Grades Aren’t Always Everything

With Elliot & Stella

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How important is it to pass classes?

Elliot - I think it's very important to pass classes, you don’t want to delay your graduation by having to repeat years at or subjects. I know lots of people who just didn’t care and so they failed most things as they didn’t see a reason to try, but it has impacted their adult lives. Instead of moving forward to a career they are kind of stuck and have to choose either to repeat their subjects or choose a non-skilled, and most likely poorly paid and not as rewarding, career.

Stella - Definitely! By passing, your current and future opportunities will be much bigger. There are so many courses and experiences you can apply for during high school and by having good grades, you’ll be able to participate in things that you enjoy as well.

I just want to add that not everyone can achieve well academically and that doesn’t mean you are out of options, there are still many things such as the trades which can lead to high-paying, enjoyable jobs.

Also, I think you don't have to be a genius to pass, the classes are made so students can complete them, providing you put in some effort, and if you are struggling there are other options too, through speaking with your teacher to see if they can provide help or even, if you have the money, tutors are also a great option.

Should you put in effort throughout all of high school?

So I think the level of effort level needed does vary, as during the younger years it doesn't directly affect your future, but it does help complete the later years, which is more important as paying attention and putting in the effort will make all learning easier later. The thing is, if you strive to get higher grades in earlier years, you’ll get a better understanding of what the teachers are looking for. Also, if you have the same teachers throughout I think you slowly develop rapport and a reputation for your quality of work, so if your grades are low in the beginning they are more likely to expect a similar result later on.

Lots of things in school can feel pretty pointless and repetitive when you’re completing the mandatory basic-level subjects, and I think even if you’re completely uninterested in it you should always aim high as perfect grades can be very fulfilling, knowing you can push yourself to do something even if it is hard.

On the other hand, I have found that I have been so much happier when I didn’t spend all my time trying to get perfect grades. I still put in enough effort however, I wasn’t trying to be perfect and so I definitely wasn’t, instead I got to live my life so much more. I felt more balanced and less worried about school and was able to enjoy the rest of my life more.

I have found that even though not caring quite as much seems nice, I just can’t get rid of the mindset that I need to get perfect grades every time or I’m not happy.

I just don’t understand how you could be happy to miss so many possibly fun memories in exchange for a A+ on a very minor test which I will never remember again. Though I do know how difficult changing your mindset can be, and I’m not saying to completely stop trying but maybe not quite so much.

Do grades reflect your intelligence?

No, not really, because your grades represent such a small portion of your capabilities and things such as how you are taught. How harshly graded you is so variable that it is not even reliable for determining your skills in the exact subject that you’re learning.

Intelligence is not just academic, it can be creative, emotional social and so much more. All of these things have nothing to do with grades but are still so important, if you get the highest marks in the year but can’t have a conversation with someone that is going to greatly impact the suitable career pathways for you.

Yeah I think it depends on what you say intelligence is, if maths isn’t your strong suit you can’t expect to always get stray A's, even if that's what you want, unless you’re ready to dedicate a lot of time to it.

How much should you let grades affect your life?

I think throughout high school I created such a good reputation with the teachers with my grades that I started to care about it too much, I barely went out with friends and I felt like I had nothing else better to do. It's good to push yourself, but I think I push myself too far and I do agree that I spend too much time worrying about it.

Yeah, but there is a difference between just getting good grades and letting it completely take over your life.

I know it’s not healthy to stress so much about these things when it doesn’t actually affect anything but it has turned into a habit.

Very early into high school I also developed some perfectionist traits. For the first time I was achieving consistently high grades, I felt obligated to continue the standard that I became desperate to get that small fulfilment of an A, although once achieving the results it barely felt worth it, just a letter ‘A’ with no other feedback for all that effort.

Is being a perfectionist good?

Well, yes because it encourages your attention and you encourage high standards, which is a good thing throughout your whole life as it can lead to many more career opportunities.

Yeah, but if you’re aiming too high, then you're going to get nothing because you're just going to get burnt out and not be able to do anything properly. Once I finally stopped caring so much, I still got similar grades, but I stopped feeling so horrible about myself every time I wasn’t perfect. Is the anxiety worth it?

To be honest, the anxiety doesn't always feel like it’s worth it especially because of how much of my life is taken over by it, but sometimes I think perfectionism is the only way that I could do a good job at things.

Yeah, I feel like it's all about kind of balancing it out so if you learn how to balance that, then you can achieve high standards as well as being happy and productive. Also, I have experienced the reality that not all teachers grade equally, and some teachers have their ‘favourites’ and seem to give them better grades regardless of what effort they put in.

How can you change your mindset if you’re a perfectionist?

I think it's to feedback from friends has helped me so much to adapt how I think about things as by listening to their way of thinking I can try and change mine.

I agree, it’s about finding a way to identify your thoughts and feelings, like what's causing them, which can be done by talking to someone, and if not you could write down how you feel about the work you have to do and how you feel once you get the grade to try and identify what is causing the mindset.