<p>So, I just finished my first semester of freshman year and I have a 3.0 gpa this semester (hopefully). I got an A in a 1 hour fresh orientation class, B's in chem 1, psych, and micrecon. And I unfortunately got a C in calc 1. However, I also screwed up during my concurrent classes and didn't get that great of grades then, so my overall GPA (by my calculation) should just by a 3.19. </p>
<p>I'm undecided still, but know that I'm going to pursue some business major. Do you guys think that it'll be possible to raise my GPA enough to get into a decent grad school? I plan on getting a MS, rather than MBA, right after undergrad. If you had an estimate, what do you think is the high I could raise this to?</p>
<p>You can easily do the calculation yourself with a spreadsheet. In fact, it would be a good idea to always have such a calculation updated as you progress in your studies. Bottom line is, Yes, of course. It is only your first semester.</p>
<p>Assuming that your other courses are 3 credits a piece, then your current GPA is a 2.85.</p>
<p>Sure it’s possible. Let’s say you take 5 classes next semester, all 3 credits, and you get 2 As and 3 Bs. Then your GPA becomes a 3.14. If you do the same thing again the following semester, then you get a 3.23. Do it again and your GPA climbs to a 3.27, and that’s by the end of your sophomore year. I used @xraymancs suggestion of using an Excel spreadsheet; it’s quite simple. Continuing this pattern into junior and senior year would probably net you somewhere between a 3.3 and a 3.5 upon application to graduate school (I didn’t keep doing the math, so I don’t know for sure).</p>
<p>What’s the highest you could raise it to? Well, if you got straight As in 15 credits next semester, you’d have a 3.46. If you got straight As in the first semester of your sophomore year, you’d have a 3.65, and then if you got straight As again in the second semester of your sophomore year, you’d have a 3.74. This is assuming that you take 5 classes that are 3 credits each. You could do the math yourself but it’s possible to get your GPA above a 3.7. Whether or not that’s likely or realistic is up to you, but most college students don’t get straight As.</p>
<p>I am curious about why you want an MS after undergrad rather than an MBA! (It’s a perfectly fine choice, I just want to know.)</p>
<p>@juillet
2.85?! I took 16 hours worth of classes concurrently (one 4 hour class and four 3 hour classes) and in those I got an A in the 4 hour class and an A, 2 B’s, and 1 C. And this semester I had two 3 hour classes (econ/psych), two 4 hour classes (chem/calc), and one 1 hour class. So wouldn’t that be a 3.19? I used an online calculator and that’s what I got…
(Sorry, just kinda freaking out if GPA really is that low)</p>
<p>Oh, I plan on taking 18 hours (at least next semester) and will try incredibly hard to not even get any B’s. I can’t afford any more bad grades… Will getting an A in a 5 hour class help more than a 3 hour class? I’m planning on taking at least 2 (maybe 4) ASL classes which are 5 hours each.
I just feel like if I don’t get good grades, it’s gonna be incredibly difficult to get into a good grad program, specially cause my university is not really that great for business. </p>
<p>I was just thinking of getting a Masters cause from what it read I feel like it would be easier to get into than an MBA program, since I wouldnt have much work experience. But I am thinking that after working a few years after my masters, I would go back to get an MBA as well. I don’t know of that would be good or worthwhile. What do you think would be a good option? Is getting an MBA if you have a masters worth it?</p>
<p>The GPA is a weighted average and so of course a 5 credit course is more important than a 3 credit course. Really, you are in college. Go look up how the GPA is computed and use a spreadsheet to compute it yourself. It is really not hard. You can check yourself by looking at your transcript (I am sure your university has an online system that lets you do this) and confirm that your calculation is correct.</p>
<p>You are a first year student, don’t worry about a Masters or MBA yet. Concentrate on your courses and learning the most you can in college. In a couple of years, start thinking about whether a Masters or MBA is the right thing for you. And learn how to compute your own GPA…</p>
<p>It’s good that you are concerned about your GPA. GIven that it’s just your first semester of college–you can certainly improve your GPA. Rather than worrying about grad school, if I were you, I’d spend my time working as much as possible on my course work to insure that you get a good grade in each and every class. Yes–it’s difficult to get into grad programs if your GPA is low, but you’ve got lots of time to raise your grades and to think more carefully about why you want to go to grad school and what you want to do with a graduate degree. Also, if you think you want to go for an MBA–almost every top tier school requires that you have two to three years of work experience after you get your undergraduate degree. So, an MBA is a long way off.</p>
<p>If it’s your first semester of freshman year, that’s only 1/8th or so of the classes you will have taken upon graduating, yes? It depends a little on how much credit you came in with and your degree plan but one semester is 1/8th of your coursework typically for someone graduating in 4 years. Doing average in 1/8th of your coursework won’t really hinder you a lot since you have 7/8 still left. The problem for most people in your exact position is NOT whether or not these grades will prevent you from getting into a good grad school. The problem for most people in this position is whether or not you have what it takes to step it up and do better than this.</p>