Blog #3: Grades shouldn't matter like they do
When first reading
Murphy Paul’s descriptions of learner types I definitely wished that I
could classify myself as a deep learner. It is clear that she highlights this type of
learner as the “ought to be” for college students. Although I wish my main drive
for learning was for pure, deeper knowledge, I find myself at times more
concerned with the grades I am receiving in class over understanding conceptually. I know grades should not be
the top concern when discovering yourself throughout college, but this mentality
seems to have been instilled in me since before high school. College has
definitely allowed me to enjoy my classes more, but I do still find myself
being consumed by exam grades. As a psychology major, many of the
exams taken are vocabulary based. Instead of taking time to fully understand and
relate to each term, I’ll cram the night before the exam, answering questions
based on memorization, rather than clear understanding.
(I had started this post
in hopes to answer question #1 but I think it's becoming an answer to question
#2, sorry for any confusion.)
Although I don’t think I
am one myself, I agree that deeper learners are the ideal mentality for a college
student and I wish that someone had told me to “Pursue passion, not A’s” during
my first semester of college. I’ve had the opportunity to take extremely
interesting courses here at SDSU and I feel like I have cheated myself to a
point, by not having the personal incentive to dig deeper into the subject, and focusing on simply get course credit.
Reading this article now
that I am a Junior in college, I hope to be able to keep that first piece of
advice in mind when completing courses this semester, as well as my remaining
two semesters next year. It’s interesting to consider why grades have been
prioritized so intensely in college. I liked that the author included that as
an adult no one asks about what your grades were in college, they’re more
interested in what you learned and studied. Hearing this was a big relief because at times when I think about the “real world” and “real jobs” I
picture only those at the top of the class being hugely successful. I’m coming
to understand more and more, especially after reading this article, that
networking with people in the field you wish to be in is essential. This means
that the grades you received or your GPA are not going to single handedly
secure that dream job, but being personable and ACTUALLY knowledgeable (not
just having memorized 500 terms in your brain) will set you up for
success. Personally, I am not totally sure which career path I wish to take, but I really hope it does not depend on the difference between receiving an A
or a B in a class.
Hello Anna,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your approach on pushing for deeper understanding of knowledge rather than trying to get straight A’s. Going into college my mindset was always like, “I have to get an A in this class” and that ended up putting me under more stress than what was necessary. I would consider myself a mixture between surface and deep learning because I’m naturally more focused on deeper meaning while passing the class instead shooting for a grade. I feel like the more you focus on the deeper meaning of material, the easier time you will have applying that information to your career after college and so on. The more you chase a grade, the more you tend to take shortcuts and cheat your way to a better grade. The “pursue passion” mentality is ideal for a college student and it will help them be successful in the future.
Hey Anna,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! Grades don't determine who you are as a person, how successful you will be or what you know. It's hard when you are in the moment to not worry about grades since we are so programmed to want to be at the top and want to get the best grade, as if we are somehow not doing the right thing, aren't a good student or won't ever get a job if we do not receive an A. I think I've discovered that grades don't matter as much as I thought, and like you said I've reached a point where I care more about gaining the knowledge and truly learning something, and of course networking. I am more proud of myself for landing my internship than I am for an A I got on an exam.
Cheers, Holly
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad to think that this concept of pushing for the "best" grades over learning the material is true, but it is. Since I can remember, I've always been aware of the ongoing competition among students in regard to who has the best grades. This has programmed us from a young age to be more concerned about being #1 than understanding the material presented to us. At a point, getting a A or B in a class definitely shows you know the material, but the question is does the information stick in your brain or does it go away once you no longer need it?
I've definitely always been on the edge of learning to learn and learning for grades, but fortunately I've always had my dad there to ask me if I was learning the material and not just getting it done, and now that I'm on my own, I'm able to ask myself that question.
Thanks for reminding the class that it's not all about the grades!