The Good News About a Bad G.P.A.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Opinions – "The Good News About a Bad G.P.A."

Episode Information:

• Title: The Opinions
• Host/Author: The New York Times Opinion
• Episode: The Good News About a Bad G.P.A.
• Release Date: May 23, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "The Good News About a Bad G.P.A.," Megan Stack, a writer for New York Times Opinion, delves into the often-overlooked narratives of high school graduates who may not have excelled academically. The episode aims to offer encouragement and a fresh perspective to those who feel their high school experiences were less than stellar, emphasizing the potential for personal growth and success beyond traditional academic achievements.

Celebrating All Graduates

Megan Stack opens the discussion by highlighting the prevalent celebrations surrounding high school graduation season. While accolades and college acceptances dominate the conversation, she shifts focus to the "many, many different kinds of kids who did not have a successful high school career." Her intention is to provide a "graduation gift" to these students: assurance that their lives can still take positive turns.

Notable Quote:

"If I look at the people that I've known who were in that situation and to some extent I would include myself in this... you don't really believe that everything's gonna be fine."
— Megan Stack [01:20]

The Struggle with Self-Doubt

Stack empathizes with the lingering self-doubt and uncertainty that many 18-year-olds face upon graduation. Reflecting on her own experiences, she acknowledges the "psychic suffering" that comes from not believing in a favorable future. This personal insight sets the stage for her broader message of hope and resilience.

Notable Quote:

"If I had only known how much this was gonna turn out okay, I wouldn't have had to go through all of that psychic suffering."
— Megan Stack [02:00]

Lessons from Popular Culture: A Mad Men Reference

To illustrate her point, Stack references a poignant scene from the television series Mad Men, where the character Peggy Olsen confronts her unintended pregnancy. This moment underscores the theme of reinvention and moving forward despite unexpected challenges.

Notable Quote:

"Get out of here and move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened."
— Dawn Draper [02:54]

Stack explains how this scene serves as a metaphor for shedding past mistakes and embracing a new beginning without shame or secrecy.

Embracing Reinvention and Overcoming Negative Labels

Continuing her narrative, Stack discusses the negative labels often imposed by teachers and parents, such as “not good at math” or “not socially adept.” These labels can deeply impact adolescents, leading to lasting self-esteem issues into adulthood.

Notable Quote:

"A lot of the fear drummed into kids with good intention... what they've heard is that that's it, they've ruined their lives."
— Megan Stack [04:10]

Psychological Insights on Adolescent Memory and Emotions

The discussion transitions into psychological research, referencing Lawrence Steinberg’s studies on adolescent brain development. Stack explains how adolescents experience emotions more intensely and retain these memories more vividly than other life stages.

Notable Quote:

"We come from a long tradition in America of people who did come here to leave behind or old lives... We can start fresh in a way that is liberating and powerful."
— Megan Stack [03:20]

Personal Anecdotes: Transformation Beyond High School

Stack shares personal anecdotes about individuals who struggled during high school but later found success and happiness. She recounts seeing a former classmate, once presumed lost to substance abuse, thriving in college and a professional career.

Notable Quote:

"I saw that person a few years ago. They are doing fine. They have been to college. They are not an addict. And they seemed really happy."
— Megan Stack [06:15]

Redefining Success and Embracing Life’s Unpredictability

Emphasizing that there's no single path to adult life, Stack encourages graduates to remain adaptable and open to unforeseen opportunities. She highlights that both positive and negative high school experiences can serve as valuable assets if viewed correctly.

Notable Quote:

"I think if you had a great high school experience, that is an asset, and I think if you had a bad high school experience, that can also be a very rich asset."
— Megan Stack [07:10]

Conclusion: A Message of Hope and Resilience

Megan Stack concludes by reiterating that a less-than-perfect high school experience does not define one's future. Instead, it can be a catalyst for personal growth, resilience, and reinvention. Her message serves as an encouraging reminder that it's possible to overcome early setbacks and build a fulfilling life.

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Key Takeaways:

• High school success is not the sole predictor of future achievements.
• Adolescents experience emotions more intensely, which can lead to lasting self-perceptions.
• Reinvention and adaptability are crucial for personal growth beyond high school.
• Negative labels and experiences can be overcome with the right mindset and support.

Speaker Attribution:

• Megan Stack: Contributor and primary speaker
• Dawn Draper: Fictional character from Mad Men, referenced in the discussion

Time Stamps:

• Megan Stack's Introduction: [00:46] – [07:46]
• Dawn Draper's Quote: [02:57]
• Lawrence Steinberg's Insights: [04:23]

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This episode of "The Opinions" offers a heartfelt and insightful perspective on the challenges faced by high school graduates with less-than-ideal academic records. Megan Stack's blend of personal anecdotes, psychological research, and cultural references crafts a compelling narrative that encourages listeners to view their past as a foundation for future success.

Transcript

[Unnamed Host]

The New York Times app has all.

[Megan Stack]

This stuff that you may not have seen.

[Unnamed Host]

The way the tabs are at the top with all of the different sections.

[Megan Stack]

I can immediately navigate to something that.

[Unnamed Host]

Matches what I'm feeling.

