College is the time and place where you get to explore, be adventurous and find yourself. It will help you find a career out of something you love or to join a club or an organization that will allow you to grow and express yourself to others. And it seems like all of these things come with one similar and very familiar question, what is your GPA?
But. I am not what my GPA tells you I am. What I got in calculus, chemistry or anatomy does not reflect my intellectual and artistic abilities, and it most definitely not define who I am as a person.
I am motivated. I am hardworking. I am smart. I am all of these things, but my GPA tells you otherwise. I value my education, and I put a lot of time, energy and emotion into my school work. But as long as I missed one little thing in the syllabus, I am illiterate, and I lack the intelligence to get into grad school. One bad test basically leads to my entire future's damnation.
I admit that there were times when I gave up too soon because I thought that going to office hours wouldn't make a difference. Ever hear of the cliché line, "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Because it really should be more like, "Don't judge college students by their test grades." Hey, I'm only human, and I'm allowed to make mistakes, right? I'm barely making it out alive in the adult world anyway.
Still, just because I failed doesn't mean that I'm a failure. It doesn't make me irresponsible and careless. I am more than that.
What my GPA doesn't tell you is how passionate I am about my future. So what if one professor didn't like the way I voiced my opinions in my essays? That doesn't tell you how much time and effort I put into my work. Yet somehow, it seems like I didn't give two shits about it, according to my report card.
My GPA will never tell you about the countless hours I spent in the library and all the sleepless nights I spent to finish my research paper. My grades can't show you how physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted I am. Nevertheless, I find a reason to get myself out of bed and go to class. It will never tell you how hard I push myself to get my degree so I can make myself and my parents proud. It will never tell you who I really am, because what's important in my eyes may not be so to others.
Truth be told, I am everything but a failure. Because according to me, myself and I, I am bright, perseverant and determined. So screw my transcripts, my test grades and everything in between. I am capable of far greater things than a 4.0 scale.
