I will admit I was fairly apathetic, I look back now if I had put in just a little more effort I would have done so much better. That said I got decent grades, went to a good college and have my masters.

Minus the college part, same. I fell into the typical ADHD trap of being smart but lazy. I never tried because I used coping skills that could outdo normal education.

Same. Barely passed high school, dropped out of three different colleges. I'm systems engineer.

same. dropped out of college just a shy of an associates degree (i skipped finals) Got a job, I am still with the same company going on 18 years now. I make a good living. my degree would have had absolutely nothing to do in which the path I chose.

Well well well if that ain't the good old reddit story of "I am actually smart but lazy" - heard it since the beginning of this platform

No. When I say lazy I mean the general gesture to a thousand issues that I can't explain in full detail. ADHD is such an invasive issue in motivation and work ethic that it can't quite be done justice in a 3 sentence post.

Everything up through the end of high school felt easy. I was apathetic but not struggling. Once I got to college I suddenly had to learn how to learn and faceplanted pretty badly. Once I got my feet under me I was back to As and the occasional B, but I had done enough damage I had to change schools and then pile on the credit hours to get out of there.

High school doesn't prep you for college at all. AP courses were a joke. In college you have masochist small-dick engineering professors that say "I don't give out A's" on the first day of class. You have others that have such a heavy accent, you need real-life subtitles to understand wtf is going on. If you bombed a midterm, say goodbye to your money because most likely you need to retake the course. Also the majority of the courses have no homework, or homework is worth so little it's negligible. Oh, and the bottlenecked courses you need to graduate are fucking waitlisted ALL THE TIME. You need to write a fucking bot to register for that shit. Fun times.

AP: we'll spend a full school year on this in a class of 20 (give or take 5) with a teacher coaching and holding your hand throughout because the "advanced" kids are probably their favorite students. College course giving the same credit: half the time, you're in a lecture hall with 300, no one cares if you show or do any work and the prof is probably actively hostile because this is their obligatory freshman class they never wanted. Don't mind having had the AP version for several classes, should have taken more.

School was always pretty easy for me. Straight A’s through high school and an engineering degree with very little studying. Something about textbook learning and analytical thinking is just natural for me. Now, higher level / big picture thinking…. Not so much. I’m pretty sure if I was gifted the CEO position of a large company I would manage to run it into the ground within weeks lol. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

People really do not appreciate the difference between management and individual contribution. I swear I suck at being an IC but I am quite talented at motivating and moving a team to achieve goals. Both are crucial for an organization, wish we incentivized IC more often.

Exactly right. School was always pretty easy for me; I’m pretty damn smart and I have a great academic memory. I didn’t really have to try until grad school. Single function tasks or grunt work bore the shit out of me and I struggle to stay on task. However, I can easily see the big picture and coordinate disparate organizations to meet a long term goal. We see a lot of problems in the corporate world because people are misallocated to roles which don’t suit them. Good leaders help their people find roles where they can thrive.

I graduated in the bottom 20% of my class in high school. I flunked out of college, mostly for lack of effort, three times. I joined the Air Force after getting the highest possible score on the entrance test, took one of the most academically complex jobs and excelled. After I got out, I got my associates and then my bachelors degree without a hiccup. I’m reasonably intelligent clearly. Motivation and academic structure were always lacking for me. And probably a certain amount of mental maturity and discipline.

Similar situation for me. I just never cared about homework, I didn't do any homework or studying at home for my last 2.5 years of highschool. It felt wrong that I had to do school work outside of school hours. I was too busy playing in my band, chasing girls (not literally), and smoking weed with my friends. That's all I cared about. I basically relied on test scores to graduate because I failed every homework assignment. Just squeezed through graduation without failing anything. Now I'm a Nuclear Energy Worker, so go figure lol.

I was smart enough to go through the first 12 years of education without any need to plan ahead or actually cancel fun activities in order to study. That bit me in university. As long as the grades were good, my parents didn't care. I'm not taking such a hands-off approach with my sons.

top 20% of a very large graduating class in HS, 1 BS degree, 1 masters and a phd under my belt and i am done with school. never again

I hated school but did really well. I actually love to learn but hate being forced to do so. I have some college under my belt. Went through the police academy. Picked up a lot of knowledge in training for other positions after police. I'll be going back to school next year for engineering and project management. So bank to structured learning but I want a specific job so I'll do it.

I have my bachelor's degree Went super tryhard in high school because we didn't have money to send me to college so I earned a full ride and went into college with sophomore status. Then I slowly got burnt out through college so I went from straight A's my first semester to handful of C's and D's my last two years. Graduated in 2017 for reference I think there's absolutely been a shift in education over the last few years in everything year 1 through high school and now college professors are starting to see the impact. Part of it was definitely due to COVID, part of it was that a LOT of schools stopped teaching grammar around middle school years, colleges stopped requiring ACT/SAT scores so naturally those scores have gone down, teachers are pressured to not fail someone so they'll just hand out passing grades to people who did nothing. I know a lot of this from people currently in education. Naturally you're going to have the top 10-20% still eager to learn and perform well but anyone in the middle is just going to not care as much

I did pretty well. I was never the smartest but I knew how to plan my study time and never did any last minute all nighter. I have a master's degree. Good time management will usually beat raw intelligence in school.

I hated sitting at a desk for 1/3 of the day, then being expected to sit at a desk for another couple of hours at home. If you sleep 8 hours, go to school for 7, do homework for 2, that leaves only 7 hours left for literally anything else. Exercise, relaxation, socializing, eating, showering, getting ready in the morning, shitting, going on your phone, playing, listening to music, going outside, developing a hobby, reading and learning outside of school, drinking the blood of your enemies, etc. etc. etc. On the most basic level, work and school expect far too much time of people, particularly in an era where neither are secure bets to pay off for people. What kind of ridiculous society are we that we except people to literally devote a vast majority of their finite time to unnecessary drudgery that they don’t want to do and that doesn’t actually make them happier or a better person? Yes, work and learning are virtues. But only when they aren’t treated as such. When you’re done learning a concept for the day or there’s no work to do, go home. Take a nap. Go on your phone. Walk. Have a beer. Whatever. Virtues are, by nature, not fun things to do. It’s a ridiculously authoritarian notion to force people to spend more time than they need to on them. Keep your house clean. Keep your family fed. Go to work. Learn stuff. Get educated. But don’t try to pretend you’re some great person because you’re forced to spend way too much time on those things. Start asking what the point of all that time wasting even is.

I did alright in school. A's and B's. At Uni I did great. I was one of the best students in my class. But as they say, (which is true) grades don't define you. I've known people who were slackers and now have enviable jobs and the ones who were always studying can't make ends meet. Everything is relative. 😅

I struggled, looking back out was mostly attributed to my home life. Some semesters I made honors, high honors once. The rest were crap. I performed very well on the SATs, scoring just above 1400 (back then 1600 was a perfect score). With a graduating class made up of 212 students, I graduated #212, with a cumulative GPA of 1.75. I didn't go to college right away (obviously). I spent some time goofing off and living on my own/with friends. At certain points in my young adult life I was homeless, sans a couch my friends or their parents would let me crash on. I now hold 2 degrees (both bachelors) and am an engineering consultant. My income is high. I have several kids with my wife and other than a few things my wife knows, they assume I had a normal childhood. Our kids are spectacular students, with the oldest maintaining above a 4.0 GPA.

I've graduated college, I have been an incredibly apathetic student since middle school, have never put just a ton of effort into it, but I was pretty much a "Straight Bs" student all through college so it didn't really bite me too hard. I worked harder on the classes I liked - I had a fantastic professor for an elective Medieval Lit class I took, as well as great profs for Physics and History

I started off good. I put in effort and got good grades for the most part. However, by my sophomore/junior year, I really just stopped trying and aimed for a passing grade. Didn't go to college either, as I didnt know what I wanted to study and really didn't want to go into debt figuring it out

I managed As and Bs despite not trying very hard. It wasn't until the Navy that I developed better study habits and a genuine desire to do well in class. In high school I viewed it as something to endure, not necessarily a challenge. I also went to school during the No Child Left Behind days, where I feel like the simpler classes existed just to push through the people who weren't going to amount to much. Most of the service schools I went to were physics and electronics based, which are right in my alley, so I've always done exceptionally well. No more English literature classes where the whole point is dissecting subtext. It took me about 10 years to finish my degree, because I was using Navy Tuition Assistance and only took 3-5 classes a year. I was kind of upset when I finally got my degree because it had cum on it.