[Megan Stack]

I go to games always doing the mini, doing the wordle.

[Unnamed Host]

I loved how much content it exposed me to things that I never would have thought to turn to. A news app for this app is essential.

[Derek Arthur]

The New York Times app. All of the times all in one place. Download it [e-mail] app. This is the Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times Opinion. You've heard the news, here's what to make of it.

[Megan Stack]

My name is Megan Stack and I'm a writer for New York Times Opinion. This is high school graduation season and so there's balloons on mailboxes and all the kids who have done really well, their parents are celebrating and we're hearing about who's going to what college and who won what award as they graduated. And that's sort of the dominant theme of the season. But for the many, many different kinds of kids who did not have a successful high school career, I want to give those kids a graduation gift. I would just want them to believe and to really understand that there is still so much time and that their lives are still entirely able to be turned around and that things can be fine for them. Actually, truly, really fine. Because if I look at the people that I've known who were in that situation and to some extent I would include myself in this, the one thing that's really hard is that when you are that 18 year old who's finishing high school with this great well of uncertainty and self doubt and even self loathing, you don't really believe that everything's gonna be fine. And looking back, I think a lot of us feel like if I had only known how much this was gonna turn out okay, I wouldn't have had to go through all of that psychic suffering. You know, I could have actually enjoyed the ride a little bit more. I love this scene in Mad Men where Peggy Olsen has just had a baby and it was an accident. It's an earlier time in America when that was a very st to have done to have a baby out of wedlock. I think she's had a sort of a breakdown and she's scared.

[Dawn Draper]

Is that you?

[Megan Stack]

Are you really there?

[Dawn Draper]

Yes, I am.

[Megan Stack]

Dawn Draper, who as anyone knows who's watched the show, is himself the master of reinvention, comes to her and he tells her I called your house, and.

[Dawn Draper]

Your roommate gave me your mother's number.

[Megan Stack]

He asks her, what do they want you to do? And she says, I don't know. And he says, yes, you do.

[Dawn Draper]

Do it. Peggy, listen to me. Get out of here and move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened.

[Megan Stack]

I think that is such a powerful line. We come from a long tradition in America of people who did come here to leave behind or old lives and things that they didn't want to live with. And I think we can embrace that. I think we can start fresh in a way that is liberating and powerful and doesn't have to be ashamed or secretive. I think we can do that. A lot of times, if you have a teacher or parents around you who are saying things like, you're never going to amount to anything, you're not good at math, you are not very socially adept, you know, whatever it may be, kids are very quick to internalize those ideas, and that can linger and stick into adulthood. There's research about this. Lawrence Steinberg, who is one of our nation's foremost experts in the adolescent psyche, has done many, many studies looking into people's brains and their emotional lives as adolescents. And he has lectured extensively on these top.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I can remember things when I was 15 better than I can remember things that happened to me last week. And I'm not unusual. It turns out psychologists have studied this. It turns out that almost everybody remembers adolescence better than any other period of time.

[Megan Stack]

In that adolescent teenage age range. Whatever you feel, you're feeling it much more strongly than you do at any other time of your life. So when good things happen to you and you're feeling great, you feel more great than you will when you're older. But on the other side, when bad things happen and you're feeling bad about yourself and you're feeling sorrow or embarrassment or shame, those feelings are also much deeper. And the thought is that that gets stored in a deeper physical place in the brain. And so as you get older, in some ways, you are psychologically stuck a little bit in those years. And I think the trick is to realize that and to realize that maybe it's a bit of an illusion that is created by your brain chemistry. I think there's a lot of fear drummed into kids with good intention, trying to keep them on track, trying to keep them on their studies. But the downside of that is that for the kids who have fallen off, what they've heard is that that's it, they've ruined their lives. And I can't overstate how much that has not been true for the people I've known. By the end of high school, I had definitely gone into a rebellious or subversive phase of my own. And so I was spending most of my time with kids who were really on the margins of high school society. Some of them had already dropped out. A lot of them were on a lot of drugs. There was somebody who I had last seen many years ago in a house that was one of the houses of one of the kids who was so neglected that we would just sort of hang out there. I had last seen this person passed out on the floor with a syringe next to their arm, and I assumed that that person would never really crawl out of that. And I saw that person a few years ago. They are doing fine. They have been to college. They have a professional life. They are not an addict. And they seemed really happy. I want graduates to think there is not a set pattern of activities that comprise an adult life in America. Your whole life, you have to be ready to readjust your whole life, things will happen that you didn't expect to have happen. I want them to feel like whatever happened is an asset because I really think that if you had a great high school experience, that is an asset, you know, And I think if you had a bad high school experience, that can also be a very rich asset. But you have to think about it the right way and not get trapped inside of it.

[Derek Arthur]

If you like this show, follow it on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. The Opinions is produced by Derek Arthur, Vishaka Darba, Christina Samulewski and Gillian Weinberger. It's edited by Kari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. Engineering, mixing and original music by Isaac Jones, sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carol Sabro and Afim Shapiro. Additional music by Aman Sahota. The Fact Check team is Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Christina Samulewski. The director of Times Opinion Audio is Annie Rose Strasser.

[Dawn Draper]

Sam.