I had never heard the phrase, “Cs get degrees” until I got to college. My first impression was to think it was funny and honestly true. Although I embodied the complete opposite of this in high school, I was able to see where people were coming from when they said this.
The phrase makes sense because at the end of your four years in college every person in your major will end up with the same degree as you despite their grades. You could work your butt off in every class and receive all As, but others who got Cs will end up with the same degree as you.
I think that this phrase was created to take stress off of college students and destigmatize the belief that it is bad to get Cs and to let them know that it is okay not to receive a perfect grade in every class. Although I support decreasing the pressure placed on college students, I am not certain that I support using this phrase to do so.
I have always been a perfectionist and even though it does cause excess stress, I have never looked back and wished that I had put less effort into a class. I believe that there is little point in doing something if you are not going to give it 100% of your attention and energy.
Although Cs get degrees, so do As and Bs. If we have the ability to achieve greater, then why shouldn’t we? There should continue to be an incentive to get As and Bs even if we do all receive the same degree in the end.
For me, this incentive ranges from perfectionism to competition. I have never felt okay with a C, and if people know that they are capable to do more, I do not see how they can feel satisfied with themselves and their work.
Although I make the personal choice not to live my life to the mantra of “Cs get degrees," earning a college degree is certainly an accomplishment. Everyone should be proud of receiving a degree, no matter what grades they achieved in order to get there.
If we make a conscious choice to push ourselves and raise our personal standards to higher than just receiving Cs that will allow us to get out and get a degree, we can make our time in college more valuable. By setting a goal for yourself that is bigger than just getting a degree, each day will be a challenge that will only benefit you and your abilities.
Cs may get degrees, but there is no reason not to at least try to push ourselves to be more successful than that. Challenging ourselves to do more than what is expected is a necessary part of life — we should not just do the bare minimum and be content with that.
