Raising my GPA and motivation

Mim

So I was just reviewing my GPA and I'm not pleased. This is my fourth semester in university (7th if you count community college, but not all the credits transferred) but my third semester really fucked shit up.

Before then, I had a 2.8 which by my school's standards is a B-, and I was pretty pleased with it but hoping to have it raise continuously. Then I had three of the most difficult teachers I've ever had to face. I tried hard, but evidently not enough and ended up with a 1.3 for the semester. I was absolutely crushed and dissapointed in myself. This overall dropped me from a 2.8 to a 2.3 which is a C- by my school's standards.

While I have another 4-5 semesters left (including this one) can I raise my GPA to maybe a 3.0? Would I have to get straight As or can I at least get a B? I would like the chance to go to grad school (if I really wanted to) and now have it taken away from me just because of my GPA.

The other thing is that while I know, KNOW that my studying and doing homework and actually having time management skills are important, I'm having trouble motivating myself after I almost blew myself up trying to do everything last semester and ending up with a low GPA. I've actually had motivation problems since 4th grade, but that had subsided a great deal once I got into college. I only had 3 or 4 Cs from my first 5 semesters with As and Bs in everything else.

How do I give myself a swift kick in the ass? I would like a good job when I get out of here, even maybe an internship or two before I leave (can you have an internship after college?). How do I bite the bullet when I can't even go buy them?

TL;DR

1. Can I raise my GPA from a 2.3 to a 3.0 in 4-5 semesters (I plan to do summer sessions, but they come in twos, do they count semesters?)
2. How do I motivate myself to actually getting my shit together school wise
3. Can you do internships after college? o_O

EDIT: This is my general GPA, not my the GPA in my major.

Dava

I breezed through my undergrad years, but once I went to grad school, I had some motivational problems. There was just too much other stuff that was so much more interesting than my seminars on Vichy France or the Vietnam War. My solution was to hold my hobbies for ransom. "No comics until you finish that Sartre novel, no matter how awful it is. No movies until you write that paper. No Mountain Dew until you dig through that microfiche!" It worked.

mcdermott

Not to be a dick, but do they not require you to take a math course for your major? Sit down, figure out how many credits you have and how many more you will take prior to graduation, and do the math. You know your current GPA, current number of credits, current remaining credits, find remaining GPA needed to get desired total GPA. Remaining GPA needed is X, the rest are all known values. Solve for X. This is junior-high algebra.

Also check into your school's policy on retaking courses. At my university, retaking a course replaces the previous grade...so retaking a course you received a C or D in and getting an A can have a more beneficial effect on your GPA than trying to take another course to boost your GPA. If you can afford the extra credits or the extra semester this is something to consider.



As for kicking yourself in the ass, there are dozens of strategies, and which is most effective will vary from person to person. You playing a bunch of MMOs? Drinking? Just generally sitting around with your thumb up your ass?

Scooter

Just out of curiosity, how does your school do GPA so that 2.3 is a C-? Everywhere that I'm familar with goes A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, so a C- would be more like 1.8. Not that it makes a 2.3 all that much better.

Fuzzywhale

hey I wanted to also get behind the retaking courses advice. If you do retake some courses in an attempt for grad school, try very hard to make sure they're A's. That way you can talk them off to grad schools.

Don't fret, this is definitely possible. I've done it. I, like you had a 2.8 for my first two years of undergrad. I got scared and got my act together, and with some course repeats, and other overloads got my average up to a 3.2, which was apparently good enough to get a funded phd position overseas.

I as well have to hold my activities hostage

Death Cab For Albie

If I learned one thing about college, it's that grades don't mean shi*.

You can get all the A's you want, but if you don't actually understand what you're learning, then grades don't mean jack.

Very few companies actually give a damn about what your grades were (at least, companies that i've dealt with), they just want you to know your stuff. At least, that is how it is in my industry (application development).

As for internships, most companies only want interns who are currently enrolled in school, whether it's undergrad or grad school.

