“C’s get degrees” can be heard all throughout college campuses. One is told that unless we are going on to grad school, our GPAs do not matter or have an effect on whether or not we get a job post graduation.

This way of thinking may get the degree, but if one keeps this mentality in the real world, their future will be negatively affected.

When we are OK with sliding through college in order to simply pass, this indicates that students only want to do the bare minimum to get through life. They are okay with putting in the least amount of effort if it means that they will get that passing grade.

This mentality not only corresponds with grades but with whether or not students will participate in extracurricular activities. As shown in a study conducted my Purdue University, students who were not involved in clubs had an incredibly lower GPA than students who were.

When students want to simply pass, they will not make the effort to join clubs or take on leadership positions, which puts them at a disadvantage in the real world.

According to a study done at Sacramento State, students’ participation in extracurricular activities had a positive impact on their academic performance. The study also showed that students who were involved had a higher retention rate, whereas students who dropped out their second year were not involved on their campus.

We cannot have this “C’s get degrees” mentality if we want to excel in life. Employers do not want to hire the students who just floated through college without trying their best. They want the students who did their best in class and even went on to be involved on their campuses.

A better GPA along with on-campus involvement will show employers that not only does this student have great time management skills, but that they are willing to put more time and effort into their work.

There are always exceptions, as on our campus a lot of students have to work their way through college and therefore are unable to participate in clubs. However, these students are not intentionally staying out of clubs, but are forced to and employers will be able to see that. These students prefer to merely focus on school because work takes up a lot of their time.

Thinking that doing the least is OK because at the end of the day, we still get to walk home with a degree. That says a lot about a person and the work they are willing to put forth.

According to Forbes, employers want people who go above and beyond the job description and who are eager to learn new things. Sadly, students who follow the “C’s get degrees” motto likely do not carry these traits.

These students would much rather do the work that is provided to them and go home as soon as they have completed their tasks. They have no ambition to do better as long as the work gets done.

Overall, yes, C’s do get degrees, but why not strive for more? Why not put in all that we can, because in the end, living by this motto is only going to hurt one’s future.

Nicte Hernandez can be reached at [email protected] or @NicteHernandez4 on Twitter.