Until my first year of college, I’d never heard the phrase “Cs get degrees.” Maybe I lived a sheltered life, but the first-year, doe-eyed me responded with a giggled “What? Why, that’s silly! You’re quite comical, fellow classmate.” My mood quickly deteriorated when I was reassured that yes, that phrase is describing a common mindset experienced by college students, and that it’s true — people with Cs are allowed to graduate any level of school. I think I’d sooner commit hara-kiri than allow a C to show up on my transcript. I’m a bit of an exaggerator.

Now, don’t get me wrong: my aversion to that letter, C, particularly in grade form, doesn’t transfer over to my wanting to be your friend; your C in Sanskrit or Calc III doesn’t mean you’re dead to me. No, this has more to do with my own personal code of academic commitment and drive, my refusal to accept anything less than excellent from myself and my endless pursuit of perfection. Keep in mind that all of those things will lead to serious psychological breakdowns in the depressingly near future. But that’s how I roll, in part because that’s how I want to, in part because I can’t stop myself.

So, in pointing out that my approach is different than some of yours, dear readers, and acknowledging that mine is chock-full of flaws, we can come to an understanding that for you and me, it’ll never work if “Cs get degrees” is your philosophy. It’s not you, it’s me.

If you’ve returned back to reading after bad-mouthing me to your friends, will you at least let me defend myself? I’m not trying to seem like an elitist jerk; this isn’t about measuring one another with grades. At its core, I think it’s about respect: for yourself, whoever pays your bills, your professors and then, in turn, your peers.

Having students follow their dreams is a large enough issue already. I’ve met too many people here who are studying X so they can get job Y. Why? Because, well, you know, there aren’t a lot of jobs out there, so why not go for something you think is secure? We end up having a student who wants to be Picasso sitting in on marketing classes because he’s been getting bombarded with “What’re you going to do?” for the past eight years of his life. He hates marketing. A C will suffice. He’ll graduate, get a job — maybe — and everything will have gone according to plan. Except for the years of self-loathing that come along with doing something you don’t want to do.

For me, a lot of my issues with that path and aforementioned mindset come down to my parents, the two people who would and are bending over backwards so I can enter my sixteenth year of private schooling. Anything less than excellence would be an affront to them, the people making all of this possible. But I’m also aware of my limitations, whether it be a lack of skill or interest, which would lead me down the slippery slope of, “Whatever, this is a means to an end. Gimme that C and degree.”

Respect for faculty and classmates should be a no-brainer, right? Listen, participate, be engaged during class: you know, the things you’re taught around first grade. But time and time again we run into the issue of a professor prompting the class with a question to be met with silence. Because you don’t want to be there. You don’t care. It’s 8 a.m.

I suppose to wrap up what may come across as preaching is a request, a special favor. On your way to class, while you’re in class and after class, take a second to think about why you’re here. If you come to the conclusion that you’re here because college is something you think you should or were told you should be doing, and you’re okay with that, then no one can tell you otherwise, and I hope it works out for you. If you’re someone who can spell out exactly why it is they’re here, and you find yourself getting hyped up just thinking about it, then congratulations — you’ve done it.

If you’re in that third camp that wants to be here, but you’re not really sure why, so you think you’ll just kind of do that one thing you think makes the most sense, STOP. You’re two-thirds of the way there, because it’s awesome knowing you want to be a college student. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your own time.