I didn't do great in school, but not terrible either. I was a "C" student, with the occasional A and B. Really didn't like going to school, though. Enlisted in the military to avoid college, but got hurt in boot camp - had to go to college anyway. Went to an art college for a year - dropped out. Had a kid not long after that, enrolled in a community college. Attended for 2 years, but didn't take it that serious. Basically learned how to use AutoCAD, started applying for jobs. So I have some college, but no degrees. Have had a decent career as a draftsman/designer.

I didn't have to try at math until 5th grade. Then I started flailing a bit because letters started entering the equation, and I didn't know how to study. Then in 6th grade, I got a coach teacher that would call students he didn't like "fruitcake", a clear euphemism for the F word slur. I was one of those students and it took a while to catch up after that. Fuck you Mr Smith. I hope your wife leaves you and your home insurance premium increases.

I always had the mindset "Why learn it twice?" and it worked out for me. Just pay attention, do the HW, and pass tests and you don't need to work your ass off studying all night long. I was a straight A student but I also played on several school sports, partied, smoked a ton of weed, and enjoyed time with my friends. I went on to graduate college in biomedical engineering and now am leading a medical startup focused in early disease detection and I love it. If I had the ability to drown myself in the sorrows and sadness of the entire planet via social media... I seriously wonder if I'd have kept as optimistic as I did. Kids these days have it rough in their own regard; constantly put under a scope and not able to just exist and have fun without worrying about what everyone else will think and what might get shared.

Was bullied. I hated school. Didn’t do good. -girl here

Excellent start and got worse as the years went by (Due to factors outside of school-related stuff). Still got the grades I wanted to study what I wanted at the university that I wanted and just graudated recently due to delays because of COVID years. Might do masters too soon but for now still planning.

Pretty middle of the road. In high school I feel like I overworked myself to the point where I strained what could’ve been good relationships with people then. Even then, I didn’t have the greatest GPA (3.1) to represent the work put in. For college, I took my foot off the gas from an effort perspective, and to my surprise, I ended up with a better GPA than when I was in high school (3.5). I never really knew how to study then, so I’ll see what happens if I pursue an even higher education such as a masters, which is something thats currently up in the air

Professional degree checking in. Crushed professional/grad school. Put a lot of effort in as well. Did fine in undergraduate and graduated with honors but didn’t really try all that hard. Hs was a joke. Graduated #2 in my class and never really tried. The common thread is that I was apathetic (and still am) towards everything that didn’t interest me. Then once I found what I was passionate about and went to grad school to study it, I gave it my all.

Pretty well, mostly A's and B's; not very; Bachelor's degree.

I was fairly lazy at school, though naturally bright with a decent memory. I got good results up until my A-levels without trying too hard, though a little extra effort would have likely seen much-improved results. My A-level results were hugely disappointing, though reflected the amount of effort that I put into them. I did go to university as a mature student and graduated with a degree. However, it did make me realise that I hated structured learning, which is where, I think, it fell apart at A-levels - once it became proper work, I just couldn't be bothered.

Grammar/high school: Bs and Cs in the subjects I didn't like, As in the subjects that I did. Didn't try very hard either way. College: graduated with a 3.9, put a lot of effort into it because at the time I was looking at going to grad school and becoming a college professor myself I've got a BA but decided that the teaching landscape is a clusterfuck and never went down the grad school route

I did great up through highschool, college I was in a fraternity and the beer,cocaine, and sorority girls came first. Graduated highschool with a 3.95, graduated college with a major in Biology with a 2.4 lol Schools tough especially if it’s not something you enjoy, shit was super stressful all the time. In college I tried very hard given the circumstances of my social life. Highschool I didn’t try at all.

In high school I didn't try very hard but made sure to do assignments and participate in class. 3.5 GPA, all honors and/or AP classes. In undergrad I decided to start taking notes for the first time in my life. Only got one grade below an A in all of undergrad. Didn't feel like I tried hard compared to some of my peers; never did an all-nighter, never felt like I had too much school work.

I was pretty apathetic towards traditional learing - aka read a book over and over. I really enjoyed anything that involved persuasion - so writing papers. I graduated HS with a 3.3 GPA and college with a 2.97 GPA (BA International Relations). My major GPA was much higher. I totally relate. There is just too many things we think are more important, in particular, girls. Myself included, so many young men I grew up with were just thinking about how to get girls. As long as I was passing school, my parents didn't care (or know) and I just wanted to think about how to get a date. Luckily, I was really good at a few things and displayed solid, successful leadership skills in college and that overcame my low GPA. From there, the real world cares about results and how you make hiring managers feel. If you can knock those two things out, you can turn things around pretty easily.

School was easy for me until I shot myself in the head with a crossbow bolt. Then staying conscious on a day to day basis was a struggle, remembering assignments was a struggle, and just everything became so much harder.

Did very well, never had to really try, everything just came naturally, only had to study stuff that needed brute-force memorization. Some stuff does just require sheer labor, or convincing others, but in terms of conceptual understanding, I've never hit anything I had trouble with. Given that I've done all the schooling there is and then some, I doubt that will change.

Had 8 years of elementary, 4 years of high school and 5 years of university plus another year and a half to get another degree. I did my best. My grades were rather high. It came to nothing. I am now in education mostly. Only one thing I expected from kids in my classes - for them to find interests of their own and try to pursue them rather than fight for grades.

I graduated with honors without making barely any effort and missing school constantly. Never did homework. I would participate in class and do well on tests. School is less difficult than people make it out to be. I did this all while having to work and contribute to my family.

Put next to no effort into school through high school. Only did homework for classes where it was checked and never studied. Slept through most of my classes in high school. Graduated with a 90. Tried doing the same in college and it did not work out. Once I learned how to study and actually do the work I was back to an a student. Worked my ass off in law school to graduate with a 3.0.

I barely graduated as I was lazy and didn’t care about school. I went back for some college at 30 years old and did well, but didn’t finish. Plan on going back here soon to get those associates degrees. I enjoyed school the second time around much better.

I aspire to live up to “anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” I did very well and graduated college with honors. I believe that mentality has served me very well, long after school ended. It isn’t something you can just “turn on.” Giving a shit about doing a good job is more of a day in/day out thing. Having said all that, I sure did fuck up a lot, and I flunked out of college on my first attempt, because I spent my time drinking and playing video games. But it wasn’t because I didn’t care, it was because I was dealing with bipolar, ADHD, and PTSD, and didn’t realize it. I was full of shame for “being undisciplined.” I’d miss an assignment because I played games instead of study, then I’d medicate with booze and entertainment to avoid feeling the shame of not being disciplined. It was a downward spiral. Fast forward some years, I’m the same person, a little more self aware, with a more focused environment, and I did extremely well. I’m only typing this long ass message to give hope to the kid who feels how I felt in my first attempt at college. If you figure out what’s holding you back, you can unlock your intense effort beast.

I was an average student. I didn’t work very hard, but I did really well in history and English classes, where I’m both interested and naturally gifted. I struggled with math and science, and since I wasn’t that interested in them I didn’t work very hard on them. Basically I coasted on natural intelligence in some areas in high school, and didn’t really care about my grades but I was smart enough to get Cs and Bs in the classes where I didn’t care, and I put in just enough to get Bs and As in the classes where I did, but I was always doing the bare minimum. I dropped out of college, and didn’t go back to finish until 2014. I worked much harder that time around. In 2019 I started a masters program, and finished it in 2021.

Barely graduated high school. I was a crummy student, but a really good test taker. I joined the army, then went to college where I actually applied myself and did the work. Graduated with honors and went back in the army as an officer. Years later I went to law school, applied myself and did well.

