psh GPA's are so overrated

Applying to College
41

<p>immajap 88, I was not going to reply to your thread, but I am doing so because I want to say how I disagree with the way you judge other people and put them down to justify your shortcomings. </p>

<p>You believe that GPA is a poor way to judge a student's ability. Even though there is some truth to that statement, you gotta realize that GPA can provide a fairly accurate assessment of an individual's ability to learn and his dedication to school. Universities have to have a standard that they can compare their applicants by because they cannot simply accept everyone that apply to their university. And they have chosen GPA as one of their standards, because they want to see dedication and potential from their students. </p>

<p>You said that you dont understand why your GPA isn't as good as others despite your consistent effort. Have you ever thought of the possibility that your GPA is lower than others because others are more skilled in learning than you are? Maybe other students have more potential or put more effort into their studies than you do. In all your posts, you discuss how smart you are and how good you are at things but fail to realize your own shortcomings and consider the possibility that others are "better" than you. And then you start criticizing not only the system but also others who have higher GPA than you. (ex. the girl that sits behind you in math class)</p>

<p>In my opinion, you don't know enough about others to denounce them to elevate yourself. How do you know that the girl sitting behind you in math has no interest in other subjects? How do you know that others acheiving higher GPA than you put more effort into school than you do? You keep claiming that you work hard in school, but thats such a subjective assertion. What you consider "hard" may be "totally slacking" in other's point of view, because I don't think someone who works hard at school would forget to do homework.</p>

<p>Ultimately, you were the one who created this outcome. You were the one who chose to take all the hard courses, and thats why you ended up with a low GPA. Sure I commend you for challenging yourself, but if you were so smart, you should have been able to handle all the challenges and succeed. The fact that you couldn't while others could is what differentiates you from others in admission process, and you have to accept that. </p>

<p>I know that I am in no position to criticize you so much from reading a couple posts you have put up, because I don't even know you. You are probably a really wonderful person, and I am probably being a jacka** writing this crap down. So I do apologize if this offends you. But I had to express my view because I just wanted to say that you are the one responsible for your life and how your life will be is decided by you, no one else.</p>

42

<p>Anyone in my school can get 90 plus - if they work hard.
GPA I find, is only a measure of effort and dedication. SAT scores on the other hand, tell the adcoms if you really know something, if you weren't leeching off the nerdy kid next to you, sucking up to your teacher, being handed free marks or cheating.
I'm in classes where I'm getting absolutely rock bottom marks. However, the people in the class are absolutely stupid and getting 90s. This is not even a generalisation because they genuinely are stupid - I've talked to them and I know them. The reason why I, like some others on this thread, are getting low marks in easy classes is that we find no challenge in such courses, and in seeing the stupid but diligent rise whilst the intelligent but lazy people fall, our mentality suffers a blow. And so we slack.</p>

<p>I've realised the folly of being undermotivated and doing nothing because of it, but as I'm already in my junior year, it's too late for any upward trend in my grades to make a difference.
My school has no APs, I have practically zero useful ECs, my grades are nothing compared to others, etc.
And yet, people are utter dullards around me getting perfect GPAs.</p>

<p>
[quote]
When i got into high school, as a freshman, i took all advanced/honors classes, and i got A's and B's. Sophmore year i became lazy and unmotivated ( as many teenagers become) and my GPA took a minor plunge. Now, as a junior in high school, im working my ass off, yet realize that even if i get 4.0's until i graduate, my GPA won't be anything higher than a 3.8. I too, feel as if grades are a bit overrated. I understand that GPA and SAT's are colleges only factors that determine how successful a student will be at their school, therefore can accept how hard it is to get into a good college now a days.

