Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
09/10/2007
(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla.-As we all know, there’s plenty of stress in college. Taking a full course load and trying to squeeze in everything you can to be prepared for the working world is nothing short of a miracle.
As deadlines for internships and jobs approach, however, some people are realizing their resumes aren’t half as full as they would have hoped.
The time one needs to put into every class to make a 4.0 hardly leaves any time for all the other activities needed.
The emphasis students put on their GPAs could potentially harm them in the future if it’s the only thing they are working toward.
Although grades provide great motivation to do well in school, focusing too heavily on grades causes people to not actually learn the information being taught to them. Instead, a few weeks’ worth of notes are memorized in a night or two, and many times, this results in a good grade on the exam. Sadly, not everybody actually remembers the information taught to them.
As important as grades can be, it’s better to learn the material now and apply it in your career later. It’s much more devastating to your future to try to play catch-up than to make a few B’s in school. One could argue your grades simply reflect how well you know the information and how well you perform on tests.
There’s no way to control tests because everybody has a different style of learning. With a few exceptions, a 4.0 shouldn’t be the reason for a blank resume. Although it’s necessary to have an adequate GPA to get into law school and medical school, admissions may not be too impressed if the only thing you accomplished in college was doing well on tests.
A lot of employers aren’t preoccupied with a prospective employee’s GPA. It’s more important to have work experience and the ability to perform the task at hand than to have a 4.0 on your transcript.
In a lot of cases, your GPA means little without work experience. Imagine what a great first impression you could make if you hardly needed any training.
It is the difference between saying you can do something and actually doing it. Making time for a part time job, being a leader on campus or actually taking the time to apply what you are learning may benefit you more than you know.
Believe it or not, there are classes you probably won’t ace that will further your education more than you think.
Some of the best professors at Oklahoma University hardly ever have students earn A’s in their classes, but the B feels like an A at the end of the year. It’s classes such as these that will benefit you much more than making an A on a few multiple choice tests throughout the semester.
Using your time in college to network and make contacts with people in the industry you’re interested in can be a great use of your time.
There’s nothing better on a resume than a recommendation letter from a contact who knows people in your field.
Knowing these people could help you get a job. The free advice they have is more crucial than most things you learn in a classroom.
College is a trying time. Don’t let the pressure of getting a perfect GPA affect everything else. Remember, grades aren’t everything. Your personality and experience can outshine any 4.0.
Having experience in your field will improve your life after college.
Make the best out of your schedule and remind yourself that it’s okay if you don’t have a 4.0, as long as you can do the job better than the person who does.
