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I don’t have a great reason for this image. I just like the dog. Image Source

I was recently asked a question about the real value of scoring an A in class.

I give a ton of advice on how to get the A but I often take for granted that an A is worth getting in the first place. I think that’s a thing that most students take for granted. That being said, it makes perfect sense to question this kind of a thing. To go on assuming value without verifying it is a little bit foolish.

Some of the obvious reasons a person might worry about getting an A would be for:

  • Getting into a better college
  • Getting a better job
  • To know they have the knowledge they need.
  • Keeping parents/teachers/friends off their backs.

Some of these reasons are pretty hard to measure. Is it worth getting an “A” just to get your parents off your back? I can’t answer that question.

For that reason, I’m going to focus my energy on the two big actionable reasons you might want to get better grades.

If you’re a high school student, should you aim for A’s to get into a better college?

If you’re a college student, should you aim for A’s to get a better job?

I should probably add a major caveat. These are mostly my opinions. I’m throwing some facts in to help you evaluate the decision yourself but, naturally, these are super subjective matters. I won’t be able to provide any serious calculations. (Since I am a study blogger, you can probably expect some pro-grades bias.)

A Methodology

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Some questions are too complicated to answer without breaking it down to a process first. Image Source

I’m going to break each of these questions into two separate questions.

First, I’m going to assess how reasonable the assumption made in each question is. You shouldn’t ask “Is getting into a better college worth the effort of getting “A”s” without first asking if getting “A”s will actually get you into a “better” college.

This may seem obvious but it shouldn’t be. Often these kinds of assumptions aren’t backed up by empirical research. They’re just ideas that have been repeated so many times that people assume facts are backing them up.

Second, I’m going to ask whether or not getting those grades is worth the effort required. Naturally, this is heavily dependent on factors that are personal. I’m going to try to keep it as general as practical.

I’m going to use this same methodology for both of the questions.

So, Is Getting An A In High School Worth It?

For me, I think getting a good grade is usually worth the extra effort. Part of the reason I believe that is because, in my experience, these time estimates are extremely conservative when you’re using a quality study strategy. One hour of studying or working on class work can be worth hundreds of dollars if you’re willing to think about it in terms of your whole career.

Since you’re a subscriber here, I suspect you already understand your value in getting better grades. I hope this article can help motivate you a little with incomplete but illustrative proof.

This is just my crazy biased opinion to a very very complicated question. I hope it helps.

Is An “A” Worth The Effort?

Leave Procrastination In The Dust! Never EVER let it stop you again.

Doing stuff is easy – sometimes, right?

You only procrastinate the stuff that sucks. You don’t say, “Ahhh… I’ll read that text from my crush later.” Nope. Now… Any pause is intentional and coordinated to respond better.

Here is the problem with academics:

You probably think most academic stuff sucks – at least a little. (Especially compared to other things you could be doing.)

And the thing is:

FORCING YOURSELF TO STUDY JUST MAKES IT WORSE!

You’re slowly hardening your association of school and being miserable.

You need to create positive associations with academics. You want your brain to be getting hyped  up and positive when you’re thinking about studying and giving into this internal oligarchical instinct to force yourself to studying – ain’t helpin’.

Chill the internal dictator for a moment…

A big secret: You need to STOP forcing yourself to study so much.

But, if you’re not forcing yourself then how are you going to see those killer straight-a’s that you’re always pining over?

It’s not difficult but it can sound weird to unfamiliar eyes.

Get your copy of my book about How To Get Happier Straight A’s.

It only costs $4.99 (and if these strategies don’t work like magic like it has for thousands of other students then you can get a full refund.)

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