[/quote]

[quote]
also, even though I say im smart, it would have been smarter of me to put more emphasis on my grades.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>^ ^^That is me completely too. Because really, there's nothing any of us can do about this GPA system thing, so it was very stupid of me to slide down dramatically in my sophomore year and onward.
I guess that's where "stupid" academically-high-achieving people have the upperhand in the smarts department: blinders-on-the-eyes diligence.</p>

<p>
[quote]
yeah it sucks for people who didn't get going until junior or senior year, or smart kids who are just lazy, but that's life.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>^That is life for you eh? :(</p>

43

<p>It really comes down to your preception lol. I can argue both ways.</p>

<p>For first.</p>

<p>A college will obviously want to accept someone they KNOW will get the work done and do well. Now excelling in school at least tells them you have the ability to achieve. The backdoors are backdoors but they generally assume you got your GPA by doing well in classes. Not by taking extremely easy classes or boost GPA by taking courses at local CC...or as I remember from "Legally Blond", that one girl who passed Spanish by giving her teacher a lap dance. Anyway basically GPA does to a degree measure how hard you will work in school. Thus colleges look at it very closely.</p>

<p>Now against</p>

<p>Anyone can get a great GPA if they go through enough backdoors. Now yes most ppl work hard to get a GPA. But some would rather play safe and take an easy class rather than take the stab at a harder one. That defeats the purpose of learning. Why learn when you know you will excel? Not to mention GPA is a poor reflection of one's abilities. A great student can have mediocre to abysmal GPA while being exceptional in research etc. Everyone have their pluses and minuses. Finally alot of extremely successful people failed at school. Im doing some research on art in school and Pablo Picasso for one did horribly at school.</p>

<p>Lastly SATs</p>

<p>SATs shows how well you can function in a given condition. Doesnt mean you are smart or stupid. SATIIs is better but still the same deal. A good test would be one that is nearly impossible for most people to do correctly but is grade on the thining process. Also taken in a very very liberal amount of time. That shows real knowledge and problem solving abilities.</p>

44

<p>ember:</p>

<p>If you are so smart and school is so easy, why doing to do the busy work and get into a good college?</p>

45

<p>it's funny to see how some people (aka dying_ember ) try so hard to justify their low marks by bringing other people down. </p>

<p>"However, the people in the class are absolutely stupid and getting 90s. This is not even a generalisation because they genuinely are stupid - I've talked to them and I know them. "</p>

<p>What a nice thing to say about someone else. I think if they were absolutely stupid, they probably wouldn't be getting high marks. Because for them to be geniunely stupid and get good marks, your school must be ridiculously easy, which would then mean that you should be ridiculously stupid to get the "rock bottom" marks you are getting. This would obviously contradict your underlying belief that you are smarter than everyone else, so this basically means that your argument basically proves that you should be probably stupid as well. </p>

<p>If you were so smart, you should still be getting good marks regardless - maybe not the top marks, but decent marks - because school only teaches you the basics that you need to know for the future that it doesn't require a whole lot of effort to get good marks.</p>

46

<p>coolness_rookie: I'm not saying GPA is a POOR way to measure a student's ability. Im saying its not the ONLY way. There are other ways to tell a hardworking person! people keep putting words in my mouth. For starters, the girl in my math class is also a friend, so I do know her interests and what she's like, so I'm not making some random generalization.</p>

<p>While its completely possible that I'm just stupider than everyone else or more useless, I just don't think so. I'm starting to feel vain as I keep reposting exactly WHY i don't think I'm dumb, so go back a page or two and you'll see. I've accomplished a lot, and yea, I made solid B's throughout AP English but because of the skills I learned in that class and some good creative skills, I'be been able to put the knowledge to good use. I get a B for the class, but an A for the places its taking me.</p>

<p>I've worked my toosh off to pursue my interests and have a fine resume to show for it. I DID NOT BLOW OFF MY HIGH SCHOOL YEARS. I'm successful and am reaching my potential as a writer and musician in ways that I cannot post up on this forum because it'd blow my identity. My hard work shows up there. My hard work shows up in my SAT II's, my essays. It shows up in the conversations I exchange with my bosses and at my internship and with friends.</p>

