Jan 20 2009
You don’t get points for trying real hard
Now that you’re in college, don’t expect to get extra points for telling the instructor, “But I tried really hard.” Unfortunately, you’re now past the point where that kind of excuse is acceptable. It’s okay when a fourth grader uses that excuses, but a college student is expected to work hard on all assignments, and if they still don’t make the grade, then they need to simply work harder next time.
Reasons why “trying hard” isn’t a valid excuse:
- It’s about the results. In business, they judge you by your results and not by your effort. After all, if a contractor botches your kitchen renovation but then says, “but I tried really hard,” would you still pay the bill?
- It makes you sound immature. When a student tries to use the “trying hard” excuse, an instructor immediately wonders whether that student is prepared for college. These types of excuse are like neon signs above your head that say, “I am not prepared for this,” or “I don’t know what is expected in college.”
- Did you really “try hard”? Ask yourself the following questions to see if you really did all you could on the assignment: Did you start the assignment weeks in advance? Did you ask the instructor focused questions when you didn’t understand something? Did you include all the required elements in the assignment? If you still didn’t understand the assignment, did you get a tutor or go to a Writing or Math Center? If you did none of these things, you didn’t really try all that hard.
If you want a high grade, you have to be willing to “go that extra mile.” And sometimes, in tough classes you actually will go that extra mile and still not do as well as you expected. That’s all part of the learning process. You can’t ace everything, and that’s okay.
Remember to see your education in context across the span of your educational career, instead of focusing on one class. Sometimes, you will barely pass a class, and while you’ll wish you did better, the important thing is that you made it through to the next phase.
You’re not expected to be an expert in everything, but you will be expected to do your best to problem solve, adapt, and tap into your inner strength to persevere. After all, getting the best from yourself is indeed part of the college experience as well.
