Totus Tuus Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Hi Pham, I have been thinking about this a lot and would really like to get some input. I am trying very hard this year to live a balanced life in the midst of my insane academic life in college. I'm an RA, a household coordinator, engaged, a student, and have a lot of stuff going on back home that I need to think about. That said, I don't plan on going to grad school at all, but I have a really good gpa. I think I could get a scholarship to grad school with my gpa but I don't think I'm being called to it at all. Things are getting harder to balance this semester and I am curious what your thoughts are on maintaining a good gpa over focusing my time on other things that are really worthwhile and to which I am called if I have no intention of going to grad school. This might be my first semester to get B's and that doesn't bother mel, but my question is, if I am an "A Student," do you think I am at all obliged to continue to put that much effort into my studies or can I focus my attention on other things, try to get enough sleep, exercise, and time with my fiance? And is there really any reason (for those of you who have graduated) to focus on keeping straight A's if you are not planning on going to grad school? I definitely benefit from what I learn in that it edifies me and I know God will show me how he wants me to use it in the future, but I can't really see over the wall of college and into the life of a married working woman at this point in time. Input appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I got my first bachelors in 1984. I started a Masters in a completely different subject in 2007. You don't want to close any doors. On the other hand, your GPA really only gets you the first job [or the college you attended unless it is Harvard]. My husband practically flunked out of college, and only got into grad school because of who his dad is. His grades were so much better in grad school, that they thought he was cheating for the longest time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Cat Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 [quote name='Totus Tuus' timestamp='1286655631' post='2178786']Hi Pham, I have been thinking about this a lot and would really like to get some input. I am trying very hard this year to live a balanced life in the midst of my insane academic life in college. I'm an RA, a household coordinator, engaged, a student, and have a lot of stuff going on back home that I need to think about. That said, I don't plan on going to grad school at all, but I have a really good gpa. I think I could get a scholarship to grad school with my gpa but I don't think I'm being called to it at all. Things are getting harder to balance this semester and I am curious what your thoughts are on maintaining a good gpa over focusing my time on other things that are really worthwhile and to which I am called if I have no intention of going to grad school. This might be my first semester to get B's and that doesn't bother mel, but my question is, if I am an "A Student," do you think I am at all obliged to continue to put that much effort into my studies or can I focus my attention on other things, try to get enough sleep, exercise, and time with my fiance? And is there really any reason (for those of you who have graduated) to focus on keeping straight A's if you are not planning on going to grad school? I definitely benefit from what I learn in that it edifies me and I know God will show me how he wants me to use it in the future, but I can't really see over the wall of college and into the life of a married working woman at this point in time. Input appreciated![/quote]Follow your heart and have fun as you go through life...[quote name='CatherineM' timestamp='1286656970' post='2178790'] I got my first bachelors in 1984. I started a Masters in a completely different subject in 2007. You don't want to close any doors. On the other hand, your GPA really only gets you the first job [or the college you attended unless it is Harvard]. My husband practically flunked out of college, and only got into grad school because of who his dad is. His grades were so much better in grad school, that they thought he was cheating for the longest time.[/quote] Well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaBenedicta Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Do your best and let the grades fall where they will. The main purpose of college is to get a good education. Extra-curricular's are exactly that-- extra. Very important and very formative. But not necessarily the main purpose of college. I'd say put your effort into your classes. But not at the expense of your mental and physical health. Spending time with your fiance is important, but remember, God-willing, you'll be spending the rest of your life with him. Don't let your engagement keep you from fulfilling you duties as a student. Focusing on school and classes isn't just for those who are planning to go even further in their education. It should be the primary occupation of all students. This is your education [i]now[/i]. Get the most out of it that you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissScripture Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I am just learning, in my 3rd year of graduate school, that there are things more important than school (like my health...). Obviously, you don't want to just throw away what you have, but don't make yourself miserable over it, either. It IS important to sleep and exercise and spend time with your fiance, but it's also important to do well in school and fulfill your other obligations. You also need to make sure you're not taking more on, with your other obligations, than you can handle. Those should be the first things to be gotten rid of if you can't handle everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Catholic Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 