You Are Worth More Than The Three Numbers In Your GPA | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

You Are Worth More Than The Three Numbers In Your GPA

Don't let those three tiny numbers on your transcript define who you really are.

44
You Are Worth More Than The Three Numbers In Your GPA

If there's anything I strongly despise about college (and even high school), it's how much GPA is taken into consideration.

I understand how in some cases looking at someone's GPA is important to a particular process, whether it's being admitted into a college, program, internship, etc. It's important to get an overview look on where someone stands academically, and sometimes board members or organizations want the best qualifying candidate for their team or university.

But what's frustrating is that sometimes a GPA is not enough to reflect the student as a whole, such as their strengths, achievements, hard work, etc. Those three numbers on a report card don't reflect the countless of hours that a student spends in a library trying to memorize human anatomy. It doesn't reflect the stress that the student feels of trying to juggle multiple courses, alongside other outside priorities, such as clubs, leadership, and so on. It most importantly doesn't reflect the student's passion and drive for what they want to do later in their life.

The only thing that people choose to let it reflect is the student's success so far in their college career, and this way of thinking needs to change.

From the beginning of high school, we're taught that having a certain score as a GPA is bad and that you're probably one of the worst students on the planet. We're taught that if you have a 4.0 that you'd be perfect for an Ivy League, you'll make tons of money in whatever you do, whereas if you have something below a 3.0, you're not trying hard enough. But this is such a toxic way to think, because at the end of the day, your GPA only consists of numbers and only numbers.

When I first started high school, I struggled transitioning to the pace of learning in each of my classes. No matter how hard I tried, how many hours I spent studying with friends, or how many times I went in for a consultation with my teacher, I still wasn't getting the grades I wanted. As a result, my grades went down, which overall affected my GPA for the rest of my time in high school. I continued to try my hardest and to make the honor roll and dean's list, but because of my lower scores from freshman year, my GPA barely went up to what I wanted it to be. Because of this, I wasn't able to get into the specific college program that I wanted to, and it made me feel like I just wasn't good enough. I personally knew, as well as my all friends and family, how passionate and hardworking of a student I was, and that I wanted to pursue the communication studies path. Except the three numbers on my transcript were the declaring factor on whether I could or not.

But what I've learned over these past few years is that we as students are so much more than those three numbers. You don't need a perfect score to determine how intelligent or driven you are, nor do you need it to be considered the perfect student. Because the fact of the matter is: there is no such thing as a "perfect" student. We all have our challenges, our inner battles, our obstacles in the middle of the road preventing us from the path we're trying to take. There are times where we might slip up and fall back out of line, but that's completely normal. We are all different and we are going to have different GPA's, but that doesn't make anyone more or less important than the student next to them.

So if you're currently a high school or college student who's stressed about your GPA, just remember your significance and that you are more powerful than what those numbers on your transcript are telling you. Don't ever forget your strengths, your passions, and the tiny quirks that make you unique, because all of those things matter.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

300937
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments