Recently it has come to my attention just how many students think that the work they are expected to do for school is too difficult. Students claim that teachers expect too much out of them, that they would rather get zeros on their work than try to do it, that school isn’t worth their time. I’m not speaking for all students, but this is true for many students, especially those who have a large following on social media.

In my first year of college, I have witnessed many ways in which students will try to make their lives ‘easier’ by cutting corners in school. Many skipped lectures, missed assignments and pawned off participation devices in order to try and make the grade. I know many students that spend hours and hours looking up reviews on their professors looking for the one that will give them an ‘Easy A’. That’s just the thing. An A shouldn’t be easy. An A should be sought after and earned. Grades serve as a way to show your learning and growth as an individual, not how well you can evade doing work. A student's grades serve as a way to show how apt they are for the field of work that they want to go into. Do you really want to base the rest of your life on a lie? Sure, they say that most of a person’s learning happens on the job, but why not strive to get a head start?

Part of the reason students feel such pressure to get good grades is the immense importance parents and society has put on doing well in school. Parents will breathe down their children’s necks day in and day out because they think that is the way to get good performance out of their child. Unfortunately, that does the exact opposite. Putting so much pressure on a child and getting angry when they can’t perform will make them even less likely to be successful. Getting an education should be enjoyable, and parents should be supportive of their child during every step.

Either way, students should not have the mindset that they need to work themselves all day and night just to get the grades that they think they should have. Not everyone is going to get perfect marks, and that is okay. Not everyone is going to graduate from college, and that is OK too. With that being said, school being a challenge is a good thing. The more strenuous your work, the better ethic you will develop. This work ethic will help you in absolutely any career you choose to follow later in life.

All in all, school is tough for everyone. Don’t shy away from the work and don’t get discouraged if you don’t reach your goals on the first try. It’s okay to fail, change your mind, or just start over. As long as you are following a path that makes you happy, you can choose what to do and where to go. But, don’t give up on school just because it is rough. The challenge helps you in the long run. The harder you work, the more reward you will get at the end of it all. Things like the skills you gain and the knowledge you obtain will benefit you so much in any endeavor you choose to pursue. So, take the challenge in stride and give it your all, and you will be successful.