So I am currently a senior and I will be graduating next semester. Prior to this recent semester, I’ve held up a solid 4.0 GPA. I planned to keep it that way until the very end. It hasn’t really been about the recognition at the end or the bragging rights or competing with anyone. The thing is that I’ve always had this personal and constant pressure on myself to be doing the best that I can do and however I feel most comfortable doing. It has always been about proving to myself that I can work hard and that I don’t necessarily have to be book smart to have personal success. Last semester, I noticed that I was really becoming too comfortable and lax with my performance in school. I didn’t want to just coast through college, so I took on six classes this semester instead of my normal four and really challenge my abilities.
Sadly, it took a physical and emotional toll on my well being. I got sick frequently and started doing poorly in my classes. As grades were being posted, I was met with three Bs. Ok, I know for some people a B is nothing to cry over. It’s passable and for most, they move on. However, two things bothered me. First, I emailed my professor to break down my final grades just to understand. He gave me a spreadsheet (which indeed calculated to a B), but punctuated his email with a very taunting and condescending comment about how I was 1.5% short of an A and that I was “so close, but no cigar.” It was like dangling raw meat to a lion and it truly infuriated me. I accepted the fact that the other two Bs were well-deserved, but this one class truly baffled me considering I did historically well on his quizzes and exams. Second, it really gets to me that I had to start doing poorly and slacking off at the last leg of college. It’s like choking at the last quarter of a basketball game even though you were in the lead.
It frustrates me that I am having a pathetic internal struggle about this (to the point of considering not walking at graduation) and I just keep thinking of “what if” scenarios that could have been more in my favor. I keep getting bothered looking at the last few decimals of my GPA now (3.942…) and I find it that I have become more reclusive to avoid complaining and crying about this. I definitely have been feeling a lot better about myself recently and that dip in my GPA (although unfixable at this point) motivates me to do better next time. I was also told a 3.9 GPA gives someone more “character and is more relatable,” so that has been giving me hope. What about you guys? I would just like to share this story with other college students and see if anyone relates to this kind of situation, if it is indeed common, and how other people cope with it.
Oh man, your GPA a is 3.9 and you are worried? You have answered your own issue, so remember your experience in the future. Biting off more than you can chew has unpleasant consequences. You are considering missing your graduation because you have proved to yourself that you are human like the rest of us. Think about that. You spent four years busting your chops, and because of a stellar GPA you are going to whip yourself as punishment. There are going to be other disappointments in life that will be worse than this. Please learn to prioritize what is important. Your health and well being come first, not unrealistic expectations. You need to congratulate yourself on how well you have done, and stop wallowing in details that do not matter.
It isn’t at all like choking in the last quarter of a basketball game – it is more like being up by 40 going into the last quarter and winning by 30. The point differential is immaterial to the teams’ success in the game.
The difference between graduating with a 3.94 and a 4.0 won’t mean a thing. In fact it is good for you accept that you are not perfect. Give yourself a break and move ahead.
Apparently you’re the luckiest one that never has to worry about getting A’s … until this semester, and now you learnt it the hard way.
The key is - you need to talk to the professor BEFORE the final exam (ie, before the final grading cutoff line is determined) to see where your standing is. If you did that and you’re on the borderline between A and B, your professor will take that into consideration when deciding the cutoff. Once the final grade is posted, it is too late… UNLESS you want to “appeal” the final exam grading (to check if there was any grading mistake).
OMG you got a 3.9 instead of a 4.0 ! That is it boy, you are screwed you will never graduate and you will never find a job. You might just dropout and start working at MacDonald’s.
Give me a break please…
The longer you “achieve perfection,” the more it hurts when you feel like you’ve failed. But you haven’t failed – you’ve changed your GPA by less than 0.06. A 3.9x is functionally equivalent to a 4.00. Both indicate a strong student who will go on to do well.
I don’t personally believe that “4.0s are seen as unsociable robots” stuff – I don’t feel any more sociable or relatable now that I’ve gotten a B. 
You should be proud of doing so well.
I appreciate everyone’s honest comments and replies. I guess I am just being a grade grubber at this point. I’m sorry if this came across incredibly inconsiderate to other people. I didn’t mean it in that way. I meant this to be a discussion on “senioritis” in general, regardless of what your grades are. I also have learned my lesson and am grateful I even passed my classes. Once again, I apologize!
It is all right, we can understand that it is “”“unfortunate”"" for you to break your 4.0 streak, but keep in mind, that many people wish they could be in your shoes. In half a year, not only you are going to graduate from college but you will do so with a tremendous GPA and there is nothing to cry or be ashamed of.
When it comes to 3.8+ GPA, there are other factors entering into account. As many people told me, “I would rather work with a 3.0 that has common sense than a 4.0 that is a complete douche”
In my college, for a specific job, I saw 4.0 freshmen getting wait-listed and I saw 3.6 freshmen getting it.
Be very proud of yourself. You worked hard and did better than probably 98% of college graduates. Nobody is perfect and nobody will care that your did not get perfect grades. What people will be thinking is "Wow! this guy had all A’s and only 3 B’s his entire college career. Go forth and prosper with pride!