<p>I was wondering: after freshman year, going ahead, what is the GPA trend once people are in mostly major classes, higher?</p>
<p>Definitely higher. I increased my GPA almost every term!</p>
<p>In general GPA’s usually go up over time. The reason is because you become a better student with practice. Also, most people are more interested in their major classes so they spend more time studying/thinking about them.</p>
<p>Is it possible to get a 4.0 in an engineering major? Also, what would be considered a competitive and realistic gpa for someone attending Georgia tech?</p>
<p>A 4.0 is possible, but very, VERY unlikely. In my experience, there is honestly a great deal of luck that goes into maintaining a 4.0.</p>
<p>~3.0 is the average GPA for engineering students</p>
<p>My GPA was a 4.0 until my sophomore year where it has since fluctuated around a 3.8. I am entering my senior year. Most people tend to see an improvement in their GPA once they reach higher level classes.</p>
<p>For engineering, 3.0 is about average. For reference, 3.15 graduates with honors (the equivalent of cum laude), 3.35 graduates with high honors (the equivalent of magna cum laude), 3.55 graduates with highest honors (the equivalent of summa cum laude).</p>
<p>A “competitive” GPA depends on what you’re competing for. For most industry positions, a 3.0 is competitive. For a top grad school, a 3.5 is competitive. For a high profile career (banking, MBB consulting) a 3.75 is competitive.</p>
<p>Thanks for the detailed information. I am aiming to get a MBA after some work experience, so would a 3.5+ suffice if I apply to some of the nationally ranked business schools? I know that many people understand that tech is a difficult school to maintain a high GPA, but im not sure how business schools may look at this. Also, do lots of students have a 3.5+?</p>
<p>I have friends who maintained a 4.0 throughout tough freshman “weed out” courses, and it was a matter of goal-setting, motivation, and study skills. You can do it, for sure! It will just take a LOT of sacrifice. I recommend making yourself a schedule of study time every day, when you shut yourself off from the world for about 3 straight hours, and just work. Find a spot that is good for you (probably in the library or a quiet building) and turn of Facebook and stay off your cell phone. Since you won’t be in class as many hours as you are in high school, studying for this amount of time will not be ridiculously different. Keep your good habits and don’t lose your study skills just because you have more “freedom.” Take the nights and the weekends as your time to relax, have fun, and get your mind off work–but during the days…do your homework and keep up to date. As soon as you get behind in one class, you’ll be suffering. I learned this the hard way my first semester and wish someone had told me that all I need to do is take only a few hours every day to simply DO MY WORK and forget about my social life for just a little bit.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice</p>