Education is what is most important when it comes to college
by Alyssa Milinkovich
The pressure that comes with being a college student can be overwhelming. As students our thoughts can be consumed with finishing projects, getting good grades, and being successful in our studies. The most important part of a college education is completing a degree. I currently struggle with getting grades that aren’t an A. At the end of the day, an A doesn’t matter. Putting one’s best effort and getting a degree is what is important.
In middle school and high school, I never cared much about grades. I didn’t dedicate much time to studying or homework. Attending school was not an enjoyable experience for me. Spending the day doing work I didn’t care about led to not wanting to focus on getting good grades. My first few college experiences were the same. Meaning, I did the bare minimum to pass.
I thought hard about what I wanted to go to school for in 2022. What I had been spending my previous college experiences on was in the medical field. Being told that it was the most growing field had me feeling pushed in that direction. The classes I previously took weren’t interesting to me, but instead stressed me out. The want and drive to do the necessary work wasn’t there. I didn’t put much thought into my assignments or grades.
When I first started going at LSC in 2011 I was going for medically related programs. This involved classes like Intro to Cell Biology, Human Anatomy, and other medical classes. Each class period I grew more and more bored. These topics were no interest to me. I would sit down to do the homework and my mind would drift off into a daydream. I knew keeping going in that field wasn’t going to pan out for me.
I am currently enrolled at LSC for a Computer and Web Programming degree. I am much more focused on grades for the first time in my education career. This is something that I want to follow through on the most. Attending college previously, then dropping out put me in a strange mind frame. The thoughts of, “If I don’t do well, I won’t get my degree.”. These thoughts could be further from the truth. What is most important is following through, trying hard, and doing my best each semester.
My job is being a stay-at-home mom. Some may think, “Wow! Staying at home must mean she is able to get a lot of work done. “. My son, Emmet recently turned 3 years old. Being attentive to a 3-year-old through the day is draining. He takes up a lot of my attention. There is a balance of focusing on school and focusing on life. It can be hard to maintain a positive balance between the two.
We all have things throughout our days that impact how much energy we can put toward school. Some weeks, maybe we can give that 100% effort. On other weeks, maybe we can muster a good 75%. Working hard, doing your best, and putting forth effort will make you successful. On weeks where you have a hard time giving 100% effort, shouldn’t make anyone feel as though they aren’t doing a good job. Giving the effort you can is doing the best you can. That is success in my eyes.
Getting good grades in one’s college career is important. It is also important to focus on what the end goal is. The end goal for college students is getting a degree. Sometimes that means passing classes with an A, other times that means passing classes with a C. In either case, it is okay. Focusing on the end goal and not perfection will lead to a successful college experience. Thinking about the negative can have a harmful impact on our thoughts. Remembering that you can be successful and not be perfect can assist in a positive mind frame.
