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Why I regret getting straight A’s in college (2007)

8 points by jxub 9y ago

Firebrand 9y ago
>3. I’ve forgotten 95% of it. >I majored in English Literature and minored in Communication Theory Suddenly I’m less impressed with what he has to say...
gringoDan 9y ago
I completely agree with the sentiment of this article. (Caveat that the below advice applies to the type of people who read HN and probably not the average college student.) What I value most from my college experience is the close friendships that I made. At no other time in your life are you able to live within a couple blocks (or even in the same building) as your best friends and have enough time to hang out and shoot the shit with them. Spending a lot of time together is necessary to create bonds for deep friendships. This is a big part of the reason it is so tough to make friends later in life, when everyone is busy. I think that it is common for smart, driven people at Ivies and comparable universities to spend their time optimizing for career success in their first 1-4 years out of college, rather than thinking about optimizing happiness over their entire lives. My GPA was off of my resume after I got my first job, and no employer has ever asked about it. However, I'll never forget the fun, stupid things my friends and I did together, and I have ~5 people that I know would be there for me at the drop of a hat if I needed them. Loneliness is a huge problem in society and terrible for an individual's long-term happiness and health. Given that college is essentially all of the freedoms of adulthood without any of the responsibilities, it is the perfect time to make the friendships that you'll view later in life as invaluable.
WheelsAtLarge 9y ago
Hard work is hard work no matter where you put in the time. Unfortunately, he put in the work in only books and not relationships. As you get older you begin to see that relationships, knowledge and hard work are what determines success in life. We can't neglect any one point in the triangle, so we need to balance them. The sooner we learn that the better. C students can be very successful but not if they're lazy and hermits.

8 points by jxub 9y ago

>3. I’ve forgotten 95% of it. >I majored in English Literature and minored in Communication Theory Suddenly I’m less impressed with what he has to say...

gringoDan 9y ago

I completely agree with the sentiment of this article. (Caveat that the below advice applies to the type of people who read HN and probably not the average college student.) What I value most from my college experience is the close friendships that I made. At no other time in your life are you able to live within a couple blocks (or even in the same building) as your best friends and have enough time to hang out and shoot the shit with them. Spending a lot of time together is necessary to create bonds for deep friendships. This is a big part of the reason it is so tough to make friends later in life, when everyone is busy. I think that it is common for smart, driven people at Ivies and comparable universities to spend their time optimizing for career success in their first 1-4 years out of college, rather than thinking about optimizing happiness over their entire lives. My GPA was off of my resume after I got my first job, and no employer has ever asked about it. However, I'll never forget the fun, stupid things my friends and I did together, and I have ~5 people that I know would be there for me at the drop of a hat if I needed them. Loneliness is a huge problem in society and terrible for an individual's long-term happiness and health. Given that college is essentially all of the freedoms of adulthood without any of the responsibilities, it is the perfect time to make the friendships that you'll view later in life as invaluable.

WheelsAtLarge 9y ago

Hard work is hard work no matter where you put in the time. Unfortunately, he put in the work in only books and not relationships. As you get older you begin to see that relationships, knowledge and hard work are what determines success in life. We can't neglect any one point in the triangle, so we need to balance them. The sooner we learn that the better. C students can be very successful but not if they're lazy and hermits.