How many of you have crammed in school and still get an A at the end of the term? Any of you ever see your friends crammed at school and still get an A at the end? Most people usually raised their hands when I asked these two questions during my discussion session.
Now, the next question I usually ask is, “Any of you ever farm? Ever cram at the farm? You know, like playing golf in the spring and summer and hit it real hard during the fall and then harvest in the fall as well?” Most of the audience usually laughed when I said this to them. They know how ludicrous it would be to cram at the farm. Farming is based on a natural process, but our school is based on value, social values to be exact. Some of us would think it is kind of a social norm to cram or procrastinate at school and still get a good grade at the end, so some of us would just follow the social norm.
However, we can get a degree, but NOT an education. The development of human mind is like a farming, which is based on the natural process. It takes time for us to learn the material; by studying regularly, we can store the knowledge and information in our head for future use. This is what I am referring as “Getting an Education.”
Grades matters! I am also a proponent of getting a 4.0 G.P.A, but how great of a deal it would be if we not only get a 4.0, but you also get valuable knowledge that will stick in our mind as well.
Good Luck on your journey to a 4.0 G.P.A!
Written by ClickNSmart Team
Tags: 4.0, A, business, business school, college, education, graduate school, MBA, procrastinate, School, student, tips, undergraduate, university
Tags: 4.0, A, business, business school, college, education, graduate school, MBA, procrastinate, School, student, tips, undergraduate, university
October 30th, 2008 at 3:20 am
It’s true…. Getting an A or 4.0 doesn’t mean that people remember all of the course materials!
October 30th, 2008 at 5:22 am
My past experience. I got an A in the class, but to tell you the truth, i got less knowledge than people who got C in the class.
Good GPA doesn’t mean that people have all the knowledge
October 30th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I agree with you guys all. And this is the single main reason why I write this article. Sometimes we are not even aware of the fact that we may not get the knowledge or education, until somebody else ask questions to us.
If we really study regularly and get an A, then we are getting “the knowledge”, but if we cram at school or studying past paper for the exams (you know what I mean), then we do not really get education.
Our degree diploma is just a paper after all; without getting an education. We really are wasting our time and money going to school. Believe me, in the real world, people can tell just by talking to you whether you know something or not.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:27 am
Life is a constant learning process. Totally agree with Jefery that, “in the real world, people can tell just by talking to you whether you know something or not.” Experience/knowledge are way more important than getting a 4.0. However, ironically, many big firms eliminates students who don’t have at least 3.5 GPA…
November 1st, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Hi Real World Knows All,
Definitely, life is a constant learning process. In fact, in the real world, did your banker ever ask you for your Grade report? No.. what did your banker ask you if you want to apply for loans or mortgage? Credit score.
The moral is that, only 4.0 grade with little education means that you just waste your time during college. Education leads to success in life in the long run, not G.P.A.
What do you think?
November 4th, 2008 at 5:37 am
I agree that education leads to success in life in the long run, not GPA, but I don’t get why big firms want students who have 3.5 and above…. Some of those students may just be really good at getting a very good grade.
November 9th, 2008 at 12:25 am
your grades do not reflect your intelligence. I’m sorry to break it to you. but big firms want smart and creative people. Not just people who have >3.0 GPA, or people who have an “education”.
They want people who know and understand how to apply their knowledge in real life which many 4.0 students fail to do.
November 9th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Hey B.S,
I don’t agree with you. I am working for Google, Software Development Engineer. Do you consider Google a big company? I really hope so.
Now, in my workplace, smart and creative people that knows little about computer programming language are working with the title “Interns”, meaning that these people never got hired at Google because they are only “creative and smart” but knows little about programming languages.
I think knowing programming languages and computer science knowledge is more important than just being creative. After all creative people, like you said, work in the big firms like entertainment firms becomes a Comedian.
Try applying at Google, tell the recruiter that you’re smart and creative, and see what the recruiter will react to you; most likely the recruiter will ask “Do you know anything about KNOWLEDGE in computer science at all?”
What do you think? Do you even work for a big company when you say such thing, just curious.
November 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Duh.. i didn’t say you didn’t need any knowledge.
“They want people who know and understand how to apply their knowledge in real life which many 4.0 students fail to do.”
you missed my point.
November 10th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Your grade does reflect your intelligence. Like anything else, it never reflects ALL of your intelligence. But think about it, assuming an honest effort; our learning process does take some intelligence. For example, homework: if it does not take intelligence, why do we get stuck on homework? Homework stimulates you to think and thinking is a way to grow your intelligence. Test is a bit different because it is reviews of what you’ve learn, but in many test, there are ‘tough’ questions which really need some creativity to solve.
Studying in general is useful because it increases your ability to learn. You don’t have to use everything you’re learning in college. This is not a JOB training. We’re in college or school to learn how to think. Please do not underestimate the creative thinking process in academic field. Without creativity in school, there’s no way a professor in UCLA invent the Internet, there’s no way Google is born, and there’s no way airplanes is created, and many inventions we’re using today. Academic creativity is what creates the ‘real world’.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:28 am
I think GPA is just important to get the first round of interview to get a job.
After that, what matters the most is how you did in the interview. And how you do on your job, of course.
10, 20, 30 years from now, nobody is gonna ask if you got an A (4.0) in Calculus or not. Nobody freaking cares. As long as you know your stuff and do your job.
Wait, maybe your kids ask you… when you tell them to get a 4.0.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Hi Hm,
I agree with you. I guess my kids later on will ask “Dad, what was your college G.P.A?”
I will be so embarrassed in front of my kids if I got bad G.P.A, so I think you raise a very good point. =)