GPA important from the start
Toni Merriss
Issue date: 6/25/07 Section: Features
For many freshmen, college is a wonderful and exciting time. For most, it is the first time they are truly on their own, with no parents around, hovering over their shoulder making sure they are following the straight and narrow path.
Some people spend that time wisely and get a great education. On the other end of the spectrum are those who waste their time on the "college lifestyle."
As you begin your collegiate career, you must choose what type of student you want to be: (A) the kind who studies hard and gets good grades, or (B) the kind who parties all night long and sleeps through class the whole next day.
There is a valid reason behind needing to make this decision: few students understand that the first year of college is the most important year for your grade point average (GPA) and your future academic success.
"A student's grade point average is going to reflect their initiative. When a future employer looks at the GPA that is what they are seeing," Todd Prater, Testing Coordinator for the Counseling and Career Services said.
If you start out with a solid foundation, work hard and do well in your classes during your first two years, once you get to your major classes you will have that foundation to fall back on. The longer you are in school, the harder the classes get. And the longer you wait to worry about your GPA, the harder you will have to work to bring it up.
"In addition to having to pull up your GPA there are some majors, such as nursing and education, that do not allow you to repeat classes if a low grade is received the first time, which can also stunt your academic growth," Linda Shelton, the Lead Counselor for the Counseling and Career Services of JSU said.
Many students do not realize how much their GPA plays into the rest of their lives, even once they are out of school.
For example, if you graduate and decide to get your masters degree, the higher your GPA is the easier it will be to get into the masters program. Sure, many of you are thinking that there is no way that you are going to want to stay in school any longer than you have to.
Honestly, once you start getting close to the end and realize that with an additional year-and-a-half of school, you can raise your starting salary to $40,000.
As an incoming freshman, just remember you have plenty of time to experience the "college lifestyle," just make sure you have your priorities set.
Preparing for your future now allows you to not have to look back as a junior and wonder what happened to those first two years. Hopefully, it won't be too late.
"Generally, when we have someone come in with a lower GPA, it is due to the fact that they did not realize it in time," Prater said. "Sometimes it does drop when there is a lot going on. That is understandable and acceptable, as long as they learn something from it."
Just ask those who chose to put school second. They are probably still here.
Some people spend that time wisely and get a great education. On the other end of the spectrum are those who waste their time on the "college lifestyle."
As you begin your collegiate career, you must choose what type of student you want to be: (A) the kind who studies hard and gets good grades, or (B) the kind who parties all night long and sleeps through class the whole next day.
There is a valid reason behind needing to make this decision: few students understand that the first year of college is the most important year for your grade point average (GPA) and your future academic success.
"A student's grade point average is going to reflect their initiative. When a future employer looks at the GPA that is what they are seeing," Todd Prater, Testing Coordinator for the Counseling and Career Services said.
If you start out with a solid foundation, work hard and do well in your classes during your first two years, once you get to your major classes you will have that foundation to fall back on. The longer you are in school, the harder the classes get. And the longer you wait to worry about your GPA, the harder you will have to work to bring it up.
"In addition to having to pull up your GPA there are some majors, such as nursing and education, that do not allow you to repeat classes if a low grade is received the first time, which can also stunt your academic growth," Linda Shelton, the Lead Counselor for the Counseling and Career Services of JSU said.
Many students do not realize how much their GPA plays into the rest of their lives, even once they are out of school.
For example, if you graduate and decide to get your masters degree, the higher your GPA is the easier it will be to get into the masters program. Sure, many of you are thinking that there is no way that you are going to want to stay in school any longer than you have to.
Honestly, once you start getting close to the end and realize that with an additional year-and-a-half of school, you can raise your starting salary to $40,000.
As an incoming freshman, just remember you have plenty of time to experience the "college lifestyle," just make sure you have your priorities set.
Preparing for your future now allows you to not have to look back as a junior and wonder what happened to those first two years. Hopefully, it won't be too late.
"Generally, when we have someone come in with a lower GPA, it is due to the fact that they did not realize it in time," Prater said. "Sometimes it does drop when there is a lot going on. That is understandable and acceptable, as long as they learn something from it."
Just ask those who chose to put school second. They are probably still here.
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