It’s not the world, it’s you

It’s that time of year again. We are halfway through the term and the grades have started rolling in. You can almost feel the groans of disappointment and denial ring throughout the college.

Doing badly in a class sucks. It can feel like you’re trapped in a bubble of confusion with no way out.

So whose fault is it? The instructor? The school? Your job? That chick next to you who won’t stop gnawing at her fingers? Life? God? Buddha? Emperor Zenu?

No, it’s you.

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you fail a class, it’s your fault. You can kick and scream all you want, but it’s time to face the facts.

Other people in your class are somehow managing to pass the class, so there is a way to push through. But you have a lot of problems and things going on, don’t you? Well, let me tell you a little secret: Everybody has problems.

I know this may blow your mind, but the universe did not perfectly align a specific amount of negative circumstances so that you would be busy every second of every day. There is a point in your day when you have time to do your homework and study. It’s just a matter of whether you want to or if you are using that time well.

It sounds very Darwinistic, but the people who rise above their problems prosper, and those who chose to blame the world don’t. I don’t care what anyone says, hard work will always pay back in spades.

True, things may come easier to others, but that’s because they paid attention and made sure they understood stuff. Even if you have to work a little harder, that’s just another obstacle you have to overcome. Unless you have mental challenges and/or learning disabilities, there is nothing you can’t learn or comprehend.

And there are plenty of resources out there to help you if you need it. The tutoring center is filled with people who are eager to help. Seriously, I’ve heard that they get bored up there. There are also student success seminars and almost every instructor has office hours throughout the week.

I am a massive procrastinator myself. I understand that everything seems more interesting than what you are supposed to be doing. I still procrastinate a lot, and I don’t always get the best grades, but I’m fully aware that it’s my fault.

When I finally realized that it was my fault when I performed poorly in school, my misery was met with a rush of comfort and empowerment.

The world is not stopping me, I’m stopping me. I have such an amazing will that I can talk myself into watching re-runs of South Park, rather than doing really important crap. If can I harness this power for good, than I can accomplish anything! I have the power!

My epiphany happened after I interviewed a student last year who came from Cuba, and he got a full-ride scholarship to Stanford. He was paying for his rent, taking 18 credits per term, had a full-time job and managed to get straight A’s. He said that he was not inherently smart; he just kept his nose in the books and worked his butt off.

For a pretty big chunk of my life, I thought math was beyond me. I believed it was some demonic language that would plague me for the rest of my life, and I would never be able to comprehend the dark arts known as algebra. But the truth is, I just gave up trying to understand it. When I finally buckled down and learned the formulas, I did okay. I got a B in math, something I thought I would never get. And then I got another B. I’m having a little trouble in my latest math class, but only because I decided to watch a movie at 11 p.m., the night before an exam. I just have to focus a little more and I’m golden.

Understand that this is coming from a place of love. I hate to see other people procrastinate like me and try to pretend it’s not their fault.

So pull up your pants, block YouTube, head straight for the library and do what you have to do! I know it’s cliché, but you can totally do this.