# I just want to stop putting so much stress on my GPA



## bsd3355 (Nov 30, 2005)

Right now I have a 3.2 in college. I constantly obsess over it. It stresses me out and I just want to let it go and stop worrying so much. I don't want to attach my GPA to my happiness. 3.2 isn't bad but I always think I could do better.

How do I stop stressing over my GPA? How can I just be happy with where I'm at?


----------



## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

I wish everyone else would stop caring about my GPA. I don't care if it's 1. I care that I accomplish going to class, doing assignments, learning things, and occasionally interacting with people. Every class I take is an accomplishment whether I get an A, fail it, or anything in between. I will keep going even when I spend the drive home after every class crying until I accomplish what I want because I'm that stubborn so I wish everyone else would see it that way. But I learned in life that your best doesn't actually count for anything to anyone but you. No one cares about your best unless your best beats some bar they've already set for you. So even if I'd try over and over including on my own money to meet the requirements I could get kicked out for my best not being good enough. GPA also really is stress I don't need. My problem is just everyone else instead of me worrying about it.


----------



## bsd3355 (Nov 30, 2005)

You sound a lot like me (at least where I want my attitude to be). Great perspectives btw. I can learn from them 

The whole stubborn thing, I can totally relate. I can fail at something but I don't stop going at it. And if I was to say something to gratify my own ego, I'd say that it was my persistence and stubbornness that pays the most dividends.

You mention that someone's best doesn't mean much unless set by a standard by someone else. When you say this, this is how GPAs are set up often. It'd be one thing to say it doesn't matter because, literally, then it wouldn't matter, but it does. I guess I find solace in the fact that I will keep trying until I succeed regardless--that is a powerful action.

This makes me think of what is more important: marked success or persistence to overcome? Awesome


----------



## ilikebooks (Nov 26, 2008)

Do you plan on going to graduate or professional school afterwards? If so, is a 3.2 good enough to get in? (I'm on a 10-point scale, so I really have no idea.)

If you do and it is, great!  

If you don't plan on going to school beyond an undergrad degree, give yourself a solid pat on the back. Most employers aren't going to look at your GPA in the first place, and even if they did, it sounds like you're above average.

At this point, the only advice I can give you is to try to measure your "school happiness" based on the effort you're putting in. If you feel like you're putting in a quality effort, reward yourself for it. Grading schemes can suck and be inaccurate, or you can be overly stressed out on an exam day and not reach your potential; this means you're really the only one who can decide how much you've actually learnt from the entire experience. Remind yourself of this. Remind yourself how much you've learnt--not only material-wise, but time management skills, dealing with stress, and how your thinking patterns have changed. Remind yourself that you're capable of dealing with the crap university throws at you, and that you can totally beat it--a lot of people can't.

Hopefully this helps you a little.


----------



## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

Akane said:


> No one cares about your best unless your best beats some bar they've already set for you.


Unfortunately this is the truth. OP, if you don't need to a GPA higher than 3.2 to do what you want to do, than don't worry about it, but if you wish to get into a competitive grad program you should look into what the GPA people need to get in (not minimum requirement, but average matriculant). If you don't plan on going to grad school, then just focus on passing, because GPA is something employers don't really care about (or so I've heard).


----------



## Zil (Feb 5, 2011)

In Computer Science here, it isn't a very popular program so we were kind of in demand. I took a peek at my average 4 or 5 times during all the time I went to school, it had barely increased I think.

Anyways, if you don't need it high then don't think about it, you might even get better results by just letting go a little.


----------

