I understand that the title might seem backward, but let me explain. Last quarter, I got straight A’s, and I was excited about it. It was something I wanted to do to prove to myself that I could do it.
But, what I didn’t realize was that chasing a high GPA would mean sacrificing other areas of my life. At one point, I didn’t think I was going to finish the quarter with all A’s.
Instead, I figured I would get three A’s and one B, but I ended up with four A’s with a 19-credit course load. I spoke about this a little bit in a previous post, which I’ll link below.
I am determined to be okay with all B’s moving forward
However with the success of my first quarter after returning I wasn’t okay with what had become of my fitness and mental health. Here I was, staring at a happier transcript that boosted my GPA, while at the same time, looking in the mirror and realizing that my body composition had changed and my anxiety levels were higher.
So I told myself that this quarter, I just want to focus on the material, learning, and new concepts. It’s been a week, and I haven’t checked my grade for my human biology class, which has been hard at first, but I am following suit with my nutrition class.
This is an understatement, but I find my anxiety is less, I’m working out again, eating better, spending more time on myself, and writing here more often.
I think there’s something admirable about those who find out early on or sometime in their educational journey that chasing a high GPA at the expense of other things is just not worth it. This isn’t for those who are trying to get into medical school or a competitive grad school or admission to law school.
This is for the students who believe that a high GPA is above all else for degrees that don’t necessarily need it.
I think it’s a worthwhile pursuit to read student stories and personal experiences on forums like Reddit where they talk about how they became okay with realizing that some classes are just worth B effort and others are worth A effort, and it’s okay to have a balance. That’s what I seek.
This quarter, my plan is to aim for all B’s as the minimum. If I get all B’s, I’ll be happy, and if I happen to get an A in any class, that’s just a bonus. Just like when I thought I was going to pass my philosophy class last quarter with a B, I came out with an A, and I was shocked.
Even though I got all A’s in my classes last quarter, it was the two A’s that I was not expecting that made me the happiest. One was from my statistics class, which I knew I would get an A in because I was doing well, but still, when the class first started, I had no idea if I would be able to do it.
I had no idea that I would love it, and I passed with 103%. The other was in my philosophy class, which was a shock because I thought a B minimum was going to be my grade or a B+.
In 10 years from now, what is going to matter more when I am looking at myself in the mirror?
What last quarter taught me is that the A’s that are least expected are the best ones. This is why, moving forward, I plan on becoming the best B student I can be, which will allow me to focus on the material over the grade. If I happen to get an A, that’s just a bonus.
The most important thing for me was to know that I could be a straight-A student, even in hard classes. I have proven that to myself. But I’m also more proud of myself for coming to this realization and acceptance of where I am in my life and what matters most to me.
As long as I’m the best student I can possibly be without sacrificing other areas of my life, then that is worth more than a high GPA on a sheet of paper that no one else is going to look at ten years from now.
However, I will be looking back at what I did for my fitness, health, mental health, career goals, investment fund, and this blog 10 years from now. I can either stand in regret with a perfect transcript or stand proud of what I accomplished in each of those areas.
I once wrote that people like me don’t become college students but when we do we often become the best students. What I didn’t understand then was that being the best student also means understanding when to shift focus on grades onto yourself.
P.S I also found out this morning that I had made the Spring Quarter Dean’s List.
The Broke College Student 
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