Both college and high school students are obsessing over their GPA.
In high school, GPAs, to an extent, make sense. If someone takes an advanced placement class, they typically get an extra few points averaged in their final grade to make up for the difference in difficulty. In college, a GPA is determined a little differently. The grades for 100-level classes are weighted as heavily as 400-level classes. No bonus points are added to one’s GPA for taking a harder class. This makes for a system that is very hard for students to work with.
Grades, of course, are critical. However, the emphasis that the American school system places on grades and class rankings causes overworking, stress and exhaustion in students. If a student is brilliant at writing and attends a public university, chances are they are required to take a math or science course. This one class that, in the long run, does not make a significant difference in their liberal arts education, can drop their GPA substantially. If a course is graded harshly, even if the student exerts maximum effort, their GPA can suffer. With the increasing popularity of “points-based” classes, a single paper can have a major influence on one’s GPA. A five-page paper could make or break a freshman’s GPA.
There is a question that typically comes up in talks over GPA: “Why does a stupid little number matter, anyway?” What makes GPA so important is the ability and occasional necessity of including it on job applications. Final grades are not just required if you apply to be a teacher, engineer, doctor or an equally intensive field, but any job that requires a résumé typically expects a GPA. A failed course taken the student’s freshman year of college, whether it is due to inability to understand math, lack of effort, illness or struggling to adjust to college, could seriously influence the ability to obtain a good job when they are in their 20s.
Grades are not only a leading cause of stress and exhaustion, but it can also lead to drug abuse. There is a problem of drug abuse among college-aged students, especially Adderall as a performance enhancer. By placing such an emphasis on grades, students feel that in order to just keep up, a performance-enhancing drug is necessary. Adderall’s long-term effects include depression, insomnia, brain damage, heart disease and panic attacks. Adderall can also be a gateway drug. Since students feel pressured to use this to stay awake and complete their papers, they can become dependent on drugs. This will have a severe negative impact on them later in life.
The American schooling system likes to prepare their students for the future, pressuring them to pick a college and major by their sophomore year of high school. Therefore, they need to have a plan for when they are 30 at age 16. Mistakes or decisions made in the past should not stop an adult from succeeding.
