This post over at Squeaky and Ariadne: Random Bloggings has made me decide to post a bit of a poll. I'll give my answers; please fill it out, and either leave your answers in comments, or post it on your blog, and post a link in the comments section.
What was your high school cumulative GPA: Around 3.2, I think.
What was your SAT score: 1240 (630 verbal, 610 math)
Did they get you where you wanted to go: Yeah, it got me into [Generic University], which has no standards whatsoever for enrollment, and it qualified me for Naval ROTC, which has reasonable standards for enrollment, but very high standards for scholarships.
What was/is your major at university: History
What was/is your university cumulative GPA: Around 3.11, probably 3.14 or so when all is said and done.
Did it get you where you wanted to go: I suppose we'll see; I haven't started looking for a real job yet, and probably won't until about January.
Believe it or not, this is something that I consider quite a bit. I wasn't an outstanding student in high school; in fact, there were several classes that I received rather poor marks in, and at least one that I think I failed altogether. I participated in several activities (newspaper advertising manager, forensics team, and audio/video), but not the ones that tend to get a whole lot of notice. I wasn't a National Merit Scholar, or in the National Honors Society, or anything like that. I made the honor roll a few times. Overall, I was fairly average.
At the same time, I saw a number of people, including some of my close friends, doing a lot of things, including activities, that were specifically targeted at their upcoming college applications. I thought then, and I think now, that a lot of this was fairly ridiculous. People should be themselves, and get where they're going on their own merits, right? Joining FBLA or the cross country team, or volunteering at a soup kitchen solely for the purpose of padding a college application is just an example of impropriety, right? I thought it then, and I think it now.
When I got to college, my grades were about the same. I put out some fierce effort in some of my classes, but in the first two years my ROTC commitments dominated a lot of my time, and I'll admit that I didn't study very hard. Once my junior year rolled around, I started hitting the books a bit harder, but even through my fifth year I wasn't putting out the kind of effort that some of my peers were.
At this point, I regret some of my academic retardation during my college years. I should have worked harder, plain and simple. On the other hand, I went to college on my terms, and overall I'm satisfied with what I took from it. Aside from the ROTC unit, I got involved with three major activities, not because I wanted to pad my
curriculum vitae, but because I was interested in the groups. I got involved with one of these groups not only because I was interested in it, but also because I wanted to learn followership. (The success of that particular exploit was mixed, come to think of it.)
I am a firm believer that you get out of life what you are willing to put into it. Even if my academic life could have been stronger, I grabbed college by the feet and dragged as much as I could possibly get out of it, kicking and screaming at times. My hope is that that tenacity, my favorable (but admittedly non-stellar) academic performance, superior letters from professors who I was able to establish close friendships with, and my long-standing involvement in groups that I cared deeply about will get me where I want to go in life; not some facade of community service and long nights spent memorizing Calculus formulas. I want to get where I'm going because of who I
am, not because I turned myself into someone else to please an enrollment official or a human resources manager.
