4 ms·

In high school there was a kid who got all A except one B. First I thought they must be very happy. Then I thought again....

jhgb 5y ago
I was that guy in college. It's an OCD-triggering experience, looking at the transcript. Can confirm that it's not a good feeling.
duxup 5y ago
In my experience nobody fretted about grades and minor grading issues more than the folks who had high marks. The burden of perfection (or close to it) is pretty brutal. Among other topics the film Gattaca seemed to address that issue.
- piyh 5y ago
  Taking the "good enough" approach in life has probably left a lot of potential on the table, but it really has gotten the maximal utility out of any work I put in. It's probably ~50%-100% more work to go from a B+ in life to a straight A.
  - rurp 5y ago
    The opportunity costs can be profound as well. Doing B rather than A level work on many tasks can allow you to get 2-3x more things done.
- Buttons840 5y ago
  Like worrying about the first tiny scratch on your new car or new phone. Eventually it happens, you feel bad, but then are free from the burden of perfection.
  - david422 5y ago
    One of the nice things about buying used. Not only do you get the discount, but you also don't need to worry about that perfection.
    - duxup 5y ago
      I have bought a lot of my kids toys second hand. "Yeah whatever throw that thing and see what happens!"
- userbinator 5y ago
  The effect is also strengthened when you're competing with your peers for grades; it's been several decades now but I still remember someone beating me by 0.7% going into the final exam, and me finishing the course 0.1% ahead of him. It's interesting I still remember the differences, but not the grade (high 90s, probably) nor the course. (Contrary to popular western culture, there are groups who enjoy "grade-racing" --- and from first-hand experience, I can say it was very motivational as well as stressful.)
rejectedandsad 5y ago
That was me. I wasn’t happy at all after I got 2nd.
Xophmeister 5y ago
I got a distinction for my masters thesis, but my exam results where such that I was 1-2% off from a distinction overall. I was not happy that day!

jhgb 5y ago

I was that guy in college. It's an OCD-triggering experience, looking at the transcript. Can confirm that it's not a good feeling.

duxup 5y ago

In my experience nobody fretted about grades and minor grading issues more than the folks who had high marks. The burden of perfection (or close to it) is pretty brutal. Among other topics the film Gattaca seemed to address that issue.

piyh 5y ago
Taking the "good enough" approach in life has probably left a lot of potential on the table, but it really has gotten the maximal utility out of any work I put in. It's probably ~50%-100% more work to go from a B+ in life to a straight A.
- rurp 5y ago
  The opportunity costs can be profound as well. Doing B rather than A level work on many tasks can allow you to get 2-3x more things done.
Buttons840 5y ago
Like worrying about the first tiny scratch on your new car or new phone. Eventually it happens, you feel bad, but then are free from the burden of perfection.
- david422 5y ago
  One of the nice things about buying used. Not only do you get the discount, but you also don't need to worry about that perfection.
  - duxup 5y ago
    I have bought a lot of my kids toys second hand. "Yeah whatever throw that thing and see what happens!"
userbinator 5y ago
The effect is also strengthened when you're competing with your peers for grades; it's been several decades now but I still remember someone beating me by 0.7% going into the final exam, and me finishing the course 0.1% ahead of him. It's interesting I still remember the differences, but not the grade (high 90s, probably) nor the course. (Contrary to popular western culture, there are groups who enjoy "grade-racing" --- and from first-hand experience, I can say it was very motivational as well as stressful.)

rejectedandsad 5y ago

That was me. I wasn’t happy at all after I got 2nd.

Xophmeister 5y ago

I got a distinction for my masters thesis, but my exam results where such that I was 1-2% off from a distinction overall. I was not happy that day!