There’s almost nothing that could make me disagree with the simple fact that Tech is hard and there are times where we all get into ruts.
We feel like we aren’t given enough hours of the day (and quite too often, the night) to complete all the tasks/assignments we have been given.
Maybe it comes from poor time management, or maybe it really is our schedules just getting the best of us that week.
Regardless, whether it is a bad test grade, or just a rough week in general, things always turn around. If there’s anything I’ve learned at Tech thus far, it’s to celebrate when we get out of those ruts, yet too often do we mistake this moment as an opportunity to gloat. And I think we need to talk about that.
If someone gets a higher grade on a test or an assignment than me, well that’s great for him or her. As your friend and as your fellow Tech student, I applaud you and urge you to keep up the good work. I am so happy for you. But the last thing I need to do is talk about it to no apparent end.
When I do well on something, I want to be able to talk about it briefly. I want to give my quick “huzzah!”
Tech is hard, and we all know that, so to take a test that people thought was difficult and end-up beating the curve by quite a margin, I think that is something to celebrate over.
If someone asks how you did on a test and you obliterated it, you should tell him or her. You just should not follow-up the conversation by talking about how the test was such a breeze and you couldn’t believe the average for the test was so low. That’s a one-way ticket to having no friends.
Also along those lines, one test does not measure your overall intellect or self-worth. It’s one test. I feel like I’ve come across some Tech students who have prided themselves on a test and have used it as a jumping point against someone.
I mean seriously? I thought we were out of middle school.
And on that note, when it comes to comparing answers with a friend after having taken a test, be mindful. If you’re going to compare answers, let someone talk about how they got an answer.
Unless you are willing to bet your life on your answer as the absolute correct answer (which would be silly to do in general), then be mindful. Know that your friend is fallible just as you are fallible and there is a possibility that you may have misunderstood something.
Tech is hard, but there are so many resources here to help you succeed. And obviously the number one thing Tech and your friends want to see is you being successful.
Whether it’s a small step such as getting out of bed to get to class on time to making a 100 on the CS final, people want to hear about your successes. The last thing that people want to hear is you demeaning their intelligence by gloating and mocking the difficulty of a test. Celebrate, just be mindful.