#1922 As a recent graduate whos observed all these depressing posts about GPA and stuff, I feel I should offer my own insights from my experience. Mostly, theyre my take on some of the cliches people have posted or said to me personally. Its a long post, so you might want to grab a drink or two before reading. First, as a student, you are, by definition, defined by your GPA. A students goal is to study and your GPA is an assessment to your studies. Anyone who says otherwise is delusional, but Ill get to that in my second point. But just because you have to be defined by your GPA doesnt mean it has to be the ONLY thing defining you. Whether you want to be defined also by something else is up to you. Realistically speaking, unless you win a Nobel prize while in college, your GPA is still going to be your majority defining factor. Its not a rational way to define someone, but it is the reality; if you go to college, people are going to think in the back of their heads what your GPA is. But how much it matters is a mystery, and while Im sure GPA matters more when applying for med school than an investment banking job, its still only one of many factors that is incomprehensible by anyone outside of the people actually making the decisions. Second, and this is what pisses me off the most personally, following the advice of people who say Your GPA dosent define you or Follow your passions or any related spiels is a horrible idea. Why? Because these people might be one in a million. Its extremely easy for them to tell people that stuff but following their footsteps is irrational because they mightve just lucked out on some aspects. Nothing is impossible, but that simply means the odds do not equal to zero. From a practicality standpoint, what you should acknowledge is not whether a goal is possible, but rather opportunity cost: is what you desire such an uphill battle that your time and energy are better devoted elsewhere? People always like to say You could be the next Bill Gates/Mark Zuckerberg/Steve Jobs. Well you cant, because theres only one Bill Gates/Mark Zuckerberg/Steve Jobs. Just because you saw one person do it doesnt mean you could too. Finally, realize that life is cruel. We probably all jumped for joy and frivolously bought an iPad or something when we got accepted to WashU. For all you folks struggling with your own personal problems: I hate to add insult to injury, but all this suffering you feel is indeed your own fault. You chose to come to WashU because of prestige or whatever other reason(s) and now look at what your decision rewards you with. Life is not a utopia; its survival of the fittest. Employers, graduate schools, or even the classes youre taking right now arent going to change solely because youre struggling. So ask yourself if you really have what it takes to progress in life, because as youve experienced for yourself, its not easy, and if you dont have what it takes, youre simply going to get left behind and no one is going to care, because this planet is overpopulated anyways. Sorry for the bluntness, but as someone who fell prey to words that gave me a false sense of hope, I at least want to try and ensure it doesnt happen to others too. People who tell you your GPA doesnt matter and anything related are trying to make you feel better when in reality, theyre doing the exact opposite and dont even realize the damage theyre doing. Telling someone its all going to be fine isnt fine; its worse than of doing nothing and not caring, because youre inadverdently setting people up for goals that theyre not qualified for, and that forces these people to waste so much of their time that they could be putting to better use. People dont want to feel better; they want the truth. But underneath all the cliches Ive heard so far, theres one silver lining: your success is what you make of it. For me, probably many of you, coming to WashU was one of my biggest mistake. I couldve easily achieved all the accomplishments Ive had and my job if I had just gone to my state school, and saved a lot of money in the process. I have a friend at said state school who I remember was extremely disappointed that he didnt get into WashU. But he really made the most of what he does have and is thus having a better time there with a much better job lined up than I ever did at WashU. To tie it all up, life is cruel. Your GPA does define you; believing those who tell you otherwise is foolish; using the success stories of one of a few individuals as inspiration is also foolish; and only the strong can really succeed, and maybe even survive, in life. But the only person who can make a difference in your life is you. So the next time you get rejected from med school or didnt get that job you want, just remember that only you get to decide whether there is still light at the end of the tunnel. And remember there is always resources around for you to capitalize on; it just may not be always so easy to spot. Life isnt about setting goals and achieving them; its about making the most of what you do have. Setting goals is only important in that it gives you the drive to progress in life. The bottom line is you cant have it all. Theres a tradeoff to every choice you make, and every decision you make, whether its right decision or a mistake, puts you in a different situation, and its up to you to utilize your resources and decision-making to put you on the optimal next path.Youre likely never going achieve the goals youve set for yourself, but if you optimize your tradeoffs well, youll instead likely achieve something awfully close to whatever goal you have set. Thats all for now, folks. Im out of beer and I think Ive said enough for one night. If anyone has any questions, leave it in a comment, and Ill anonymously try to reply to you (So long as the admin will allow it). === Yeah, Id be more than happy to allow it. -Admin
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 03:48:58 +0000
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