subject: Why to Get Good Grades in College [print this page] Why to Get Good Grades in College Why to Get Good Grades in College
Although no one can deny that students should always aspire to get good grades, many college students wonder what should motivate them to do so. Because so much time in high school is spent worrying about getting the grades that will allow you to go to college, many college students feel burnt out and don't see the point in working as hard. However, there are many good reasons for maintaining good grades in college, and these four are only the beginning:
1. Graduate school
The most obvious answer why one should work hard in college is to get the GPA thatgraduate schools look for when accepting students. Just like process of applying to college, applying to graduate school has become increasingly competitive and so GPA is only becoming more and more important. It is also important for college students to remember that even if they don't want to go to graduate school now, they might change their minds later in life, and that same undergraduate GPA will remain on their transcript.
2. Employment
Another obvious answer is getting a job after college. Given the fact that the unemployment rate has remained so high over the past few years, it has become that much more important to make yourself stand out as a good hire. The best way forcollege students to do this is by keeping that GPA high. This is more important than any extracurricular, job, or internship because it shows the capacity to work hard under pressure and meet deadlines two extremely important requirements of most jobs.
3. To get you and your parents' money worth
One way of thinking about gettinggood grades in college is that doing so justifies the high cost of college. With many schools, it can be frightening to divide up the total tuition to determine the cost of each individual class. But doing this can also put college into perspective: every single class you take is extremely valuable, not only in monetary terms but because of what you gain from it. Skipping class, sleeping through class, or otherwise ignoring the professor is both a waste of time and money. Focusing and doing the work assigned to you is the best way to get the most out of a college experience.
4. Learning more
Getting good grades requires that you deeply understand the concepts behind any particular class. It is nearly impossible to get an A in a college course without fully understanding the subject matter or being able to put its key lessons into your own words. Therefore, getting good grades is a way of killing two birds with one stone: not only does your transcript look better, but you are also well versed ina new academic subject to the point where you can discuss it outside of class. And one of the best parts about college is being able to apply academic lessons outside of the classroom and to share what you've learned with the rest of the world.
