<p>I am currently doing research on good grades in college (undergraduate years). Please answer the questions if you can; it is greatly appreciated!</p>
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<li>What does a 4.0 GPA mean to you? How would your life change?</li>
<li>What is the most frustrating/infuriating/difficult thing about trying to get good grades?</li>
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<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>I held a 4.0 for my first two years of college. Then last semester I lost it due to General Chemistry II. I finished the class with an 89.3%, and the professor wouldn’t budge on it. Had I scored .2% higher, it would have rounded up to a 90% and an A. At first, I was really disappointed and upset about it. After some time to reflect on it though, I realized that it really doesn’t matter. A 3.93 GPA is in basically every respect just as significant as a 4.0. I’m a physics major, and I’ve taken some hard classes. Last semester I was in University Physics I, Calculus II, General Cultural Anthropology, and Spanish II, on top of General Chemistry II. It was a rough semester, and I pulled off As in all of my classes aside from Chem. I did honors projects in chemistry, physics, and calculus. Had I not gone above and beyond the minimum requirements with my honors projects, I’m sure I would have pulled off the A in chem. But I wouldn’t have had the chance to do an independent honors lab with my chem professor. Given what I took away from my honors labs, I’ll take it over an extra .2% in the class. </p>
<p>Very few people manage to maintain a 4.0 all through college. In addition to my courses, I work around 20 hours a week, and I have a social life. Upon some reflection on it, I realized that losing my 4.0 was essentially meaningless. Would my life be any different if I’d maintained my 4.0? No. Not at all. </p>
<p>1) Good grades. Good options for law school admissions. Great shot at scholarships.
2) Although I have yet to experience it myself, TA’s grading unfairly. One TA can give all A+'s and the other never gives an A.</p>
<p>I’ve completed nine college classes and my cumulative GPA is 3.97. </p>
<p>I don’t think there’s a significant difference between a 4.0 and, say, a 3.9. I care about getting good grades because I don’t have any other significant responsibilities (as a first-semester freshman without work-study, I couldn’t find a campus job) and I feel pathetic whenever it seems like I can’t do well even with this advantage. </p>
<p>I get frustrated when it seems like everyone else is able to do well without spending a lot of time on their schoolwork. It’s often hard for me to do well even when I have a lot of time to study, but other people are able to get good grades in addition to working and doing research and a thousand other ambitious things. I’ve spent a lot of time this semester feeling really incompetent.</p>
<p>Having a 4.0 gpa is REALLY important to me. That is the absolute standard I set for myself, and I beat myself up over it if I fall short - which brings me to the “most frustrating” thing - teachers who don’t grade fairly and tank your gpa at not fault of your own. I had one B last year, the rest As, and this one teacher brought my 4.0 down to a 3.8. I worked twice as hard in his class than all my other classes - he just flat out graded differently from everyone else which just proves he is the problem; I am not. But I am still upset with myself for not getting the A.</p>
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<li>Well, I don’t think I’m going to have a 4.0 in college (I haven’t even finished a semester yet, so I don’t know) but I would still really like it (had 4.0 in high school). To me it means that you have achieved at the highest level in every facet of your career, and to some degree, for me the definition of failure is not achieving at the highest level. So, without a 4.0, I have failed. I am currently working to change my view of success so that I have a healthy view of grades and such. Also, having a 4.0 means I am as far away as possible from a 3.0, and below a 3.0 I have no scholarship. </li>
<li>It’s really frustrating when grading is unfair. I have a class where you must have the exact wording as on the answer key, and synonyms don’t count. It’s ridiculous. Also, it’s frustrating when you know that you could get better grade in a class if you had more time to devote to it (i.e. fewer classes). </li>
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<p>So, yeah, that’s about it. Good luck with your research! :)</p>
<p>Getting upset about a single A- or B just isn’t worth it. I was that kid. I had a 4.0 in HS and was devastated when (as a science major) I got an A- in an elective art class my freshman year of college. I got over it. Honestly, no one will care, and there is basically no difference between a 3.9 and 4.0 GPA. My life wouldn’t change if I had a 4.0. Honestly, things in college have gone pretty great. I can’t think of anything that could have gone better if I had a 4.0 instead of a 3.98. At that point, it’s everything else you do while at college that makes more of a difference.</p>
<p>Future employment opportunities are not going to be hindered due to having a 3.8 or 3.9 rather than a 4.0, assuming that you’re a good candidate in other respects. A candidate with a 3.8 GPA, and research experience is going to be a better candidate than someone with a 4.0 and nothing else. </p>
<p>My GPA slipped because I got too ambitious and tried to take on too much at once. Despite getting the B+ in chemistry, I proved to myself that I could handle quite a bit and still pull through it very satisfactorily. </p>
<p>Graduating college with honors would be amazing! That’s not going to happen with me but I am so proud of my just over 3.0 GPA. I actually believe a 4.0 should be impossible. Here’s why: college is a place to learn and gain knowledge in whatever you choose. If you get a 4.0 all the way until graduation then that means you really don’t know what it’s like to not get your way; in other words, you didn’t go to school to better yourself in the same way other students did :D/ I am a business administration major and knew nothing about the subject before I chose it sophomore year (freshman year I was pre-music education). I have learned so much about economics, management styles and topics, and bookkeeping that I have really gotten my money’s worth. </p>
