I hope everyone ends the semester blazing — passing with flying colors and with faces lit up in the happiness of a successful semester. If we let the stress of final exams get to us, however, this hope of blazing success can take on a whole different meaning.

On April 14, 2000, Elizabeth Shin, an Massachusetts Institute of Technology sophomore, set herself on fire in her dorm room. She died, and many people say that she committed suicide because she couldn’t cope with the pressure of school life and exams. Shin’s death has since been forgotten by some, but there are still many important questions and concerns highlighted by that incident.

A recent study done by a professor at the University of Iowa showed that the number of college students contemplating suicide has increased since 2000. University officials at New York University have decided to close all dorm balconies because five NYU students jumped to their deaths this academic year.

One thing is certain: college life can be very stressful. But are many college students in a whirlpool of expectations that might not necessarily spin to success?

This question has made my head spin for several semesters. I have to admit the goals I set for myself are many times too high, and the expectations from family members are sometimes even higher. One question I have asked myself, though, is: how important is grade point average as a predictor of success outside college?

I have concluded that grade point average is a useless three-digit number because it is simply a measure of dedication, and there are other measures of dedication. Extracurricular activities like participation in leadership roles would provide one with a better balance of job skills. There are many studies that show grade point average as a good salary predictor, but these results are based on the ubiquitous belief that in general people with higher grade point averages are more dedicated and hard-working. Therefore, although grade point average is the most direct measure of dedication, there are a few other routes to success after college.

A study published in Personnel Psychology in December 2003 concluded that grade point average alone doesn’t always make the cut when it comes to getting hired.

I have to admit that I also get stressed by final exams. Such tests important, but they are not the end of the world. Life is not a multiple-choice exam with just five options. As evidenced by the amount of training most new employees have to go through, some of the concepts learned in college might very well be useless.

The emphasis put on grade point average is therefore ridiculous. A higher grade point average is good, but not at the cost of sacrificing ourselves. Stephen R. Covey, a world-renowned leadership expert, says that we should always balance the desired results with our ability to produce that desired result. We should not sacrifice one for the other.

If there is any advantage of not being a nerd, it is that your paradigms are fewer. Although the minds of others are trapped in this box of rules and laws that textbooks teach them, yours is free to wander. People like Bill Gates are certainly evidence of that. The ability to think outside the box can be an asset in a society where most people are groomed to think within it.

We all need to quit stressing so our brains do not overheat and catch fire. Indeed, the burning desire to get a high grade point average at all costs, if not controlled could very well burn away our lives, our creativity, our friends and our dreams.