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud

Death Cab For Albie wrote: »

If I learned one thing about college, it's that grades don't mean shi*.

You can get all the A's you want, but if you don't actually understand what you're learning, then grades don't mean jack.

Very few companies actually give a damn about what your grades were (at least, companies that i've dealt with), they just want you to know your stuff. At least, that is how it is in my industry (application development).

As for internships, most companies only want interns who are currently enrolled in school, whether it's undergrad or grad school.

If you have any, any, any plans of going past a bachelors, your grades matter greatly. Often, internships give priorities to those who have good grades, or even have a cutoff, where those with below a certain GPA are not eligible for the internship. Basically, this guy's advice isn't really what you should be listening to.

mcdermott

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud wrote: »

Death Cab For Albie wrote: »

If I learned one thing about college, it's that grades don't mean shi*.

You can get all the A's you want, but if you don't actually understand what you're learning, then grades don't mean jack.

Very few companies actually give a damn about what your grades were (at least, companies that i've dealt with), they just want you to know your stuff. At least, that is how it is in my industry (application development).

As for internships, most companies only want interns who are currently enrolled in school, whether it's undergrad or grad school.

If you have any, any, any plans of going past a bachelors, your grades matter greatly. Often, internships give priorities to those who have good grades, or even have a cutoff, where those with below a certain GPA are not eligible for the internship. Basically, this guy's advice isn't really what you should be listening to.

Yeah, the OP mentions grad school specifically and grades certainly matter then.

Frog

Most grad schools will understand having a rough start at college and take into account improvement of grades and various other factors when you apply. For instance, if you have had a paper published or presented at a conferences your chances of being accepted go up. Also look for ways to get involved with the department you are in since that would be a good way to prove you are committed towards your education.

In terms of motivation.. what major are you? Do you enjoy your major? Most graduate schools do not have a requirement of a specific major to get accepted into a program. I know of many History or English majors that get accepted into the various other programs. The key to college is to be interested in what you are learning, and as a transfer student you should be done with your GERs and able to choose classes that are most appealing. Also, try to meet with possible teachers before signing up for their class to see what they are like and if you would enjoy taking a class with them.

Anyways.. good luck with your studies and try not to worry too much.

Mim

mcdermott wrote: »

Not to be a dick, but do they not require you to take a math course for your major? Sit down, figure out how many credits you have and how many more you will take prior to graduation, and do the math. You know your current GPA, current number of credits, current remaining credits, find remaining GPA needed to get desired total GPA. Remaining GPA needed is X, the rest are all known values. Solve for X. This is junior-high algebra.

To answer your first question honestly, I really didn't give a damn about math growing up. I was much more into literature art and theater and even sciences than I was math. I somehow managed to coast on through in math class. My gen ed requires math, my major (English) does not (yay me). But this would explain why I asked the question.

Also, I can retake the courses, I'm re-taking one of them in the fall, and I'll try to find another teacher to take the other course under.

As for the depriving myself of the good till I get my homework done, thanks! I will try this!

mcdermott

Mim wrote: »

mcdermott wrote: »

Not to be a dick, but do they not require you to take a math course for your major? Sit down, figure out how many credits you have and how many more you will take prior to graduation, and do the math. You know your current GPA, current number of credits, current remaining credits, find remaining GPA needed to get desired total GPA. Remaining GPA needed is X, the rest are all known values. Solve for X. This is junior-high algebra.

To answer your first question honestly, I really didn't give a damn about math growing up. I was much more into literature art and theater and even sciences than I was math. I somehow managed to coast on through in math class. My gen ed requires math, my major (English) does not (yay me). But this would explain why I asked the question.

Basically, you're looking at the formula:

F = (C*G1+R*G2)/(C+R)

Where F is the final GPA you want, C and R are completed and remaining credit-hours, and G1 and G2 are current GPA and GPA achieved solely during remaining credit-hours, respectively.

