Why GPA Is Important When Applying To College

While reading Ken Bain’s book “What the Best College Students Do” of the five different types of students he describes, I feel like I fall under the label of one having mediocre grades but achieving success. I make good grades, however I do not necessarily believe my grades always reflect my hard work, determination and effort put in, similar to his theory on false hope in standardized testing. Throughout my school career, I have consistently made A and B grades. I can remember only one C grade, which was a quarter grade, and very disappointing, but a lesson learned. At the same time though, and as Bain helped me realize through his text, grades are not everything and making a C is not something that is going to kill me; there is simply more to school than a letter grade. In fact he points out through most of the 1800s schools only used two grades, pass or fail. As seen nowadays, schools have since adopted the letter grade system.

Growing up I have always been told that my grades are important. School is my first priority and I believe that my grades along with other factors determine my future. Although my grades are not perfect, the mistakes that I have made on tests and in class have taught me to push myself to new heights because I am capable of achieving whatever challenges are thrown at me. If my friends invited me to go out on a school night, I wouldn’t go because I know that if I stay up late it would affect my ability to learn. Instead of going out, I would complete my homework and study for any upcoming tests. Besides grades, the SAT and the ACT are major contributors to my future. When I took the PSAT, I made sure that I went to bed early and was on time for the test because even though it was a practice exam, it showed what I needed to improve on for the real test. When I received my results I began preparing for the SAT that I’m taking in October. I purchased books that are full of practice exams and I have been tutored because I was not completely satisfied with my scores from the PSAT. Scholarship is extremely crucial because it shows not only how smart a person is, but also their work ethic.

For the duration of my high school years I have had my fair share of bad grades, just as any student has. An “F” on a vocabulary test, “D” on a math quiz, or even getting a “C” on my midterm exams is all failures to me. I will be the first to admit that I have never been the top- ranked 4.0 student, but getting a

Being admitted into college is a difficult process, one that requires students to be diligent in their studies, engage in a number of extracurricular activities, and overcome the everyday pressures and challenges that high-schoolers face across the country. Admittedly, not everyone in the United States is born with the same opportunities as socioeconomic factors as well as historic injustices have contributed to a society in which some people are far more likely to achieve upward mobility – of which, obtaining a college degree is a necessary part – than others. While there is need to rectify this reality,

Furthermore, one of my most challenging experiences was maintaining a 3.0+ GPA in school while attending Oakland Community College in the Dual Enrollment Program. It was a tough situation to be in, due to the excessive amount of work I had to do for both high school and college. Every week I had to complete a chapter of my book, which consisted of long sections using words that I have never even heard of in my life, the prolonged chapters were followed by a required one to two-page essay that was due the next week or else it was considered late. Now keep in mind that these essays were a huge part of my overall grade, so I am embarrassed to say that out of the ten chapters, about four or five of them were late, but the reason for that is because

Going to college not only helps you but also the individuals around you. A person works hard to make sure that their application is presentable to the college. Angel B. Perez tells us that we should learn to fail, if we want to go to college. This comes as a shock to many people however, he is correct. As a student we assume that colleges look for an “A+” on a transcript rather than a “B-”. Though they do not. In other words, you don’t have to have 4.0 gpa to get into college.

How can it be that a student’s ACT score is more important than their GPA? Is it possible that a four-hour test can hold more weight than four years of high school grades? Would it not be great if students could get the same amount of money for a high GPA that they can get for a high ACT score? GPA can show hard work, strength, self-discipline, consistency, intelligence and personal accomplishments. Scholarships should not be awarded based primarily on ACT scores but on a student’s GPA. Scholarships should be awarded for keeping a high grade point average throughout high school. It is just as difficult or more to keep high grades throughout four years of high school as it is to go take four-hour test and achieve a high score.

