Source: Flickr

Growing up I was a little, shall we say, nerdy. OK no that’s false. I was THE BIGGEST NERD EVER. The instant I got home I plopped down and to do my homework. The concept of going out and playing when my homework wasn’t done was…well, ludicrous, frankly.

This continued for my entire academic career, right until the end of college. And guess what? No one gives a shit. No one.

I’m lucky enough to be a professional writer, but unlucky in that no one cares 1) what my GPA was or 2) where I even went to college. People definitely want to hire a college grad—but no one has ever even verified that I actually attended.

As I sat through numerous job interviews, I began to get very bitter that I’d worked my butt off to get into the best school I could only to have my eyes glaze over when I mentioned it.

Source: Flickr

Didn’t they appreciate how I slaved over Stats and agonized through Econ? Could they not fathom how hard I worked to pass Bio? I’m not one of those girls who, academically, is good at everything. I’m only good at words. Science, math—anything in that realm is like torture. But still, I toiled for years to not just pass those classes but ace them, SURE that one day someone would appreciate it. They didn’t.

Now, hold on here. This is a very slippery slope. You’re probably hearing me say something like “Come with me! Careen down this hill of ‘I don’t give an eff’ at my side and feel the wind of whateverishness blow through your hair as you sail away from piles of homework, towards total freedom!”

I’m not saying that. Not at all. In fact, I’m kind of saying the opposite. If I could do my academic career all over again, it’d go something like this:

Work really hard in elementary and middle school—here you learn things you actually use like how to read, how to spell, how to multiply and history. Knowing about history makes you cool as an adult. Seriously.

Source: Shutterstock

Work really hard in high school—this is the most important because it determines where you go to college. What you learn at university is, in many cases, irrelevant. It matters more that you went and where you went than anything. You want to go to the best college possible so you can meet the best teachers/people/boyfriends/friends possible and make the best connections. This will make your life IMMENSELY easier. Seriously.

Slack off in college except for courses I care about—I just about killed myself to pass Econ and guess what, it’s still a total mystery to me. Looking back, I wish I’d devoted all that time to really learning grammar or reading different authors—that would have been way better for my career than diagramming, um, currencies? See, I don’t even know what I’m talking about even in the vaguest sense. SERIOUSLY.

Source: Shutterstock

My point is—you should only stress over grades if you don’t know what you want to do in life. Because if you decide to go for a graduate degree or switch careers, you’ll need a kick-ass GPA. But if you, like me, know from the get-go that you’re going to pick one track and stick to it, focus your learning there and don’t panic if you don’t ace courses that ultimately don’t matter to you.

Getting good grades can be uber stressy. Here’s to a school year with less effed-up stress and way more fun.

Are you with me in thinking that good grades don’t matter so much, or do you think I’m cray? Tell me in the comments!

You Don’t Need Perfect Grades, But You Do Need Hot Supplies

Catch Us On The Tweet Side!

Grades! SAT scores! Getting into the right college! It’s enough to make any student totally stressed. And when you’re not academically inclined, the stress can be totally overwhelming and make you just want to give up. Here at Gurl, we never think giving up on school is the right choice. So, we asked Meg to come up with five ways to deal when you totally suck at school.

Are you worried about sucking at school? Do you feel a ton of pressure to get good grades? Let me know what’s going on in the comments!

Feeling Like The Odd Girl Out? Here’s How To Deal

You shouldn't need a megaphone to get noticed! | Source: Shutterstock

Confidence comes from being happy with yourself, your accomplishments, and your life. If you do things you’re proud of and that make you happy, it will come naturally. If you feel awesome and know that you’re awesome, other people will take notice. Confidence gives you a glimmer in your eye and puts some swing in your step, and the people whose attention you want, whether it’s your teacher, your boss, your crush, or your parents, will perk up at attention in your presence.

Of course, in addition to being and feeling awesome, there are specific things that can help boost your visibility to the people who matter to you. So how can you capture the eye of your crush, become teacher’s pet, and get hired for that awesome summer job? Read on to find out!

Your whole future's riding on this? Okay, yeah. That's a little stressful.

Every year, around this time, a mysterious and terrifying phenomenon sweeps the nation—College Application Anxiety. If you’re getting hives just thinking about applying for college—the forms, the essays, and then the worst part: waiting, you’re far from alone. In the last couple years, high school students have been applying for college in record numbers, which, as you probably already know, can make it even harder to get into your dream school. To keep your head from exploding, we’ve put together a handy-dandy list of insider information. Get reading, and good luck!

Give yourself options, but you don't need too many!

1. You Don’t Have to Apply to a Billion Schools: High school counselors are saying that students who are applying for college go out to around seven to eight schools each, but some kids are sending their stuff to 10 or more. With the average application fee at $40, and some schools charging even more, I have to wonder—how are they paying for all those apps, and is it even worth it? I mean, knock yourself out if you really want to put yourself out there, but sending that many applications just isn’t necessary for most students. Try my Fab Four strategy instead: One super-reach fantasy school (it’s a long shot, but you can’t not apply!), and then three others that you think you’d be happy at that you have a better chance of getting into—including one that you or your parents could afford with little to no help.

2. Know your odds: The average college gets over 5,000 applications, but some top schools get closer to 50,000—I know, I know. It’s freaky, but don’t lose hope. The New York Times has an awesome feature on their site that lets you see which schools let in the biggest percentage of applicants; and  from just cruising it for a minute, I learned a ton. Did you know that while Harvard only lets in about six percent of students who want to go there (that’s six out of every hundred! ouch!), NYU lets in roughly a one in four? Good to know! And there are other incredible, super cool schools that have higher admissions rates. Rice University in Texas, where Candance Bushnell went, lets in almost one in five applicants; Oberlin College in Ohio, where Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs went, lets in almost one out of three; and Occidental College in California, where Luke Wilson went, lets in almost two of every five. The takeaway? When you’re applying for college, don’t just think of the fancy schools that everybody talks about. There are a billion amazing schools who would love to have you—it’s up to you to find them!

Meeting your deadlines is good. Beating them is better.

3. Get Stuff In Early, Up Your Chances: Even though you may have spent weeks or even months on the perfect application, your materials might only be in front of the woman in charge for about 15 minutes before she decides to put you in the “yes” or “no” pile. Application deadlines are creeping up fast—in fact, some are November 30—but try, try, try not to hit “send” on your application at the last minute. Why? If yours gets in even a week or two early, before all the other procrastinators (and there are a ton of them!), the admissions officers might not be as swamped and will have a little more time to look at your essay, grades, and letters of rec. Applying to college is a biggie. Your application is worth their time. Make sure you get it.

Even this little guy's feeling your anxiety!

4. Hug a Friend: Does applying for college have you on the verge of crazytown? Find your bestie (or your bear—shhh, we won’t tell!) and get a big hug in right now. Sure, a super-squeeze won’t guarantee you’ll get into your top choice school, but it might just make you feel a teensy bit better.

Are you applying for college right now? Is the whole process enough to drive you nuts? If you’re already in college, are you happy with your choice? Do you wish you’d applied somewhere else? Let us know in the comments!

Definitely don't forget about the power of coffee.

What’s on your mind? Heather can help! Send her your question at heather@gurl.com.