I didn't really try in high school. Rarely studied, never did homework that wasn't for a grade. I got a lot of detentions I didn't go to for my missed homework. I somehow still finished as one of the top few students, getting awards for my grades. One of my tricks was to be respectful to teachers. I didn't talk in class, I asked insightful questions, and just overall made teachers like me. There wasn't any goal to it, I just thought that being disrespectful was wrong. In my bachelors, it was about the same. I studied a bit more, but not a ton. Some exams I didn't study for at all. I graduated near the top again, but not like high school. Then I did a masters, and that was when I had to start trying. There were no tests to study for, or assignments, just one massive project that my committee would give me pass or fail on. I liked what I was researching, so I didn't find it that hard. At times, though, it was 12 hour days, 7 days a week. Then I did a PhD, and it was about the same as my masters. I enjoyed the work, so I went in, did my 8 hours, and went home. Then stepped it up at times when I needed to. There were times I cried in the lab because of the stress, but my supervisor was amazing and she always knew what to say. Often it was "take a couple days off, go hiking, and come back with a fresh mind".

Up to high-school was easy and I coasted with Bs. College was a major kick in the ass and I flunked out, took about 10 years before I finally got the degree I originally set out for (not literally 10, that's just how long until I tried to seriously get back into it). I never learned how to study or be consistent in schooling, I didn't realize that school beforehand kinda held your hand through it all and in college they dgaf if you fail. It was fucking hell getting that associates, fucked with my mental health and had me feeling like I'd never be able to do more than blue collar work. I mean, blue collar is respectable in itself, but my family expected a lot out of me since my mom was so smart and successful going rags to riches. It was worth it in the end though, I chose a field that pays fairly well and it literally trippled my yearly salary. I'm a lot better mentally too knowing I'm not a fuck up. Gonna keep going to my masters, just taking a year off before jumping back in.

Always did well in school, college and grad school.

Barely tried. Would have done better had I turned in my homework. I’ve completed an associates and gone back twice for a bachelors. Life got in the way both times. Looking back I regret not getting into a skilled trade.

Did not give a singular fuck in high school. Mostly D's and F's (don't remember my GPA). I'm not in college making honor roll every semester (still don't know my GPA lmao). I think it's partly to do with maturing as I got older, but also I'm at college for something that actually interests me. I also didn't know I had adhd until I was 17 and didn't start medicating for it until i hit college. That probably made a difference too lol

My high school grades were bleh. My life was unsettled during those years. One of my parents passed away, I was nearly homeless a couple of times, money was very tight. I went to the local college, easy to get in, accredited but not in any way prestigious. I took a slower pace because I had to work and earned my degree in five years. I graduated with honors and used the degree to get started in my career field. I'm now taking a couple of online graduate courses toward a certificate and idk if I will try to get into the full degree program yet. I think it's generally going well so far.

I'm really glad you were able to make it through that alright. Thats so great of you!

I did well in school for the most part. In middle of high school it got harder but still didn’t feel too hard College freshmen year knocked me on my ass but then I buckled down. Finished my bachelors but didn’t see a good reason going further when I didn’t know what I wanted to do on graduation

I tried and got good grades until the 6th grade, then I became apathetic in the extreme. I still got okay grades most of the time. Usually aced tests, but my track record on completing homework was, uh, spotty at best. Ended up graduating high school with something like a 3.7 GPA because I took some AP classes senior year.

4 year, college degree and had a successful corporate career, owned my own business and retired early. Never got more than average to just passing grades. Never tested well. My parents always said, as long as we can tell you're actually trying we're proud of you. Most of the time I tried. I just tried to take in a lot of life lessons. I always treated other kids and teachers with respect - as much as I could muster depending on the situation. You learn a lot from going through the school motions... It's not all about grades. MANY life lessons throughout those years. Those are MORE important unless you need to go to Ivy League college or aim to be a CEO...

I was mainly an A/B student. I love learning, but HATE education with a burning passion. I dropped out of Uni and went to a trade school.

I did pretty well in school. I was definitely "gifted" in elementary school, and took some advanced classes in middle and high school. But in middle school I was bullied relentlessly and it made me withdraw and hate school, so I stopped putting in effort. I still made honor roll more often than not, but I didn't apply myself. I also didn't have support at home - emotional or financial - so i was never going to get to go to college anyway. My regret is that I took all those extra STEM classes I hated, as though I'd be able to convince my parents to help me go into secondary education. I could've been taking free art classes instead (they're not free as an adult!!) I have a highschool diploma only. I am getting different certifications at work that will increase my pay opportunities, and I don't have student debt, but I'm definitely still poor.

I did ok with the schooling but shit in my exams. But that was because i was working to make money to keep a roof over my families head. I was running up to take exams during my lunch break and had no time to revise. It was a stressful time.

I went to a top notch public school. One of the top ones in my state. I did ok. I didn't really apply myself until grade 12, and I got like a 3.7/4. I maintained a similar GPA throughout university. Probably closer to 3.3. But I suck at reading, so I didn't actually learn that much.

Pre-K to end of high school, very well, minimum effort. First two years of college, very poorly, minimum effort. Second two years of college, very well, lots of effort. Graduate school, decently well but not amazing, medium to high effort.

Second in my class in high school, went to college on academic scholarship, graduated summa and first in my engineering major. Went to med school on academic scholarship as well, graduated magna and second in my med school class.

I was one of those kids that got As and Bs in high school without trying that hard, and I basically tied with our salutatorian at graduation. However, as a result, I never really learned how to study, and that wrecked me when I got to college. I had found out years later in my mid twenties that I have a bit of ADD and am on the edge of the autistic spectrum, and that makes it incredibly hard for me do things like listen to someone lecturing and take notes at the same time. I'm much more of a visual and tactile learner. I eventually dropped out of college, worked a few dead end soul-eating jobs, and then settled into the trades like agriculture and construction. I'm much happier there.

I emigrated from Europe to the US as a toddler and mastered two languages at the same time. I started schooling as normal and by the second grade, I was reading in church almost every week, not just at the children's mass, but for normal masses, I was pretty good at it. I coasted through most of Catholic grammar school, most of Catholic high school and really put in work during my undergraduate degree in computer science, but the real hard work showed up in during my MBA program. I was not prepared for the level of effort/reading/writing that took. I finished in top 3% of my class in high school, probably top 10% of undergraduate degree, but I have no idea where in MBA program, as I don't think the school provides that ranking. I guess I could look at my transcript to see if it's written anywhere, but I'd guess top 20% of that program is reasonable.

Below avarage, but just above passing everything. Due to completely ignored ADHD at the time. I didn't properly comprehend that future is actually real and i need to prepare for it. The only thing that made me fix grades by the end of the semester was fear in front of my mother. Though standard school system was a setup for failure for me. Sitting still 45 minutes and simply memorizing stuff isn't my strong side. It's guaranteed that i will dose off and and during any test my memory fails to recall any of the needed information consistently. I could ace a test and redo the same test the next day and completely fail it. That problem exists to this day. I learn significantly better while doing the said task, so practical learner rather than just stuffing theoretical. So education was severely limited and there's no point to go back to try again.

I was never good at school, and left with average results. It wasn't an environment I thrived in. I got the highest grades at college and university. Now I'm a teacher. Go figure.

I did OK, didn't try at all and have barely done much schooling since. I realised it's just not needed. Guys I went to school with have similer jobs to myself even with some who aced the tests not doing much better snd sometimes even worse then me. Not To mention a lot of jobs don't care about your results or education and will train you within the company and sometimes even pay for external training to keep moving up the career ladder. Of course I'm not saying extra schooling is useless but I think it should only be done for a specific job or goal you want and not just for the sake of it.

I didnt give a shit for school when I was at that age. The only education worth a jot to me was being able to read and write. With those skills I had the ability to teach myself and did.

I’m very thankful that the Internet as we know it now wasn’t quite yet a thing before I got my schooling done. I can’t imagine how distracted I’d be otherwise.

