Committed to excellence

Back in my first year of grade school, I was given ten values that I was told I needed to embody – values that the ideal student supposedly possessed. All throughout my primary and secondary education, I memorized these values and took them to heart. One always struck me more than the rest though, and until now, I still remember the words that I tried so hard to exemplify as I grew up.

“Committed to excellence.”

These were the words that I took to heart more than anything else. I was told that a true student was committed to excellence. I agreed; I knew it didn’t pay to be lazy, and I was determined to become responsible and hardworking.

And so, commit to excellence I did. I studied for tests, I listened attentively during classes, and I passed my homework. I became studious, always believing that the best way to achieve this so-called excellence was through the numbers on my report card. Through the time and effort I devoted to my studies, I began delivering results: I became a consistent honors student, and I graduated from high school with a respectable overall rank in my batch.

This was how I strove for excellence and as high school faded and the imposing figure of De La Salle University began looming into view, I told myself that I would continue what I had started back in elementary.

It was easier said than done. College was the first time I immersed myself in extra-curricular activities, joining organizations on the suggestions of friends and family. I was never interested in such activities in high school, but I knew college was as good a time as any to try being more active. Little did I know that these organizations would become one of the main focal points of my university life. I made friends within these organizations, I supported events, and I became active. To my surprise, I ended up spending almost as much, if not more, time on these organizations as I did on my academics.

Through these orgs, I experienced something that perfect scores in tests and projects never really gave me: a sense of accomplishment, something that made me proud of what I was doing. Don’t get me wrong, doing well in my academics also made me feel good. The feeling of achievement I experienced through my extra-curricular activities, though, was different. I realized that not only was I learning a different set of values and skills, but I was also doing something I was passionate about, something that made me happy. I enjoyed what I was doing, and most importantly, it gave me a sense of fulfilment that I had not really known prior.

It was then that I learned something that I’m sure so many of my peers had found out earlier on in their high school lives. I had somehow convinced myself that the only way to strive for excellence was through getting 4.0s, when in reality, this is very far from the case. There are so many different ways to excel – organizations, sports, leadership, you name it – that grades become only one facet a student’s life.

Which brings me to my point: we can’t let academics control our lives because there are so many other things worth devoting time and effort to. So many students nowadays spend so much time worrying about their grades, some chasing some extremely high standard for themselves, some caught in depression over every failure, and that’s all okay. It’s okay to always strive for high grades, and it’s perfectly natural to feel bad whenever failure occurs. What’s important, though, is to not let these grades become the only focus in our lives, but rather to always be open to new opportunities and experiences.

Students who focus solely on their grades miss so many opportunities. Becoming active in fields outside of academics teaches a whole different skill set that will be sure to prove useful in the future, but more importantly, it gives students an avenue to do something they are passionate about. If we want to make the most of our short stay in the university, we must look beyond just our grades.

Parents nowadays put such a pressure on their children to excel in their academics, but often forget that there are other ways of pursuing excellence. Student athletes who compete under the banner of their university, organization officers who display leadership and competency, members of the USG who lead the university capably and efficiently – these are all students who shine in their various fields, none of which are necessarily academics. What matters isn’t getting 4.0s, but rather, finding an avenue for yourself where you can not only excel, but be truly happy doing so.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to throw all your academics away for your extra-curricular activities. We were brought to this university to study, and study we must, but don’t let that be your only focus during your stay in the university. Graduation remains the overarching goal of every student in the university, but as we strive towards that goal, we must build ourselves not just as students, but as well-rounded individuals.

I’m still studious and grade conscious – that part of me never went away. The difference is that nowadays, my life revolves around the numbers on my test papers less than it did before. I’m not as bothered every time I get a lower score than what I’m expecting because I know there’s so much more to university life than the scores we receive. I know that if I focus too much on my grades like I did before, I might lose sight of opportunities and experiences that might prove just as valuable, if not more so.

I was told when I was still very young that I had to be “committed to excellence.” It took me a while to realize that, yes, we have to embody excellence, but we can do so in so many ways. Grades will always be important, nothing will change that. But even though our academic performance matters, it is not the only thing that matters – far from it. We must all strive for excellence, but we can do so in the way we so desire, and in the way that makes us happy and fulfilled.