Words of Innocence and Experience

Having studied assiduously in order to enter good universities, most college students no longer take academic scores too seriously and seek various means to learn things apart from schoolwork. Still, students, in spite of everything, feel an iota of guilt over not dedicating themselves fully to studies, and teachers always reproach students for unsatisfactory academic achievements. Through personal observation and experience, I would declare that there is no need to feel sorry for not studying hard, as those who do so barely gain anything beneficial.

To begin with, students who do well on exams are usually intimidated either by classmates or by professors. With the assurance that good students know the answer to the questions being asked in class, professors, although do not always demand answers from the excellent students, would look at the latter with piercing eyes, expecting them to give the desired replies after other students have failed. In addition, when students do presentations and the time for questions arrives, they show no mercy in their classmates who have good academic records and always save the most challenging questions for them. Therefore, good students may possess intelligence and diligence, yet all other people treat these supposedly positive qualities with malice and incrimination.

Moreover, students who receive good grades are not rewarded handsomely enough. While some classmates take part time jobs and earn some pocket money to complement their daily expenses, studious students hope to obtain some extra money from scholarships to make certain that persevering in school work is profitable. Unfortunately, with the government cutting the amount of educational budget every year, the amount of money for scholarships has unsurprisingly becomes scarce, and they are usually reserved for students in certain departments. Thus, students in those “unpopular” departments work hard, but it seems that their effort is not appreciated.

The above grudges are the ill treatments that “good” students have to endure within the border of the campus. If the students who do well in class have a bright future and career awaiting them, all the sufferings in college would be worthwhile. However, it is not the case. According to Caroline Bird in her essay “College Is a Waste of Time and Money,” what college students study has little to do with their jobs in the future, especially “Majors in nontechnical fields report even less relationship between their studies and their jobs.” Consequently even if students do extremely well in their academic studies, what they are going to face after graduation is a whole new world which may bear little relationship with what they have learned at school. Whether they receive good grades at school or not, they are going to learn new things just like everyone else, and good academic performances do not grant them the upper hand in the competitive society at all.

Good records on transcripts may help students enter a highly acknowledged educational institute of a higher level, but they make little difference in job interviews. After all, it is the diploma that is desired, and every graduate would receive the same certificate, with good academic records or not. What would help college students gain an advantageous position in job seeking cannot be found in their text books. According to Dale Carnegie in his book “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” “They (Adults) soon discovered that if one aspired to wear the captain’s cap and navigate the ship of business, personality and the ability to talk are more important than a knowledge of Latin verbs or a sheepskin from Harvard.” In brief, the capability to deal with people and present oneself to others is a crucial key to success, and for college students, such skills cannot be developed in class, but on other occasions. Sitting in front of the desk and reading about people is impossible to be more efficient than going out and actually having contact with them.

The opportunities to get along with people can be found in clubs, part-time jobs, and even romances, which professors have repeatedly warn students to stay away from since they are likely to claim the amount of time students should spend on studies. However, think about the ill treatments and the meager acknowledgement which excellent students are given, and the prospect of a successful career if students are willing to participate in activities and broaden their horizons. The choice is clear.

Nevertheless, saying that studying hard has no worth is incorrect. If some students truly take delight in what they study and are devoted to become scholars, having substantial knowledge in books would definitely wipe out the dark clouds over their future plans. As for normal students who would eventually set off to society and make a living from their job career or the business they might start on their own, it is better not to look upon receiving good grades as the sole goal while in college.

The real world is wide and treacherous, and restricting oneself to books just to accomplish satisfactory scholastic scores is not worthwhile. If students do so, neither would their endeavor be cherished nor would it be beneficial to future developments. College diploma has become a necessity in society, and spending the four years doing the right things is essential, and unfortunately doing well on exams is not included.