Separating Your Worth from Your Grades This Semester

After a summer of relaxing, traveling or working, it can be exciting to get back to school. Your mind is refreshed and you are starting new clubs and classes. However, the start of the school year can be difficult when you set too-high expectations for the new year. 

We all at some point have been guilty of this; it’s probably the worst feeling. In high school we were constantly concerned with what our grades would be and how smart and accomplished our friends would think we were. When I didn’t get accepted into the National Honors Society after hours of studying, I was absolutely crushed. I felt that all my hard work was for nothing. 

I began to slack off in my studies and work. I got too cocky, and began letting loose, which resulted in my GPA dropping a few points. I sobbed, cuddled up in my mom’s bed because of how ashamed and embarrassed I felt. Since then I’ve come to realize that my grades in school aren’t equivalent to my intelligence or self worth. I’m proud of the progress I have made in the years since. A bad grade on a test isn’t going to determine how successful or happy we are, or what our future will hold.

Here are some tips that we think might help you out this school year! 

Journaling: Journal all your thoughts about school, goals and fears. It helps a lot to get the negative thoughts out of your head and attempt to focus more on what we are capable of doing rather than what we feel we need to do because our future depends on it. 

Goal Setting: Set goals for things to accomplish that week. This will help you stay organized and prevent procrastination. Jamming in all your work, projects and essays in a short amount of time is incredibly overwhelming and results in late or bad work. Stay ahead of the game, and you will find yourself a lot less stressed! 

Relax: Taking time to care for yourself, and your needs can sometimes be easy to overlook.  We found that working and living in a clean and tidy space has given us more motivation to work. It helps clear our heads and sets us up for a good week. 

Be Realistic: Be realistic about the time you have, and the things you can accomplish. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself, or give yourself more than you can handle. It’s okay if you can’t do all that you planned—there is always tomorrow.  

In the end, just do your best, whatever that may be. Don’t beat yourself up, or stress over the small stuff that won’t even matter in five years. Your worth goes beyond the classroom, just remember that. We’re all proud of you, and wish you the best of luck this semester!