Tips to get a higher GPA in college
Tags: Gpa, College, Studying, Tips

Hello folks! Below may be a helpful message for all the students out there. I listed 5 tips I’ve learned throughout college that helped me get a high GPA. I hope you also find these tips useful.

1—Know what goes into your grade.

How your grade is determined is likely different for every class. One class could have participation being a bigger part of your grade, another could be mostly based on exams. It’s important to know this for your classes so that you know what to focus your time on. The syllabus is the best way to know this. If a class doesn’t have a syllabus (happens sometimes), I’d ask the professor how the grade is given. I still remember taking organic chemistry my sophomore year and not knowing my final was worth 45% of my grade. I thought it was worth less (15%), so I didn’t study that much. With the exam score I got, I would’ve gotten with a A if it was worth 15%. But, I ended up with a B. That was a lesson learned.

2— Prioritize courses that are worth more credits

Getting an A for a four-credit course and a B for a one-credit course will lead to a higher GPA than vice-versa. If you’re taking courses that are worth different credits, focus on the courses with higher credits because they will be worth more of your GPA. To me, this mattered most when I had exams/projects for multiple classes that were all due within a week. For one reason or another, I didn’t have enough time to do well on all of them. I knew the outcome in this situation was do well on one exam/project and not so well on another. I had to decide which class would take a hit. The choice was always the class worth less credits. The situation here is “I screwed up, now what’s the best that can come from this?” The strategy here is to lighten the damage.

3 — Learn how YOU study.

There are so many ways to study — going to class, watching online videos, using the textbook, flashcards, etc. They’re not all going to work, so each student has to find the right style. If you already know how to best study, that’s awesome. I’d say keep using the same study strategies and maybe find new ways to make studying even easier or faster. If you don’t know what style is best for you, that’s fine! I’d say spend some time trying different methods and see what works best. This is most likely not happening overnight, so patience is key. I think it’d usually take at least a week to see if a study method is a good fit. Now how would you know if a study method is a good fit? I’d think about how quickly I’m taking in the material (relative to other methods). For example, some people retain barely anything from lectures but learn so much from doing flashcards. You might’ve also heard this from all the youtube videos out there — active recall is best. This means instead of reading off paper (textbooks, notes, etc), you’d try to recall the knowledge from your brain. This is the idea behind methods like flashcards. There is more mental effort to active recall, but it is an efficient study strategy. Once you find your style, studying will be easier and faster. You’ll be more productive and have more time for other things.

4— Plan the courses you will take, semesters beforehand.

Being proactive is great. I knew someone who planned all four years of college during her first semester. When it was time for her to register every semester, it was a stress-free and quick process because she already knew what she was taking. Registration usually happens towards the end of each semester — a busy time with upcoming exams/projects. She was able to register quickly, instead of worrying about what classes to take. Now this might be a little extreme, but the idea is to plan 1–3 semesters before. For myself, I remember taking biochemistry, organic chemistry, and physics in one semester so I could be ready to study for the MCAT. I had to squeeze all of these classes together when I could’ve taken some earlier. This was intense for me and my GPA suffered. Had I been proactive and planned semesters before, I would’ve taken these classes in different semesters, making my coursework more balanced.

5 — Talk to peers, upperclassmen and mentors

I think the best advice comes from those who’ve went through the same challenges you’re facing and learned how to overcome them. Reach out to students who’ve already taken the same classes and did well. I’d ask them what they did that made them successful and what mistakes to avoid. Professors can also be a great resource. They may have good advice on how students can do well in their classes. Another thing now that we’re talking about upperclassmen. Getting a high GPA is most definitely not the most important goal for professional success. Learning all of the skills that are important for the career you want to have after college is. I’d make sure to talk to upperclassmen who have similar professional goals and learn not only how to succeed academically, but also in other ways that would help for your career. For myself, I don’t think I would’ve gotten into med school without the valuable advice I received from my mentors.