As many of us are wrapping up or have already finished our semesters, signifying the end of our college academic year, we have one common thing on our collective minds: our GPA. In the days and weeks leading up to final exams, we have worked tirelessly to ensure that our final grades will meet or exceed expectations; staying up until three or four a.m. reading seemingly endless texts, drafting eight-page papers, missing out on crucial sleep and possibly skipping meals to allocate as much time as possible to studying.
Maybe you're that student who had only put in an average amount of effort to your classes over the semester and is now trying to go all-out. Or maybe you're that student who has been putting in as much effort as you can over the entirety of the semester, with midterm grades reflecting that effort. Whatever amount of effort you've put in, however much you've exerted yourself, I just want to remind you that your final GPA is something to be proud of.
College is not easy. Some classes may or may not be relatively difficult, but the sum of the parts that constitute college (studying, making and maintaining relationships, working one or multiple jobs, being involved in clubs and extracurricular activities i.e. sports, networking to build connections and start a career, etc.) make it easy for any student to understand just how much it takes from us to succeed.
Trying to explain that to a parent with high expectations may be difficult. All they want is that perfect 4.0 GPA, and nothing below it. Little do they know or care to understand how much it takes to get there. To those of you who earned something like a 3.67, 3.75, or 3.98, that made your school’s Dean’s List and even earned your president’s recognition, but didn’t get that 4.0 your parents wanted (and because of which they are still unsatisfied), I offer you my sincerest congratulations! You’re still in the top tier of grades and that’s something to be truly thankful about. And if you got that 4.0, you’re doing the damn thing. Congratulations and do your best to stay the course!
But when all is said and done, you should be just as proud of your 2.48 GPA, 2.77 GPA and 3.22 GPA. Yes, congratulations! No one can deny how hard you worked to get where you are, or how hard you're working to get where you want to go. Even if it’s lower than what you expected or worked for, remember that neither you nor your grade is inadequate. If you have a drive and you know what you must do to improve, then go ahead and do it so that at the end of next semester, you’ll be even more proud of the fruit of your efforts. Great luck to you.
