We have a huge tendency in Western society to completely judge our self-worth based on our grades. As a sophomore in college, I can tell you that I definitely feel the pressure to maintain a perfect GPA and get As on every test. And while rationally, I know that one B wouldn't be the end of the world, I, like most college students, am conditioned to feel like I am inferior if my grades aren't in a certain percentile. Our learning is measured on a scale from 0-100%, which totally negates the majority of learning.

The most important things we learn aren't in the classroom.

That's right. For all our colleges' advertising and marketing slogans about how they are preparing students for the real world, they forget the most important part: we learn to be who we will become for the rest of our lives by making our own space and coming into our identity due to the world around us, not the tiny microcosm that is our classroom.

Invaluable experiences like travel, trying new things, "adulting," laughing and even reading books are much more educational than we would ever realize.

I've often complained that my high school and college don't offer classes on how to do your taxes, or do laundry or how to change a tire. But what I've realized is just because it isn't offered in the conventional atmosphere doesn't mean it isn't important to learn and doesn't mean I can't learn it on my own.

Teaching yourself is just as important as being taught.

Taking charge of your own education is something that advisors and parents often preach, but not necessarily in the way I mean. I'm not talking about getting yourself a tutor or going to supplemental help, I'm talking about learning the things you want to learn, regardless of whether you can take it in a classroom.

Like the main character in my absolute favorite movie, "Good Will Hunting," says, "You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for $1.50 in late fees at the public library." While this is definitely an exaggeration and a college degree is by no means a waste of money, he does have a point. If you rely on professors and powerpoint presentations to provide your entire learning experience, you'll seriously miss out.

Studying every day isn't the way to learn.

So if it comes down to an extra hour of hitting the books or having those spontaneous life experiences and college adventures, always pick the adventure! In the end, you won't remember every single exam you took and what percentage you got, you'll remember the road trips, the nights you spent wheezing with laughter and the time spent making friends who will last a lifetime.

The stories you tell your kids and grandkids are more of an education than hours spent in a lecture hall. If you become the best and most educated person you can be of your own efforts, your grades will follow. And even more importantly, you'll realize that the little letters and numbers on a transcript don't mean much after all.