Should i stress about grades

The difference between some grades can feel arbitrary and professors use different standards to grade at different degrees of severity. The adoption of a more relaxed grade system as was done during the pandemic could relieve some stress that undergraduates may feel. Further, the graduate student system — which operates as high pass, pass, low pass and fail — offers a more flexible standard for categorizing student progress and achievement throughout the semester. I find that since being a graduate student, there is less stress about assignments even though the workload is heavier.

As midterms creep up on us over the next few weeks, I encourage students to not worry about every little percentage and take their grades as an accurate reflection of who they are. Learning is a process and grades do not overdetermine how capable of an individual you are. To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

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A majority of these students—68 percent—experienced a drop in grades in the first semester and reported feeling stressed as a result. In how they handled that stress, two clear groups emerged. Students who believed that intelligence can be developed—a growth mindset—were more likely to see setbacks as temporary, and not only had lower overall cortisol levels but were able to return to lower levels shortly after a setback.

Students who believed that intelligence is fixed, on the other hand, maintained high cortisol level for longer, said researchers—a stress response that tends to depress problem solving and intellectual flexibility.

Cortisol increases blood sugar, metabolism, and memory function, providing a temporary boost to physical and cognitive ability, and positive stress—called eustress —can boost motivation and decision-making, helping students achieve goals. Psychologist and MacArthur Fellow Angela Duckworth, author of the bestseller "Grit," says that talent is only part of the equation for success. Without persistence, talent is nothing more than potential, she says.

Several studies have found that praising a student for intelligence, as opposed to effort, can actually undermine their academic progress, and suggest that students be rewarded, and reward themselves, for their best effort, regardless of outcome. Social psychologist Carol Dweck, who has spent more than 10 years researching improvement, wrote extensively on this topic in her book "Mindset. While aiming for good grades can help motivated students, researchers say students should place more emphasis on working their hardest.

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