<p>My life would change if I would have gotten a 4.0 because that would have told me I could get through almost anything. I as a person would not change but my confidence in life would. The most difficult and agitating thing about getting great grades is knowing there’s no way I could study 60 hours or more a week (I study 10-20 hours a week combined depending on the semester). There are just going to be classes where you know you won’t ace them. I could’ve really pushed myself to get honors and fallen short anyways… :o3 so I decided to retain the most important 75% of the information and not drive myself any crazier than I already am. Why waste your youth doing nothing but studying? So yeah, I spent a good deal of time freshman and sophmore year flirting with cute young ladies :x and balanced that with a good solid 15 hours of quality study time per week. Great questions!</p>
<p>I wonder how many people with a 4.0 have avoided taking courses that they knew that might not get a “A”, or drop courses because they got a “B” or never left their comfort zone out of fear of losing their “A”. I see posts where students ask should I take the professor that is a great teacher that is a hard grader but where I will learn a lot in greater depth or take the professor that gives an easy A but is doesn’t teach to the same level. College can be a great time to explore but that also can mean getting a “B” or worse. It is a rare student that can excel in everything.</p>
<p>While I admire the drive for the perfect 4.0, sometimes I find it sad that people lose sight that it is only a number. What is more important is what you learn and take from the college experience. I have more respect for the student with the lower GPA that challenged themselves and fully explored what college has to offer even if it cost them their perfect 4.0. I am also amazed at the 4.0 student who managed to do it all and still survive. Some people are truly gifted or driven through hard work to succeed. </p>
I just finished my freshman year of college at BYU with a 4.0 GPA. I am double majoring in geology and economics and took some junior-level economics classes. I also had a social life and went to lots of sporting events. Getting a 4.0 is not difficult if you really love the topics of your classes and think of studying as something fun to do rather than a drudgery. I have also worked as a test writer so I know what parts of the material will likely be on the test.
I’m a nursing major. I’m also involved in outreach work and a few on campus activities. At first, I wanted the 4.0; I saw it as proof that I was intelligent, that I would be a good health professional. But first semester, I ended up with a 3.85. Not bad, but not a 4.0. I realized that it really doesn’t matter, as long as I’m doing well-my classes are challenging, I’m working hard and I’m doing well.
With any luck, I’ll finish my freshman year with a 3.7. Not bad!
I have gotten a 4.0 for all but two semesters of college (my final GPA when I graduate next week will be about a 3.92). It is a great goal to reach for, especially when you are trying to keep your resume/transcript competitive for professional schools. However, I learned very quickly that it isn’t as valuable as being just an overall well-rounded student and having a life outside of school. Having a 4.0 alone is less impressive than having, say, a 3.75, and having a wealth of work, leadership, research, and social experiences.
The most frustrating thing about getting good grades for me was staying focused, especially when you have a lot of exams or assignments coming up at once. Battling distractions was always incredibly difficult for me.
Is it feasible to get a 4.0 if you’re in an engineering major? I’ve heard traditional engineering majors (mechanical, electrical, chemical, aerospace) are all GPA killers.
Having a 4.0 in college would have made not one whit of difference. I wasn’t seeking to attend graduate school and jobs literally do. not. care. I graduated BU with a 3.47 GPA, which at BU, the year I graduated, earned me a magna cum laude designation. Which, again, is awesome! Something shiny to put in my bio (as I’m now an author), but makes no difference whatsoever to my career.
Grade deflation at BU was frustrating, but mostly in the classes where I felt I had earned an A. Unfortunately, some classes were so small (and the teacher sticking religiously to the curve rubric) that because one other person already had the A, I had to have the B+. I was the B+ queen in my German minor. It was ridiculously frustrating. That said, the courses where I got an A or A- were SO FREAKING SWEET. I earned those As. Those classes were hella rewarding. So were my B+ classes, mind, but knowing my school didn’t hand out As like candy, earning one was all the more sweet.
I regret nothing–my education was awesome, and no one cares was my college GPA was, 9 years out from graduation. And with regard to what a 4.0 means to me: that varies widely by college. At universities known for handing out As like they’re going out of style, I don’t think a 4.0 means as much. If the hardest part is getting in, yawn. But if I met a BU student with a 4.0, I’d want to touch them, just to make sure they were real. They’d be a unicorn, and clearly far, far more talented than I was! But regardless: college isn’t about your GPA, but what you actually learn & how you apply that to the rest of your life.
@outlooker it’s totally possible if you work your ass off and have a passion for the material. My ex bf is a computer engineer major and last I checked he had a perfect 4.0 still in his senior year. He also had a lot of extra curriculars all on top of it if I remember correctly
@dessie411 We’re on the same boat.
Electrical Engineering:
I’m an engineering major, and I’m happy with anything over a 3.0. When I started college, I wanted to be as close to a 4.0 as possible. Then I realized that I rather have sanity, sleep and some semblance of a social life. I’m a senior with a 3.13 GPA which is definitely better than it was at the end of my sophomore slump (down to a 2.85).
A lot of the students that graduate with a 4.0 only do so because they drop classes that they know they won’t get an A in. Many of them retake classes that they got a B in so they can replace it with an A.
This is somewhat different in my mind, because it’s not really an ‘honest’ 4.0. It’s more of a doctored 4.0 if anything, which I don’t see in quite the same light. In either case, a 4.0 is rather overrated whether it be honest or doctored.