<p>Is there anyone here who had a 4.0 or near it when you finished college? If so, what method would you credit the most for your academic success? I know there is "how to study" stuff, but I've read it's written mostly by counselors, not by people who have actually made straight A's themselves.</p>
<p>Get the book “How to be a Straight A student” by Cal Newport. It is written by a student based on interviews on how phi beta kappa students at Ivies approach their college work.</p>
<p>I had only 1 B in college decades ago. The secret for me was to go to all my classes, get to know the profs, pace myself, tutor others, and have a good school/life balance. Procrastinating and cramming never worked for me so I never did them at all. Yes, I joined several honor societies, including PBK.</p>
<p>the level of college plays into this greatly; ie, if you go to your safety school you are much more likely to graduate with a 4.0 than if you go to your reach. you have to realize that going in. I am a parent and I see all around me kids my son’s age are graduating with close to 4.0’s – a lot of these kids went to their safeties. </p>
<p>the major plays into this too - ie, you’re not going to see too many 4.0 in an engineering school for example - that is just not going to happen.</p>
<p>At the college level, the difference between an A and a B is usually choosing the right professor, the right major, the right class policies, the right TA’s, and the right course load…</p>
<p>Now, back in Louisiana, we had a pair of identical twins studying engineering - one Mechanical and one Civil. They never once took their common math/physics/chem/core engineering courses together. They both graduated with a 4.0 and both got accepted to top 10 schools with full ride for grad school. Rumor had it that indeed, they ‘shared’ the task of test taking… :)</p>
<p>My S hasn’t graduated yet, but if he keeps going the way he is, he may end up with a 4.0. I’m not sure he’s doing anything special - he’s just smart. According to him, he’s not really studying any more than in high school, which was minimal at best. (He’s at a top school, btw.)</p>
<p>I think it’s just a matter of being interested in the courses you take and doing the best work that you can. Don’t overload yourself and go for extra help when you need it. Use study tips to help learn the material and don’t cram for a test. There’s no real formula.</p>
<p>In the end, it won’t matter whether you got a 4.0 or something less anyway.</p>
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<p>I knew a pair of identical twins who did this in high school in Connecticut. They would switch shirts in the boy’s room between classes. The teachers never caught on.</p>
<p>Unless you’re planning to go to grad school, does it really matter? I never had anyone ask me for my gpa on any interviews.</p>
<p>That being said, you have to find a studying system that works for you. </p>
<p>Sent from my DROID BIONIC using CC</p>
<p>I graduated with a 4.0 gpa. I do think it helped me get a spot in a critical care internship, but I don’t know that a 3.8 would not have gotten the same result. I do know that I paid a price for that 4.0 in terms of my stress levels, health (not fun having your hair fall out in handfuls), and relationships (I got my BSN after I was married and had toddlers).</p>
<p>Unless it will really make a huge difference in your career (trying to get into med school or law school), I don’t know that it’s really worth it to stress so much over the prospect of making a couple of Bs.</p>
<p>I believe that a 4.0 is either a very intelligent and hard working kid good with tests, an extremely intelligent kid who does not study and aces all tests, or an easy school that if you study you will get A’s.</p>
<p>I have to agree it has a lot to do with major, and the “sweet” majors probably differ from school to school. At my uni-employer, I have never seen a 4.0 BSN. In fact, i almost never see graduation honors (3.7+) on the BSN grad list. I’ve seen 1 4.0 chem major, but that’s a very rare bird. I’ve seen a smattering in biology, but again, not common. Also uncommon in music and accounting. Now, 4.0 in psych? Every year. Education? Quite a few. Communications? Also very possible. Now, remember, that list is going to be different at every school.</p>
<p>Do not obsess about getting a, or nearly a, 4.0 in college. Grad schools will only consider the courses related to their field. You should take some courses that interest you or challenge you even if you may not get the A. Plan your college courses around getting the best education you can. It could be your only exposure to some fascinating fields. Also pick the college that seems to be the best fit- you want a good peer group. You don’t want to be the smartest or feel you are in way over your head. Go for that Honors course or tougher course instead of the easiest version sometimes. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”</p>
<p>DD1 will graduate in a few weeks from a top 5 engineering school. Hopefully she’ll get to keep her 4.0 that she’s been carrying thus far. She is ChemE. DD2 is a freshman (with sophomore standing) at the same school, also ChemE and also hopefully ending the year with a 4.0 intact. They and I firmly believe that their study habits were forged in high school in the IB diploma program. Also important is that they came in with a lot of credits and therefore are able to carry lighter loads. </p>
<p>And don’t wait until you’re too far in the weeds before you seek help.</p>
<p>My daughter says there are good grades, enough sleep, or good social life, and students get to pick two.</p>
<p>MDMom - True for many but not all.</p>
<p>True for all. It just depends on your definitions.</p>
<p>“I never had anyone ask me for my gpa on any interviews.” - Probably so. But for campus interviews, the interviewer may have already seen the transcript and/or specified gpa minimum. These days it seems that internships/co-ops are critical, but of course they too often hinge on gpa. </p>
<p>I still agree it is not worth obsessing about gpa. Much will depend on the major and the rigor of the school. I think at Harvey Mudd (all engineering) we heard there have only be two 4.0 students…ever.</p>
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<p>Well, my 4.0 was a BSN. I can’t really relate fully how hard I worked for that. I can say in retrospect it was not worth the price I paid for it and the turmoil it created at home.</p>
<p>We survived it, but I would not recommend it to anyone. You can do perfectly fine in nursing without putting yourself and others around you through hell for some weird concept of perfection. Just my own experience, though.</p>
<p>I think it’s a fine goal to have, but agree that it should not be rooted in some “weird concept of perfection” as Nrdsb4 says. There is so much that can be gained from a college or university outside the classroom setting that it would be a shame to miss out on that education and growth in pursuit of a GPA. I’m also not a parent who buys into the myth that the ‘safety’ school is absolutely the ‘easy school’ since so much depends on which professors and what classes kids take and not all profs grade on a curve.</p>
<p>Back a million years ago - when there were no grades with pluses or minuses - I graduated college with all A’s and only 2 B’s. I think you need to be smart, work hard, and have a little luck (some teachers don’t give A’s.) I did have on my resume for many years that my degree was summa cum laude because I was very proud of my accomplishment. I think today with pluses and minuses it is harder to get 4.0 (remember all my A’s were 90 and above - today schools with A- will make an A equal to 93 and above.)</p>