"Does anyone have change for a five?”

"Can I have some of that food?"

"What did you get on the test?

These are three of the most popular questions at Uni. But after getting back the results of a major assessment — a test, paper, or project — the third question seems to become the most frequently asked. And that's not a good thing.

I hadn't even made it to first-period PE when some sophomores began comparing their scores on the PSAT, which had only arrived that weekend. Immediately after the history tests came back today, the question in question began popping up again frequently. After fifth-period math, the topic of the hour was the number of E's, M's, and R's received.

Is this normal? Apparently it certainly is at Uni. Teenagers in general are notorious for being self-conscious, but at Uni that trait has spread to the field of academics. It seems people who performed well on certain assessments compare scores to make their grade seem more impressive — any accomplishment seems more impressive if you alone did well.

If a person didn't do so well, perhaps they're telling others their score to be assured that for as poorly as they performed, at least they aren't alone — that's like saying the Bears aren't having a bad season because they're better than the Dolphins.

But what about when you're on the receiving end of such a question? It's easier to tell someone your grade on the chem test when you got a 97 as opposed to a 77. So the few people who stay silent about their grades are thought to have done worse than those who flaunt their A+, even if that's not the case.

So personally, I've decided to stay silent when people ask that question (at least I won't give them a straight answer). If I did well, great, but talking about it isn't going to do anyone any good. If I did poorly, then I'm not going to tell anybody anyway.

After all, a grade is just a letter on a piece of paper.