Is there REALLY such a thing as overachieving?

Lawnurse · Apr 1, 2005

Thank you - this gives me hope that I too can do it oneday.

porterwoman · Apr 2, 2005

Honesty can be cultivated by transforming your inner language. For example, you might think: "I am no good" or "They are not good." Is this true? For some strange reason, people want to wallow in the idea of being either the best or the worst. What is true in this moment? How close can we get to the reality of our experiences?

-Martine Batchelor, "Meditation For Life"

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View all problems as challenges. Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow. Don't run from them, condemn yourself, or bury your burden in saintly silence. You have a problem? Great. More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in, and investigate.

-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"

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There are too many things in this world to be learned, and life is too short to learn everything, so we should complete that which we have begun rather than dabbling in many things.

-Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, "Advice From a Spiritual Friend"

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We really are here for such a short time. All we have is the present moment, right now. Sure, it is wise to plan for the future, but I think it is also wise to keep in mind the fact that the future never looks how we expect it to. Sure, we can think about the past and try to learn from it now, but it remains that all we have is right here, right now. That's it. Good luck, CRNAinthefuture. It can be so hard to find the wisest way to spend our time.

Janie63 · Apr 2, 2005

I have somewhat of a statement, somewhat of a question. First, a little background. . .
I'm an ADN student, transferring to Carolina in Spring 2006 to get my BSN. My terminal goal is Nurse Anesthesia, so I believe going ahead and getting my BSN out of the way would be the best plan for me. The problem?? My A&P classmates at the Tech school I'm attending now. I made the "mistake" of telling them after the second exam that I wasn't accepting anything less than an "A." (Which is true - my average is 99.5). I am FULLY aware (thanks to many of you on this forum) of what it's going to take from me to get in NA school, and I'm doing the best I can to make myself an attractive candidate for when the time comes to apply to NA school. Did that explanation work for my classmates? Nooooooo.......The class average is 67. 67!!!! These people are going to be nurses and they can't identify a femur from a humerus???????
My question for you is this: Is it REALLY possible to overacheive? In my case, it's basically a mindset. I want to be a Nurse Anesthetist and nothing, nothing at all is going to prevent me from diving full force into my studies to make it happen. I need A's in A&P, Micro and other science courses, right?? Fine. I'll do what I have to do to make that happen. I don't feel like I've been rude or arrogant to my classmates - actually, I've felt kind of embarrassed to share exam grades and lab practical grades with them, because...well....most of them are failing. I don't feel I need to explain myself to them any further, but I still get the sideways comments (teacher's pet, goody 2 shoes, know-it-all). I'm sure they are said in good fun, but why does the A-maker in the class have to be the one to catch crap for making A's????
Anyone with an opinion?
B in SC

No, I think you should keep up the hard word - it will pay off eventually. Try to ignore the comments you are getting if possible. :)

WhatToDo · Apr 4, 2005

I was a lot like you when I took my pre-reqs at my local community college (at the 4 year university it would have taken 2 years to even get into the pre-reqs!). I did very well in all my pre-reqs, but I don't think my classmates hated me or anything (of course, I have no idea what they said behind my back). Other students knew how I was doing, but only because I would reluctantly tell other students when they asked.

I think most of the students liked me becuase I helped them a lot. I studied with them and explained things they didn't get, shared notes, I even helped them study for the final when I didn't have to take it. You are a ton busier than I am since I don't have a family, so you may not have time to lend your classmates a hand, but I thought it kept them from hating me.

In undergrad other students knew I was doing well, but they used to organize study groups and show up with nothing done and nothing to contribute. They would just copy my study guide that I had spent hours making, I used to hate this. I finally quit studying with people in undergrad, but I actually thought the students at the community college were more driven and dedicated. It's hard to strike a balance between helping your classmates and not letting them take advantage of you.

I understand that sometimes there are students that everyone hates, but usually these are students who flaunt their grades and won't help anyone else out. The cut-throat type of student. I'm sure you're not that type of student, perhaps you just ran into an angry jealous bunch???? There is nothing wrong with getting good grades, getting into nursing school and graduate school is not easy, getting good grades will help to keep all your options open. It's just smart planning. Good luck!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2005

I went to Carolina for my BSN. No one would act like such an idiot in nursing school. People are highly competitive for A's at UNC.

I went there many years ago, and I'm sure it's the same. It's a highly competetive school to get into, and most of the students that go there made A's in high school and aren't used to anything less.

