Our society is built on the idea that getting that perfect A will get you to college or get you a good job. I believe grades don’t define you in the way that our society has built it to. I strongly believe its the work you do outside the classroom that shapes the person you are.

As Melissa Harris-Perry acknowledges in Let's get rid of grades,¨Students often feel deflated when their best efforts lead to only mediocre grades.¨ I agree as I can vividly remember myself sitting in my bedroom with a similar thought. I felt overwhelmed and stressed after failing a spanish quiz that I had spent hours studying for. “I can't do spanish!” And “My mom will be so disappointed in me” were thoughts running through my head. Perry argues that some students put forth great efforts and only receive ¨okay¨ scores. Looking back I could see myself in this situation. Getting that grade did not matter as much as I thought it did in that moment. I was still able to obtain information I needed and pass the class with ease. I could have reacted in a vastly different way to eliminate the stress and pressure that I put on myself.

I believe it is the progress you make outside of the classroom that defines the type of person you are. If somebody is having a difficult day and you give them a compliment that changes them into a good mood, I believe that says more about who you are as a person than who got a better grade on a biology exam focused on information you probably will never use again in your life. There are other important aspects to your life that help define you such as sports or extracurricular activities you participate in. They can teach you how to be a team player and teach you how to handle failure. Volunteering to help others that may not be as fortunate as you helps you realize that one caring person can make a big difference. These things can help to determine who you are more that a silly letter written on the top of your exam.

Furthermore, many successful people don’t attend universities and still manage to have impactful lives, by doing work outside of the classroom. For example in the article, “15 super successful people who never graduated college” it states “DeGeneres is one of the most successful comedians and hosts in Hollywood history... She enrolled in the University of New Orleans, but dropped out after only one semester.”(2017 Time inc.)This demonstrates a highly successful individual who was not fixated on getting great grades in college, as she ended up dropping out. This is not to say school is completely useless and you should drop out, but I think the grades you receive are not as important as people work them up to be.

As students we should focus on helping others and living our lives to shape the people we become. We can still be successful, by putting in our best efforts in school and not always worrying about getting above average grades.