Most students are under the illusion that the importance of grades can be left behind with your high school graduation party.  After all, you’ve already been accepted into post-secondary school, so what’s the point of continuing to put in your best effort? You just need to slide through these couple of years to get that piece of paper. As long as you pass, even if it’s with the bare minimum, it’s all good, right? Employers won’t be hiring you based on the amount of 80s and 90s you have.

If you nodded your head in agreement to all of the above statements and said a loud “yes” before you realized you were talking to yourself when answering the questions, well, we have a problem.

The myth that grades don’t count in university and college are just that—a myth. They are still important and when you graduate, there is definitely a chance that your future employer may ask for a copy of your transcript. They will hardly ever want to see a physical copy of your degree or diploma, because that tells them nothing. Your transcript, on the other hand, will not only give them a list of all the courses you’ve taken, but also reveal how well you’ve done in them. Employers will definitely not be impressed with someone who’s put in the bare minimum throughout school, managing to get by with 50s and 60s.

Keeping up good grades are even rewarded in post-secondary school, not just with a fancy certificate, but with some money to feed that starving bank account of yours. Many universities and colleges offer academic scholarships based on grades that pay off for students’ hard work during the school year. If competing with your school is not enough of a challenge, having good grades will also come in handy when applying for national and out-of-school scholarships and bursaries. Money and recognition for your hard work should be enough motivation to keep your nose in your books.

What you learn in post-secondary is meant to be useful to you when you graduate. You are expected to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to the real word.

You are paying for the classes you attend, the professors who are teaching you and the homework you are assigned, so why not get the bang for your buck and do your best in school? Take advantage of all that is offered to you. Be engaged in class, not just present. Be interested in your assignments, don’t just complete them. And get to know your professors, don’t stop at their name.

If you think going to post-secondary just for the sake of it is okay, think again.

–@Naomi_ML