I have been really thinking about grades a lot.
My parents have always put a lot of emphasis on grades. My family has a big expectation for getting good grades. It is stressful, but it also makes me work hard and I do think that is useful.
However, sometimes I think I focus on grades too much. I always calculate what I need to get on a test or essay to maintain a good grade, and whenever I get a bad grade (which happens more frequently than I would like to admit) I have so much stress about it.
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People always said “Grades don’t matter in college” but I find this to be completely untrue. Grades still do in fact matter. A Forbes article writes:
According to a survey of more than 200 employers conducted in Aug. and Sept. of this year by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 67% of companies said they screened candidates by their GPA.
So, grades really do matter! I would actually argue they matter more than high school grades because we are talking about hiring for jobs in the future.
This fact is stressful, and I am still trying to come to terms with it, but it also is important to actually understand the material you are learning. If you have a great GPA, but don’t actually know the material when you are in your job, you are going to be incompetent.
I am trying to be inspired by the fact that my GPA still matters… I’m not going to slack off in school and I’m going to keep working hard, but not let my GPA become my life.