Is it just me or do these people really drive you crazy?

I go to a school known for intellectualism (think Columbia, UChicago, and such), and I really like my school, the classes, students, professors, nightlife, and the nearby major city. However, whenever I hear people say, "you're in school to learn. You shouldn't worry about your grades." or some bullshit like that, I really wanna find a giant hammer and whack them on the head as hard as I possibly can. Honestly, if you're paying $60k+/yr for four years, you're not at the school solely to learn, but to make an investment in yourself to make more money later, much of which requires a high GPA (i.e. med school, law school, ibanking, consulting, PE, HF, etc.). When I'm interested in learning something, I don't need a school or a teacher. If you're me or any fairly intelligent person, you just need the internet and maybe a few books.

9 Comments
 

That's what stupid people say. Similar to, "take a chance and start a company, you don't need a job!" Yes you need a fucking job if you have student loans. Assholes.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 
D M

That's what stupid people say. Similar to, "take a chance and start a company, you don't need a job!" Yes you need a fucking job if you have student loans. Assholes.

No kidding, I've had professors talk ad nauseum about how I should sit in their class, work my tail off, and not care whether I get a B, A, or C-. It's just ridiculous. Giving someone a C or lower is tantamount to saying you are were so stupid/lazy that you deserve to be permanently harmed forever. So when profs say GPA doesn't matter, I just want to say "Because you totally would be teaching here right now if you had graduated with a 2.8, jerk".

The last act is tragic, however happy all the rest of the play is; at the last a little earth is thrown upon our head, and that is the end for ever.
 
Best Response
pryan2016

I go to a school known for intellectualism (think Columbia, UChicago, and such), and I really like my school, the classes, students, professors, nightlife, and the nearby major city. However, whenever I hear people say, "you're in school to learn. You shouldn't worry about your grades." or some bullshit like that, I really wanna find a giant hammer and whack them on the head as hard as I possibly can. Honestly, if you're paying $60k+/yr for four years, you're not at the school solely to learn, but to make an investment in yourself to make more money later, much of which requires a high GPA (i.e. med school, law school, ibanking, consulting, PE, HF, etc.). When I'm interested in learning something, I don't need a school or a teacher. If you're me or any fairly intelligent person, you just need the internet and maybe a few books.

I think you're missing the point to be honest. No one said you shouldn't get good grades, only that you shouldn't worry about them. Focus on learning as much as you can, instead of obsessing over the future, and the grades will follow.

On a somewhat related note, read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It will do you good.

 

I think that the general idea of working hard/learning as much as you can while not caring about grades is kind of circular reasoning. If you only focus on learning and working hard (i.e. doing well), then grades really shouldn't be a concern, because you will have good grades from doing those things.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
 
streetwannabe

I think that the general idea of working hard/learning as much as you can while not caring about grades is kind of circular reasoning. If you only focus on learning and working hard (i.e. doing well), then grades really shouldn't be a concern, because you will have good grades from doing those things.

Pretty much.

Everyone I've met that felt grades were irrelevant were usually somewhere "learning" how to dry up their parents bank accounts.

 

I personally think school is a box you just have to check off (with +3.6 gpa.) Class is waste of time unless the professor is actually worth a shit (they typically aren't.) Echoing what has been said above, I can learn by reading a book/the internet/practicing whatever it is/etc. For the most part I think it's just a great time to invest in yourself and prepare for what's to come. And yes I caved in and made sure I had all the boxes checked for BB recruiting but +85% of what I've learned in college has come from myself or my peers.

 

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