So your first semester is going okay; you’re passing most of your classes, except one. You ask, how much will this matter towards my college career? It turns out it matters a lot! We all struggle at some point in college, but starting on a high note should be your biggest priority.
The grades you get as a freshman lay the groundwork for the rest of your college career, so it’s essential to focus on that GPA right out of the gate. Plenty of benefits come with good first-semester grades, such as a cushion in your later years, just if you don’t do too well.
As you think about improving your grades, know that you have help all around you. There’s still time left, but every semester your chance of increasing your GPA gets smaller.
Grade point average
The grades you get make up your GPA, so you can’t just ignore them. If you have a low GPA in your first semester, there’s still time to catch up, but it makes it more challenging every semester you don’t. Freshman year is the most important because that’s what determines your base GPA.
If you continue to get bad grades, it will come to a point where you may not be able to recover at all. Try your best, evaluate yourself to see why you are struggling, and make the necessary adjustments. If you still have trouble, you can ask for help from professors, friends, or tutors.
Internships/Jobs
Starting great will be helpful when looking for internships or jobs. In addition, companies look at your grades, and it helps in their decision-making whether to hire you or not.
When employers see good grades, they know the student is hardworking and can be a great asset to their team. In addition, with a better academic standing, a student is more conscientious and caring about their work.
Gives you a cushion
Starting strong is especially important if you end up not doing so hot in your later years. Of course, as college students, we are bound to not do so well on some things, but having that cushion from freshman year will still keep a decently high GPA.
But I wouldn’t let it continue because the cushion could not be as strong with repeated problems. Now, this doesn’t mean you should start strong freshman year with all A’s and sit back and relax, you should still try to do well in each class. So this cushion is for a just-in-case phase.
Some majors require it
Not every major is the same when it comes to grade point average. Some majors require the students to be above a 3.0 or higher. Majors such as education or nursing set the GPA higher than others because students need to better understand the careers underneath these majors.
As a freshman, you can change your major before hitting the end of sophomore year, at which point you should be thinking about one. However, if you’re still unsure whether or not you can be at the GPA for that major, you should look into changing.
Or go as undecided and just focus on gen eds; eventually, you’ll find something that interests you and can excel at.
More confidence
As your GPA increases, so does your confidence. At first, you might be stressed about papers and tests but achieving the grades you want motivates you to continue success. With a high GPA, you not only feel better about assignments but have the self-efficacy to take on challenging assignments knowing that you’ll be okay.
All in all, it should be obvious that all semester grades matter, but your first year stands as a base. Doing well in school is not just essential to graduate but also for many other situations. That’s why you should focus on doing the best you can in everything you do but the first semester should be your most important.
