Karina Rodriguez | THE RIDER
As a college student, it is important to remember that grades do not equate to your value as a student.
Throughout college and even earlier education, students can be found stressing over their final grades and what marks are made on their transcripts. Although it may seem logical that grades provide an accurate measure of the work you did in class, it is important to think about how far you have come in your studies through that course despite the grade.
Kelsey Chamberlin, a social sciences professor at Quest University Canada in Squamish, British Columbia, states in her study, “The Impact of Grades on Student Motivation,” that sometimes grades can cause distress and discourage students from furthering education.”
“Grades did not enhance academic motivation. Instead, grades enhanced anxiety and avoidance of challenging courses,” Chamberlin stated.
While I am in no way saying that you should completely abandon the grading system and forget about the impact it can have on your future entirely, at the end of the day, I am saying that the only one who can establish the value of your education is you. So, rather than sitting in your room stressing over a low letter grade, sit down and think about what worked and what did not work and, most importantly, the benefits that did come out of your time in a course.
