As college students, we are all so caught up with a few numbers. The average student is striving for a 4.0 grade point average. I would like you to sit back and truly think about that. To me, it is actually absurd. Going for straight A’s to seem like it means the world. By no means am I saying grades don’t matter. What I am saying is that people take their GPA too seriously. There are so many things that determine success other than a number with a decimal and another number following. I do the best I can for myself. I don’t sit there thinking, “I need an A in this class or else…” If you don’t get an A in Race and Diversity in America, is that really going to affect your chances of getting a job? To me the answer to that question is never ever. I just have a tough time with the whole striving for a 4.0 when it really doesn’t mean anything. Sure, it will put you at an advantage at the beginning of your life out of your college years.
But, after that there are so many other things that will help you get a job. How you conduct yourself, how you interact with others, and your attitude are just a few things that will matter in a real world job. Sure your college GPA will matter, and I’m saying it still has to be good, but just don’t take it so seriously. Again, the B in a race and diversity general education class is not going to take you away from being a candidate for a job.
Being nice and having a good attitude will go much further than a college GPA. Someone with a 4.0 who doesn’t have a good attitude or can’t interact with others, is just not valuable in my opinion. It means you can study terms and concepts but not look at the big picture. It means you may not be good at the things that can’t be measured by a grading system. It may possible mean that you may have lost some personality traits while having your nose in the books for 10 hours straight. Attitude, work ethic, team building, and motivation aren’t things that you can grade. Those are things that are extremely valuable and imperative in the “real world” after college.
I absolutely try in school and give it my all. I just know that there is so much more to being successful and getting a good job. I just have a tough time wrapping my head around the fact that you need a 4.0 to be successful. I completely disagree, and if you have a good personality and decent grades, you will be just fine.
