I’m not a perfectionist
It’s been a few weeks since I told you I was presenting my final project for my masters degree. Other than that, I just had to finish up one more class which happens to end next week. You would think I would have been excited to finish after over 2 years of stress and anxiety, right?
Well, in reality, the final presentation didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Although I had been working on the project since April, I didn’t seem to get all the pieces together. I had a mentor on the project and was passing everything through him, but he didn’t catch them either before I presented to the head of the program. I got a C.
While I can still graduate with a C and get this all over with, I have never received less than a B in any college-level class. I currently have a 4.0, and since this project is the culmination of all my prior classes, it’s very strange and/or disheartening. Did I not really learn anything? Honestly, I was pretty lazy and unmotivated, so I had to roll over from the summer into the fall and pay $60. It happens to most people in my program since it’s a self-paced project and no one is yelling at you to keep on schedule.
But getting to the point, I have 3 options:
1. Take the C and finish. Only I, and now my anonymous audience (and all my friends, family and coworkers who I’ve told) will be the wiser.
2. Spend about 2 months redoing the project, resubmit to my mentor and get a B. My mentor is the one who gives me the grade, but the head of the program can override him and is the final approval.
3. Work about 4 months AND present to the head of the program again and maybe get an A.
I decided to go for the B. I’d like to get this all over with, and have seriously thought about just taking the C. I know I would never put my GPA on my resume even if I got a 4.0, but I just can’t live with a C. I don’t know what it is. If I would have to start from scratch to get a B, I would take the C, but I just have to do a little more work, so I’m going for it.
But I’ve decided to take the rest of this year off and start on it in 2010. I need a break and I want to enjoy the holidays. I have to pay another $60 for my personal satisfaction (to roll into next semester), but I feel it’s worth it.
I might have been tempted to go for the A personally, but I understand your choice, especially as another 4 months means more time and money and more stress. I think that in the long term you might feel it was worth it, but a B is still an excellent grade if you push forward for this option. Hope it all works out well, let us know your final decision.
Probably what I would have done. In the end, a master’s is a master’s unless you’re going for a doctorate, but I completely understand not wanting a C.
At this point in my career, no one cares what I got in college, only that I got a degree (and then secondary interest of what I got it in to see if it relates to the job). Financially, it makes no sense to spend $60 just to go from a 3.8 to a 3.9 when no one cares anyway…but I would know.
Funny thing is that my wife wants me to go for the A. She seems to already have forgotten all the hell I’ve put her through the last 2+ years. I’ve been grumpy, withdrawn, angry and just overall stressed, and now I have to work to repair the damage I’ve done to our relationship. I think I’ll just stick with a 3.9 and ditch the 4.0, especially since it’s not a given that I would get the final A.
I think it’s a safe bet friend, glad you’re comfortable with your decision 🙂 Maybe that means you’ll hang out with your DC blogging crew now, eh?