So re-arrange to get:

(F*(C+R)-C*G1)/R = G2

Punch in all the numbers you know on the left (including the final GPA you want), and G2 will be the GPA you need to maintain from here out to achieve that. If it's over an A, then obviously it's impossible. Otherwise, whether it's attainable is up to you.

To adjust for any courses you're retaking, assuming your school does grade replacement like mine does, you'll just adjust C*G1 accordingly...subtract your current grade in the class times credit hours, and add what you intend to get in the class times credit hours. Then just don't add those credit hours to R. Obviously this part is a little trickier.

Toefoo

I had this same exact problem. Here are things I did to remedy this:

-Retake failed classes, or classes I got a low grade in (sounds like you've started doing this, so grats!)
-When doing homework/writing papers, do so in an environment without any distractions
-Try and make a schedule for yourself each week, detailing in advance your due dates for projects...this sounds really lame, but it helps put your major tests/papers/projects into perspective and allows you to even get things done ahead of schedule

You shouldn't have any trouble getting your GPA up to a 3.0 if you consistently get Bs and As in your classes. This depends on the amount of credit hours each class is worth, but to go from 2.3 to a 3.0 shouldn't be too rough at all.

As someone who went through this and is still trying to keep up the renewed vigilance in undergrad college, I applaud your ability to recognize a problem and actually express an interest in fixing it. Grad schools and counselors will certainly notice as well!

Mim

mcdermott wrote: »

Mim wrote: »

mcdermott wrote: »

Not to be a dick, but do they not require you to take a math course for your major? Sit down, figure out how many credits you have and how many more you will take prior to graduation, and do the math. You know your current GPA, current number of credits, current remaining credits, find remaining GPA needed to get desired total GPA. Remaining GPA needed is X, the rest are all known values. Solve for X. This is junior-high algebra.

To answer your first question honestly, I really didn't give a damn about math growing up. I was much more into literature art and theater and even sciences than I was math. I somehow managed to coast on through in math class. My gen ed requires math, my major (English) does not (yay me). But this would explain why I asked the question.

Basically, you're looking at the formula:

F = (C*G1+R*G2)/(C+R)

Where F is the final GPA you want, C and R are completed and remaining credit-hours, and G1 and G2 are current GPA and GPA achieved solely during remaining credit-hours, respectively.

So re-arrange to get:

(F*(C+R)-C*G1)/R = G2

Punch in all the numbers you know on the left (including the final GPA you want), and G2 will be the GPA you need to maintain from here out to achieve that. If it's over an A, then obviously it's impossible. Otherwise, whether it's attainable is up to you.

To adjust for any courses you're retaking, assuming your school does grade replacement like mine does, you'll just adjust C*G1 accordingly...subtract your current grade in the class times credit hours, and add what you intend to get in the class times credit hours. Then just don't add those credit hours to R. Obviously this part is a little trickier.

Thank you. I will also try to improve my math skills as I continue through life. I kind of wish a time machine was available so I could tell my younger self that math is actually important...but I just have to undo all my past mistakes from childhood as an adult.

Earthenrock

I know lots of people at my school who wanted to get into grad school but didn't have a high enough GPA. Usually a common thing lots of undergrads do is take fluff courses, or courses that they know they will ace to raise their GPA in preparation for grad school.

Death Cab For Albie

Sorry, totally didn't see the Grad School thing. Yes, grades do matter in that case.

supertall

I think most schools don't count spring/summer courses when calculating your overall GPA. You should check if yours does.

Ganluan

supertall wrote: »

I think most schools don't count spring/summer courses when calculating your overall GPA. You should check if yours does.

Unless it's a course that gives Pass/Fail grading, I don't see why it wouldn't count like any other grade. The classes I took over the summer did.

Scooter

They definitely do count.

There's schools that don't count spring, even? That leaves you with like half of your classes left.

supertall

OP should check with his school then.

I know of several schools that don't use shortened semesters to calculate overall gpa.