Uni takes pride in its intelligent and talented student body. It boasts of high standardized test scores, a dedicated administration, and a competitive atmosphere. But frankly, sometimes the competition and tendency to overachieve can get a little annoying.

After each major test or paper is handed back, the classroom becomes filled with whispers. Students turn to each other, asking “How did you do?” or saying “Oh wow, I did so bad.”

Ultimately, all these students want to know is one thing: What grade did you get?

Last year in journalism class, we read a book by Alexandra Robbins titled “The Overachievers.” “The Overachievers” portrayed the lives of a few overachieving high school students in a top-notch high school, much like Uni. I was rereading the book last week, hoping to be inspired to study for my upcoming standardized tests, when a passage really struck me:

Robbins, quoting an overachieving girl, wrote that there are essentially three kinds of “Score Weasels”:

1. The Polite Score Weasel, who asks, “How did you do?” The Polite Score Weasel hopes for a number but will not ask directly. She/he will, however, ask follow-up questions like “What were your PSATs?” However, if the questions are continually answered in vague terms, the Polite Score Weasel will go on to talk about his/her scores — usually not offering a solid number (after all, what if you did better?).

2. The Filthy Score Weasel, who asks specific questions. If you give the answer, she/he will dig deeper: “So you got a 2300. What did you get on math?” These types are hard to avoid because they stop at nothing. Should you shoot them down, they often begin to talk about themselves. See Complaining Score Weasel.

3. The Complaining Score Weasel, who asks you your scores and then quickly tells you his/hers, followed by “It’s so bad, I’m miserable,” etc. The Complaining Score Weasel is actually fishing for compliments or confirmation that you — and everyone else — did worse. He/she will not shut up until you say that he/she is amazing.

I couldn’t have put it any better. The dynamic that Robbins portrays so accurately reflects the atmosphere at Uni. In my three-and-three-quarter years at this school, I’ve encountered many of these “Score Weasels.” In particular, the halls of Uni seem to be filled with “Filthy Score Weasels.”

These are people who blatantly ask “What did you get?” after a test is handed back. If you are reluctant to show them your score, they would oftentimes say “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

If you proceed to deny their request, they would show you their test anyway and go on and on about “Oh, I didn’t study for this at all” or “I can’t believe I missed this! I’m so stupid,” which leads to the “Complaining Weasel.”

There are also quite a few “Complaining Weasels” at Uni. These are students who score a 98 on their test and then exclaim: “Oh no! I did so bad! How could I have miss this? What did you get?”

Those around these “Complaining Weasels” are tricked into revealing their own score, thinking that they’re smarter and better, only to be “treated” once they find out that the “Complaining Weasel” actually scored higher.

On the day that the January SAT scores were posted on the College Board Web site, guys in my calculus class were on the computers, checking their scores. One student scored a whopping 2350, just 50 points away from a perfect score. Immediately, people surrounded his computer, analyzing his score. One student even went up to the chalkboard and wrote out his score, followed by a breakdown of each of the three sections.

OK, that's just too much. It’s fine to congratulate someone on his or her score, but why is it necessary to post someone else’s score up on the chalkboard for the entire class to see?

I think people should keep their grades to themselves. It might make you feel better if you find out that someone else scored lower than you, but in the end, it doesn’t matter how well other students do; the only thing that matters are your own grades and achievements.