Received grades for 1st semester...

[peytonsmom]

Can I gloat just a little bit? I started an ADN nights/weekends program this fall. The lectured endlessly during the application process, orientation, and again during the semester that working FT during classes was a 1st class ticket to failure. After doing that they gave a nice long lecture telling all of us that were A students to plan on being C students from now on (80% is the lowest passing grade in our program).

I have a 4 y/o son, a 27 y/o husband that acts like a 4 y/o son, worked 40 hours/week (w/ a 45 minute one way commute), took Nursing Fundies and Pathophys and worked my tail off this semester. I can officially say that i have two bright shiny A's to show for the effort.

Now to be fair, my nursing A is litterally the lowest A possible and I don't think my patho A is a very high A either, but I still get to see that 4.0 for the semester.

I totally get that it was just 1st semester and I have plenty of time to crash and burn so i'm not getting cocky, just really excited that I could look at one of my professors w/ a big "I TOLD YOU SO" after her making a snide comment prior to finals about my grades this semester. :angryfire

I am bummed to have lost a few friends from the program after they missed the 80% cutoff by just a few points so I don't want to say anything to anyone I know IRL or on my facebook because of that so I had to at least shout it here. :)

*ETA* that in my gloating I should also have thanked my family (my husband, son, and extended family) for being so supportive especially when I gave up doing any kind of housekeeping somewhere around mid semester (side note: I started cleaning last night and you can finally see our office floor for the first time in probably 3 months lol)

[Inspired By Silence]

An 'A' is an 'A'. Don't sell yourself short. :)

[mercuryrawks]

Congrats, you should be proud of your hard work. Not only because you earned it, but because so many told you it wasn't possible.

I am confused on the FB thing though. I think you should celebrate there as well. You worked HARD. Not to say others did not, but you shouldn't be made to feel "ashamed" because you did well. I take a lot of classes with my friend, and she sometimes ends up with a higher GPA because she isn't raising 3 kids under 5 and running a household. I am. I do not feel bad when she is proud of her achievements. I wouldn't want her to hold back to spare my feelings. Now, if it wasn't good natured, and more like "HAHAHA I DID BETTER THAN YOU!!" Sure, I would be mad. But to say "wahooooooo I made an A despite the hurdles and life getting in the way!!! GO ME!!!" Any friend worth having would be cheering you on right by your side anyway.

Alesha

[Male_Chicago]

When we used to play bball we always had the attitude of "play like youre down!" So we would be up 20 points but we would play as if we were actually DOWN 20 points even though when we looked up at the score board we knew there was no way in hell the other team was gonna catch up. I would use this attitude in your nursing program. You are kicking butt, you pulled off what most people would call a miracle, your gpa shows it, but go after it like you just barely got by your first semester.

[tfleuter, BSN, RN]

You should be very proud! What an awesome accomplishment!

I know what you mean about not want to gloat in real life. I have a few friends who, while doing well enough in their classes, are not making A's and sometimes I just want to shout to the world that I have a 3.9 gpa and am so proud of myself, lol! I was not the greatest student in high school and I never thought I would be able to do so well academically, so I really am pleased with my grades. But I don't want to hurt feelings or undermind their efforts either. I guess I'll just stick with gloating to my parents. They like to hear those things anyways

[OrthoFNP]

WOW! That is so awesome! You go!!!!!!!! I am very impressed with the people who can do it all!!! I mean, working, kids, family. I would be bald! I am with ya on the FB thing though. I have had good grades all semester and I too pulled out a 4.0. I DID not post it o FB bc I did not want to rub it in either. It is just like everything else on FB. I just don't want to be one of those people. You know the ones, they post pics of their new beemer, their HUGE new house, tell us about their raise, show us their new 5 carat engagement ring etc. etc. etc. I don't ever want to be that person. If you feel the need to tell everybody how great you are, rich you are, loved you are etc. you are usually trying to convince yourself.

Plus, it is pretty funny when you have not bragged all semester and people have no idea you did well until final exam day comes and you are not there. They start to whisper, "Did she drop?" "Is she failing and so she gave up?" Nah...SHE HAS AN A AND WAS EXEMPT FROM THE FINAL! My philosophy is this...make um wonder. It is way more exciting. Plus, some people are not capable of being happy for others. I chose not to get those guys all riled up bc where there is jealousy, there is revenge and sabotage. Nursing school is so competitive and human nature causes curiosity so even if you only tell a select few your grades by the end of the semester, the whole class knows. I have actually been commended for NOT posting my grades. I am also friends with an instructor on FB. I feel in this scenario posting grades would be in poor form. So, even though I want to shout it from the roof tops. I don't. Well, not to everyone. Just you guys! There is absolutely a time and a place. You know who you can tell and who you can't!

[peytonsmom]

Thanks everyone! I'm still smiling days later.

I wouldn't have minded the school giving us a heads up that its very difficult to work FT, have a family, and go to school but they way they went about it and made it sound like you might as well walk out the door now because you have no hope of passing made me really want the grades even more just to be able to say "TAKE THAT!" lol.

About the FB...it's not really that i'm ashamed of my grades or think i'd be rubbing it in people's faces as much as it was trying to be curteous of the feelings of those that worked their tail off and still failed. I didn't want them to log into FB and be reminded that someone was moving on and they weren't even though i'm sure none of them would have taken it that way. In fact I had a few friends straight up ask me for my grade (not in a rude way or anything) and were very happy for me and my A's.

So one semester down and just six more to go.....

[OrthoFNP]

That is the right attitude regarding grades and FB. I wish all FB users had that attitude, but then again, we all have to ba accountable for our own lives, situations and decisions and should be capable of being happy for others. I just feel that it is not nice to hit people while they are down. Good call. People get hurt on FB all day long. The people who can't have babies, the ones who are unemployed, the ones going through divorce, the single, lonely ones, the ones who were not invited to the party pics were posted for. Etc. Etc. Etc. Good for you for choosing not to pour salt in the wound. I have been FB bullied before and purposely made to feel left out. It was actually quite funny, obvious and sad esp. since the person doing it is married and has a child. LOL! Anywho. My point is that you may know you are not bragging and just happy for yourself and YOU DANG well should be, but it isn't always taken that way on unfortunately on FB.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

You go girl! I think you've totally earned gloating privileges, not just because of your grades, but because you got your grades despite the dire predictions of your professors.

And hey, a low A is still an A, so live it up!