Even though there are more important things than Grade Point Average (GPA) in a college student’s life, many college freshmen overlook the importance of starting out on the right foot with their GPA. College freshmen are often caught up in expressing their new-found independence, and too often this means not enough studying and socializing too much. Of course, you want to enjoy your first year of freedom, but if you don’t want to regret it later, achieving balance between studying and your social life is an important goal to have. Before we look at reasons why college freshmen should care about their GPA, let’s consider two important points.
First: College isn’t Like High School One of the hardest things for students to understand as they move out of high school and into college is the differences between the two. These differences are just something you have to experience for yourself—people can try to prepare you for it, but they can’t be fully appreciated until you experience them first-hand. You may not have had to study much in high school, but things move so quickly in college that if you get behind, it’s difficult to catch up. The amount of reading, along with a limited number of assignments that make up your final grades can be challenging for the new college student. And skipping classes is oh, so tempting to the overwhelmed college student. Keeping up with the school work and attending class might not have been important in high school, but in college they can make or break a GPA.
Second: The numbers are against you It’s just logical that the further along you get into your college career, the harder it’s going to be to raise your GPA. But you won’t always be a freshman. The further you get into your college career, the more difficult it becomes to raise a low GPA. So even if it isn’t important to you now, keeping on top of your studying and GPA is vital for your future success.
Now we come to the three reasons you need to take your GPA seriously:
- Avoiding Academic Probation At the end of the fall semester many freshmen are shocked by their final grades. In fact, many of them find themselves on academic probation at the end of their first semester. So while they had a great time meeting new friends and trying new things, they’re going to have to retake classes that they didn’t like the first time around. Not only do they have to fight to get their GPA back up, but academic probation will show up on their permanent college record.
- Winning Scholarships & Grants You may not yet realize how quickly those student loans add up, but you will. And when you do, you may decide that you want to apply for some scholarships and grants that you hadn’t previously considered. Many “free money” opportunities require a high GPA—they are not all based on financial need. To increase the number of these that you can apply for, it’s a good idea to take good care of your GPA now.
- Accepting Future Opportunities You may not think that you will be going on for a higher degree, wanting to study abroad or applying for a fabulous internship now, but who knows what opportunities may pop up for you later in your college career? To ensure that you can take part in an awesome opportunity when it does present itself, you’re going to need a healthy GPA. You don’t want to leave college with regrets. Maintaining a strong GPA is one of the ways to make sure that you don’t. For more great articles, go here.