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To briefly summarize my educational career up until this point: my academic performance in
high school was painfully underwhelming. In the spirit of total transparency, I will share my GPA with you now: 2.9, not because I’m proud of it (in fact, I am most certainly not), but because I think it’s important to be open and honest about one’s own sort comings and failures. If you’re like me, and you’ve never been a particularly talented student, you may have also experienced feelings of low self-worth associated with the (untrue) belief that being a poor student must also mean you are unintelligent. Please do not despair. You can become a good (or at least better) student. I can also assure you that you are far smarter, and more capable, than you could possibly imagine.
In college, I majored in biomedical sciences, and was on the premed track. I had my heart set on
going to medical school, and one day becoming a psychiatrist. But, after doing extensive
research on the differences between the two professions, I decided that going on for my PhD
and becoming a clinical psychologist instead was far more suited to my passions, beliefs, and
abilities. Furthermore, I fell in love with the idea of teaching, and began to develop a desire to
begin creating multiple streams of income for Megan and I (like making videos and writing
books); both of which, I thought, would be far more possible as a psychologist, rather than a
psychiatrist. Nonetheless, my major remained the same (during my sophomore year, I heavily
considered switching to psychology) and I am glad that I made that decision. For one, I think it
showed resolve on my part. Premed courses are everything they are made out to be and more.
Secondly, the education I received gave me a certain degree of clinical knowledge that will
undoubtedly become useful in my future endeavors.
Upon graduation, my final transcript read 3.42 GPA. This was great news, and although it still
wasn’t as high as I would have liked it to be, it still deserved to be celebrated. Earning the marks
that I did was a HUGE accomplishment for me. One that, at the time, I was sort of melancholy
about but am now quite proud of. The reason being that it represented a massive shift from the
student (and person) I was in high school to the (more) successful one I had become.
Additionally, in comparison, I perceived the level of difficulty within my undergraduate classes
to be 10x greater than those I experienced in high school. So, not only was the challenge far
greater in undergrad, my academic performance was as well. Another important consideration
is that I entered college with the confidence, knowledge, and abilities of a 2.9 student. I had to
learn how to learn properly, a process which, in and of itself, took a significant amount of time
and energy. Crafting myself into a 3.4 student from a 2.9 student was a deliberate choice, one
that I could not be happier to have made.
As I previously stated, I experienced over a 0.5 increase in my GPA from high school to
undergrad. My hope, now that I am beginning graduate school, is to experience a similar
increase in my GPA as compared to when I transitioned from high school to undergrad.
Specifically, my goal is to earn a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher, and I really, truly believe that
is possible. If I had to capture my feelings about beginning my graduate program later this
month in a single word, it would be hope. I am filled with it. Hopeful for all things to come, hopeful for the future, and (most of all) hopeful that I can continue to make positive changes
for me and my life.