With midterms swiftly approaching and schoolwork once again coming to a peak, it is important to remember a hard fact that a majority of college students tend to ignore: you are not defined by your grades.
From a young age, we're taught to always try our hardest to generate the highest GPA possible, regardless of the toll it takes on our mental and physical health. Never sleeping and surviving on coffee alone is adequate, so long as we perform exceptionally on our given exams. Being driven to tears by receiving a "B," is not even considered unnatural in today's day and age, so where exactly is the line drawn?
There is so much more to life than school, and it is time that students realize that. Being a caring, ethical person and loyal friend/family member is part of what determines one's worth- not a quantitative mark allotted by a "professional," for an academic assignment or assessment.
When it comes down to it, quality of life is significantly more integral to one's personal development than achieving constant "perfection" in the classroom. While getting that A on a course feels great momentarily, were the mental breakdowns and missed opportunities for life experiences really worth it? That letter reflects memorization skill, and is nothing more than a benchmark on how proficient you are at regurgitating information compared to your peers.
When "bad" grades are earned, it's easy to let the negativity draw you downwards. We're told that people who do poorly in school amount to much less "successful" individuals than those who perform to higher measures. That being said, I'm here to let you know that life will still go on in the wake of a disappointing mark on a test or assignment. While school possesses the ability to diminish your self-esteem, it lacks the capacity to take your favorite things away from you--things like your dog, Netflix, and your significant other will all still be around and perfect regardless of that unattractive grade you received from a teacher. Additionally, academics are not the only control of your future. Employers would much rather see a well-rounded, happy individual with imperfect grades, than a socially-inept vegetable who attained a 4.0. Keep this in mind the next time you're freaking out over a test grade.
At the end of the day, school will always be stressful, but it's your job to remember that despite the marks you receive while attending, the offerings you give to the world extend far beyond the reach of academia.
