Opinion By J1 Reporter Maria Gallegos

“What did you get?”

“You did so much better than me!”

“This is going to make my GPA go down like 50 points!”

“Now I have THREE B’s!”

These four phrases are a great definition of grades at Marian. I get it. My grades are extremely

important to me and I know they will ultimately get me into college and open doors for my future career, trust me I get it.

However, we should NOT be comparing ourselves and our grades to our peers. Everyone is taking different classes and everyone learns, understands, and tests differently.

When I hear girls talking about how they have a B+ in an Honors/AP course, I admit I cringe a little.

A B+ IS A GOOD THING.

It is still way above average!

First of all, you are smart enough to be in that course and have the motivation and determination to study for that course on top of all other important classes you may be taking.

Go you! Second, a B+ is one point away from an A-. One. Point. I can guarantee you that if you had received an A-, your reaction would be incredibly different.

Schools all over the United States vary when it comes to a grading school. For some, a 90-100 percent is an A. For others, numbers ranging from 1-5 determine how well you are doing.

I am asking people to keep in mind the fact that colleges know this.

Colleges will look at your grades no doubt, but they also really look at the classes you are taking.

Colleges like to see that you have the ability to challenge yourself and not take the easy road. They want hard working students to study at their school who are willing to work hard to move towards their future careers.

People need to take a step back, breathe, and stop worrying about what grade they are going to earn next.

People need to be more appreciative of all the great classes offered at Marian and try to take what they learn and apply it to their lives.

I know it seems like we will never use Geometry or Pre-Calculus or need to know how to balance a half-redox chemical equation, but learning about these topics may inspire us to learn more and pursue a possible career field involving one of those seemingly pointless topics.

Here is what I would like to hear.

“Wow, today’s lesson was so interesting, that really applies in the world today!”

“I learned a lot today.”

“What are we learning about tomorrow?”