47

<p>I'm stupid in that I'm lazy when the marks are so easy.
However, I'm intellectually capable of everything and more of what other students are doing.
You have too much hope in humanity if you're saying that it's utterly offensive to think someone stupid when it may be absolutely true.</p>

<p>The problem with me is that I don't do homework, review or study at all. The things come to me completely easy, but however, I don't remember things when it comes down to it.
Dullards get high marks because they're dilligent. I just don't think getting into top colleges should be based upon something like effort. SATs actually measure the power of one's grey matter.</p>

48

<p>"I just don't think getting into top colleges should be based upon something like effort."</p>

<p>Hahaha</p>

49

<p>Lets for a second remember folks like Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein all made their ways through life because/in spite of their education. They made their way through diligence. They probably flunked out of school, but their creativity/diligence has gotten them through life</p>

50

<p>STOP EXCUSING YOURSELF!!! uhh god. Seriously stop deluding urself into believing that you are one of them and thus you should flunk school. They showed passion in what they did but flunking school doesn't say anything about them. Also at this point you aren't one of them however, smart u r so get on with ur dreams and passions and if u try hard enough u might become one of them but currently u rn't so don't justify having a low GPA.</p>

51

<p>I wish school is on a pass fail basis. Then i can take all the challenging classes i want while not worry about my GPA. Find it so depressing to be working in classes where you get a load of busy work and gain no new knowledge.</p>

52

<p>I AM NOT JUSTIFYING MY GPA. I HAVE A BAD GPA. OKAY. OTHER PEOPLE DO BETTER THAN ME IN SCHOOL. OKAY. I ACCEPT. IT CERTAINLY GOING TO SCREW MY CHANCES OF GETTING INTO COLLEGE. OKAY. </p>

<p>BUT OTHER THINGS SHOW THAT I'M SMART. NO, IM NOT EINSTEIN. IM JUST POINTING OUT THAT THEY FLUNKED SCHOOL AND IT TURNED OUT THEY WERENT ENTIRELY USELESS. IM ONLY ANALOGIZING THE FACT THAT I TOO HAVE FLUNKED, BUT I TOO WILL SUCCEED IN LIFE, DEFINETELY NOT LIKE EINSTEIN, BUT SUCCESS ALL THE SAME. </p>

<p>Again, I am not justifying my GPA. It's there and my goodness, it is certainly trash. But it does not render me stupid. Just as a good GPA does not necessarily render one to be a future leader, future successful businessman, future academic. That comes from a person's OWN talents. What he learns and picks up from school and combines with his own creativity, his OWN resources. </p>

<p><em>steps down from soapbox</em></p>

53

<p>We should end this discussion. The GPA is probably the best way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Yes, GPA is not perfect. What about the kid that has one talent: a photographic memory. He or she would be unbeatable in high school especially in courses such as history, chemistry, biology etc. Also, a GPA in one school may be easier than another. However, it is the best indicator around, even considering its limitations. Period.</p>

54

<p>you should all read this author / guy who writes about education named ALFIE KOHN</p>

<p>he talks about the process of learning for memorizing facts and learning for grades VS. actually learning and understanding... that those who memorize to spit things out for grades and other people's satisfaction usually end up learnign less than those who learn for learnings sake...</p>

<p>though i'm not really attributing these characteristics to either high SAT or high GPAs, i figure it goes both ways. but i think this issues is basically at the crux of this whole argument...</p>

<p>high GPA / low SAT want to argue hard work, etc
low GPA / high SAT want to argue how unqualitative and thorough GPAS are, etc. </p>

<p>i mean, who knows in the end. the new yorker did an article about how people who had got into both UPenn and Penn state (even though some chose to go to penn state) ended up makign the same amount of money in life. who you are takes you where it takes you, and numbers will always be reflective of who you are, even if (in the case of low GPA) it means you don't do well in a school situation. </p>

<p>ok, thats enough of my random insight</p>