Being a student in college has its perks, but it also comes with its negative inconveniences. The pressure to get perfect grades and have a stellar GPA is a constant one we, as students, hear. Especially with the extra pressure to excel in what we do after college.

Sometimes focusing so much on your GPA and grades truly take away from the experience of learning. When was the last time you actually appreciated a class without thinking about the grade you were going to get? When was the last time you actually allowed yourself to learn for the sake of learning rather than the sake of getting a good grade?

Whether you're a 4.0 student or a 2.5 student, here are 8 things our GPAs definitely cannot measure:

1. Intelligence

Most of the time, test grades are based on memorization. How many times have you memorized information for a test, and then forgotten it almost immediately after? Maybe your GPA can measure how well you memorize, but it definitely doesn't define how smart you are.

2. Your Effort

How many times have you put in countless hours of effort, and still ended up with a grade other than an A? Like the previous one says, a lot of tests and quizzes are based on memorization. You put in hours to memorize. Your grades do not always reflect your effort.

3. Your Communication Skills

Your grades don't define how well you understand, communicate, or treat other people. No matter what career you want to go into, having the natural skills to communicate and listen well mean a great deal in the real world, and can definitely not be measured by your grade point average.

4. Your Ability

Your GPA is built from every single letter grade you have received in college. If you had a bad semester, or didn't do as well when you were a freshman because you were just getting used to the big transition, your grades definitely won't be an accurate measure of your ability. You are not a letter grade, and neither are your skills.

5. Your Knowledge

Did you do exactly what you were supposed to do? Was your presentation exactly 3.5 minutes long? Was your paper exactly 1200 words? These things do not measure knowledge, but rather your ability to follow directions. Unfortunately, these things are factored into your grades and your GPA, which isn't an accurate measure of your knowledge.

6. Your Performance

Most college classes have attendance or participation grades. If you are a big introvert like I am, participation grades are hard. And it seems unfair to put such a critical percentage of your grade on whether or not you can speak in front of the class. This is another thing that your GPA cannot truly measure.

7. Your Talents Outside of The Classroom

Just because some things may not come as easily to you as they do for others, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something you’re not extraordinary at. Maybe you have a passion that lies in a hobby like art or running or traveling. Your performance in the classroom certainly doesn't always correlate with your skills in painting or even video games. Remember to acknowledge and be proud of your other talents.

8. Your Willingness to Try

Just because your grades say you aren't doing well in class, doesn't mean you aren't trying or wanting to try. Things come up, schedules get disorganized, mistakes happen, things that are out of your control pop up out of nowhere. Unfortunately, professors don't actually give you an A for effort.

9. Your Future

Your GPA is not the only factor involved in whether or not you get a job. Your experience matters way more. I believe someone with a 4.0 GPA and no experience is less likely to get a job than an applicant with a 3.4 GPA and tons of experience and involvement.

Academics are important and school is necessary to help us build a future. But who you are is not defined by things such as grades on a sheet of paper.