Hi everyone. This semester, I got lower grades then I have ever had in high school. I’ve been studying, going to office hours, met with professors. Overall, they’re not terrible --my estimate is about a 3.3 or 3.4 by finals. Is this normal – and will it have lasting effects? I know my cumulative GPA will take a hit in the long run with this, but does it matter with grad school or research opportunities? Most of my classes are As/A-s, perhaps one B+, and one C. Please help!
You have to remember that you are competing against a whole bunch of really smart kids who are almost all in the same boat. You are doing the right things and you are fine for UG research except maybe with the professor where you are getting the C.
Here’s a story on the Mendoza Curve, something smacking my sophomore son right now: https://scholastic.nd.edu/issues/mendoza-curve-causes-debate-2/
Major employers and grad schools will understand that ND has lower average grades than peer institutions. A number of job listings list a 3.2 minimum, so keep that if you can. For tippy-top grad schools try to drag your GPA up above a 3.5 and concentrate on research.
Take a deep breath – you are doing fine. You are at a challenging college, you are adjusting to college life, finding new friends, getting into new routines etc. FWIW both of my kid’s GPA rose throughout their college years as they got more settled in, started taking more classes in their major etc.
You are not alone. I would schedule a meeting with your academic advisor. He or she may have suggestions for you to study better/smarter. For the class with the C, I’d ask to meet the professor so you can understand clearly where/how you are struggling and how to change that.
Everyone struggles in their first semester. You’re still learning how to cope with college-level work in a world where you’re no longer the smart kid, because everyone is the smart kid. I’m a 2017 grad who had a lousy first semester of freshman year. In fact, “lousy” is definitely an understatement. Trust me, there’s plenty of time for your GPA to improve over the course of your college career, and you’ll be fine for post-grad opportunities. Don’t stress out over this semester, you’re still learning how to be a college student and that’s just fine!