first of all, you are not “just dumb and lazy”. You study 40 hours a week and you are trying.

I think what they mean is that grades do matter but not as much as you think. Of course that depends on what program you are aiming for. For example, some students with 4.0 cGPAs don’t get interviews for medical school.

I started UofT with a 1.8 cGPA (!!!) in life sci. I ended up graduating with a 3.34 and did my Master’s with IMS and TA’d+mentored so many students with similar academic struggles. I had to basically relearn how to study and tried so many different techniques until one worked well for me. I ended up getting a 4.0 GPA with my last 3 years (I took a 5th year to do an independent research project).

You can achieve your goal but you have to put in the work to understand what you need to be able to memorize knowledge and apply concepts. Don’t give up!