<p>So, I'm currently a college sophomore and I just received my grades and evidently had a very poor semester:</p>
<p>A-
B
B-
B-
C (I'm re-taking this one)</p>
<p>This has dropped my overall GPA to a 3.16... I'm flipping out.</p>
<p>I'm an art history and film studies double major looking to go to Columbia for graduate school for a PHD in Western Art and now I'm worried I won't be able to get in.</p>
<p>Is it realistic to think I could pull a 3.6 by the end of my senior year? To get about a 3.68-3.7 it looks like I'd have to get straight A's for the next 5 semesters. Is this possible? Are their tips on how I can do this without killing myself?</p>
<p>Relax. Sounds like you had a B+ average in your first year and a B- average this term? It’s not that big a drop. Okay, not what you wanted to hear.</p>
<p>If you can replace that C by an A, your cumulative average would already jump up to 3.3 (assuming that you have taken the same number of credits each term). If, after that, you are aiming for a 3.6 GPA, you would need a ~3.75 average for your remaining 5 semesters. Realistic but a step up from your grades to date.</p>
<p>Well, I had a 3.34 and I still have an INC waiting to be resolved (Hopefully turning into an
A-) I took 4 classes my first semester, 6 my second, and 5 my last semester and 3 were 4 credit classes. I figured going from 3.34 to 3.6 would be much easier but this dropped my gpa a lot, hence being upset. It is a big jump because I’m supposed to maintain a 3.3 to stay in my honors program but they’ll probably let it slide until I get it back up.</p>
<p>Anyway, what are the best tips on getting straight A’s next semester without stressing myself out too bad?</p>
<p>By calculating in everything it looks like I could get a 3.39 by the end up next semester if I get straight A’s.</p>
<p>It’s possible to get straight A’s for the next 5 semesters. You already know this.</p>
<p>Is it realistic? Not likely. But don’t let this deter you from trying at all. Your goal is get a Ph.D. from Columbia, work harder and you can realistically raise that GPA to a 3.4 or 3.5.</p>
<p>Remember: Graduate schools care more than just about grades. The GRE is important, as well as research experience (I’m in science, and I’m not sure what that entails for undergrads seeking liberal arts degrees).</p>
<p>HOWEVER, in terms of your grades: if your GPA isn’t where you’d like it to be, schools strongly prefer to see an upward trend. If you get 3.7+ in the remainder of your semesters, your 3.4 may look more like a 3.6 in the eyes of the admissions committee.</p>
<p>@Procrastinat0r: relax. my friend who is doing engineering with me got 2.7 GPA before the 3rd quarter of junior year, yet he still managed to pull up to 3.3 GPA by 2rd quarter of senior year. you still have quite a lot of class to take (only sophomore year now), so there are still chances to bring your GPA back up. it’s not gonna be the end of the world. above 3.5 is probably good enough for grad school, and you can make up with other stuff on your application.</p>
<p>Thank you biochem2012, I didn’t think about it that way.
I still think realistically I can pull a high 3.5-3.6… this would even be possible if I got straight A-'s for the rest of my undergrad career but I know my art history classes especially will always be As because that’s just how I roll (heh heh.)</p>
<p>In the event that I do end with a 3.4-3.5… I will try to look towards that kind of optimism though I will not aim for it intentionally of course.</p>