C's get degrees or????

by Stacy Smith 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  mustang

  I deal with a large number of people who are highly trained and didn't get a clear understanding of their subject. Most of these people did it by fixating on grades. I've had recent confessions of exactly that.

  They have either picked something that they had no business going into or are going about it wrong. Either way shows poor judgement. I suggest more attention to the basics.

  I've seen enough instances of this to suggest that a person look into the psychology of the matter. That does not say that the person has any mental problems.

  Stacy:

  In your instance, picking a subject far afield from the rest of your curriculum frequently results in depressed scores. You opened the door on "obsession" by saying that maybe you do obsess with grades.

  I believe you are in the process of a healthy soul-searching. I hope you achieve a good balance between grades and understanding.

  "Dropping back" to UNDERSTAND what you are doing may result in decent or even excellent grades with a reduction in effort!!! You may also discover that this excursion into another field doesn't warrant so much effort or worry.

  BTW, Physics is exactly what I deal in. It eats the unprepared strangers for breakfast.

  Mustang
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  RubaDub

  I know my future employer won't care what my grades were but it's a personal goal of mine.

  This is NOT necessarily true.

  Many employers are simply interested in a person with a degree. Others however, especially employers looking to hire you directly into a professional position (engineer, accountant, etc), are definitely looking for outstanding performance in the classroom since there is little or no work experience to consider.

  Also, don't forget that excellent grades are a key factor with scholarships and admittance to grad school or advanced degrees.

  I really do not agree with that professor.

  ***** Rub a Dub
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  Stacy Smith

  JW perfectionism / "never quite good enough" at it's best...

  That does sound like it doesn't it. But trust me it wouldn't apply to me ever. I never was a believer just an attender and I wasn't out to impress anyone back then. Only myself and my teachers.

  I will pull the grade up to an A before I'm done. I have a ton of extra work to perform. But I'll do it. I went and did a long bike ride today by myself and had a long time to think about things. Why change goals now? Just meet them. Math is easy for me, physics isn't. Oh well, time to push myself.

  Thanks for the replies. It's always good to get outside opinions.

  Now I need to wash the mud off and get ready to see a movie. I'd better wear clean underware, might just get lucky!
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  Phantom Stranger

  The professor is wrong - especially in the recent job market employers have been going to great lengths to differentiate candidates, even looking at SAT's.

  There is the old joke about what you call someone who barely gets into, and barely passes, medical school - "Doctor". But not the case in most professions.

  There are two sides to your question though, Stacy - what you should do, and why you look at it the way you do. Mustang's right - you understanding why you feel the way you do about the grade is more valuable to you than the grade itself.

  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has a truly revelationary section on grades. Also, if you can find a copy, Jerry Farber wrote some essays on this topic that, if you get past the sixties rhetoric without giving up, will give a very good viewpoint on school and grades. Farber is best known for The Student as Nigger essay, but there is an essay in a paperback collection of that name called The Student and Society that is actually more readable and less inflammatory.
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  Stacy Smith

  It is a bit perplexing why I am so obsessed with A's. I have told myself the main reason is because I'm a greedy bitch that wants to make big money one day. But I was doing A's before I knew what money was. Maybe I have always felt a need to please?

  When I worked this summer I worked very hard and was offered a very decent paycheck to stick around and go into manger training. But I want very good money. The degree will help me get there. Hard work on top of it will also help and since I'm getting into a routine of working hard now maybe it just will all pay off.

  OK, date is here, I'm gone, nite all
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  CruithneLaLuna

  Stacy,

  Just do your best, hon. That's all you can do. NO ONE can reaosnably expect more of you.

  If you are bothered by getting C's in your chosen field of study, you might want to consider working on something at which you're more talented - I mean if C's are the best you can do. But if you LOVE what you're studying, then the mere fact of getting an occasional "mediocre" grade - or even a "mediocre" GPA - shouldn't be a deterrent. Focus on the learning and your love for it, and I think everything else will take care of itself, for you.

  Cruithne
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  CruithneLaLuna

  Okay, so your grade problem is in physics, which is kind of tangential to your track. I wouldn't worry about it, actually. The fact that you're taking a phsyics class shows that you are willing to stretch yourself and learn a variety of things, which is extremely positive. Maybe you're not cut out to be a physicist. <Shrug> Do your best, even at physics, but don't sweat it if you're not an "A" student in EVERYTHING.

  Cruithne