Im a junior in HS who wants to be an EE. I’m really in love with electronics and most of my hobbies relate to either coding, electronics or something like that. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else, but there’s a downside to being so passionate.
I’ve become straight neurotic about my grades.
I have all A’s and have a weighted gpa of 4.9 (I failed Spanish my freshman year due to corona and online school), otherwise straight A’s.
Has anybody here learned how to chill out and stop worrying about grades?
Think about the worst case scenario. What happens if you get an F on the test? Or you fail the class? Or get a C? There’s a ding on your report card, you may need to study more, if it becomes a pattern you may not be able to get into a highly rejective college, whatever. But then, the bad stuff stops. You still have excellent grades, so lots of colleges are going to want you, including for ABET-accredited EE. And you’ll move on with your life.
Find other things that bring you joy. Maybe it’s playing basketball with others in your neighborhood. Maybe it’s reading science fiction. Maybe it’s planting and maintaining a vegetable garden. Maybe it’s hanging with your friends and watching movies. Whatever it is, it provides time for you not to be constantly focused on the grades. The less time you’re thinking about your grades, the lower your anxiety may go.
The post below is one of my favorite ones that I’ve read on CC. I don’t know if you’re so focused on your grades because you want to go to an “elite” college. But in case that’s part of your drive for perfection, I think this is really good reading to think about what’s going to matter when you’re in college and once you’re out of it. These are things that may influence what kind of school you choose and also perhaps alleviate some of the pressure you feel. Even if it doesn’t, I think it is fabulous reading.
If you have straight A’s (other than Spanish), what better outcome could you be anxiously hoping for?
Or are you concerned about being able to maintain your grades through senior year?
Sounds like you already are “as good as it gets”. I’m not suggesting to rest on your laurels, but given your record it sounds you’re on the right track and can be confident that your figured that whole “High School Thing” out.
I suspect you have an analytical mind if you’re coding, so you can look at your numbers and see the trajectory. Is there any reason to think that you couldn’t keep that momentum going?
As far as Spanish - so maybe you’re first job posting after college won’t be Madrid - unless of course you take this as a challenge and intentionally spend a semester abroad at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
We encouraged (and then had to push) our kids to do things that would help make them good people- not people who get good grades.
Taking grandma out to lunch. Playing with a neighbor’s kid (what 8 year old wouldn’t love a game of catch with a HS kid?) Helping a neighbor rake leaves, shovel snow. Learn to make really good pizza and then dropping off a few pies for the local volunteer fire-fighters (those guys eat a lot- our local volunteer station has them doing pushups in the snow, running sprints uphill so food is really appreciated. Check ahead of time their covid restrictions). There are dozens of things you can do- even an hour a week- that isn’t “graded”. That will help you maintain perspective. Isn’t there a single mom in your neighborhood who would appreciate an offer to take the training wheels off her kids bike and teach him/her to ride a two wheeler?
I have worked in high tech for my entire career. While most of the people I work with were computer science majors, some are electrical engineers.
Once you start your first job, people do not care where you got your degree.
“Prestige” does not matter. Knowing how to do your job matters. Being reasonable working with others matters.
Many of the best engineers that I work with got their degree at a local public university. You do not need straight A’s to get accepted to a local public university. You do not need straight A’s to do well as a student at a local public university. The best engineers that I have worked with got their bachelor’s degree at a very wide range of universities. In most cases I have no idea what their grades were.
In terms of extracurricular activities, I like the advice that is on the “applying sideways” blog on the MIT admissions web site. As I understand it, what it recommends is that you do what you want to do, whatever that is, and do it well. That is exactly the approach that I took and it did work for me.
It sounds to me that you are doing very well. Just keep up the good work and have faith. This will work out. The world is going to continue to need electrical engineers (and other engineers, and …).
- unless of course you take this as a challenge and intentionally spend a semester abroad at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.