For anyone who knows me, I'm sure the headline is quite surprising. I was that student in high school who aimed for perfection in everything and saw anything less than that as a failure. There were many times that if I got less than what I wanted on a test that I felt like a failure, or that I was somehow no longer "smart."

This past semester I fell in love with my school, which definitely made school work less stressful because I wanted to be there and enjoyed my classes. I quickly came to realize that no matter how hard I studied or prepared myself for classes, it's unrealistic to expect perfection in everything.

After being at college, surrounded by plenty of other equally intelligent and hardworking people, I have not only found my experience humbling, but transformative. My closest friends are similar to me in that in high school we all stressed ourselves out to ridiculous levels to keep up with our self-set standards.

We can definitely admit we had our moments last semester where it felt like the world was ending because of one bad test grade. I realized that if I could ask myself if I could have done anything more to better prepare myself, and the answer was no, then I shouldn't be upset at myself.

Obviously no one likes getting less than expected on a test, however, if you do legitimately everything possible (peer tutoring, go to office hours, study groups, etc.), then you should be proud of your efforts and the grade you get.

I had one class specifically that really sparked this article from this past semester. The material was completely new to me because it was an intro business course, which definitely meant a lot more studying than my other classes. I was genuinely interested in the topic, so the work I put in never really bothered me, except when I didn't feel like it paid off.

After receiving my second exam grade, which I previously felt prepared for, and seeing that it was less than I wanted, I felt completely defeated. I genuinely felt stupid and that no matter how hard I worked there was no way I could do well in the course.

After visiting my professor's office hours, he gave me the best advice (may be cliché, but still stuck with me): "Study like you are going to get an A in my class, take the test like you are going to get an A in my class."

While he obviously couldn't predict a future exam score, he meant that I shouldn't study while thinking that no matter how hard I tried I couldn't achieve what I wanted. It helped. It's not just your effort, but your mindset.

I worked so hard for the next exam and the subsequent final that I was so proud of myself. I reached a point where I would truly be happy with whatever grade I got because I knew that no matter the outcome, I pushed myself to be positive and work toward my goal without an unhealthy obsession with perfection and one of understanding.

It has become clear that it is more important to know the material and know how to apply it rather than just memorize it for a grade. School is meant for preparing us to eventually become educated adults who can apply knowledge in the workforce. While A's are nice, they aren't always the main goal.

If I learn a lot from a class and get a B, then so be it. The knowledge carries over more favorably long term than the grade.

I am a hard worker and dedicate a lot of time to school work and studying, though, I have been able to keep this motivation and turn it into a driver, rather than a stressor, to do well while still maintaining my sanity and happiness.

At the end of the day, there will be people who are able to do well in almost everything, and while that may be frustrating, it's important to understand that your best effort is enough.