Grades are something the majority of us find important. We can all remember the night before a big Chemistry test where we were up until 2am trying to cram all the chapters information into one night. Most of us are determined to get good grades, and get upset when we get even a B on a test. One of the best pieces of advice I have recently received is that grades are overrated. In 10 years when we are out of college no one is going to remember what our GPA was, or how we failed our Math test. The thing that people will remember is the way we treated them and the way we made them feel. Why do we focus so hard and kill ourselves to get top notch grades, when in the long run, it won't even matter. The majority of the important things we will learn will be learned after college graduation when we are thrown into the real world. Only when we are drowning in bills and due dates for work projects will we obtain the skills that are necessary for surviving in the real world. Sure, grades can help you get into an amazing school or earn you scholarship money, but when you're on your death bed I can guarantee you won't be saying you wished you would've had a 3.9 instead of a 3.8 GPA. When you're 90 years old, coming up on the last stretch of your life, you will remember the amazing nights spent with your college roommate gossiping about boys and the cold October night you snuck out of your dorm with your best friend. You won't remember how you failed an exam or how you didn't get the grade you wanted after studying all night. Yes, grades are very important, but remember to not stress over something that won't matter when you are older. Instead, make memories with people who you will never forget, and enjoy every moment of your high school and college career.
Social media; The place many of us find ourselves constantly checking every few minutes so we can be caught up on the latest gossip. I myself am also guilty of this. I don't even want to count the number of times I check twitter each day, or how many snapchats I open within an hour. What is the obsession with social media? Everyone wants to be in the know, and not be left out of anything. Every time I log onto twitter I see countless tweets of girls complaining about their love life, or boys giving their opinion on the latest football game. My point is, when is the last time that you have logged onto twitter and seen a meaningful tweet promoting something good? The answer is rarely. The point of social media is to be nosey, to feel like you're never left out of anything, but when you're checking social media, you're being left out of the most important thing: reality. While you're busy liking the latest instagram post, or documenting your fun weekend night through a snapchat, you miss out on whats happening around you. You are not defined by the amount of likes you get on a selfie, or how many favorites you get on a tweet. Most of the time, people are busy taking pictures just so they have one to post later that night (crazy, right?). Sure, pictures are worth a thousand words, but memories are worth even more. Next time you go to a concert or party, don't spend your whole night taking videos or pictures, instead, live in the moment and make memories that you will never forget.For as long as I've remembered, I have wanted to get out of the hopeless state of Iowa as many times in a year as humanly possible. I have spent the cold winter months dreaming about getting on a plane and traveling somewhere warm. I've spent the last few years thinking about going to college out of state, and getting out of Iowa. The truth is, Iowa isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Sure, the winters are a bit cold and I can't spend my summer days on the beach, but Iowa has a lot more to offer than most people think. After spending many weekends in Chicago I've come to appreciate the always smiling and friendly faces of the people in the community. For the most part, people you barely know will hold the door open for you, or ask how your day is going. I tend to take the little things I come across everyday for granted. For example; I don't have to wait in traffic for 1.5 hours just to get to school and I don't have to be worried about walking downtown alone with my friends because I know that Iowa is an extremely safe place. All in all Iowa is a pretty great place to live, so next time you say how much you hate Iowa, remember all the great things it has to offer.
|