A huge pet peeve of mine is hearing students say, “I do not care what my grade is, as long as I pass.” When I was an undergraduate and lived by this phrase for several years. Since then I have graduated with a passing, but lower than most, grade point average.

When I graduated, I applied for several positions and did not hear back from a single employer. I never even received calls after submitting my application. Finally, I called a hospital that I had applied to and asked them why I was not called in for an interview, and received an honest, but harsh answer:

“We did not call any applicant who had lower than a 3.0 GPA. There were many applicants and that is how we narrowed it down,” the hiring manager said.

This was a reality check to all of the times I told myself I could care less about my grade. Remembering the famous line “C’s get degrees” made me cringe.

Why would anyone want to hire someone with a GPA under a 3.0 when they could hire someone who showed dedication, responsibility, and obtained above a 3.0? For many students, there are many reasons and excuses for thinking that average grades are acceptable. Mine was that I had not chosen a specific major and grades were not among my top concerns.

Whatever the reason, having this “I don’t care” attitude is not going to cut it in the real world. I have been there, rejection can damage one’s perspective of themselves.

Now I am back in school, working hard, and maintaining a GPA of 3.8. I am applying myself more than ever and trying to not only make employers see me as a value to their company, but also adding value to the education I am paying thousands for.

That is what all students should be working towards or they are just wasting their money. I ask all students to look at themselves with an employer’s point of view. If you were in their shoes, would you hire yourself?