Your GPA – Why Is It Important And Why Should It Matter To You
Have you ever wondered about the big fuss over your GPA? We’ve answered all your questions about why a GPA actually matters.
28 August 2017
We have all heard all the rants: you should focus on your grades and ensure that you have a good GPA, otherwise you will not get into a good school. But what is it actually and why does it really matter? In this article, we’ll discuss what your GPA is and why it’s important.
What Is A GPA Score?
In the same way you receive an average mark at the end of a course, your GPA is an average of how you fared in all your courses over a given period of time. GPA stands for Grade Point Average and is the total amount of grade points that you have earned divided by the total amount of credit hours attempted. To see a more detailed description of how your GPA is calculated, have a look at our blog Understanding The GPA Grading Scale.
Why Is Your GPA Important?
When an admissions officer looks at your GPA, the first thing they see is the results of the months of your labour over your studies but more than that, it tells a story about who you are. They get a glimpse of your commitment, perseverance and time management skills. They can get an idea of what your work ethic and study habits are and how productive you are.
Of course, having a higher GPA also means that you are smart and able to understand difficult concepts easily. Not only will this be important while studying but it’s something that future employers deem very important. This is why it is crucial that you focus on achieving good grades while at school.
Catch your GPA in time
Yes, you, in any case, need to be studying hard while at school but it is especially important to start focusing on getting good grades from Grade 10. When applying to university you will usually use your marks from Grade 11 but your final marks for Grade 12 can still be a deal breaker!
If you have a low GPA take some time to determine what is the cause. Are you studying enough? Can you focus while studying? Are you struggling to understand the work? Sit down and carefully think this through. Once you have determined what the cause is, start finding solutions to solve it. Study at the school library or try a different study method.
You can also start attending tutoring classes or join a study group. This is a good way to be kept accountable for studying and you get to have fun as well! Explaining things to others is often also a great way to learn things yourself. You can also talk to your teachers to find out how they can help you.
This is your future. Put in the hard work because you will reap the benefits of it. Make sure that you build up a good portfolio for your college application but also take the time to think whether continuing your studies are for you. Lastly, take a deep breath and enjoy the journey. It isn’t about the destination, but about the journey.
If you are interested about life as an international student, check out our blogs!
About the Author:Lizan Gray, is currently an editorial assistant for an online company in Dubai. An adventurer at heart, she is originally from South Africa and busy finishing her degree in Business Administration.
Looking to Study Abroad? SchoolApply can help!
GET MATCHED WITH THE BEST EDUCATION AROUND THE WORLD
SchoolApply will help you find, get accepted and enrolled at the university that best matches you.
You'll work with an expert advisor who will coach you through the whole application process.
With just one application, you can apply to multiple universities anywhere.
To build your SchoolApply profile, you will need to answer a few questions about yourself, your academic goals
and your finances. We won't share this information with anyone else. Creating a SchoolApply account is the first
step in your journey to studying at a university abroad.
02
Upload documents
The documents you upload will help us determine if we can support you in your goal of studying at a university
abroad. You will need to pay a SchoolApply admin fee in order to move on to step 3.
03
Meet your advisor
Your very own advisor will guide you through the Application Journey. At step 3, you will call your advisor so
you can express what is important to you and they can tell you about your options. After the call, your advisor
will send you a list of universities you can apply to.
04
Start application
With SchoolApply, you only need to create one application; your advisor will submit it to the universities for
you. For your application, you will need to include your academic history, English and entrance exam results,
an essay and reference letters. You will also pay an application fee to each university through SchoolApply.
05
Submit application
Your advisor will review the things you uploaded in step 4 and will submit your completed application to the universities
you selected. You will receive a notification when a university's response comes in.
06
Accept an offer
This might be one of the most exciting parts of the Application Journey! To accept an offer, you will need to pay
a deposit (you can do this through SchoolApply) to confirm your acceptance. Remember: you can only accept one
offer!
07
Visa interview
You will need to go to the embassy of the country where you will be studying to get your student visa. Let your
advisor know when the visa interview is scheduled. At this step, we will also offer to help with booking your
flight and arranging housing, insurance and student loans.
08
Study abroad
The final step in your Application Journey is letting us know that you're on your way to university. This step
is the easiest because we don't need any information. At this stage, we can close your SchoolApply account.
Search Schools
Payment
Please make sure that your card is enabled for online payments before you proceed.
We noticed you are from India
We use cookie policy to help us optimize your experience, by continuing you accept this. Read our cookie policy
Sign in with Google
Your GPA – Why Is It Important And Why Should It Matter To You
Have you ever wondered about the big fuss over your GPA? We’ve answered all your questions about why a GPA actually matters.
We have all heard all the rants: you should focus on your grades and ensure that you have a good GPA, otherwise you will not get into a good school. But what is it actually and why does it really matter? In this article, we’ll discuss what your GPA is and why it’s important.
What Is A GPA Score?
In the same way you receive an average mark at the end of a course, your GPA is an average of how you fared in all your courses over a given period of time. GPA stands for Grade Point Average and is the total amount of grade points that you have earned divided by the total amount of credit hours attempted. To see a more detailed description of how your GPA is calculated, have a look at our blog Understanding The GPA Grading Scale.
Why Is Your GPA Important?
When an admissions officer looks at your GPA, the first thing they see is the results of the months of your labour over your studies but more than that, it tells a story about who you are. They get a glimpse of your commitment, perseverance and time management skills. They can get an idea of what your work ethic and study habits are and how productive you are.
Of course, having a higher GPA also means that you are smart and able to understand difficult concepts easily. Not only will this be important while studying but it’s something that future employers deem very important. This is why it is crucial that you focus on achieving good grades while at school.
Catch your GPA in time
Yes, you, in any case, need to be studying hard while at school but it is especially important to start focusing on getting good grades from Grade 10. When applying to university you will usually use your marks from Grade 11 but your final marks for Grade 12 can still be a deal breaker!
If you have a low GPA take some time to determine what is the cause. Are you studying enough? Can you focus while studying? Are you struggling to understand the work? Sit down and carefully think this through. Once you have determined what the cause is, start finding solutions to solve it. Study at the school library or try a different study method.
You can also start attending tutoring classes or join a study group. This is a good way to be kept accountable for studying and you get to have fun as well! Explaining things to others is often also a great way to learn things yourself. You can also talk to your teachers to find out how they can help you.
This is your future. Put in the hard work because you will reap the benefits of it. Make sure that you build up a good portfolio for your college application but also take the time to think whether continuing your studies are for you. Lastly, take a deep breath and enjoy the journey. It isn’t about the destination, but about the journey.
If you are interested about life as an international student, check out our blogs!
About the Author: Lizan Gray, is currently an editorial assistant for an online company in Dubai. An adventurer at heart, she is originally from South Africa and busy finishing her degree in Business Administration.
Looking to Study Abroad? SchoolApply can help!