I don’t think we should be getting straight As. If you already don’t, then feel free to disregard and move on to the crossword. But if, like me, you stretch yourself thin and run yourself ragged to achieve the fabled 4.0 GPA, listen to my warning from a gold-star-a-holic. Straight As are a vain and hollow pursuit, one that requires the sacrifice of our highest quality of life.
Why are we drawn toward straight As? For some, it’s the potential of post-grad opportunities; for others, it’s a mindset instilled in them since middle school, and for some of us, GPA-dependent scholarships are the only reason we’re at Kenyon. But for many, including myself, it’s also the self-imposed expectation to stand out, to be the “best.” I was recently put in my place during office hours with a professor who discouraged me from Pass/D/Fail-ing a course I knew I wouldn’t get an A in. Because I wouldn’t ace it, I didn’t want any grade at all. She provoked me to understand that thinking you can achieve outstanding perfection is rooted in the vain belief that you are more capable than others. Point-blank, it is a selfish and ego-rooted doctrine. Everyone loves “community-building” until it comes time to distinguish yourself from the people who make the community.
The pursuit of As spirals into a self-fulfilling prophecy that our value is hinged upon our grades. In some departments, an A is average, yet for others, it’s an academic Mount Everest that is rarely scaled. If the labor required to achieve an A isn’t equal across disciplines, then GPAs do not accurately reflect time, effort and interest. They are not a reflection of you. There is no gold-star standard.
Not only is the pursuit ego-centric and illusory, obsessing over As can have worse outcomes for our body and mind. We become risk-averse and turn to ease and efficiency, like AI and “easy A” classes. We sacrifice precious time with others. Some of us even schedule time with friends around work, it should be vice versa. What if we took a new approach, one that allowed us the freedom to be average?
Bomb that test. Skip the study sesh to sit outside. When your eyes hurt from your laptop, put it down. Let yourself sit with mediocrity and allow yourself the mercy to move on. Some may seem to agree with me by saying “the world is hard, so take it easy now.” Actually I believe the opposite. Learn to be at ease now, so you enter a hard world with grace for yourself.
Post-spring break, I often hear the complaint that it’s “too nice outside to work.” Warm weather isn’t scheduled to make you envy your peers drinking at the river; it should be toasted to. What if we considered that finals aligning with the warmest week on campus is a blessing to those with work-life balance? Stop sacrificing the things worth celebrating (friendship, love, etc.), and get off the non-stop train to Exceptionalism Town.
Ellie Westfall ’27 is an art history and Arabic major from Louisville, KY. She can be reached at westfall1@kenyon.edu.