You should get good grades because you want too not because you need too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 My feeling is that, since you have the straight A's already, try your best to keep your grades up. You may not be called to graduate school now, but none of us has ANY idea what the future brings. Since you are already almost there, if you can continue to keep your grades high, then you are not shutting the door on the possibility of returning to school sometime in the future. It's not uncommon nowadays for people to return to graduate school 10, 15, 20 years in the future. I'm not suggesting keeping up your grades at the expense of your health or your relationship with your fiance, or with God. If there are any other obligations that you could cut out or cut back, to me that would be the best solution. And, as to whether a particular activity is more important than getting good grades, only you can decide that--but think about whether it is something that is mostly important now, or will affect you 10 years from now. Right now, your "job" is school, and an important part of school, to me, is to try to get the best grades you reasonably can, so that you don't shut doors for your future. I know others will see this differently than I do. I come from a very academic family that placed a lot of emphasis on grades, and my view reflects this. My mother returned to school part-time after we children started school. I have had several friends return to grad school 10 years or more after they graduated. Not many people are able to get straight A's in college, or come close to straight A's. Those grades could open opportunities for you in the future that you might not even imagine right now. I'm speaking from the point of view of my own life, where almost NOTHING of the way I live now is anything like the future I imagined or planned when I was in college. I'd hate to have you shut a door now that you could regret in the future, if it is possible to achieve more balance by cutting out or cutting back on certain activities, or "obligations" that may really not be true obligations, but something put on you by others. I have no idea what you're referring to when you talk about "stuff going on back home," but, is it possible that your family is expecting too much of you while you are in school? Are there any family obligations, such as family get-togethers, etc. that you hate to miss, but, in the long-term won't matter that much if you attend or not? What if you were going to school in a foreign country? What family matters would you still be actively part of, and which would you omit, or not be expected to participate in. if you were going to school in New Zealand? We can't do everything, and school tuition is SO high that, to me, grades and schoolwork should always come first just to get the best value for your investment. But, never at the expense of health, your relationship with your fiance, or with God. But, to me, lots of things we think of as obligations are really not obligations. Since I'm "shooting in the dark" and know nothing of the specifics of your situation, I could easily be completely wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissScripture Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 [quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1286668464' post='2178832'] My feeling is that, since you have the straight A's already, try your best to keep your grades up. You may not be called to graduate school now, but none of us has ANY idea what the future brings. Since you are already almost there, if you can continue to keep your grades high, then you are not shutting the door on the possibility of returning to school sometime in the future. It's not uncommon nowadays for people to return to graduate school 10, 15, 20 years in the future. I'm not suggesting keeping up your grades at the expense of your health or your relationship with your fiance, or with God. If there are any other obligations that you could cut out or cut back, to me that would be the best solution. And, as to whether a particular activity is more important than getting good grades, only you can decide that--but think about whether it is something that is mostly important now, or will affect you 10 years from now. Right now, your "job" is school, and an important part of school, to me, is to try to get the best grades you reasonably can, so that you don't shut doors for your future. I know others will see this differently than I do. I come from a very academic family that placed a lot of emphasis on grades, and my view reflects this. My mother returned to school part-time after we children started school. I have had several friends return to grad school 10 years or more after they graduated. Not many people are able to get straight A's in college, or come close to straight A's. Those grades could open opportunities for you in the future that you might not even imagine right now. I'm speaking from the point of view of my own life, where almost NOTHING of the way I live now is anything like the future I imagined or planned when I was in college. I'd hate to have you shut a door now that you could regret in the future, if it is possible to achieve more balance by cutting out or cutting back on certain activities, or "obligations" that may really not be true obligations, but something put on you by others. I have no idea what you're referring to when you talk about "stuff going on back home," but, is it possible that your family is expecting too much of you while you are in school? Are there any family obligations, such as family get-togethers, etc. that you hate to miss, but, in the long-term won't matter that much if you attend or not? What if you were going to school in a foreign country? What family matters would you still be actively part of, and which would you omit, or not be expected to