On Thursday, April 21, Spelman College held its annual Honors Convocation where students who earned a 3.3 GPA or higher received a special "Honors Student" pin. Due to the context of the convocation, Honors students were celebrated for spending long nights studying and for working so hard last semester in order to receive the GPA that they have earned. As a person who is considered a "Honors Student," I did not understand the importance of this convocation from the start. Can we pick up our "Honors Student" pin in Rockefeller? Why make a big deal out of this?
During the Honors Convocation, the honors students were described as those who will change the world. That was news to me since I thought that all Spelman College students are capable of changing the world regardless of their GPA. I did not enjoy the convocation because there was too much elitism in the air. Like, "I got a 4.0 and you got a 2.8. Lol you need to work harder." In reality, I know of students who received a 3.0 GPA who had to work extremely hard for that GPA. A person cannot look at a college GPA and use that to determine how hard a person worked.
I am only speaking for myself and maybe a few Spelmanites out there when I say this. In high school, in order to make a high GPA, all you had to do was complete your assignments and study for a test/quiz at least 30 minutes. College is completely different from high school and many first year students had to stumble their first semester because they did not understand how to manage their time while living amongst their friends and always having an adventure around every corner. It is understandable. People make mistakes, but apparently Spelmanites are not allowed to. Also, some students are also very strategic while selecting classes and had the pleasure of taking some the easiest professors in each department. To those students who refused to take the easy professor with a guaranteed 'A' and instead took the difficult professor with the guarantee that you will know the material forwards, backwards and sideways, you are brave and I am proud of you sis.
Growing up, I realized that learning was all about making mistakes. At Spelman, academic excellence is seen as important, but the pathway that you take to get there has little to no importance. That pathway which includes you not doing well on quizzes and tests or even forgetting to turn in assignments although you wrote all due dates down in your agenda. Sometimes, everything just does not go right, regardless of how much effort you have put into it, and you just have to roll with the punches. You can still get back up and come out of the forest with a "Honors student" GPA, even after you did not do as well as you wanted to on a quiz or two.
To my sisters without Honors, you can still change the world. I know of students with a GPA below a 3.0 who have had internships lined up since February and I also know of students with the precious "honors" GPA who still do not know what they are going to do for the summer. My sisters without Honors still have amazing work ethic. You may have had to raise that "D" to a "C" in a short period of time. You can be disappointed in that grade, but you should still be proud sis. You were able to improve that grade and I know that you worked hard to do so. Do not ever equate your self worth with some numbers that will not truly matter once we all graduate. You may have a distinct plan that includes going to the best of the best medical school, but if you are meant to become the best pediatric doctor in your state, you will become the best pediatric doctor in your state regardless of anything else. Do not risk your mental health for a GPA because all of those late nights and early mornings can run a toll on you. You can stress yourself out so much that you actually make yourself sick and I do not need you to do that sis. Treat yourself and go to bed before 10 p.m. one day. Thank me later.
Students with every GPA matter and are still capable of achieving all of their short and long term goals. Students can also learn from prior semesters and improve right before your eyes. 2.8 GPA one semester and a 4.0 the next, who knows? Anything is possible. For my sisters without Honors, do not become discouraged. You have more semesters and more chances to receive that little Honors pin. And you may not even care if you receive a Honors pin at all because you view your 2.8 GPA like somebody else views their 3.6 GPA. We do not know what you had to go through in order to earn the GPA that you did, but you do and that is all that matters. Finals are coming up. Extra credit opportunities are available for some professors. Be great and do your best. If your best ends up being a "B" or a "C", I'm still proud of you sis.
