So I got a 71 on a College Writing II paper. To someone who’s had that grade before, you’re probably thinking “big deal” right? Well for someone who has never received a paper grade lower than A- before I’m thinking, “big deal.” Here’s how the grade affected me.
Scholarships—probably did very little, future grades will determine those.
Self-esteem—kicked a bit off the top.
Ego—kindly rear-ended and got the bumper knocked off.
Emotional State—smacked lightly a few times.
Motivation to work harder on the next paper—untouched.
So why didn’t the grade jolt me into the reality that I had inflated myself and become over-confident? Well it did, I’m just not choosing to react through writing better papers. Sure I’ll go through a few more revisions on the next paper, but I will expend little effort to make it better.
Why not work a lot harder on my papers? Well, I’m a nuclear engineer so writing naturally does not have to be my best subject. I am happily acing Calculus and Chemistry. Also, it was only one paper and I made some mistakes there that I don’t think I’ll make in the future. If nothing else, I’ll learn that hard work and good writing go a long way, I just don’t have the energy to spend on that right now.
If this entire post so far has seemed sarcastic to you, you either have an adept ability to interpret tone or you know me pretty well. I am upset about getting a 71 and I probably will work harder in the future to raise my grade. Nonetheless, I’m trying not to let it derail me; I did realize that I would probably get some low, undesirable grades that I had never received before. I am just glad that I have good grades in other areas.
Another annoyance of the week: I’ve had a cold that lingers. It hangs on like those linked sausages hanging from the ceiling of a little market that sells fruits and vegetables in wicker baskets. I always think the last sausage is going to finally gain his freedom from the string and drop to the ground. I could stand there for hours and still think the little guy has a chance. After a while I might even grade his performance. I’d give him a 71 for the ability to hang in there.
Haha. I like the sausage analogy. In college you will find that you have to get used to a different writing style. I too was earning C's the beginning of my freshman year but by the end of the semester those had turned into A's. And always remember that some professors will never like your style no matter how hard you try. That being said, some will probably think it is absolutely brilliant. In college beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. The important thing is to hold on to your unique and intruiging writing style no matter how many people come along and critique it.
ReplyDeletebravo to phoebe!! Finding your voice (and taking good, legitimate criticism) is the most important thing, I would think. Sometimes profs will even start you with a low grade to begin so that as you improve they can start bringing the grades up to reflect your improvement... just something to think about.
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