It is that time of the semester again when final projects and exams are looming. Students will be studying, and are stressed to the max. It is the time when sleep is not nearly as important as getting that extra hour of studying in, helped along by the caffeine of choice of course.

In these critical weeks, it is important to remember this: you are more than your grades. Your worth as a person is not equated to the number of As you earn, nor your GPA. While they are important, it pales in comparison to how much you matter simply by being a human being. Your mental and physical health should come first. It would do you no good to stress and worry about your assignments and grades only to make yourself sick and worse off than before. I urge you to consider this if you are someone who is pushing themselves to their limits just to get that extra percentage point, disregarding food and sleep to get that good grade. I myself have been guilty of this at times, and let me tell you, it was not worth how bad I felt later for not taking care of myself. I urge you to take some time for yourself, even if it is just to get some food and maybe take a nap. Your parents will love you the same even if you do not get straight A's in every single class. Yes, it is something to strive for, don't get me wrong, but not at the cost of your own wellbeing.

While accomplishments like good grades are something to strive for, as we all should, it should not be at the cost of yourself. Like my high school calculus teacher told always told us when we were worried about our grades "You are still a good person." I may not remember any actual math from that class, but I still remember him always reminding us of this. Remember that you have friends and family that love you and want you to succeed, but be good to yourself as well.