someone should probably kill this post with fire

Why Grades are Stupid, Irrelevant, and Not Accurate Indicators of Knowledge or Intelligence

by Victoria Elizabeth Windsor, i.e. Lizzy

1. You will see in the following list of the classes I took and their respective grades that I did not do particularly well. As I am brilliant and practically a genius, I think this is a government plot to destroy me.
2. You will see that I got a B in History of Philosophy. It is a good idea to note that I attended roughly 70% of those class periods. I actually read about 60% of the reading. I didn't study for a single test and I failed all of them. I got a 46% on my final. Somehow, I magically ended up with a B in that class. I should have failed that class. In a just world, I'd have failed that class. I thing I learned approximately 3 theories and remember nothing. Yet I got a B.
3. You will see that I got a B- in History of Psychology. It is a good idea to note that psychology is my major. I love psychology. I studied more for this class than any of my other classes. I only missed 3 class periods (all right, that's quite a bit, but far less than all the rest of my classes. Hey, I had mono, it's not my fault). I enjoyed taking the tests and felt I did quite well on them. I went to the reviews and took copious notes. I got an A- on the midterm and I felt I did well on the final. And somehow I ended up with a barely-passing grade.

Winter Semester 2010
DANCE  290   002         Ballet Accelerated Technique 1  1.50  W  
ENGL   218R  006         Creative Writing                3.00  B  
FREN   211R  001         2nd-Year Conversation           2.00  A- 
IAS    201R  017         Cul Survey-Europe               1.00  A  
PHIL   201   002         History of Philosophy 1         3.00  B  
PSYCH  210   003         History of Psychology           3.00  B- 
REL A  121   012         The Book of Mormon              2.00  B+ 
SEM HR ERN  14.00  HR GRD   14.00  GPA  3.16

The rest of my grades are pretty much justified. I don't think that the universe was standing on it's head that day or that I was/was not in possession of The Force, depending on my grade.

Still. I may not have done great Winter semester, but I'm fine with it. I don't know when the overachiever in me died, but I think it was sometime after Junior year and before Winter Semester 2010. My grades are fine. I will get a degree. I am already practically engaged and if I do better the rest of my years, I'll get into graduate school if it is the right thing for me. It will be fine.

It may be a sign that something is very, very wrong with me that I'm fine with this. But I will always take not caring over crippling loneliness and depression, so overall, it's a win.

Love,

Lizzy ;)