:)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2005

Honesty can be cultivated by transforming your inner language. For example, you might think: "I am no good" or "They are not good." Is this true? For some strange reason, people want to wallow in the idea of being either the best or the worst. What is true in this moment? How close can we get to the reality of our experiences?
-Martine Batchelor, "Meditation For Life"
---------------------------------------------
View all problems as challenges. Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow. Don't run from them, condemn yourself, or bury your burden in saintly silence. You have a problem? Great. More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in, and investigate.
-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
---------------------------------------------
There are too many things in this world to be learned, and life is too short to learn everything, so we should complete that which we have begun rather than dabbling in many things.
-Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, "Advice From a Spiritual Friend"
---------------------------------------------
We really are here for such a short time. All we have is the present moment, right now. Sure, it is wise to plan for the future, but I think it is also wise to keep in mind the fact that the future never looks how we expect it to. Sure, we can think about the past and try to learn from it now, but it remains that all we have is right here, right now. That's it. Good luck, CRNAinthefuture. It can be so hard to find the wisest way to spend our time.

Awesome post. So true. :)

ButterflyRN04 · Apr 9, 2005

I was all about getting A's in my pre-req's prior to nursing school. Only because I was in desperate need of scholarship money to continue in nursing school. I took the bus to my community college because I nor my parents could afford a car, let alone a college education. The reason I was even in community college was through college/grants I earned while in highschool. Once I began nursing school, I realized how important it was to really learn the material and not focus so much on getting that "A". I was a "B" student, and I was proud of it. Nursing is not about getting that "A", who cares if you have a 4.0 if you have no idea what you are doing in the clinical setting. You are just adding all this unnecessary stress by expecting an "A" all the time. I did need those "A"s to continue with my education, but the stress just wasn't worth it. Your license doesn't say "4.0", your future employers don't care about a "4.0", your patients don't care about a "4.0" and the NCLEX doesn't care about a "4.0". The 4.0-ers in my class didn't pass the NCLEX on the first try. Thats something to think about...

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 9, 2005

your future employers don't care about a "4.0", your patients don't care about a "4.0

There ARE employers that look at grades, and there ARE programs that look at the GPA.

It's different everywhere.

Spoiled1, MSN, RN · Apr 25, 2005

i have somewhat of a statement, somewhat of a question. first, a little background. . .
i'm an adn student, transferring to carolina in spring 2006 to get my bsn. my terminal goal is nurse anesthesia, so i believe going ahead and getting my bsn out of the way would be the best plan for me. the problem?? my a&p classmates at the tech school i'm attending now. i made the "mistake" of telling them after the second exam that i wasn't accepting anything less than an "a." (which is true - my average is 99.5). i am fully aware (thanks to many of you on this forum) of what it's going to take from me to get in na school, and i'm doing the best i can to make myself an attractive candidate for when the time comes to apply to na school. did that explanation work for my classmates? nooooooo.......the class average is 67. 67!!!! these people are going to be nurses and they can't identify a femur from a humerus???????
my question for you is this: is it really possible to overacheive? in my case, it's basically a mindset. i want to be a nurse anesthetist and nothing, nothing at all is going to prevent me from diving full force into my studies to make it happen. i need a's in a&p, micro and other science courses, right?? fine. i'll do what i have to do to make that happen. i don't feel like i've been rude or arrogant to my classmates - actually, i've felt kind of embarrassed to share exam grades and lab practical grades with them, because...well....most of them are failing. i don't feel i need to explain myself to them any further, but i still get the sideways comments (teacher's pet, goody 2 shoes, know-it-all). i'm sure they are said in good fun, but why does the a-maker in the class have to be the one to catch crap for making a's????
anyone with an opinion?
b in sc

i am sure i am a little late in posting this reply, but i want to add my two cents regardless...

the main reason i want to post this is because you remind me so much of a very close friend of mine. the only difference is that she doesn't have children. however she works 40 hours a week, takes the maximum course load of classes, and still makes a's on everything. we are both still working on our pre-req's, and we are almost done. i am saying this to say, i truely admire her! oh yeah, she works 2nd shift and doesn't leave work a lot of nights until 11 or midnight, and then goes home and studies all night!!!

i am not jealous of her by any means, she is motivation for someone like me. i am impressed that people like you and her do so well with all of your other commitments. i don't have children, and i work half as many hours as my friend. i have no excuses. i know i don't study as much as i should. i know i could be an "all a" student if i just applied myself. but i don't. my grades are not bad either. just as one other poster had mention, i have always been blessed when it comes to academics, a lot of things come easy for me, and its not hard for me to make good grades. you guys give me hope; if you can do it, so can i. people like you just proves that "it can be done!"

i commend you on your hard work and dedication, i live in nc, and carolina is a very competitive school, so if you want to get in the i would suggest keeping the same attitude and good grades.

but good grades are not all you need as a nurse. and this is something i have to remind my friend of constantly, because having all a's doesn't determine if you will be a good nurse or not. or having c's, doesn't necessarily mean you will make a bad nurse. i personally feel as if nursing is a skill, and you learn by doing. so as time goes on, and your skills improve you will become a better nurse. keep up the hard work and you will do well! i am very proud of you! good luck! i want to share a quote with you, and it happens to be one of my personal favorites:

"success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."

--booker t. washington