Dear Peer,

I went into college thinking I wanted to study engineering. A year and a half go by, and I don't love what I'm studying anymore. I start looking at my options and remember how much I love politics and switch into the College of the Liberal Arts. But at this point, my GPA was right at a 3.0 which was low for engineering, but even lower compared to the classmates I would be up against for internships and jobs in Political Science.

I spent a lot of time worried about if I would ever get an internship and how this number defined my whole life. It stressed me out, gave me anxiety, and made me scared for my future. Every time I took an exam, I would calculate what my grade in the class would be in every scenario and how that would affect my GPA. It took me a long time to understand that this wasn't a good way to live my life—for my health or my sanity.

I started throwing myself into extracurriculars. Got more involved in the organizations I was a part of, and even reached out to a professor about being a TA. I just kept trying to find things that would make me happy, add to my resume, and that I could balance with my classes. And eventually, I found the perfect mix.

I started applying for internships the next semester, and I started getting a lot more interest (compared to the 0 interest I received before). When I would talk to recruiters, it was never about my subpar GPA, because they liked everything else I had going on for me. It made me realize that I could be someone and didn't have to let my GPA define.

If you're this girl or guy, the one struggling with his or her self because you're not used to failing or having a hard time because you know how capable you are, it's going to be okay. At the end of the day, it's not your GPA that is going to get you that dream internship or job. It's you, and all of your experiences, lessons learned, and hard work.

Sincerely,

A Girl Who Now Has Average GPA