Disclaimer: This is an objective thought that does not necessarily include my personal viewpoints
I know that not just at my own high school, but a lot of students that are high-achieving tend to complain about what is often considered exemplary. Example of scenario includes
“ugh i only got a 93 on the chem test”
“omg stop complaining many people got like 80s”
Now when you consider disappointment, one can imagine it would be (expected-actual). I would imagine that expected value should be proportional to how much one may have prepared. So that means that the people who complained about 93s is that they expected higher than that, and studied hard enough to perhaps reach that score. But didn’t.
So if one obviously put in more time with much effort to get like a 95, complaining about a 90 seems not unreasonable at all. A lot of those people who got 80s probably have not prepared as much as she did (of course there are exceptions).
Of course its obviously annoying when a student complains about high grades for pompous reasons, but i’m mainly referring to these genuine cases when one tries really hard, and does not do as well and feels grievance enough to complain to others.
You can feel your grievance all you want, but under the conditions you described, complaining to others is a bad idea and you need to be ready to accept the consequences of your actions.
If that is the case, I feel sympathy towards the students who put it much effort and do not meet their expectations- and also difficult to consult with friends to feel better and be eased. While on the other hand, students who may (again, there are exceptions) not have tried as much and received a much lower grade can easily do so.
This is one of those cases where each person needs to walk in the other’s shoes.
Obviously, those who get 90s who are used to getting 100s are genuinely unhappy/disappointed with their grade (assuming they aren’t just “complaining” to get attention for doing well). But they should recognize that to those who don’t do as well, getting a 90, while it’s not perfect, is still a lot better than getting a 70. Especially in a situation where a test was hard and most of the students didn’t do well, they should consider not complaining in order to not make others feel worse about their grades.
Likewise, those who don’t do as well should recognize that everyone has their personal threshold for how well they want to do; for those who get 100s all the time, getting a 90 isn’t great. They shouldn’t assume that the person is just humble-bragging. In a case where the person who didn’t do well didn’t study or try, they shouldn’t really complain about the person with the 90 complaining. But to someone who tries hard and still doesn’t do well, it’s hard to hear someone else complaining about a 90.
Perhaps. I do understand why people who don’t do as well may feel annoyed when others complain about high grades. I hope both sides can understand better
Honestly, I think it’s understandable, I like when people complain to me. It shows that they care about their grades and education, but I might just be one of those rare exceptions when it comes to this sort of thing.
I think it’s easier to just say “I didn’t do as well as I worked for/hoped.” If someone wants to express disappointment, it isn’t necessary for him/her to include the numerical score. I guess some comparison can be good, but only to a degree.
And while in theory there is nothing wrong with whining about a score that is typically “good” if the score is less than the whiner worked for or expected, the whiner should be sensitive and acknowledge that not everyone is going to respond in a rational way. Some kids (actually, lots… lol) are going to be annoyed by a complaint about a score that is high relative to the scores received by the rest of the class.
If someone doesn’t preface it with why they are disappointed, then I get annoyed.
Acceptable things to say: “I got a 2300 on my last SAT so I am upset that I only got a 2270 this time.” “I edited that essay 4 times! I can’t believe I got an 8/10 on grammar!” “I had to skip my basketball game to read this book and I still ended up with a 17/20 in the reading quiz?”
Annoying things to say: “I only got a 2270.” “I can’t believe she knocked me down 2 points” “I am so annoyed that I got a 17/20.”
I agree with what’s been said here. Usually when I’m asked how I did I’ll just simply say how I felt about how I did (“I did well” or “I did OK” etc). Sometimes I’ll mention the numbers but it’s contextual. When it comes to what your peers think of your grades, you really can’t win. You’re either bragging or being ridiculously critical/“humble bragging”, in many cases.
Also, I agree that a “good” grade varies. For example, I would be quite pleased to find out I got a 90 on my history test. If I got a 90 on the math test, though? I’d be disappointed, and probably give some consideration to why that happened. It’s all about priorities and skills.
Lol I got a 92% on my bio test and it was the highest (student teacher made test- nobody understands anything). I was bragging, who cares if it’d only a 92. Everyone else got Bs lol. On the bonus she asked what school she attends and the answer was Ohio State. I put THE Ohio State University, while others simply put Ohio State (University), so I got two bonus points as oppose to everyone else getting one. Life is good.
I hate people who get like a 94, or any grade for this matter, and complain AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE about how they should’ve studied. Really love attention.