3 Main Reasons ‘C’ Students Outperform ‘A’ Students in Real Life

These students are hands-on individuals who prefer a pragmatic approach to learning.

One year ago, before I graduated and got my high school diploma, I was considered a straight B student. And as a straight B student, I was constantly outperformed in academics by the ‘nerds’ (Straight A students). I never felt like I had to compete with them, though. Because unlike them I enjoyed my free time and I also saw the education system for what it was. A total scam.

See, I’ve always believed that the education system promoted obedience and social conformity — two things that destroy the creative mind. I was a non-believer of the education system since the age of thirteen, when my English teacher criticised my piece on racism in ‘Of Mice and Men’. The writing was not bad, I assure you. She was just taken aback by how harsh my delivery was. I told her that I put a lot of thought into it, she didn’t agree. I was given a B and she asked me to review it. Admittedly, I didn’t.

Now that I look back on it, I can imagine such a heavy topic being handled so sophisticatedly by a thirteen-year-old, would have made her quite uncomfortable. Perhaps I should’ve written something lighter, less controversial.

Talking about controversy, failing was another thing that was controversial in my school. Nothing got the crowd buzzing like a good results table. Ranking the students in each class from ‘does she manage to get any sleep’ to ‘ damn he’s bout to drop out any day now’, was more of an event than prom was.

But I admired a lot of the ‘ soon to be dropout’, many of them were working side jobs and hustling at an early age. They were out there figuring out how the world worked, understanding workplace politics and out their life’s purpose. They were doing a helluva lot more than they got credit for.

‘C’ student know how to prioritise, they just don’t prioritise what we do.

The teacher hovers over the student with a disapproving frown as she slams the graded paper onto his desk. Plastered on the front page in blood-red writing was a massive ‘C’. The student remains unmoved, as their quest to self improve had already begun — outside of school.

That’s what they got for prioritising real work over school work — a failing report card. That they didn’t care too much for. In their minds school was compulsory- they had to attend- but to put effort or prioritise it was optional.

They didn’t wait until school was completed to pursue their dreams in sports, business, or Content Creation. They knew that starting early gave them an advantage over their peers. Whilst everyone else was in heavy contemplation over which degree they should pursue. They were already taking big strides towards their goals.

They were effective at prioritising. By placing their goals highest on the ranking order, they conserved energy and remained focused on completing the tasks that would ensure they met their goal. Understanding, that progress compounds over time, ‘C’ students work hard to get better every day. By strategically directing all their time and attention to whatever they deemed important, first and foremost.

‘C’ student fail early so they improve faster

“The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.” — John C. Maxwell

I once knew a classmate that used to score top grade in all of her exams. One miserable Friday afternoon the class was made to sit a ‘sneek’ exam, covering the previous topics we had learned about in prior months. Of course, she was unprepared, so she performed poorly. Her straight ‘A’ streak had been smeared with a D- and she was spotted a week later when the result was announced publically, crying in the bathroom stall.

‘C’ students don’t react to failure with anger or frustration. Failure doesn’t lessen their efforts or make them feel unworthy. They embrace it, they know that they will improve eventually. So they carry on failing and learning until they succeed.

Failing is something often looked down upon, and for all the wrong reasons. C students are a perfect example of using failure as a stepping stone for future successes. The ‘C’ grade doesn’t define them because their success lies in other areas.

They don’t wait for the perfect time. They just get started. This links back to my last point about prioritising one’s goals.

Unknowingly ‘C’ students implement the concept of ‘failing early’ by getting started early. Without the right advice, money or expertise, they set out to pursue their dreams. And with bold intentions, they fail often and frequently. But over time as their skills, understanding and experience compound, their chances of success also increase.

‘C’ students like to experiment

‘’All life is an experiment the more experiment the better’’

I often see ‘C’ students approach life differently than we do. Whilst we see life as a series of obligations, constructs and rules we need to adhere to. They chase fulfilment and opportunities. Their view of the world is less constrict and more bountiful in that sense.

This is why you often see them undertake odd jobs, switch careers often in later life and move around from one location to another.

When it comes to learning they take a more pragmatic approach rather than a theoretical one. So they prefer to dive in and learn whilst on the job rather than study for countless hours. ‘C’ students understand the need for creativity, they also understand the real value of creativity within the marketplace. Which is why they make great entrepreneurs. As the creative mind grows with every challenge and with every challenge theirs continuously expands.

Their heightened sense of self-awareness cultivated from regular experimentation, allows them to spot opportunities faster. Their trials and tribulations often lead to breakthroughs in their personal and professional lives. And as a result, success seems to follow them around.

Here are some bonus mentions :

• ‘C’ students are notorious out of the box thinkers.
• ‘C’ students are more likely to take risks in later life.
• ‘C’ students engage and enjoy self-directed learning

In a nutshell…

There’s a lot that we can learn from ‘C’ students. Despite not being seen, initially, as the well to do type. Their uncanny ability to strive forwards despite rejection and their positive hands-on attitude to learning gives them a competitive edge — in a market that values creativity and resilience.

As the world becomes more and more dynamic, It becomes great practice to implement the kind of attitudes that will give you a competitive advantage. Such as the attitudes ‘C’ students naturally possess. Even if there isn’t much evidence to suggest that all ‘C’ students outperform ‘A’ students in real life. It’s still important to recognise and commend their interestingly different approach to Life, School and Work.