What actually is a GPA? In technical terms, a GPA, or grade point average, is a number representing the average value of the accumulated final grades earned in courses over time.
In college students terms, a GPA is the most stressful aspect of their college career.
With finals week approaching, it's not odd to find students calculating the grade they need to receive on their final exam to pass the class and get the credit for it. Hopefully, this number is low, and completely attainable. But for some, this isn't always the case.
Why do we do this though? Of course, we don't want to disappoint our parents and waste the money we've already spent on the class, but there's also another reason. But, why are we so focused on the little 3 digit number, usually on a 4.00 scale, that for some reason scares us beyond belief? Why we do we put so much pressure on ourselves to make sure this 3 digit number is "good enough"?
We do this because, unfortunately, when applying for jobs in a few semesters, or even applying of internships this summer, future employees don't see GPA's as useless as I do.
As a society, we make sure to emphasize that, as college students, our experiences are equally as important as our performance in the classroom. That being said, why do our GPA's hold such a heavy factor in determining "intelligence" and "competence" in the real world, or if we get a second interview in the job we just applied for?
Let's think about this for a second: to apply for grad school for Psychology: the second most popular field of study in the United States, the minimum GPA that is even considered when applying, is a 3.00. In terms of my school's scale, that would mean I would have to get at least a "B" in each class in my college career to maintain a 3.00. What ever happened to the saying "C's get degrees"? I guess they'll get you a degree, but they wont get you any farther than that.
With that being said, suppose you spend 15 hours a week in a lab during your junior year, researching an upcoming psychology topic that sparks your interest. You receive this opportunity of a lifetime, so naturally, you don't pass it up. Since you're doing this project which is requiring a ton of your usual study time, on top of your usual classwork, it wouldn't be crazy to assume that your grades may slip. In turn, you receive a C+ in 2 of your classes for the semester, meaning that you do not have a 3.00 GPA anymore.
Will you be able to bring your GPA up? Who knows. But did you gain valuable experience that you wouldn't be able to get in the classroom? Absolutely.
This is why I don't believe in GPA's. Your GPA is not a measure of your intelligence or how successful your college career was. The only thing that will matter in the future is what you learned, how your experiences have launched you forward, and how you use your knowledge to better the world.
