Read most of the past 300 posts. Not much to quote really.
Got exams coming up. I should be studying, but meh.
Well my first uni grades came out not long ago and I'm extremely shocked to say the least.....
How is it possible that I got over 90% in a course and deserves a B? Just What is wrong with this grading system???
I didn't get a single A in my first semester... not even in electronics... :/
That's odd. In my grading system anything higher than or equal to 78% corresponds to an A.
It's not really about the parents (what I'm guessing). I think it's more like Boris wants to aim high (profession purposes I guess).
As for stereotypes, I'm not sure? My Asian friends aren't really pushed at all. They're just good at studying. Do well in high school and college should be mollified. It's more about the individual I would presume. Same thing goes for my other friends of any ethnicity.
Stereotypes don't do a good job of representing the whole (though often misunderstood to do so) and change over time.
It's also about your own standards. If you're used to getting straight A's for example, you'll get disappointed with a B. I personally don't care that much about what grades I get, since I know my grades are good enough and I care mostly about the knowledge/skills I get from a class, and not the grade. However since I do tend to get good grades (8-8.5 / 10's or higher), whenever I get something below an 8 I feel extremely disappointed. In fact, even when I get an 8 for something I felt went really well I feel disappointment.
If I would always get bare minimum passes I would feel disappointed with a failure but be satisfied with any passing grade.
It really is all about your own standards. Parents can of course influence those standards by having high expectations of their children, but you don't necessarily need to have parents with high expectations to have the drive to get good grades.
I personally got it mainly out of my own interest in the subjects I'm studying. I take subjects because they're interesting, not because I am forced to at all. But because I find it so interesting, I immediately have the motivation to study hard. And it's exactly that motivation, coupled with past experiences, that causes my personal expectations. Any deviation from those expectations is bound to trigger an emotional reaction. (of course, if I get a 9.5 or 10 for a subject I'm extremely thrilled, not that it happens often at all).