PUBLISHED: Student & Campus Section, Manila Bulletin, 17 September 2008 Issue (Page F-4)
A lot of us enter college dreaming of big things for ourselves.
During the first few weeks of school, it was not uncommon to hear people say that they’re going to average an uno or a quatro (whichever applies), or at least make the Dean’s List, this first semester. I guess there’s just something about the whole situation that makes us believe that we’re up to the challenges it poses. But maybe that’s a good thing, if it motivates us to give it our best.
Now that we’re nearing the end, though, the mood is strikingly different. A lot of my peers have given up on the possibility of an academically flawless first semester, or on making the Dean’s List, for that matter. I guess there’s just something about the whole situation that puts us in our place. Whatever the reason, the fact is that we don’t get the grades that we expected.
But the good thing about the college system is that your grade isn’t the only thing that matters. This, I presume, is the reason why the upperclassmen keep saying that you should be active in orgs, because orgs will give you the experience as well as the opportunities when you start out. They often tell stories of people who didn’t necessarily graduate with honors, but were very much involved in org work, which is why they’re doing okay right now.
Besides, as one of my professors put very eloquently, college is really all about the lessons you learn and the skills you pick up, which aren’t necessarily reflected by your grades. Grades measure your output, but they do not always truly measure the kind of person you are, or the amount of knowledge you have gained.
At this point, there is a lot of consolation about not doing very well academically in college. After all, grades aren’t everything. We shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves for not getting the marks we want to get. Instead, we should just enjoy learning for learning’s sake.
I agree—except it’s really not that simple.
For one thing, it’s still one of the first things that potential employers look at when they view your resume. This, actually, has some logical basis: grades are the most objective measures of your ability to produce output. In a way, therefore, they are a reliable measure of your work ethic. True, grades don’t always reflect your true mettle, but your true mettle won’t be worth anything if it can’t earn you a decent living.
Second, first-class grades are pretty much a prerequisite to getting first-class opportunities, and by that I mean you have to be one of the very best, if not the very best. After all, these opportunities go a very long way; you could be starting at a position which most other people would take years to even reach. If you think about it in terms of the money you earn or the time you save, that is quite a significant advantage. It is an advantage that org involvement won’t often be able to give you.
It is at this point that you realize how much a semester really matters. Education is a game of grade-point averages, and college is no different; the only thing that matters is your average at the end. Therefore, the goal is to keep your GPA consistently high. If you spread that out over the whole course of your college life, which is around eight semesters for most people, you’ll realize that one or two near-failing marks in one semester can easily destroy your bid for summa cum laude, and that semester is something you can never get back.
That is precisely why first semester can be so frustrating. If you slipped up, then you’ll just have to live with it. Also, it doesn’t get any easier from here. If you weren’t able to exploit it, then you’ll just have to work harder the rest of the way—all for a piece of paper that supposedly estimates your worth in the job market.
Maybe it’s unfair, but the fact of the matter is this:
Grades do matter.
The Frustrations with first semester by james.soriano, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Philippines License.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 10:16 pm and is filed under iThink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
grades do matter. But block love comes first HAHA joke
I remembered what our speaker said in our Scholar’s Assembly. She narrated a situation between two newly graduates that was aiming for a job. One was a Student Council leader and one was a Magna Cum Laude. She said that chances are, the leader will be hired than the Magna Cum Laude. It’s because experience and communication with different people and leading a group is more important than the intellectual mind itself, as she said.
I’m nervous of my first sem’s outcome. haha. Wish I won’t flunk. X]
Nga pala, what’s your course James?
BS Management Honors. James is super smart. Yes. Indeed.
Ain’t it obviuos that James is smart Dr. Fuzzyballs? Haha.
How about you?
Dr. Fuzzyballs - ang kulit mo. i love you. wahaha.
Camille - yeah, there’s my course. And good luck with exams!
By the way, I absolutely agree that experience and communication are more important than the grades reflected on your transcript. But what I’m saying is that sometimes, the sad truth is these aren’t always what are looked at by companies. Haha.
Dr. Fuzzyballs - by the way, what i said sounded so gay pala. wahahahahaha
Haha. James is gay. Whaha. JOKE.
Yeah, I agree. One time I happen to see this classified ad seeking for an editorial assistant i think, and one of the requirements were the applicant must be a graduate of the following schools:
Ateneo, La Salle, UST or UP.
I mean, isnt it unfair to other aspirees who, eventhough competitive, arent graduates of the said schools? Hmm.