participate in. if you were going to school in New Zealand? We can't do everything, and school tuition is SO high that, to me, grades and schoolwork should always come first just to get the best value for your investment. But, never at the expense of health, your relationship with your fiance, or with God. But, to me, lots of things we think of as obligations are really not obligations. Since I'm "shooting in the dark" and know nothing of the specifics of your situation, I could easily be completely wrong. [/quote] This is pretty much what I was trying to say, but it wasn't really coming out clearly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I relate to what you're saying here Totus. This semester I decided to spend more time focusing on God and a bit of a social life seeing as the past two years of straight A's have destroyed my social life. Of course, all that happened was I spent more time downloading music and looking at artwork, and then last week I realized that if my grades slip my scholarship goes away, and now I'm back into the same old grind fest haha.. But if you have a fiance and stuff to look after, that's pretty important. Just make sure you keep your GPA at 3.75 and above. Everything else is just for bragging rights. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/blush.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachael Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 My first priority in school in school wasn't grades...it was my health. I had a lot going on with my epilespy. I didn't have the best of grades, but had just enough to keep my scholarship. In my free time, I learned to live, love, play and give back to my world. I knew that I wanted to go grad school, but I'd rather not kill myself getting there. So, I'm doing what I love instead to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archaeology cat Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Iggy said it well. I obviously couldn't have foreseen that I'd go to grad school in Liverpool (though I did plan on grad school). My last semester, I tried not to overextend myself, though I'm not so sure I succeeded since I have trouble saying no at times. I cut down to the minimum number of hours I needed so I could actually focus on those classes (though I ended up crashing a lit class just because). I spent more time with friends (and consequently got very little sleep, but had lots of fun). I cut back on clubs. So obviously I didn't do the best job at cutting back, but it was better than I'd done before. Guess what I'm saying is, prioritise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cherie Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 [quote name='Totus Tuus' timestamp='1286655631' post='2178786'] Hi Pham, I have been thinking about this a lot and would really like to get some input. I am trying very hard this year to live a balanced life in the midst of my insane academic life in college. I'm an RA, a household coordinator, engaged, a student, and have a lot of stuff going on back home that I need to think about. That said, I don't plan on going to grad school at all, but I have a really good gpa. I think I could get a scholarship to grad school with my gpa but I don't think I'm being called to it at all. Things are getting harder to balance this semester and I am curious what your thoughts are on maintaining a good gpa over focusing my time on other things that are really worthwhile and to which I am called if I have no intention of going to grad school. This might be my first semester to get B's and that doesn't bother mel, but my question is, if I am an "A Student," do you think I am at all obliged to continue to put that much effort into my studies or can I focus my attention on other things, try to get enough sleep, exercise, and time with my fiance? And is there really any reason (for those of you who have graduated) to focus on keeping straight A's if you are not planning on going to grad school? I definitely benefit from what I learn in that it edifies me and I know God will show me how he wants me to use it in the future, but I can't really see over the wall of college and into the life of a married working woman at this point in time. Input appreciated! [/quote] I didn't graduate, but this is something my husband talks about [i]a lot.[/i] He went to Ave Maria School of Law, and while he managed to keep his grades pretty good, he didn't spend all his time making sure he got straight A's. Why? He knew it was the "last leg" so-to-speak of his education, and he wanted to spend his time focusing on other aspects of his education besides academics. It was literally the best time in his life, and he doesn't regret it at all. He made very good friends with whom he is still close, got even closer to God, and looks back fondly on his time in law school. If he had spent all his time and energy focusing on whether or not he kept straight A's (which he could, and did very well in college) he would have missed out on so much more in his education. When he graduated, he passed the bar exam with flying colors and got a really good job at a law firm, and now has a different job in the government that is probably the perfect job for him, and he's happy. They didn't care if he had straight A's in law school. He's going to encourage our kids to get good grades so they can get scholarships to college, but when it comes to his "philosophy" on it, he was very glad he put some of his time and energy into other aspects of his education, and not just grades. And it worked out. Anyway, to me, the big thing I saw in your post is that you [i]don't feel called to go to grad school.