A mix of midterms, being back in my hometown, and time off from school work has given me some time to reflect on the past two years being at college. It seems like it has gone by so quickly, yet extremely slowly, with different experiences each semester.
Okay, I’ll come clean. What first led me to this redefinition process was getting a midterm grade back (or two) that I was not entirely pleased with. It made me realize that for too long I thought about grades with more of a “% empty” instead of “% full” mentality. Too often, I would punish myself over high B’s and low A’s in high school, upset that I was getting “x% wrong” instead of praising myself over the high percentage of material I got right. So honestly, after that reflection, I’m extremely proud of the 80 I earned on one of my midterms (especially considering the class high was an 89). I mastered at least 80% of the topics thus far in that class (also accounting for the small stupid mistakes I made).
To further put things into perspective for me, I try to remember that test grades and performance on exams are in no way definite predictors of my success in the future. Unless I decide that I do want to be an actuary (after presently ruling it out), exams will not make up a large part of my future career, if any. I am strongly against having test performance be the sole determinant of a student’s grade, as I do not think it allows all students the same opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of the course material.
Although I don’t view testing as beneficial to most future careers, there are ways that it can be used to help with academic success other than just using it as a label of how well you performed in one specific instance. Instead of viewing tests simply as percentage face-value, use them as a resource to learn from your mistakes and improve in the future. When I get something wrong on a test, I will be determined to figure out what the correct answer is, how to get it, and why my initial approach was wrong. Understanding past mistakes is one of the easiest ways to be successful in the future. Additionally, viewing grades comparatively can also be more meaningful than grades themselves. If you got a 30 on the first quiz for a class, sure, that doesn’t sound too great, but, if after that, you got a 70 (which also may not immediately be equated with success to you), the improvement is clearly evident and something to take notice of.
While neither of the above scenarios initially sound perfect, learning from mistakes and making long-term improvements, no matter what ability level you start at, are sure signs of success in my book. It’s more about making the conscious decision to act and improve upon imperfections than it is to perform perfectly in the first place.
If I could go back in time and give advice to my high school self, or even myself last month, I would emphasize that in the long run, grades mean nothing, and should only be used to evaluate your understanding. If you’re happy with what you’re studying and feel confident in your ability to learn from your mistakes, you are already more successful than most.
Lifestyle HACKs is an Opinion column written and created by Zoe Hack ‘24 to discuss studying guides and techniques, healthy cooking and eating, and other lifestyle tips during college life.
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