GPA is used in colleges to determine how well a student performs in a class by averaging all their grades by a point system, usually on a scale of 1.0 and 4.0. Based on the calculation, your performance will be assessed and viewed to see whether it meets the school’s expectations and standards. The GPA is of two types – a semester and cumulative. The semester GPA is calculated based on all grades for a particular semester, while the cumulative GPA is based on all grades acquired since the start of the school year. So, what is a good GPA?
Facts About a Good GPA
When asking about what a good GPA is, it’s important to consider some factors. For a start, what people consider a good GPA in high school is different from what is considered a good one in college. For high school, the average is 3.0, and this has remained constant over the years. The average GPA, which is also regarded as a good GPA in college, is 3.1. It’s important to mention that with grade inflation, this figure has increased over time. If you achieve a GPA above these for either your high school or college, it is considered as good.
How to Improve your GPA
Your GPA is very important for many reasons. If you plan to go into graduate school, you must ensure that you have a good GPA. Even if you want to enter the job market right out of school, having a good GPA can give you an edge among your peers. When it comes to improving your GPA, it’s important to start early. Even if you have had some D’s and E’s early in your school career, you can get up your game and improve on your cumulative GPA. In this section, we’ll share some tips on how to improve your GPA with the ‘Good GPA’ level. Let’s get right into it!
- If you have performed below expectation in some courses, check to see if they are available for summer school. Retake those courses to boost your GPA.
- Look out for advanced courses that have higher weights and include them in your course module. Note that these should be courses you do well in. It will do more damage to your GPA if you take courses with high units and perform woefully in them. However, if you can do well in those courses, by all means, ensure you take them to improve your GPA.
- If it is allowed, drop courses that you are not very good at. You don’t have to take all courses offered for the semester. If you think a course is too difficult for you and you can’t get the hang of it, drop it and take another course. However, if the course is essential to your career path or graduate school goals, it’s better to make an extra effort to become better in it.
- Get a tutor for some extra lessons to develop more competence in your weak subjects.
- Pay attention to your study and dedicate more time to it. Don’t procrastinate and leave your study to the time when you have a test or an exam. Focus on your weak subjects and get help if you need to.
Conclusion
If your GPA is currently low, you can work on it to become better. If you are already almost out of college and planning to gain admission into graduate school with a low GPA, you don’t have to despair. You can find some graduate schools that consider other factors other than your GPA to grant you admission. You may want to consider these schools for your graduate studies. However, when you get to graduate school, remember to up your game and make better grades than you’ve done in college.
