve (that's fun), and everything that you've accomplished (or haven't accomplished) comes to a peak because it's finals week... You've literally worked so hard to get to this point. Every ounce of your livelihood has been given to your college career. Every ounce of "you" has been given to further your future (at least you hope so). Over the course of the semester, you remember moments when you told your friends that you couldn't go out on the town because you had to study for this one class because you NEEDED the "A".

Today is the day. Everything comes to a peak in this very moment. You're about to take that final in the class that you have struggled with all semester. You need a certain grade to pass the class with an "A". You have spent hours upon hours studying for this exam. In 2 short hours, it'll be over. Just get through this.

A couple of hours later, your professor sends you your grade in an email. You needed an 84 to pass with an "A", and you make an 82... and there is no budging on the grade.

All of your hard work, for a "B".

All of the nights you were the prude and stayed in to study, for a "B".

All of the breakdowns over this one class because you tried so hard to do so well, for a "B".

Everything that you've done for this ONE class, only to land a an 89, AKA a "B", which will show up as the same 3.0 on your GPA as the person who earned an 80, AKA a "B". Graduate schools, transcripts, jobs, and anything in between won't see that you worked harder than someone else. They will see the 3.0 GPA for that class and automatically assume that you did not try as hard as you should have.

Let me stop and go ahead and say this for the people in the back:

No one is complaining because "I deserve the grade" because in reality, if you fall short of the "A", you do not deserve it.

What I am saying:

It SUCKS to give everything that you have, only to screw it up right at the end. I know I'm not the only one that has had this happen. You see the grade and your face drains, your heart sinks, and you feel nothing but pity for yourself because if you had just gotten one more question right... it would've felt worth it...

College isn't all bad. There are some pretty great things. You're young and free. There are free tshirts and food around every corner during peak times of the year. You get to meet great people and you grow up. These are some of the high lights of my college career; however, I think the bad outweighs the good slightly.

Don't agree with me? That's cool, and honestly I'm happy you are enjoying yourself; however, I don't like

That college looks at me like a paycheck.

To get anything done on most universities, you have to jump through hoops until you can find someone who wants to help.

Good grades=better opportunities later on, but like the example above, sometimes that's not possible.

I'm expected to go to school full time, volunteer to be a good citizen, do research to look good, have a job because my parents can't afford to help, and anything else that I have to do that I've forgotten (maybe sleep or a social life?). I'm sorry, but this is why college sucks the life out of you, but on the bright side, it ends one day. This will end. It will get better, but for now stick it out and know that you're not alone in this feeling.