School is not always about a grade. Higher grades do enable the student to pursue a wider array of institutions and receive additional opportunities using their higher GPA, but should the grade pressure the student more intensely than a motivational desire to learn?

The answer to this debatable topic is that extrinsic learning should not outweigh its intrinsic counterpart. Those focused on extrinsic learning are often faced with increased levels of stress accompanied with ambitious parental pressure, while those focused on intrinsic learning typically have more time to absorb, experience, and gain additional knowledge than those focused on gaining every point on an assignment. This ease of acquiring the knowledge and the passion to do so lead to a greater internal sense of accomplishment and personal achievement for the individual.

No matter which of the two types of learner one considers him/herself to be, one should always remember that acing every assignment and exam is not always plausible—even for the most elite of students—and that stressing out over a single low grade is nothing more than a catalyst of extended hindrance of progress and academic achievement.