You’ve just received your final grades and, well, they’re not exactly what you were hoping for. The results are way lower than you expected, and you can’t help but feel as though all your hard work has been for nothing. You don’t think things could get any worse. Until you find out that your BFF has totally smashed it. Suddenly, all those feelings of disappointment turn into jealousy.

Sound familiar? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there before.

If your BFF’s grades have got you green with envy, then try not to panic. We’ve put together some tips to help you cope.

Be Happy For Them

First things first, make sure you start things off right by congratulating them for doing well this semester. We’re not going to lie, this can be hard when you’re overwhelmed with jealousy, but your BFF has worked for it and they deserve to be celebrated. Don’t hate on their achievements.

If only for a moment, push your jealousy aside. By allowing yourself to feel genuinely happy for your friend, you’ll be able to rewire your brain and avoid getting stuck in a jealous thought-spiral.

Just ask what kind of friend you want to be – one who is proud of their bestie’s achievements or one who lets jealousy get in the way?

Confront Your Feelings

In saying that, being happy for your BFF doesn’t mean you should repress your feelings.

Jealousy is natural. We’ve all been envious of our friends at one time or another. They’re amazing. We’re friends with them for a reason. However, jealousy can quickly become a problem for both your friendship and your mental health when it’s repressed.

So, try to be honest with how you’re feeling. Ask yourself where this jealousy is coming from and whether your BFF getting a better grade than you actually matters in the long run. Getting to the root of these feelings is an important first step to overcoming your jealousy. 

Use It As Motivation

Feeling jealous doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The fact that you’re envious of your friend’s grades means that you care about your studies.

One of the best things to do in this situation is to use your jealousy as motivation to do better. Figure out where you went wrong and learn from your mistakes. Don’t focus all your energy on feeling upset.

Instead, try to channel it towards setting new goals and creating better study habits. Before you know it, you’ll be killing it next semester too.

Focus On What You Learned, Not The Grades You Received

Of course, while grades are important, they aren’t everything. Rather than obsessing over your grades, try to focus on the knowledge and skills you learned throughout the semester and how they helped you improve as a person.

Chances are you’re going to forget most of the course material in a couple of months. But, hopefully, there will still be some small bits of wisdom that manage to stay with you. Maybe the course helped improve your critical thinking skills. Or maybe it just taught you how to survive on three hours’ sleep and a couple of cans of Red Bull. Either way, your time at uni has helped you grow in a way that can’t be measured by your GPA.

Try Not To Compare Yourself To Others

The fact that your BFF received a higher grade than you doesn’t mean you’re a failure. We need to stop using other people’s successes as a benchmark for our own self-worth. University isn’t a competition. Life isn’t a competition.

You’re a marvellous human being, regardless of how you compare to others, and you have your own strengths that deserve to be celebrated. Focus on them, appreciate yourself more, and soon enough your jealousy will just melt away.

(Lead image: Hating Alison Ashley/Universal)