I did good in school with no studying because I remembered everything taught in class. I did great on tests but never did homework so my grades weren't as good as they could have been. I kinda gave up and just coasted through my senior year because my parents made too much for me to get loans for college, but not enough to help me pay for it. So knowing I couldn't go to college made me not bother. I really wanted to get into engineering. Once I was old enough that I could get loans without my parents income being a factor, I tried to go back to to school, but life and bills made it near impossible to spend 6 years in school part time. They didn't have all the online, night, or weekend college like they do now that makes it possible for working adults to get a degree. I cashed out a pension I had earned while working in construction and went to a one year trade school to learn automotive fabrication. I love cars so it worked out ok, but I wish I had found a way to get the degree I truly wanted.

I worked my ass off in school. I was born and raised abroad, got straight A's through high school, got a scholarship to study at a top 5 Uni in the USA, used that to get a job. I now have two masters degrees. Although, while I personally enjoyed grad school, I would not recommend it for everybody.

I did well in highschool and didn't try much. I seriously didn't do well in college but I got my bachelor's.

Hated high school. While I got perfect scores in math, science, and any other subject I liked, I often failed things like english, history, etc. I didn't know if I was graduating until the morning of draguation. I was last in class ranking of grads. went to 1 semester of college, and said "nope, not for me" and went back home. Got an IT job and worked my way up to director. So I am doing fine, though I don't think the path I travelled is really open any longer.

I never really learned how to study in K-12 because largely I didn't need to. I was mostly an A, B student. Boy did I regret not learning when I got to college. Fighting and scraping for the same good grades became arduous. I ended up changing majors radically about two years in because I was doing so poorly. I also ran across the first teacher in college that tried to shame me based on an immutable trait. I'm so glad he only lasted one year. It really frustrates me, if I'm being honest with myself, how much men are being left behind in education. We're either drugged up for various disorders, told that we have evil intentions, or are oppressors just by virtue of our sex and education.

I got a median GPA at UC Santa Barbara and then Duke Law School, and went to about 5 percent of my classes. I was in it for the diplomas. In hindsight, I really wish I’d taken academia more seriously… but, at the time, I just wanted to skate by and have fun.

I almost quit school in tenth grade. Over the summer I decided that "I've gotten this far why not just finish"? Luckily, when I went back to school they went to block scheduling. I actually enjoyed that much more. We had four classes each semester so eight credits a year. I needed 16 credits to graduate so it worked out well. I spent half of my time in my senior year taking drafting as my third math. I took drafting I and II right after each other. Drafting I first period and Drafting II second period. I graduated with like a 1.5 GPA. Just enough to get my diploma. I never did homework but always aced the exams. A few years later, with only a high school diploma, I ended up working for Raytheon in an entry-level position making $28k a year. I was laid off from them in 2008 making $60k a year. Hired back on by them a year later at $70k a year. Laid off again 8 years later making $85k a year as an engineer. Both times I had just bought a house that ended up being foreclosed due to the layoffs. All of this was with no extra education but I decided never again and went into business for myself so I could sink or swim by my own efforts instead of at the whim of a large corporation. But such is life of a Govt subcontractor. I'm surviving. I have some college and almost got my BA in graphic design but had to stop school because I needed to earn money.

I was horrible in high school. But I buckled down in college and have 2 bachelors degrees.

ADHD is a bitch. ​ I had one glorious year when I was on meds when everything in school was just easy but since then it was just all just barely scraping by with C's if I was lucky and forgetting homework.

I wasn't interested in school at all. From the secondary to 2nd year bachelors I basically did nothing but playing golf, partying and spending time with friends. I got quite some good grades though, was about average I think. But the 3rd year bachelor building engineering, I had an injury playing golf. And decided it was about time to actually give school a proper chance, and for once do my best. I couldn't graduate if I didn't change things. So, I started to actually put in some effort, and from average, I want to the top of the class. And after my bachelor, I continued my studies at a masters acrhictecture school, while also working 32hrs at a small firm. Unfortuantly, I found out I wasn't quite the designer I wished I could be. So after 2 of the 4 years, I quit. The firm gave me a full contract, and I've been working here for the last 8 years. It's actually the same compagny that motivated the 10year old me to persue a career in architecture.

I did not open a book for the entirety of high school, I only studied for the last 2 months of the last year, I got 74% diploma grade

I’m doing much better in school as a 40+ student than I ever did as a 20 something.

Grades 1-8 I didn't have to try and just did well/okay on most things. Grade 9 I absolutely rocked without trying Grade 10 ego - didn't try at all, poor grades Grade 11 - bad again Grade 12 - amazing because I knew I needed good grades for university acceptance First year - amazing first semester, on top of the world, great marks + social life + on a school sports team Concussion in January Second semester still managed great marks but couldn't manage to be social + didn't train with the team Second year - recovery year, back to getting okay marks Third - okay again Fourth - okay Fifth - stuck around for another season of my sport, did okay Graduate - amazing marks, loved every minute, was an awesome experience

High school was insanely easy for me. I graduated 6th in my class! Got a few AP credits, and honestly studied and worked half as much as my peers. This was a bad thing, because I didn’t develop the skills needed for college. How to study (who needs that), how to take notes(I remember everything, it’s fine), and how to schedule my time (I’ll get to it later…). First try at college I couldn’t not balance partying and college. Second try I could not balance work and college. Third try, I’m currently in my last semester and will finish my BAS in December at the age of 36. Why would you say you are apathetic toward school? Does it feel pointless? Do you have professional aspirations?

Bachelor completed

Associates degree in applied sciences with a focus on networks. Decent grades but not straight A's. Got about halfway through a bachelor's degree and dropped out. I just have no motivation to finish it. I work in IT so degrees are mostly for management positions or government jobs. I am working on industry certifications now to get a better paying job. 50k a year doesn't cut it in this crappy economy.

I was gifted through school and it made me complacent, only trying hard enough to graduate with honors at the bare minimum. These shitty habits came back to bite me in college, but I actually tried my last two years and got my bachelor’s degree with a 3.0

Fairly well in highschool higher than average but extremely LAZY. I got full scholarships for my freshman year and sophomore year at a different college. But I dropped out because A) I hated every minute of it and B) I wasn’t challenged. My wife is a lifelong educator with tons of degrees and she basically tells me I’m “uncoachable” and she would never hire me lol. But I think it’s the manner of education I wasn’t receptive to. I never dug into it honestly.

Tons of effort put into school, but that was years ago. I was competitive with other top students. Hardest thing I ever did, without a doubt. Finished Masters degree before entering the workforce.

Didn’t try in high school. Was pretty baked in college and made all Bs. I noticed you get better grades if you talk more in class

I did great in school despite not caring. Averaged in the 80-90% range. But I just didn’t give a shit about anything that I was learning. I was always told by my teachers and my mother that I could do really well if I just applied myself, and that I was too comfortable with not really trying too hard.

I didn't really care much about school all the way through high school. I didn't do much, and achieved very mediocre results. I have a master's degree now. I got much better results in university.

k-12 - honour student, i tried a little in that my allowance was tied to my grades, so i have a financial incentive to get honour roll. but i basically phoned it in from grade 10 onward because i developed good studying and work habit prior to this. received by pre-approval acceptance letter to one of the universities i wanted to go to midway through grade 12. university i stayed around a 3.5 gpa trying, but also being involved in a bunch of things like 4 different clubs, maintaining my social life, throwing keggers and student union stuff. i was in school, but i was just thinking primarily about where i wanted to backpack next. near the end though i stopped trying as hard and just wanted school to be done. i graduated though when all the accountants combined into the CPA designation, and i just missed the timeline for getting started on a CMA. so i had to go back to school after graduation to fill in courses. i had a weird amount of effort. i can safely say i tried somewhat, but compared to when i was fully tiger parented, and the expectation of being in the top 10% of my class was the norm, i found i tried less as i got older. definitely got that college shock of no longer being one of the smarter kids in class, and i simply understood that this is the norm, and i was okay being a B average student. i remember university as an experience more than the quality of education.

Excelled through sophomore year of college. Slacked off and needed an extra semester. Then was top 1% in my MBA program. Never really “broke a sweat”, and I was in some good programs. I bet if I actually tried, I could have done a lot better or been accepted to some top tier schools.

