Hey.

I think you’re great.

Really.

I’ve noticed that a lot of times when you’re in a tough class like calculus or physics or Russian Literature or something, something happens: It breaks you. You were a great student until you hit that class. Suddenly, you’re struggling. You’re not just “getting” it. You have to study harder than you’re used to, and things still don’t seem to make sense.

What the heck, school.

And then, here comes in that one person. The one person that ruins the class curve. The person who does just “get” it.

They’re the worst.

The worst part about them is that you don’t always hate them. Sometimes they’re even your friend. But when you happen to glance at their last test score with yours in the back of your mind, it’s all loathing. Not just for them, but for yourself.

“Why the heck don’t I understand this?” “I thought I was smart…” “Where did I go wrong?” “I’m just going to drop this class.”

Don’t drop the class.

The sad part about those people is that they often are the loudest about their grades. You notice them the most. And even worse is that because everyone is trying to hide the fact that they are also suffering as much as you are, they also murmur things like, “oh yeah it wasn’t so bad,” or, “yeah I did better than expected.” What those people don’t say is, “Well… I was expecting a low F so the D+ actually is better than I expected…” etc.

You are not alone.

Those people who act like they’re better than you at everything?

They’re not.

Don’t let that one test, that one project, that one class, and yes, that one person get you down.

Every single person hits something that gets them to this point. You’re going to be fine.

So sit down, close Facebook and Reddit and Tumblr and Imgur and BuzzFeed and Instagram and Pinterest and Twitter and Klout and YouTube and Vine.

Get to work.

You can do it.