As the countdown to the end of the semester starts, some students will be reminded that simply paying for a class doesn’t mean they will pass it.
It’s not the same environment as McDonald’s, where there are no marks made on a transcript every time a customer fails to finish a Big Mac. There is nobody at Taco Bell telling patrons to start with the bean burrito before they can move on to the $5 box.
College is one of those few things in life a person can pay to fail at. Having to pony up for a class again and again and then explaining to your parents why you didn’t succeed can be a pretty hard thing to do.
It is also one of the most important lessons one can learn in college.
While this might be the last time you ever have to write a 20-page research paper, dealing with letdowns will always be a constant.
Some hard-earned money will always go toward fixing mistakes. Dealing with those who are disappointed will always be tough.
The lesson to learn from these events is that they don’t signify the end of the world; life goes on after failing a class.
There is no happiness to be found in dwelling on past mistakes. The only way to minimize the pain is to try again. Giving up is the only way to ensure the permanency of failure. Use these mistakes as a guide for things not to do and nothing else.
Students who learn this lesson in college will always ensure they have given their best effort when striving to accomplish their dreams. When something doesn’t pan out, they’ll know they did not back down. They don’t allow what others say about them to be testament of what they can accomplish.
Strange as it may sound, it’s good that college is a place where students can pay to fail. Disappointment will follow all of us everywhere we go.
It is how people use that experience that determines a person’s true character.