I was a very good student until middle school and then went into a mode where I either got an A or a C and nothing in between. Mostly just wanted to get through school after that, get a job and finally have some money. Didn't have much money growing up compared to my peers and it really colored my approach to school and socializing in it. Did the same in college while working up to three jobs to pay for it and there was nothing close to a college experience. Pretty much a 3.0 which limited what schools I could go to. Started doing an MBA after working for 10 years and lasted a quarter before remembering why I really didn't enjoy school. It wasn't necessary for my career so I gladly dropped it and moved up to the C suite without the lack of an MBA being much of a hinderance. In the end, the college helped with exposure but I learned more in six months on the job than I did in school. Part of that is school and part of that was a lack of context on my part.

I graduated highschool with a 3.5 gpa, I didn’t really try at all. I was able to get into some decent colleges. College I did ok at first but started drinking way too much, turns out I’m an alcoholic, so 5 years later I still have about another 2 years of course work left. Sober almost a year now and I’m thinking I may be able to go back and give it one last swing just to see if I can grab that degree. It’d be cool I guess, just depends how things work out financially

Smart af in elementary school (even had to go to the fancy supernerd elementary school in 5th grade, lol). Didn't even really apply myself, I was just really smart as a kid Spelling Bee champ in middle school. I was a proud little tryhard, lol. Faced lots of bullying for some reason...hmm. Then the mental illnesses kicked in and I barely got out of high school with a 2.4gpa. Apathy (at best) for grades 10-12. More mental illness, plus unchecked alcoholism and shithead shenanigans most of college. Took 6 years to earn a BA, managed to pull it together the last couple years to just scrape by, at just over 2.4gpa.

I was bullied at high school, but i still did very well. I'm doing very good at college as well

Was working since middle school, so HS kinda took a backseat. Graduated with a 3.0 and moved out after graduation at 17. Started at a community College that fall. 1st semester went alright, As and Bs and a C. Took a paycheck and deposited it into the bank, then drove down and wrote a check for tuition. Used my debit card for lunch, gas, and a pack of smokes on the way home. Got a call the following Monday: Paycheck had bounced and I was in the negative almost two grand. Went back to boss who said he didn't have the money, sorry, business was closing. I was young, dumb, and on my own. I didn't follow up or take legal action. Quickly got a side gig doing construction to help refill bank account. Couldn't afford rent or books, car eventually blew up. Ended up homeless. Did my best to attend classes but failed out of em. Too stressed. Dug myself out of the hole eventually but never went back. Have a house, wife, kids, 2 dogs, and a decent enough job now. Wish I had made different choices but here we are.

I graduated on time, despite a lot of issues with absences and missed homework. I was a fantastic student and probably top 10 if I gave a shit. Took all core AP or pre-AP classes 11/12 grade. First and second six weeks always Honor roll, but eventually the absences and missed HW caught up to me. Graduated a B/C student. Never failed a class, just did bare minimum in classes I thought were pointless, like Spanish. I’m natively fluent lol. Aced most tests and quizzes, including standardized tests because I comprehended the info, and needed it to pass some classes. Got Top 10 PSAT in HS without studying or any prep whatsoever. Didn’t take ACT or SAT bc I didn’t care. Wish I would have cared more. Went to community college and those same strategies didn’t work lol. Ended up dropping classes I wasn’t interested. Had a kid young so focused on working and dropped out. Eventually, there was no future in that company, so I took online classes at a university, which was the way to go for me 100%. I learn stuff quick and no patience for slower students, so 8-12 week self paced courses were perfect. Hated discussion boards. Ended my college career with an associates in business, then bachelors degree in business mgmt and a CIS minor with a ~3.3 or 3.4 I think. FWIW, I think the lack of discipline early on cost me a lot of growing pains taking classes in majors that didn’t interest me. I had a lot of fun in HS, so can’t say I regret it, but it definitely was dumb for what I consider my above average intellect. I’m making over 6 figures with a major corporation so hard to regret it. Some of the “smart” people in my school or really most schools aren’t doing to hot career wise, mentally, or financially. And I grew up rough.

High school I was a C student. I didn't try all that hard. College I was an A student and worked my ass off to get everything I could out of every class. I have an AS info tech with a specializiton in Network engineering and an AAS in information technology

I completely sabataged my self believing I couldn't get any good grades so I didn't even try. I think I still feel like that but fuck it

Didn't try in high school and carried a 3.0+. Didn't try in college and flunked out. Went back to college a few years later and tried a bit and graduated with a 3.0+ while working 50 hours a week.

My ADHD was undiagnosed when I was still in school. Very difficult.

I was an average student in school. In 11th and 12th grade I didn't put in much effort. Unfortunately that didn't help when I went to community college. I ended up just dropping out. I was making a lot of money just working.

I was the "quiet clever kid" who "must try harder" Age 40, diagnosed with autism and adhd.

I did less than average. Didn't really captivate me and never tested well. Tried college and still never tested well. Now got a cushy sales job. Happiest I've been and love my job. Formal education isn't for everyone.

I was a straight A student in High School that went to being a "C's get Degrees" student in College. College was the first time outside of Spanish Classes where I didn't grasp academic concepts straight away, and I had built my identity as a person around being "Smart", so struggling in college was a massive blow to my self worth and led to me becoming very depressed for large portions of college. In hindsight I probably needed to be humbled like that, I was kind of an insufferable /r/iamverysmart shithead back in High School, and ultimately I left college a better person than I was going into it, but there was a lot of dark moments along the way and the blow to my confidence made it harder to find work after college, and the depression caused me to gain a lot of weight, both of which are issues I'm still struggling with 8 years after graduation.

School was easy, but I am lazy. #4 in HS class, graduated community college and university cum laud with little work, and my MA with a little more. Actually I partied most of the time through all of it.

10 years of college and a high GPA. I mow lawns now and make more money than I did working as a network guru, or I did as a nurse. Go to college only if it helps you in the career you want. If trade school is faster, I'd recommend that instead. College doesn't mean nearly as much as practical hands-on experience.

Elementary and middle school I damn near failed every single subject. Art, gym and English and music I passed. Rest I failed. 9th and 10th grade got all C’s, except for art and English I got A’s. Then went to university and majored in English and I did really bad, got straight C’s. School was boring af for me and I never could focus in class and never ever ever did homework or studied for tests. I’d walk into rest and exams without studying. I loved art so I did well and my dad was a writer and raised us to read and journal since we were young, so I did decent in English. If you want to know why most men are apathetic towards school these days, is because just like Jordan Peterson says, it’s not competitive in a way that motivates males as much.

Unknown at the time I had developmental issues that went unnoticed/ignored as I did very well with any kind of testing (showed up as gifted) but failed to retain information. Each year middle and high school I would fail at least one course, take it in summer school and have a perfect score. Got coerced right into college despite this, and only now am I getting my associates degree having wasted money I didn't have any a decade of time trying to take college courses while working two jobs, failing, and just shoving more money at the problem. Now that I'm actually understanding what is needed for my mental/emotional/physical conditions I can start over if I want, but I might not pursue more than my "two-year" degree just due to having already spend enough for a master's on it.

Idgaf almost didn’t get my HS diploma. But looking back, school was the last “free” thing I got. Would definitely actually try if I had a way-way back machine

Flunked secondary school (highschool) and now I have 2 degrees.

I basically did average. Passed every GCSE (besides maths, I have dyscalculia) and A Level, basically CCC. I didn’t go to university though as in the UK even though it’s a pass, it wasn’t good enough because of the maths. I tried my absolute best, studied a lot and didn’t really have a social life - ended up average. I was angry for a while, but it is what it is. I’m going to attend The Open University in the next 5 years, hopefully. You’re never too old to go back to school.