My freshman and sophomore years of high school my grades did not represent my abilities due to a lot of health issues resulting from 3 different concussions. I spent quite a lot of time unable to go to school and falling behind due to not feeling well from the concussions as well as going to doctor appointments and being in the hospital. At this time it was hard for me to retain information and pay attention due to chronic migraines resulting from the concussions as well as a lack of sleep due to insomnia I had developed as a side effect from the concussions. All of this made my grades not as great as they should have been my first two years of high school and this does not reflect myself as a student. As my junior year began I was able to

Throughout my academic career, my grades and accomplishments have always been of extreme importance to me. To keep up with my goals, for example, making honor roll every quarter, I have taken steps and faced setbacks that have enabled me to see the big picture rather than focusing on the little issues that could discourage me from reaching those goals. To make the honor roll at my high school means obtaining a 3.5 grade point average or above for the entire quarter. As a freshman, I made it my goal to meet this standard throughout my complete high school career. To do this, I studied hard for every one of my classes, always did my homework, and put in as much effort as I could; I gave it my all. Through tough classes and staying up all night

A special attribute that sets me apart is my tendency to work hard. I constantly try to do my best in everything that I do. Throughout high school, I’ve always set a high standard for myself by taking rigorous classes, joining sports and clubs, and maintaining a high GPA. Even if certain classes didn’t have any relation to nursing, club meetings were the day before a large exam, or tennis practice was especially grueling, I still worked hard and put in as much effort as I could. With this type of attitude, I was able to maintain Distinguished Honor Roll and a cumulative 4.08 GPA throughout my high school career. I chose to maintain this attitude during senior year instead of taking it easy, as I was able to gain knowledge and experience that

Attending college has become the societal and educational norm in this day and age. We high school students feel a tremendous pressure to work for a college degree in order to be successful. College is a very important stepping stone between childhood and an entrance into the workforce. While many studies indicate that obtaining a college degree leads to higher wage jobs, more recent studies disagree. This is extremely concerning as a prospective college student in the dawn of my application process. Not only is it terrifying to think that a well-earned college degree is unnecessary for a future job, but it is incredibly frustrating. After years of hard work just to simply get into college, it might lead

The last time I checked, my GPA was somewhere in the 2.0s. When examined with a blind eye to the specifics, it most likely shows people that I'm a poor student, as most people judge scholarly ability by GPA. However, I believe that this is a flawed system, as it does not accurately show the full picture. When the dozen or so colleges that I applied to looked at my GPA, they were not looking into the meaning behind the number, missing the specifics of which classes I was performing poorly in and which classes I excelled in. Since a GPA focuses on everything at once rather than highlighting a student's struggles and weaknesses, it leads them to believe that a student is performing a particular way in all of their classes, a statement that has

How To Make Colleges Not Accept You When you are in your junior and senior years of high school, society places immense emphasis on getting into the college of your dreams. Juniors and seniors feel boundless amounts of anxiety because you always wonder if your efforts are enough to cause colleges to accept you before hopefully awarding scholarship money for these efforts. It seems as though there is always one more step that you can take to get the GPA a little higher, or an application essay a little better.

To start, a risk I have taken was to achieve straight A's in high school. The value of straight A's didn't appeal to me until the last semester of my sophomore year. Henceforth, before that time, I enjoyed the phrase "D's equal diplomas". It was unwise of me to think this way, and unfortunate that it took so long for me to move away from this mentality. Accordingly, I began second semester of sophomore year, by making sure I took good notes, actually study for tests, and ensuring I didn't procrastinate. It was a hard semester, and unfortunately, I did not get straight A's. Conversely, my effort did show, and stood out to many of my teachers. I was happy with my progress and knew I could eventually get straight A's. Furthermore, my junior year

I view my high school transcript as an inaccurate view of my current self. In my freshman and sophomore years, I still had the careless attitude of middle school that many had already given up. This laziness significantly injured my transcript and it shows all the times. I chose video games, social media, or videos over school. All of this changed in my junior year, as I realized the need for me to step up and participate in school activities so I could succeed in my life. It was an instant turn around and I believe the current me is best denoted by my junior and senior year scores rather than my transcript. As for the test scores, I took the ACT exam in my junior year. Naturally, as part of my plan to reform, I studied profusely