For some reason, I’ve been thinking a lot today about the difference between going to school for the sole purpose of getting good grades versus actually gaining a wealth of knowledge. There’s no doubt that throughout my time at Neumont, I’ve learned more than I ever could have managed to do on my own, and I’m sure that this is true for anyone else that has gone through the school’s curriculum. However, I’ve noticed that there are some people that seem to care more about the grade they are awarded at the end of the quarter than actually having applicable real-world knowledge in our field.
Now, I have to admit that I was like this in high school. Anyone that knew me then knows that I thought it was a huge waste of time. I wasn’t gaining any useful knowledge in anything that I was interested in. There were very few times I was genuinely interested in my classes, but I still felt like all I was doing was serving my time just like everyone else. At the same time, though, I still felt a strong need to get good grades. I was number 1 in my class and I had to keep it that way. I can’t really explain it. Once I had my 4.0 I couldn’t let it go.
Maybe it was after I accomplished my goal of a 4.0 high school transcript that I realized how pointless it was. Did it necessarily mean I was smarter? Not really. I guess it meant that I put in more work than other people, but other than that I didn’t really feel like I had gained anything by putting in that extra effort. There were plenty of smarter people than me in my class, and there are tons upon tons of more talented high school graduates out there with less than a 4.0 on their transcript.
I guess my point is that now, I know better. Now, when it really counts, I’m not entirely concerned with my GPA. I mean, I don’t want to fail, and it still hurts a bit when I see B’s on my college transcript, but I know that what I’ve learned in this past year and a half is much more valuable to me than any letter grade.
The reason I bring this up is because I was asked an interesting question tonight by one of my roommates. I was mentioning how pointless this one homework assignment was, and he asked “Wouldn’t you rather have a bunch of easy pointless questions than a bunch of hard ones?” Actually, no. I really would rather spend my time figuring out 10 interesting hard problems than sit here doing 10 boring pointless ones, especially if I’m not learning anything from the easy ones.
Either way, even if I had interesting homework to do right now, I guess I would still be procrastinating.
-Ryan.
edit; I like the way my roommate Scott put it just now: “I’m not here to get good grades, necessarily. I’m here to learn!” I completely agree.
Josh
November 11th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
There always a few people out there that believe in both, and I truly admire them. They’ve been able to excel, know the material inside and out, and pull off that 4.0 because they felt the need to do so. I used to really envy these people…I still kind of do. However, I’m more thankful for them than anything. They humble me.
What truly is important is that you’re learning the material. If you have to get a B because you spent your time reading the material instead of reading for answers then I think it’s completely worth it.
I think this is what Paul Coleman pushes for. His approach always allows you to really push yourself since he doesn’t focus on the grade. He wants you to truly learn the material.
We need more people like him in this world.
varcsscotty
November 11th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
I think it was Shaun that said employers like the B students better because it shows they actually did extracurricular activities and still cared about grades.
Irina
November 15th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
It took me a while but I completely agree. I came to that same realization just a few days ago (grades vs. learning)..also unfortunate that I came across this conclusion while in a drunkenly arguing with someone.
Its hard to know where that line is. Doesn’t a grade reflect the fact that you KNOW the material or does it just reflect the fact that you can memorize stuff?
I wish there where other way to prove to people how much I truley know about a subject, but our educational system, just like our lives, have become all about getting one product. One product that is better then the rest.
I have learned tons here at UNM, I know I know laugh, but I have. As shitty as everyone says that UNM is I don’t agree, at least not for the bio aspect of it. I work my butt off and maybe pull of Bs but most of the time I feel just as good as if I had gotten an A, and that because I did truly know the material. And 6 months from now when someone asks me about it, I will be able to confidently answer with the right question and not just say that I got an A on one test.
Maybe this realization is what all of the college recruits talk about. “We don’t care that you have a 4.0…blah blah blah.” They really just want you to be proud of what you got, and that will tell worlds of your knowledge.
I miss you panda bear. I wish we could have more of these discussions in person.