I needed to order a college transcript so I ordered an extra one just so take a trip down memory lane. I cracked open the sealed envelope (apparently they take security seriously — I mean who would want to change their grades? — oh, everyone) and looked at my five years at the University of Tennessee. This what I found:
1. My grades were generally good. Mostly A’s and B’s with a few C’s (in Statistics, French, and Calculus). There was one D and that was in Accounting II — and I pulled that bad boy up from a solid F by getting a 92% on my final. I’m most proud of that one. Really. I learned what I could really do if I applied myself.
2. I had a 3.2 average — which is OK. I wasn’t a Rhodes Scholar by any means.
3. I remembered every professor and remembered a few lessons I learned from each of them. Most didn’t involve the subject matter.
4. I switched majors and I can see where I floundered initially after doing so. The value of my advisor, Dr. Sarah Gardial (who is now Dean of the Business School at Iowa), is obvious. My grades shot up after she helped me craft my schedule for my future.
But what doesn’t show on my transcript is how hard I worked outside of the classroom and what I did extracurricularly.
1. I served as a Resident Assistant and as a Student Government Senator for my dorm, Greve Hall.
2. I worked nearly full time for Student Publications as a paste-up artist.
3. I played harmonica in a band.
4. I drew hundreds of editorial cartoons for student newspaper, The Daily Beacon.
And out of all of that, guess what made the biggest difference?
College was a wonderful experience for me — I gained a great education in the classroom. But I found a career at The Daily Beacon.
That’s where my passion was. And that doesn’t show on my transcript at all.