#bad grades

this post is your reminder to work on your grades!!! >:3

don't be a loser like me guys!!!1 :c

send in screenshots of your grade before and after working on it and I will work on my grades 2!! /help motivate me :3

I've been feeling quite down after finals today..

I actually got relatively good grades but I haven't stopped bawling about it till now bc someone pointed out I could've/I was given the chance to negotiate the grade, so yeh.. been feeling a bit shitty like that (but at this point who knows, It sounds stupid but it could be also that I might be feeling a bit sensitive due to period)

Would you mind doing an f/o image where f/o comforts s/i about a similar scenario?

If not is okay, I still thank you anyways, I love your post, they always bring some shine to my day :'D/ take care mod, best wishes

it's totally okay! this is something i can even pull from experience and i'm happy to say i haven't keeled over from failing what i've failed. i hope it gets better for you and anyone else that can relate to this <3

the cycle of studying is a torturous thing. it doesn't matter if you've come home from an in-person exam or finally wavered your cursor over a "submit" button, it's over and it's still hanging over your mind.

your f/o(s) are the first to see your burnout after it's over. it might even be a fleeting moment as you rush to your room or the bathroom to cry it out. that quick flicker of shame on your face told them enough that something was wrong. they check on you, keeping their space and refraining from prying too soon.

you choke out sobs about school. you tell them all sorts of things about how you flunked the exam and it's a heavy chunk of the final grade and you missed the opportunity to negotiate something better. you call yourself stupid right in front of your f/o(s). and truly? they were following right until you said that.

they're shocked, without judgment of course, because wow. they've seen you in day-to-day with your creative, clever ideas. they've seen you problem solve and apply random tidbits of knowledge to understand new concepts better. they've LITERALLY seen you perform well in every other course so far. your jump in logic was hard to take in, but they sweep you up in their arms finally and hold you there. they are the firmest believer that you are a walking, talking, and thinking example that your grades do not define your capabilities, and most DEFINITELY they do not define your worth. you've done great things and you've done poor things, but they do not equal your value or overall intelligence. it pains them to see you doubt yourself, but they understand it's not on purpose.

i’ve been thinking about how much weight society, and colleges especially, put on gpa in the admissions process. and honestly, i feel like we need to chill with it.

first off: colleges are businesses. it sounds blunt, but it’s true. a college isn’t just a dreamy place for eager students to learn. it runs like an institution with goals. they want future changemakers, people who’ll be notable alumni, people who’ll help build the school’s brand, network, influence. so if you’re a college admissions office, what do you do? you recruit the folks who check the obvious boxes: high gpa, high test scores, “safe” extracurriculars. you want someone who’s done everything “right.”

but here’s the kicker: by putting so much weight on gpa, you’re basically pulling in a bunch of people whose main goal has been “get a good gpa.” they’ve learned the game. they’ve optimized for grades. there’s nothing inherently wrong with working hard to get good grades, but the problem is: their purpose might be limited to that. when they behave purely as students whose goal is “maximize my gpa,” or "get into an ivy league school" you lose the person whose goal is “find a problem, fix a problem, uproot something, make something new.” you lose the passionate person. the risk-taker. the person who maybe got a lesser gpa because they were busy creating something, experimenting, failing, learning.

so if a college says “we want changemakers,” but then questions students with a "gpa below x", there’s a mismatch. you end up rewarding “safe students” rather than “impact students.”

second point: yes, there have been shifts: more holistic admissions, more weight on essays, extracurriculars, diversity of experience. but i worry we’re sliding back to gpa‐obsession. for example: i read about brown university entering a voluntary federal agreement in 2025 that required disclosure of admissions data (including grades) and other oversight as part of restoring research funding.

the fact that federal funding deals incorporate admissions metrics signals an external pressure to quantify “merit” in ways that almost always favor high gpa. it’s upsetting because brown is known, at least in reputation, for intellectual curiosity, creative thinkers, exploration. but when external systems push “grades first,” the door closes to those who may have lower gpa but higher potential for impact.

think about the kid who spent summers volunteering, building something from scratch, maybe took on leadership in non-traditional ways, maybe got a few Bs because they were juggling passion projects and classes. that kid may have the spirit colleges say they want, but then they’re cut because of gpa. that hurts.

it sends the message that the "safe" path (study hard, hit all A’s, take a bunch of APs) is the only path. it discourages risk, it discourages exploring. “if you can’t guarantee an A, maybe don’t try that big project.” that stifles creativity.

so what do we do instead? or at least what should admissions offices do?

weight gpa less. yes, still consider it; it reflects persistence, ability to meet deadlines, handle academics. but don’t let it dominate to the point that it filters out everyone else.

give meaningful weight to curiosity, creativity, resilience, risk-taking, leadership in non-traditional spaces. show that you value the student who tries to fix something, not just the student who avoids failing.

include more narrative space in applications where students can show what they did and learned, not just what grade they got. maybe even include questions like “what project did you do, what problem did you take on, what happened when you failed?”

for the public and policy side: stop legitimizing “grades = merit” as the only metric. create accountability for admissions systems to reflect the real diversity of talent.