Young Writers Society

Right, so my question is: Does getting good grades in your academic life really matter? I mean I know they are important to an extent, but are they an accurate measure of one's intelligence? How do we classify people into groups of intelligence and unintelligence? Do these two extremes even exist?

Well its a very complex answer to a very complex question. Good grades are good for those academically. I mean if we are measuriing sucess in terms of cash most people make it through non-academic paths ie. Virgin man I can't think of his name and multi millionaire Alan Sugar.

Grades are not accurate at all, they measure technique and ability to cope under pressure, however how else could we try to measure intellegence?

It sucks, but here's the formula...

good grades = teacher's who like you = easier time at school = better grades = teachers who love you = good college reccomendations = good GPA = good college application = good college

For better or for worse, it is in your best interest to acheive good grades, no matter how much you may hate school.

Galatea wrote:good grades = teacher's who like you

Hee hee. In my experience — not always true.

For me good grades really mattered, that was what i went to school for, I was a total geek. But now, I'm not going to university (although I really want to but I decided to put other things first) and really I'm not using my grades at all.

I think the grade system suits some people more than others. For instance there was a debate on this current affairs program the other day about how our grade system suits girls more than boys. So, no I don't think it is an accurate measure of overall intelligence and anyway there are different types of intelligence (I can't remember who said it, but he said that there were 7-9 different types of intelligence. I studied it like five years ago so I don't really remember.)

Anyway good grades do matter to some parents, teachers and students themselves. it depends on the person and what they are planning to do with their lives.

Thats just my opinion
Adele

Personally, I think good grades (or, as we say in NZ, good marks) do matter - but only in as much as you expect them from yourself. I'm an academic person, I love learning and I intend to center my life on it, so it's important to me that I do well in an academic environment. Someone who loves football might think it's more important that they win next week's game, or whatever. So what? Grades dont necessarily reflect intelligence. At all.

Some people who get good grades do it without any effort, but these are the rarities if you ask me. Most of the time, it's the people who really sweat over their assignments who do well, so grades mostly only reflect the commitment of an individual to a particular assignment. Have you ever noticed that you get better grades when a) you study like crazy or b) you love the subject? The more you put into an assignment the more you get out of it, whether in marks or in understanding. That doesnt necessarily mean you're more or less intelligent than someone who did better/worse. Just that what you put into it was more/less than what they put into it.

I guess intelligence does play some part - someone who slaves over their assignment but doesnt fully understand it will probably get a worse mark than someone who understands it fully but didnt work as hard. But I like to think that everyone has equal intelligence, it just shows up in different ways because of different conditioning. Some people understand politics but are hopeless at mathematics. Others are brilliant at astro-physics or biology but when it comes to interpersonal relationships, forget it. The way I look at it, we're all geniuses at something

Basically what it comes down to is how important YOU think grades are. We have to remember that most of the time, standards for tests and assignments are generalized, and the thing with generalizations is that not everybody fits into them! So while the average person may know what x + 6 to the power of q equals, not everyone is going to a) care or b) understand the question. Ultimately, YOU decide what is important to you.

Good grades do matter, if you want to get somewhere in life. I used to go to school and just be there. I got poor grades, ended up going into the army, and now I can only get into a community college. If you are still in high school take your grades seriously, or it could bite you in the butt.
-Jon

your whole career is based on education
would you want a high school dropout managing your bank account?
grades may seem pointless but you'll need them to get a high paying good job
i know not all jobs require a super good education but still thats what they're there for
i guess i see it that way because i need good grades to stay in my honors classes and thats why they're important to me
but by the time we have children they are going to be learning twice as much stuff as us and then we'll seem really stupid
life is so cruel

Yes -- but good grades/marks don't prove or imply necassarily a good education.

Some of the smartest people I know were school dropouts. Bill Gates dropped out of university.

I think good grades are terribly important as far as academia goes. But sometimes grades aren't an accurate portrayal of how smart/stupid someone is.

I can rattle off half of the Art of War, but will that ever be on a test and will it ever effect my grade?
I respect Bushido. Does that have anything to do with school?
I may have more common sense than a few kids but is my GPA necessarily higher?

I think not.

People have to look beyond the grade at the person behind it.
Just my luck, all the things I know are never on any tests.

(except for math, of course...)

If you think they matter, then they mean to world to you. To some people, there are more important lessons to be learned in life than in the classroom. Having said that, at this point in my life, good grades are the most indispensable factor of my existence. Slight exaggeration.

Grades, in no way, are an actual representation of your academic ability, or your intellect, for that matter. They are extremely subjective, and it all depends on the teacher. Sadly, in our society, a petty percentage does indicate how you'll do in life (because we've allowed it to) but it shouldn't. If you try and go against society's norms, then good for you, I admire you. And yet, if you do, in Canada at least, there's no way in hell you're going to a good university, and if you don't go to university, you're stuck flipping burgers for the rest of your life. I exaggerate, but still. So, what I guess I'm trying to say is that marks are ridiculous, and are another way society is able to categorize its sheep. Baaa.

Love your avatar, hawk.

very sweet

Well, I do know good grades are important and it's not like I am considering dropping out of school or something. When I posted this topic I was just frustrated about some educational issues and I do have a rebel living inside me. From where I come, an individual is judged solely on the basis of his/her education and if you do not get straight A's you're doomed. What I'm trying to say that it is one of the most important issues, and is in all societies but moreso in the one I live.

We have certain careers that are considered the best like Medicine and Engineering. If someone goes for BBA(Bachelor in Business Administration) or say some other degree such as drama writing or fashion designing, that person is considered as less superior than someone who is becoming a doctor or an engineer. Does being a doctor make someone more intelligent than someone who is a writer? I don't think so.

If anything, my writing has made me interested in the careers of bioengineering.

Writing encompasses everything, which is why it's so awesome.

With that said, good grades are always nice because they allow for greater flexibility later on.