How to Bring Up Your GPA

Having trouble maintaing your GPA in college? Here are a few tips on how to bring up your GPA where worrying about getting poor grades or failing out of school will become a thing of the past.

Step 1

When selecting classes for a college semester, make sure to take the necessary classes you need for your major. Then for your electives, choose some fun classes that you will enjoy, sound fairly easy, and know for certain you can get an A without much difficulty like martial arts, dance classes, beginning photography, or intro to theater.

Just be mindful of the number of units for each class because you don't want to make the mistake of being short credit units in order to qualify for part-time or full-time student status (i.e. don't take too many 1.00 unit classes).

Step 2

Another way how to bring up your GPA in college is to choose a minor where you can take classes focusing on your strong points.

For example, if you like to write and are good at it, choose classes with topics of interest where you only write papers. Likewise, if you are great at math and love it, take a few math classes that are appropriate for your level.

Although helpful, minors don't have to correlate with your major. Instead, choose a field of study that interests you and are confident that you can do well in.

Step 3

If you got an A in a class taught by a professor from a previous semester, take another class with that same professor, but within the same subject matter. Professors tend to favor past A students!

Step 4

Whenever you get a class syllabus, read over the criteria for how you can get an A in the class. If it's not listed, ask the professor how one can get an A.

To add, make sure to pay special attention to class attendance and lateness on the syllabus. Some professors will mark students as absent after being 15-20 minutes late to class or drop a whole letter grade after missing 3 classes.

Also, ask if there are any pop quizzes in the class. Some professors won't count quizzes towards your grade, but just in case, you'll want to be prepared for any surprises. If pop quizzes do count and are hurting your grade, ask if there's any extra credit that can be turned in to bring up your grade.

Step 5

Participate, participate, participate and go to class!!! Professors quickly know the slackers from the hard workers and they know who is doing the coarse material and who is not.

Step 6

Always turn assignments in on time. Many professors will drop a letter grade for each day a paper or assignment is turned in late. If you have a bad habit of not completing your assignments by the due dates, this will definitely hurt your chances of bringing up your GPA and receiving A's.

To add, don't miss exams unless properly excused by the professor. If you do miss an exam without a valid excuse, your professor may not let you make it up. If this happens, you will receive an F for the exam and will have no chance of getting an A in the class.

Step 7

Try your best to get an A- or an A on all your assignments, papers, and exams. If you get a few a B's here and there, you can still get an A.

Here is where attendance and class participation really kicks in to help you!

Also, after about 1-2 papers or exams, check in with your professor to see how you are doing in the class. This will give you an idea if you are on track for getting an A or a lower grade.

Step 8

Get to know your college professor and be sure the professor knows your first name. If it's one of those classes with a huge lecture hall, make it a point to say "hello" to your professor during each class.

To add, if you are having trouble understanding the class material, this is an excellent time to visit your professor during office hours and ask questions about the day's lesson. Your professor will be more than happy to assist you because ideally, they want to give all their students A's!

More Tips

·  Treat home assignments and exams seriously and mark due dates on your calendar

·  If you slip up on a test, get the right answers to questions you got wrong. They will most likely pop up on the final.

·  If you are not good at test taking, after each class study the day's notes for 20-30 minutes.

·  When studying for exams, re-write your notes over and over again so it can be committed to memory. Study groups are also great for testing each other.

·  Never take more classes than you can handle if you are trying to bring up your GPA.

·  Pay special attention to grading points for papers and exams, especially final exams.

·  If you get a bad grade on a paper or a test, immediately ask the professor how you can do better the next time and get help (i.e. a tutor)

·  DON'T EVER CHEAT! Cheating and getting caught could get you kicked out of class and maybe even college. At the very least, your professor won't grant you any special favors when it comes time for handing out final grades.