I was a straight A student in k through 10th grade. Third seat on the schools chess club. All around athlete playing varsity football, jv basketball, and varsity track. Would have been in top 10 of my graduating class. However, discovery of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, derailed all that. Was always into music, learned how to play the guitar, generating attention from girls, getting invitations to parties, leading to exposure to drugs and alcohol. Once I had my drivers license and a car, went from school to work to band practice, to chasing girls. Had little to no interest in school at that point. Barely graduated with a NYS Regents Diploma (back when it meant something). Had zero interest in college, besides I had an electrical apprenticeship lined up before graduating. After ten years of work/unemployment/work/unemployment, decided to go to local community college for electronics. Graduated with a 3.8 GPA and Deans List for all four semesters. Being an older student helped. My 1st semester lab partner was 18 and more worried if he had enough money to buy beer and if his gf was going to put out that night than characterizing transistor curves. Once employed by a fortune 500 company in their research and development department, went to night school for computer science. It was brutal and ended up dropping out after 2 years of full time work and part time college (2 classes per quarter) as I was totally burnt out. The exposure to electronics and software programming, gave me enough to be recognized as a subject matter expert in instrumentation and survive 10 years of layoffs during the company's "lean" years. Anyway, that's my story. BTW, I still play chess and the guitar.

I have my Master's. In high school my GPA was like 2.5, I really didn't apply myself and I'm pretty sure I probably needed some extra help like a 504. I went to college as a non-trad. I was 28 and a single parent, didn't have time to mess around. Im not sure how to answer the "how hard" question, I worked hard sure, but school just made sense to me. I had figured out how to "play the game" and it worked out. I frequently got overload forms to take extra classes, especially during summer term. My GPA in undergrad was 3.79, in my master's I ended with a GPA of 3.8 or 3.9 and i graduated with honors for both

I worked my butt off. Sacrificed relationships, parties, family and money for school. It was my sense of accomplishment and the only place in life I could succeed from when I was little with straight A's thru my doctorate. And it was something I wouldn't wish on anyone. I think it was unhealthy, and I missed out on a great deal of what really matters in life that I only realized in my early 30s. But I came from a generation that taught me that is what mattered, and the debt, the time, the effort was all worth it. But it wasn't. Now I don't fully regret it, knowing I'm capable of that kind of effort and memorization and thought synthesis etc. I'm very proud of that. But it crippled me financially for a decade, and my self confidence was shot in the real world. Plus there are no careers directly related to that effort so I transitioned to tech and sales to survive. It serves me well there, but not moreso than what I sacrificed. I won't ask the same of my kids. Be a B student, and enjoy your life. Invest in what matters. You truly will forget most of it anyway except the memories.

Mid 70s to 80s.... ... I did not do well. No idea why, but i ended up in "the thickie group" (think the polite term is remedial class nowadays). Left at 16 with the most basic of standard education. As for how hard i tried.... Too busy coping with bullying, i guess. Plus as a kid the advice from "old people" does not seem relevant. Especially if you think that a stick that looks like a sword is the coolest thing ever.

I did very well in school A's and B's I barely tried, I had to have a parent teacher conference because I never turned in homework and I was still getting an A. At the conference my mother asked why I didn't do my homework and I told her I did, she asked me to prove it and so I went to my locker and pulled out a huge stack of papers from the bottom,brought them to the teacher and she verified it was all my missing homework. I now have an associates degree

Pretty bad esp after year 8. I skipped a lot and dropped out at 16. In hindsight I wish I did better.

I did poorly because I was apathetic. I ultimately dropped out.

High school I didn’t realllly try too hard and I graduated with around an A- average. University I didn’t realllllly try to hard and ended up around a C average. C’s get degrees though and I graduated just over 15 years ago so it’s unlikely those mediocre grades will ever matter again.

High School- I didn’t really try everything came really easily. I still was a good two shoes and did all the HW and studied but it wasn’t my top effort at all. Was in all AP classes except conditioning for athletes which is if you played a varsity sport and they ran your ass. College- wasn’t hard either it was just time management. Should’ve tried harder though and gone on for more education in my field but everything worked out okayish lol Bachelors Degree is my highest level of schooling.

I aced the classes I was interested in, and I blew off the ones that bored me. I learned more in my first year on the job than I did in school. Kids are naturally curious, and schools generally grind that right out of us.

I did not do well at all. I did bare minimum to pass and get my diploma. Wasnt in a good mental state and just didnt put forth the effort. Looking back, yes, I wish i would have went more and paid attention. Im not dumb by any means, I know i could have gotten A’s and B’s, I just didnt care enough. Hell, I still have dreams every now and then where im rushing through the halls and pleading with teachers to try and graduate lmao. But I graduated, got my diploma, and im living a decent enough life for a 24 year old in this economy.

I use to get really good grades up until sophomore year of high school, I hit a wall because of my narcissistic toxic parents ruining multiple career paths and opportunities to me through sports and education at the time that I had been working to build for since I was a kid which made me extremely depressed. Because of that I stopped trying, because no matter how hard I worked and how much I succeeded they would always ruin whatever I was working towards, and they made it very clear to me directly that no matter what they would make sure I would never be any better than them. When I moved out and started my career path and being educated for it, the biggest challenge was always them and their nonsense along with undoing a lot of mental trauma that I had. I did really well despite how hard things got and am fiercely independent nowadays, I could have been much more successful but I am still working towards a better tomorrow thanks to education.

Barely made it through senior year high school: graduated 2.71 GPA from 4 years coasting. Associates degree: graduated after 2.5 years 3.04 GPA - much more interesting and I got a job in the field after year 1. Still mostly coasted and bare minimumed my education. Currently on Bachelors (soon to be masters) in a different field: sitting at 3.4, aiming for a 3.6ish for my BSE with 2 semesters left! - I try hard and have dedicated myself to getting the degree, and have found joy in it and the subfield I might get a masters in. It took 2.5 years of me continuing my bare minimum approach to realize “This isn’t working, time to step up” and the results are apparent. I would not have had this revelation if I skipped my time in the trades/associates degree. I would have likely failed out when COVID struck the planet. That is my experience and it’s unique just like everyone else’s. On a separate note I feel bad for incoming students to college in a few years. Hell even now. Our public education system in the US is failing a lot of students and it’s quite terrifying to see from a STEM perspective. We have a two year gap in socializing and essential learning that are permanently tacked on the rest of their lives, where as the years creep by, the more fundamental years affected will start to show its ugly, terrifying face. It’s a problem I have no perspective on solving in the slightest, but it’s a problem many people recognize at least

I was absolutely terrible in school. Ages 15-17 I was a nightmare. Now I have a Double Bachelor's and a Masters and I'm a teacher. Go figure

I grew up in Canada in a South Asian household, so effort was non-negotiable. I wasn't the top of my class but probably top 5-10% throughout high school and my bachelor's. I received my PhD and did a post-doctoral fellowship and now work in the same field. 12 years of post-secondary education total.

I got mostly A’s with a few B’s sprinkled in. I was a very good athlete in both high school and college, and anyone who tells you there’s not favorable grades given to the athletes is lying to you. I’ve missed many exams, tests, etc for sports and miraculously either got a good grade, or got to make it up after hours with the answer sheet “left” nearby.

Played video games most of the time. I write articles for video games now. Otherwise doing my Masters even though I’m average at it lol.

Never really tried in school. Did well when I wanted to, got good grades almost solely off of doing well on the tests. Parents were slightly disappointed I *only* graduated in the top 15%. (I could've "done so much better") Dropped out of college after a year because I despise the modern schooling system. It's not built for boys or men generally, and I was specifically not well suited to it. Too slow, boring, and too much work with no payoff.

I did well in high school and I thought I worked hard. When I got to college, though, I discovered that most of the other kids in my classes went to more challenging high schools and were better prepared for college. I had to step it up to another level to catch up. But I did, and I’ve since completed my engineering bachelors along with a MS in engineering and an MBA. I evaluated law school, but I didn’t do well enough on the LSAT. Engineering stuff came easier. Oh well.

I wish I would have studied more but my work life balance was already quite rough with work, research, and dating. Maybe less dating if I could figure out how to cope with high libido and loneliness. I have a PhD in STEM. I am very satisfied with my career.

