There are many different forces that affect what people decide to do, how people react to things, and why people have certain beliefs. What determines what is an appropriate force behind doing well as opposed to doing poorly? Who, aside from God, has the right to judge our own personal reactions, actions, and decisions? Granted, that question - like a blanket that is too small to cover your feet and shoulders - doesn't cover every scenario and situation. However, I do think that it is a viable question when it pertains to academics.
The life of a college student is a funny thing. I once read a sign that said, "1: Good Grades. 2: Sleep. 3: Social Life. You can only pick two. Welcome to College."
Unless you are a person that has a chemical composition that can affect, change, and distort all of the forces in the universe (ie: time and gravity), then this sign is true. Dear incoming freshman, you are not like the afore-described black hole.
Speaking of and to freshman, there are a few things that I wish that someone had told me about before I started school. For starters I wish that someone had mentioned that I should just take my rose-colored glasses off and accept the experience for what it is. Also, it would have been nice to have been warned that there is no such thing as a perfect, good, or even a smooth semester. They can be reasonably enjoyable or nice, but there is always something that happens that can cause a bumpy ride. I think that part of the greatest test of gaining a college education is learning to work through those bumps. Now, I'm a list person. I'm not OCD about them, but sometimes they are effective in proving points. This is the list of my "bumps" and their correlating semesters:
- Assaulted at a bus stop (Fall 2008)
- Good friend died (Winter 2009)
- Dad's death catching up to me, triggered from my friend's death (Winter 2009)
- Roommate drama (Winter 2009)
- Sickness (Winter 2009)
- Ran out of money; a boy that I loved wanted me to come home for Thanksgiving (Fall 2009)
- An uncle died (Fall 2009)
- The boy broke my heart before I could visit him (Fall 2009)
- Was pseudo-manipulated and used by another guy (Fall 2009)
- My ipod was stolen (Fall 2009)
- Roommate drama (Fall 2009)
- Stomach problems (Fall 2009)
- Family discord (Winter 2010)
- Three separate cases of boy problems (Winter 2010)
- Sickness (Spring 2010)
- Ran out of money (Spring 2010)
- Neck is out of joint (aka the month-long headache) (Spring 2010)
OKAY - that list sounds terribly whiney and I'm not certain now that I absolutely want it there. But it's an illustration that stuff happens, you deal with it, and move on. I have a favorite youtube video that is a skit on Hamlet. The purpose of the video is to show what could have happened if Ophelia had had a sassy gay friend.
Ophelia: "Hamlet loves me no more."
Friend: "So we kill ourselves? Kill ourselves?... So instead of drowning yourself, you're gunna write a sad poem in your journal and move on."
What does this have to do with knowledge? Absolutely nothing.
Sarcasm aside, it has everything to do with it. I personally have gained a more invaluable knowledge through both the educational and emotional experiences. What do you really learn if you don't have to really work through things?
Now that I have taken the time to write all of that out, here is the crux of my post. I have decided that my grades aren't that important to my education. Grades are most definitely a personal decision, but you have to be wise in your decision and carefully weigh what is going to be the best for yourself individually. For clarification, when I say that they aren't all that important, I mean that they are important, but I will not beat up my mental, physical, and emotional well-being for an A anymore. Instead, I have decided that as long as I put in my very best work in every class, and have learned a lot and am happy, then my grade doesn't matter as much. I do love A's though. But sometimes it is okay to get a lower grade than that. Sometimes just barely passing a class is thrilling, depending on the subject matter. This is all fairly confusing I think to anyone aside from myself simply because I am not the best at articulating what I am thinking or feeling. It is sufficient for me to say that I am a good student and that my grades are what they are - I am not frittering away the opportunity I have been given by being here.
Moral of my post? I suppose the root of it is that I do not agree with how some college students are so driven to get A's in all of their classes that they have a lofty point of view, which means that you and your grades will never live up to their parr and expectations.
I just smile at them because I know that I am doing my best. I'm not here at BYU for A's. I'm here to gain knowledge and the very best education possible - and I am working very hard to put into my education what I want out of it. Why?
Scientia me vocat.
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