- #31
ZombieFeynman
Gold Member
- 329
- 12
I think there's a strong correlation between getting good grades and understanding the material.
I think getting good grades involves just jumping through hoops. These include doing the homework on time, doing well on exams, showing up for labs.
Understanding the material, though, requires more than this. You need to really sit and think about things. You need to ask yourself the right questions, seek outside resources, etc.
I think it is fairly common to see people who don't jump through the hoops (and thus their grades suffer) and yet still think deeply about the material and understand it.
I think it is less common that people jump through the hoops and yet don't understand the material (especially in higher level courses where jumping through hoops requires solving tricky questions on exams that REQUIRE understanding).
Some people do get so caught up in getting good grades that they fail to think deeply enough and reflect on the material. Their understanding can suffer as a result.
Finally, there is something to be said about learning things outside of the scope of class. Trust me when I type that there is much more time and leeway for this in undergrad compared to grad. I wish I had taken advantage of this more. Sometimes, however, this outside learning can come at the price of a lower grade or two.
In my humble opinion, I think:
It is better to get an A- than an A if getting an A causes you to worry and fret about so many things that it takes away from the truly deep pondering and outside of the class learning.
It is better to get an A- than a B if you intend on graduate study, since admissions committees do weigh your grades, even if you feel like you are just jumping through hoops.
It is best to do the least work possible to get an A/A- for a class and use all of the time and effort you save to dig deep, make connections, study broadly, and ENJOY learning.
I think getting good grades involves just jumping through hoops. These include doing the homework on time, doing well on exams, showing up for labs.
Understanding the material, though, requires more than this. You need to really sit and think about things. You need to ask yourself the right questions, seek outside resources, etc.
I think it is fairly common to see people who don't jump through the hoops (and thus their grades suffer) and yet still think deeply about the material and understand it.
I think it is less common that people jump through the hoops and yet don't understand the material (especially in higher level courses where jumping through hoops requires solving tricky questions on exams that REQUIRE understanding).
Some people do get so caught up in getting good grades that they fail to think deeply enough and reflect on the material. Their understanding can suffer as a result.
Finally, there is something to be said about learning things outside of the scope of class. Trust me when I type that there is much more time and leeway for this in undergrad compared to grad. I wish I had taken advantage of this more. Sometimes, however, this outside learning can come at the price of a lower grade or two.
In my humble opinion, I think:
It is better to get an A- than an A if getting an A causes you to worry and fret about so many things that it takes away from the truly deep pondering and outside of the class learning.
It is better to get an A- than a B if you intend on graduate study, since admissions committees do weigh your grades, even if you feel like you are just jumping through hoops.
It is best to do the least work possible to get an A/A- for a class and use all of the time and effort you save to dig deep, make connections, study broadly, and ENJOY learning.