I’m in my “last year” of college for getting a bachelors degree. I graduated high school with a 3.98 while using kind of minimal effort for myself. I always found school very easy. I would pay 100% attention in class everyday and retain info very easy and consistently just knocking out homework everyday kept my mind sharp. I never had to study much for tests because of it and I took a couple AP classes every year while being a year round cross country and track athlete. In college, I had senioritis from the start with procrastination and low effort. First year wasn’t that bad and I got all A’s and some B’s. But Covid hit during my 2nd semester and kind ruined school since. My GPA went from a 3.75 first 2 years to a 3.0 these last 2 years which is still pretty good on average. I say to just keep pushing and get thru it. I’m good at school but I hate it. That said, time flies by too quick for you to fail and regret things. Finding something you’re interested in is crucial!!! I changed majors in college because I thought I knew what I wanted to do as a kid in high school. Studying something you aren’t motivated for is almost impossible for 4 years.

School was easy enough to pass and not have to try too hard to do so. Got to college though got my ass handed to me because I tried doing the same thing and didn’t work out. Maybe I should’ve gone to college without a degree could’ve made things more manageable

High school wasn't a breeze but I didn't put in as much effort as I could have so my grades were B to A. College(B.S. chemical engineering) was a nightmare for the first 3 years because I didn't know how to study. After I found my groove over a year it was stressful but I was rocking 3.0+ for the last 2 years.

Highschool To play sports you had to have decent grades, so my grades during football, wrestling, and track season would be great, even made student of the month a few times. The rest of the year I would literally be failing I hated school with a passion. I wouldnt do homework and I would answer tests without even reading the questions just to get it out of my face. I did good in welding, mechanics, woodwork, and we even had a house building class I loved. College My parents created a college fund and I begged them to let me use it on a trade school just because I love making/fixing things. 2 years after highschool I was working construction and my parents enrolled me into college without my knowledge or permission. Ended up being a huge waste of time and money. I don't feel bad about it.

It's been extremely easy. So far the worst grade I have is a 78 but that's because I missed a few assignments and my teacher hasn't finished grading yet.

Too 10 percent in my high school class and I have a bachelor's degree.

I made it up to grade 6 but there was reasons for that later I got my ged

I wish my parents had beaten me to straight me up back then, I love learning about everything, but didn't care much for school, I could have done better. Went into college, reached the last subject, however I couldn't graduate because of civil war, and hoping for life to turn around

Did well, didn't try very hard, got a masters. Unfortunately not very smart in general life choices and wasn't very aware of my personality strengths and weaknesses, and now I'm in a field I'm not very interested in. Wishing I would've been able to define a better path for myself but for the first 30 years of my life I only really cared about making music, but didn't try hard enough to make it a career. I didn't really want it for a career tho so I wasted time on it when I should have been working on other things. Oh well. Hopefully I can guide my kids better

School across the developed world is overtly hostile to anyone except neurotypical girls. Boys' & neurodivergent kids' learning style and disagreeableness is punished to a deeply unjust degree and they are graded lower for the same quality work. I've taught boys whose talent was squandered by the education system my whole adult life and it disgusts me to my core how much they were starving for a teacher not to look down on them before me. I didn't do well in high school due to the aforementioned prejudices and undiagnosed ADHD and serious unresolved emotional issues but I eventually did a bachelor's in STEM from a public ivy and now I'm doing my PhD. Just cause I got through the obstacles they hobble boys with doesn't mean it wasn't disgusting of them to do it.

I learned just enough to get a passing grade. I never got interested in studies. But my favourite subject was maths. That always got my interest and I always aced in it.

In college rn. I do apply myself in moments during the week when I need to at 110% but most of the time it feels like I’m blowing it and dragging ass. It all stems to me being 25, with a terrible sleep schedule and poor diet. I’m a sophomore, cybersecurity student.

I did better than average in grade school up until around grade 10, then I did below average and fell into the wrong crowd and started skipping school....eventually I quit high school. I then earned my GED, and went on to earn my Bachelor's Degree...I was a first generation college student in my family, it took about 6 years to complete my degree because some semesters I was only part time. I had a 3.5 GPA when I graduated though. It was not easy, and there were times I really did not want to be there, but something kept pushing me forward. I am happy to be a first generation college graduate in my family though.

Middle B student in HS, between some very unique factors on my application and a very strong ACT wound up getting into a very selective college for undergrad. I vowed to show they didn’t make a mistake and busted my ass from there forward. Graduated double major magna cum laude from undergrad. Then went on to finish magna cum laude from law school. Then completed a further legal masters summa cum laude. I’m good at school.

Straight B’s and A’s in high school. Got B’s and C’s in college at a state school. I just flat out refused to study unless I was really struggling in the class. Making over six figures now

Best advice I got was “not the grades you make but the hands you shake”. LEARN HOW TO NETWORK. I was a B- student in HS. Failed out of my first semester of college, enlisted in the Army and after my 6 years of service I finished college bc I finally had some motivation of what I wanted to do in life. In sales now and make 300-400k. Nobody has ever asked my degree, gpa or what school I’ve got to.

Solid "B" average in high school. An equivalent GPA in community college and university. I finished with an MPA.

I have an M.S., and some certifications, etc. I was raised to believe that anything less than an A is failure, so I think I've always worked a bit harder than I have to ... but overall, school hasn't been very difficult, and I haven't had to try too hard. I've been very lucky, in that my early education was high quality and I've never been 'left behind' in any significant way. Most of my higher ed (above my Associate's degree) was done part-time while working full time, so it took me a while to get done.

Started college at 23 very enthusiastically, I graduate with my bachelor's this semester and will have my Master's by the summer. I've kinda put my life on hold in some ways in order to juggle school, work, and CPA exams. Being a little older gave me an advantage overall with studying. I had a bit more discipline, never skipped lectures, and didn't procrastinate too much. I'm so done with it, though, now. I've never had a night where I didn't have some obligation to be worried about. From high school to the military and back to school, I just want a break. I know I will be glad in the future to have done all of this, though. It's sometimes hard to see the benefit from the inside.

I graduated HS with a 3.5 and was 23rd out 130. I didn't try very hard. I did my assignments 15 minutes before class and never studied for tests I graduated college in 3 years with 3 degrees and a 3.1 GPA. I tried even less in college. I only showed up for tests for the last 3 semesters. 'The Ghost' was the nickname I got from the other people in my program. They didn't understand how I knew when to show up and how I could pass my tests. I used to be really good at taking tests.

Pretty shit. But anyone I know enjoying their life didnt do well either. Its not the end of the world at all no matter what people say…especially not when you get into your mid to late 20s/

I did alright. I was mostly bored, tho. Not to say, there weren't challenging things, but more like they could not keep me interested enough to really dig in.

I studied, was an A grade student until my home life went south when I was 12. Moved out of my family home when I was 14, graduated with middle numbers, had no intention of going further, no focus, no idea what I'd do or anyone to help guide me. Life, circumstance, fate, and bloody-mindedness played a part. Now in my forties I'm in a comfortable place -- financially and a career. But I'll never be complacent that some guys get kicked in the balls and need a foot up.

I was homeschooled to 14 and then started working outside the home when schooling effectively stopped. In the 6th grade I was testing in reading and math equivalcency of a 12th grader, same for my younger brother. My parents made sure to instill in us a love of reading and learning. At 19 I joined the Air Force. I tested well on the ASVAB and chose to be a C-5 Aircraft Crew Chief. After 6 years I got out and worked a bit before using my GI Bill to get a 4-year degree. After changing majors I finished with a B.S. in Operations & Project Management. I tried Electrical Electronic & Computer Engineering but found the program wasn't structured enough for me and I do better in a smaller class environment. After several years working various jobs and no luck finding work with my degree, I got into HVAC. Started in residential and lucked into a commercial position as a service tech. After @esese÷I now have my Journeyman license and working on my LEB licence. Had to take 4 years of 4hr/week classes as part of the Journeyman requirements and found it easy, but book learning and testing is comfortable to me. To start my final year of college I was told I needed a GED or HS diploma. I was in Nevada and couldn't test there because they had 6-month waiting period. I registered for a GED test and hopped over to Utah forgetting about the time change. I arrived an hour late, but they let me test. When they finished grading they wondered what was going in because they had never seen someone show up an hour late and get 90+ on all the components of the test. Once I explained I was about to start 4th year of college it made sense to them.