[/i] For me, I [i]didn't feel called[/i] to go to college, even though I had a very good GPA and could have gotten a good scholarship. A lot of my teachers were angry with me and thought I was "wasting my life," but I am so grateful for the way things turned out. It was hard - [i]not go to COLLEGE?! [/i]EVERYONE in our school went to college, it was a college prep high school that [i]really really[/i] focused on sending all the students to good colleges! But, honestly I felt called to enter religious life instead. Sure, I left later (as you know) but I don't regret following what I felt God was calling me to do. Having a good GPA doesn't necessarily mean you [i]are[/i] called to grad school, just like my GPA didn't necessarily mean I was called to go to college. If you honestly feel called to something else, trust in God. He'll provide. Sure, you don't want to shut a door in case you'd like to go to grad school later. (Do you?) But it seems like you might be one of those people (correct me if I'm wrong) who puts a lot of time and energy into your studies so you can have a phenomenal GPA, but maybe at the expense of other things like sleep, exercise, time with your fiance, or leisurely activities---all of which are important aspects of our lives. Yes, you are a student and so God wills you to be the best student you can be, but that doesn't mean spending all your time and energy trying to get straight A's. Being a student isn't just about good grades, there's so much more to it, as I'm sure you know! I think a lot of people--myself in the past included--tend to hyperfocus on good grades at the expense of other things which God [i]wants[/i] us to experience. If, at some point in the future, you decide you want to go to grad school, the door isn't going to be shut to you. There are tons of new opportunities for people who want to go back to school. And honestly, knowing you like I think I do, I'm sure you're not going to let your GPA slip too much! It might not be the same as having a great GPA and getting a scholarship to go to a grad school right after you graduate college -- but if God isn't calling you to grad school right after you graduate college, than it will be even BETTER than if you had. God's will is mysterious -- (we both know that!) -- but He will work everything out the way He wants it to. Oftentimes it's not what is "normal," or the "best thing" in our eyes, but then again - God has the "big picture" that we don't, and in the end, we know the way He works it out is even more marvelous than we ever could have imagined! I don't know, I know people will disagree with me but that's just my perspective and my husband's, and it's worked out for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MithLuin Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 GPA is a number. It goes on your resume, sure. You'll use it to get jobs and get into grad programs. But it's not why you are in college. You are paying boatloads of money to learn. College is an experience, but if you shirk off your classes and ignore them....how much will you learn? That being said....'B's are learning. I'd say make sure you get what you can out of your classes, and let the grades fall where they may. Some people have to put in a ton of effort just to get those Bs. If you can earn them while coasting....good for you. I was an A student in high school, but not in college. I had an extremely demanding major, and I would have had to have had [i]no[/i] life and [i]no[/i] sleep to get straight As there. It would have killed me. Actually, scratch that - I don't think it was possible for me to get straight As in college. I kept my scholarship, learned what I had to, had a bit of a life, and graduated. I also attended grad school (sorta against my will), which I was [i]not[/i] planning to do while in college. Things can change in as little as 2 years. Do what you have to do. You will only be in college once, so don't squander the opportunity. That means both your classes...and the other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 (edited) I graduated college with a 3.98 GPA. The only "blemish" was an A- that could have easily been an A if I had just turned in a short response paper. I consider my 3.98 GPA a badge of honor. Not because I consider a GPA anything worthy of recognition. But rather because I could have had a 4.0 GPA and I chose not to. It's sort of an inside joke to me. Forever I will cherish my non-4.0 GPA. I can't spit in the face of the institution of modern schooling (because it has no face)...but I can hold up my 3.98 GPA and laugh at it. Okay, on a more serious note: I don't consider modern schooling anything more than a ticket into the institutionalized society we live in. So, it's useful to have a "well-stamped" ticket. A 4.0 GPA helps in the same way that having the approval of the right people helped people get ahead in Communist Russia. So, I would advise you to be wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove. If you're trying to get ahead in the system, then you have to play the system's game...and it's a good idea to get a good approval like a GPA. But, it doesn't have to be perfect. I chose not to do a final thesis paper. Because of that I declined the possibility of graduating with honors in my department, but I doubt that would prevent me from getting into graduate school if I wanted to. That being said, in the job market I don't know how much your GPA matters (perhaps that depends on the job). I have my college credentials on my resume, but at my present job they never asked me about my GPA. They never even asked for proof that I had the credentials I claimed to have. I haven't received my diploma, so I couldn't give them evidence anyway (and that's another inside joke...I hope I never get my diploma...I will forever laugh with glee that I don't have it, as if I never graduated). Edited October 10, 2010 by Era Might Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I had the same dilemma in grad school and chose to have a life instead of a great GPA. I have not regretted that decision one iota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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