Modern society is advancing, and at a faster rate than ever
before. Information is being gathered at an exponential rate. The acceleration
of the time it takes for the information in the world to double is outstanding.
Technology is evolving, and because of this, only the smartest individuals in their
respective fields are making groundbreaking discoveries. College is more
important today than ever because humans must know much more information if
they are to function and contribute in modern day civilization. With this
arising phenomenon, it is easy to lay the argument that states that only grades
matter, to rest.
Some
current theorists believe that current college students only care about what
grades they receive in school. Whether or not this is true does not matter as
much as the result. The students that cut corners to get fantastic grades but
do not take the time to learn will fail later in life. Although these students
may get better job opportunities, he or she will generally do worse at the job
because he does not have as much knowledge about the job as others do because
he did not take the time to learn about it in college. 
There is a
popular show on television right now called “Suits.” The show revolves around a
successful law firm in New York City. One of the most successful lawyers at
this firm is Harvey Specter, and comes into contact with the genius Mike Ross
through unusual circumstances. Ross dropped out of college a couple years ago
but is extremely intelligent, especially in regards to law, and takes other
peoples’ LSATs for them. He has never actually graduated from law school,
however. Specter tests Ross about various laws and still hires Ross on the spot
though because of his knowledge of law. The two close many big cases throughout
the seasons, each helping the other when needed. This is a perfect example of
how it is not the grades that matter in the long run, but it is the knowledge
that you gain that matters. Ross was not hired because he received all A’s
while at Harvard, and he was not successful because of it either. He was
successful because he managed to learn on his own, much like many students do
every year while attending college.
Some people need to take a step back and truly
realize the opportunity presented to them in school, especially at college. You
have the ability to learn about nearly anything in the world, and some students
are only focused on taking easy classes to get pass with the minimum amount of
work possible to get good grades. You are presented with the ability to truly
discover what you are passionate about. This opportunity is unparalleled
throughout the rest of your life. It is the actual learning that is important.
This post presents a very serious problem with our college culture. The skills learned through college will ultimately be the key factor that leads to success, rather than simply working for a grade. However, students today are faced with the tremendous pressure of receiving good grades. Student's are constantly being analyzed by their grades, whether by parents, potential employers, or graduate schools. We say that there is much more to college than grades, but we mainly use gpa to differentiate the "best" from the "worst". If a student is faced with two options, one in which he believes he will learn more, and the other which will produce better grades, he will, undoubtedly, choose the one producing the higher grade. The grade is what we are working for. It is culmination of all the exams, papers, and reading completed throughout the semester. I do not believe the problem lies within the students, but instead within the system.
ReplyDeleteI personally know many examples of people trying so hard for an A in high school, yet failed to reach it. On the other hand, people who never study yet maintain a perfect 4.0. However, in the long run, if I compare myself, who did the minimum required for an A, to the diligent person of a B+ average, I can surely say that the other person remembers more about the class and its applications that I do.
ReplyDeleteI never studied to actually learn the material in high school. Rather it was all good grades- the way that I've been socially pressured to succeed in high school.
I took the most challenging AP English class in high school, mainly due to the teacher who taught the course. I ended up not getting an A. (I was close, though). I never regretted my decision to take that class. The things I learned in that class far exceeds any "valuable" things I learned in my Econ class, which I ended up with an 99.
The focus on the outcome, rather than the process is a fatal flaw in the educational system. But in reality, that just can't be the case. The companies will always try to recruit the brightest. It's a matter of fact. That persuades many to circumvent the actual hard knowledge. I think that unless the society is willing to accept its faulty system of assessing people, this will continue on.
This post brings up an interesting debate between those who believe grades are the most important thing to worry about in college and those who believe it is the actual learning of information that takes place. While I am much more inclined to side with the latter, I would like to make a qualification. I don't think, as some have argued above, that the focus should be on the actual substantive information we learn and knowledge we gain in college. Rather, I think college classes and the information being presented to us are simply means to and end. What end? Well, instead of learning information, the end is discovering new ways of thinking/seeing/problem-solving. The most important thing we learn in college is not the simple fact that the American Revolution occurred for certain reasons and ended for others. It is more important to explore what implications this event in history has for political relations as a whole, and how analyzing the event can be useful in making decisions in any aspect of life.
ReplyDeleteI don't think, as was stated above, that someone who focuses solely on grades in college will be at a disadvantage in the real world because of a lack of information and knowledge. Rather, they will be at a disadvantage because they didn't utilize college properly in terms of expanding the various ways and methods they use to approach new situations. College, especially education in the liberal arts, doesn't just teach students facts, knowledge of events, or why certain phenomena occur. It challenges the mindset each student has and gets him or her thinking deeply, profoundly, critically, and analytically about everything they encounter. These tools are certainly transferrable to challenges faced in the real world.
I have this conversation with my parents all of the time. I say, "Mom/Dad, if I was to ever win the lottery I would drop out of school." Of course they stress the importance of education. However, I think that in our society today, education has become of less importance to students. I feel that students today work hard in college not for the benefit of education or grades, but for money. Students come to college, most definitely top universities like this one, to get an education that will help them make money in their specific majors. There are even students who won't pick a major because it doesn't make a lot of money. Proving that the reason beyond grades and education to go to college is money. Knowing that grades help employers separate the best from "the worst" and helps them decide who they're going to pay the most is what really drives students in my opinion. Just ask yourself this question? If we could make $100,000 dollars per year out of high school and have the same opportunities to advance, would we still be in college trying to earn an A+ in a course?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Weston. I've noticed that grades here aren't at all dependent on how much you actually learn in the course, but how picky your professor is when he or she grades your homework. It should definitely be the student's goal to just take the time to learn the material versus stressing out about getting the best grade possible. For example, I've definitely learned the most in my Calc class, even though it remains one of my lowest grades.
ReplyDeleteBut what really is the point of taking a class just for an easy A? Most of us a paying a very pretty penny to come here, and it really should be a point of ours to get the biggest turn on our investment. We owe it to ourselves to challenge ourselves to be hard working, detailed students.
Weston, I think that you have a completely valid point here. Students aren't taking advantage of the opportunity that they have. Focusing only on a grade restricts a student from broadening his horizons; he may only stick with the things with which he is familiar in order to stay in a safe zone. This doesn't allow for the rewards at the end of a struggle. Out of the classes that I have taken so far, the ones that I have enjoyed the most are the ones that weren't just an "easy A". I had to work for my grade. This is what made it so rewarding when I got a good grade.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't think that grades are completely irrelevant. Grades are subjective, as other posters before me have pointed out, but grades are generally a good indicator of the work that a student has put into a class. Sure, there are going to be exceptions to the rule. People who put in more work than most will find themselves struggling to get a grade that they want whereas someone else who doesn't put in as much effort might find it easy to get a desired grade. I think that this has to do with individual strengths and weaknesses. Though I do think that people should branch out and explore new things, it's never a bad thing to know the things that we are good at and the things with which we are not so apt. College can be a time to figure those things out, and grades are an indicator that can help us do exactly this. So yes, I agree that grades shouldn't be the main focus of the college experience, but grades do play a part in helping us explore different options.