<p>While I was in high school, I thought it was fun to devote obscene amounts of time on studying for tests or working on homework assignments to get A+'s in all my classes. Not getting an A+ in one class felt like a major disappointment and failure.
Now that college is starting, I know I cannot possibly expect to get A's in all my classes because everyone is smart and hard-working. More importantly, my obsessive tendencies may lead me to continue trying despite my recognition that it's a pointless endeavor, which would lead to nothing but sleep deprivation and stress.</p>
<p>So here's my question: How long did it take for you, as a new college student, to accept that perfection in academics is no longer possible? Was it hard to adjust?</p>
<p>How long is a piece of string? Who can answer your question? It depends on how much hubris you’ve chosen to believe about yourself. Some people are perfectly secure walking into a room and immediately knowing they aren’t the smartest kid in the room. Some freshmen at top schools have never had to encounter that and get rather shocked. I hope this won’t be your case.</p>
<p>I think you’ll find people who look at your obsessiveness with A+s as bizarre and you’ll find people who don’t as well. I hope the former will allow you to see the wisdom of shedding that obsessiveness. Very few real world situations reward that kind of tunnel vision focus on perfection.<a href=“unless%20you’re%20an%20accountant%20or%20a%20bomb-squad%20removal%20tech”>/U</a>. I hope you will be quick to realize that.</p>