The Importance of a Strong College GPA
While the importance of maintaining a strong GPA in high school gets (rightfully) a lot of attention, college GPAs are too rarely the topic of discussion.
It’s true that the focus shifts once a student enters college. The goal in college is to learn and be enriched, not simply to memorize facts for an end-of-term assessment. Students should be more interested in thinking critically about the information that they are receiving, and expanding their depth of knowledge. And oftentimes, finals become more of a formality than a focus. There is nothing wrong with this approach, depending on the long-term goals of a student. But even that student should keep in mind that grades, and in turn GPAs, still matter.
There are several benefits to having a strong college GPA:
Scholarships have a minimum GPA. Funding is an important part of college. In order to qualify for federal aid, you must maintain a minimum of 2.0, or a C average. However, for most scholarships that come from the school, especially a top school, the requirement is often higher, with a minimum of 3.5 or above.
Many majors and programs have a GPA requirement. Many top colleges are divided into several smaller schools. Each of these schools houses certain majors. When it comes time to apply for a major, a student is more or less applying to a smaller school within the college. These smaller schools and programs have GPA requirements. Again, we recommend maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher to ensure entry into a student’s desired program.
Higher GPAs look good on graduate school applications. Let’s be honest, a bachelor’s degree doesn’t quite get as much traction as it used to. More often than not, in order to get their dream job, a student is going to need a Masters or PhD. Like applying to a top undergraduate program, applying to a first choice graduate program is highly competitive. A student wants every advantage on their side. A high GPA is a factor that could strongly affect their chances of getting into that dream graduate program.
We all know the transition between high school and college can be jarring, to say the least. Focusing on grades while expanding a social circle can be a lot to balance. But good grades should still be important. If a student is struggling with their course work, there are some simple things they could do to help: start a study group with peers to help each other out, or seek help from a tutor. There is no shame in receiving help. Just as long as those GPAs stay high.
Ivy Link offers college-level tutoring for all major subjects, including advanced math, science, history, social sciences, and foreign languages.