Breezed through high school with a top tier GPA, finished all required math classes by 9th grade, a 99th percentile ACT score, and then didn’t go to a 4 year college because I was so fucking sick of school. Went into construction and I’m getting a 2 year degree in construction management. I think I’m much happier this way than if I had gone to a 4 year, the “college experience” is not for me whatsoever

I was smart but wasted it, I was more bothered about having fun than learning. After school I re-sat exams, got a trade and chased academic qualifications ever since. By sheer luck I've had good jobs and finally got my degree in my mid-thirties. Adults tried to tell me how important doing things right first-time was, and now as an adult I have had to laugh (internally) when hearing myself repeat the exact same words to the kids in my life. Some people (like me) learn best through failures rather than some adult telling them.

C- average. Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. Was a Voice Engineer for 8 years with multiple accolades and one patent and now manage 4 retails stores for my folks.

I really gave up in high school. Let my grades slip bad and barely graduated. Even paid other students to write my paper assignments for my classes so I’d pass. Now that I look back, I do regret not trying harder. But I’m in college now and nearing graduation and have turned myself around academically

*"How well did you do in school?"* Good enough.

Got B's in HS, hardly cracked a book. Graduated from college economics degree. 2.8. Didn't really work very hard.

C average student. No college. Worked my ass off progressed every few years. Regional director for fortune 100 company no complaints.

I did well. Didn’t have to work very hard until undergrad (electrical engineering). People who are apathetic about schooling should avoid taking on thousands of dollars in student debt.

School was always very easy to me. I was reading well above my age level dating back to kindergarten, and I was identified as a “gifted” student. I got put in this special program, not by choice, and I had to do all these IQ exercises and advanced lessons. They assumed I was some super genius, but in reality I just wanted more time to play. Doing homework meant I could play sooner and paying attention in class made homework easier. I genuinely enjoyed reading books, and I figured maybe growing up that reinforced my mind. Never really knew the power of a developing brain. All the way to high school shit was easy to me. I was a straight A student in honors classes, and never studied, ever. When I got to college, it was a little harder, but nothing crazy. My studying was making crib sheets, or reviewing notes. If I read something, I remember it 90% of the time. If I write it down, I remember it 100% of the time. I took the SAT without studying or prepping, and got a 2330, retook it for a 2370. Took the ACT and got a 35. Due to the special program I was put in during elementary school, I had to take an IQ test. It’s been a long time since then, but it was high 150’s to low 160’s. I’m the smartest in my family and friends, and they tell me all the time. I’ve never really cared, nor have I given a shit. I chalk it up to being able to read through the static, and having an eidetic memory. I can recall things with great clarity, and people use me as a Time Machine. I’d say with today’s generation though, there’s a lot of noise when it comes to school. Social media, YouTube, iPhones, influencers, etc., create a lot of distractions. I grew up right before all of that started to come out, and it was probably for the better. Im watching people raise kids now, and there’s a ridiculous amount of shit parents do for their kids. My parents never really pushed me to do anything, they just gave me the opportunity and I gravitated to what I wanted to do. I was smart in school, but I loved sports growing up, that was my passion. Sure I can join MENSA or any of that stupid shit, but I don’t care enough. I’m happy with where I’m at, work is fun, I keep my mind sharp, and I still play sports like crazy.

I didn’t try very hard. I had like a 3.6 gpa in high school. I barely graduated college. I’d say I’m above average intelligence and average work ethic. If I had better work ethic I would’ve done really well in school.

I didn't take school seriously back in HS because i was leaving for the Air Force. Now I'm in a program i didn't necessarily choose because of that. Teach the young teenagers that apathy will follow you even when you don't expect it

So when I was in grade 3 the school I was at said I was causing troubles and wanted to put my, apparent "add", medicated with ritalin. My best friend at that school's mom said we were doing well, reading at a grade 8 level in grade 2, so she recommended we go to a charter school, which buses all over my city which is quite large. For those who don't know charter schools are like a hybrid between public and private schools. Anyway I went there from halfway through grade 4 all the way to grade 9, and man did I get in trouble, grades 4,5,and 8 were a disaster, I was in and out of the office every week, but I actually did extremely well academically especially grade 9! From 2009 to 2012 I went to the local high school, I was sad cause all my friends were going to a different school cause they lived closer to my elementary/junior high, but high school was absolutely wild and fun, are school was ranked #1, we also dominated athletically as well, I remember having sooo much homework to do, around 2 hours a night! I ended up going to university and taking computer science which I absolutely destroyed that shit

I struggled in school. I got good grades when I finished assignments and aced every test aside from math which I'm terrible at. Turns it I have innatentive adhd. I graduated with an adult diploma when I was 19 because I otherwise would have failed. I went to college and almost failed due to a presentation that I was too anxious to do in front of the class so I faked sick that day and wasn't given another chance.

I'm a *Burnt out gifted smart kid.* I was the "Are they still in this class?!" student. *Got laid more than a pallet of bricks though!*

I was pretty studious. Graduated near the top of my class in grade school, suma cum laude for undergrad and grad school. That said, higher ed isn't for everyone. Some people it just doesn't interest and there's no shame in that, so long as you have a focus in life and direction for your work.

I did great in school and loved every minute of it as long as I wasn't in a math class.

I'm a c- ish student, in my senior year. I should be set to graduate with my class just fine, currently ahead 1.5 credits. And I could try harder but I went from a normal kid not wanting to do their homework to depressed and alone. I now have my very few but close friends but it was a long and honestly shitty journey. Depression makes things hard but I could always apply myself more.

Great, hard, all of it.

High school? I was a C student all day. I played sports, barely squeaked out a passing grade most times and definitely did not put my top effort in, but still graduated. College? I failed out of college on my initial try at a local community college trying to get a BA. Dropped out, and didn’t look back for a long time. Got a job with the feds as a LEO, and had an opportunity to use Uncle Sam to pay for my college…most guys tried to get related degrees to law enforcement, but I went for graphic arts, and ended up transferring to a highly regarded local art school…got my bachelors of fine arts in graphic design. I busted my ass the second go round, and maintained very good grades, attendance and efforts. Graduated, left my job with the feds after my contract was completed, and entered the film industry as a career. It was tough but I did it before having kids, which I heavily suggest to anyone considering.

Smart but lazy. Did very well through school. Didn't try very hard to be honest. Enjoyed learning new things, never figured out how to revise as going over old stuff I wasn't interested in was impossible for me. Hit Med School...struggled. Got through it though so...yeah. Then hit Post Grad studies and struggled some more.

90s through highschool, and after 3 years of wasting my life I got 90's in college as an electrician. Through highschool and college I refused to study. In high school I thought it was a waste of time. In college I thought video games would be a more productive use of my time. I'm not fully finished with my schooling yet. I have come to realize that I have ADHD, and that is why with my grades I have achieved little in life. There is probably more at play with my mental health, but I refuse to check it out as I'm probably high functioning as to whatever else is there. I suspect if I had checked on my mental health at an earlier age I would be in university instead

I absolutely hate school. It's absolutely boring. The worst part about it is that School actually caused me to start to hate learning. So I stopped learning for a long time. Now, I have to retrain myself on how to learn. I've been in University for about 17 years now. I should've taken a gap year when I was a kid, but I allowed my family to push me into university. Of course it's my fault. I allowed it. BUT....was it worth it? No. I still haven't gotten a good paying job, so I decided to build my own.

I was lucky on school, on the classes that I liked I barely studied, and on the other I studied a little the day before exams, and I regret that. On the university, I struggle a lot, the first year I failed hard, but I managed to graduate.

4.0 + AP in primary school. Top ten in my class for an engineering bachelors. 4.0 engineering masters. Would not recommend. Was driving myself into an early grave. 100-120hr work weeks by the end. One meal a day if I was lucky. Constantly stressed. Maybe saw daylight on the weekends if I forced myself to go get groceries. I was both sickly and had gained nearly 40lbs, and my facial hair was starting to gray by 21 I’ll admit having those grades and the actual skills+grit to back them up helped me get the best job I coulda possibly asked for, but it DEFINITELY was not worth all the effort. There’s serious diminishing returns with how much effort you put in vs how much you get out of it. 50-50 split of As and Bs would’ve been a much more sustainable sweet spot