When Does GPA Start? (What You Need to Know in 2024)
GPA is the grade that you get by averaging all the grades you get in a particular class. It is an important factor in the selection for admission to the school or getting the job. From the time when you were a kid, you are told to take care of the GPA. However, there are many students who are still not clear about the starting time of GPA. Therefore, here we will be discussing when GPA starts or not.
Quick Takeaways
1. You have high ACT and SAT scores
- You start getting the grade when you are in the elementary school. However, these grades do not matter much.
- The GPA that you get in the 9th standard is really important and starts mattering more.
- Following are the situations when your low GPA is not a hurdle-
2. If you have taken tough subjects
3. When you get a good letter of recommendation
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of when GPA starts.
When does GPA start?
GPA is the grade point average that you get for studying in the class. You start getting the grade when you are in elementary school. However, when you are in elementary school the GPA grades will not really matter in the college life. Further, if you are going to college the main GPA will be considered is of high school GPA. Therefore, we can say that your GPA will be mainly taken into consideration when you are in high school.
When does GPA really start to matter?
Your GPA is an important factor in getting admission to college. As discussed above the GPA that you get in the ninth standard, is what counts for getting admission in the college. Therefore we can say that the GPA that you get in the 9th and 10th standard is really important. Further, it doesn’t mean that if you have scored a low GPA in your 9th standard you will not be getting admission into good college.
The total GPA of high school is important and therefore you must focus on the grades you are scoring in the tenth standard if your grades are lower than the ninth standard. Try to score higher in your high standard, especially in the subjects in which you think you want to get a degree. Suppose you want to study in medical school and try to get good grades in subjects like Physics, Biology, Chemistry, or Mathematics. The criteria for getting admission to a college or university will vary and thus you must try to score higher in high school.
When your high GPA does not hold a weight?
Following are the situations when your high GPA does not matter much-
1. Getting a higher GPA in easy subjects
Most of the colleges want to see you taking the tough subjects. Thus when you score a high GPA, you must make sure that you are getting good subjects which means that you will have to take honour or AP courses. When you have such subjects, it shows your competitive nature. Getting tough subjects helps you maintain your high standards.
2. When SAT and ACT are below average
Many students believe that getting a higher GPA will solely help you in getting admission to college. Of course, it is not a true statement as your college looks at all the factors important for admission. Your competitive exams are the important factor other than GPA for getting selected in the college. Therefore when you get the scores below the average then getting a higher GPA may not add an advantage to your selection.
3. Others also have similar GPA
Of course, there are a lot of people who have the same GPA. In such a scenario if you were getting a high GPA it may not add an advantage to your application. Now suppose you have received a GPA of 3.7 and there are a lot of other students who have received a similar GPA. In such a scenario it will be difficult for the admission council to choose a single candidate. Therefore you must try to score higher in the other related exams.
When your low GPA may not be a hurdle?
Following are the situations when your low GPA is not a hurdle-
1. You have high ACT and SAT scores
If your having a low GPA the first thing you should do is to start preparing for the SAT and ACT exams. Although, getting high scores in the competitive exams will not overcome a low GPA but will definitely add an advantage to your application. When you get a high score there are high chance that the admission council will look at your application.
2. If you have taken tough subjects
The first thing that will be seen after getting lower grades will be the subjects you have taken. There are many students who take easier subjects and still are not able to get a high GPA. Of course, when there will be an opposite case for you, your application will get more advantages than the others. Try to get a mixture of honoured and AP courses which will help you to get in the eyes of the admission council.
3. When you get a good letter of recommendation
A letter of recommendation is like a document that helps to know you professionally. It is basically written by someone who knows you professionally on the behalf of you. When you get a good letter of recommendation, it shows your hard-working nature. It is because not every student is able to get them. The students who are able to get it from the professors are the ones who are good in the classroom and have other achievements.
How can you raise your GPA?
By the time you enter High school, you have to start working on getting a good GPA. Therefore, further, we have discussed some of the ways to raise your final GPA-
1. Managing time
One of the important skills that you must possess as a student is time management. One of the best ways to manage your time is either by creating a proper timetable or by using a student planner. When you create a timetable for yourself, you must give extra time for the subjects you feel are hard. It is because when you give them more time you will be getting a better understanding of the course content. On the other hand, the subjects you find are easier you must give them less time.
2. Taking help from the professors
If you are not able to understand the concepts, the first thing you must do is to get in contact with the professor of the subject. Ask them your doubts regarding the concepts. If you are feeling too shy to ask them in the classroom, you are always welcome in the office hours. Every professor has different office hours and therefore you must check before going to the office. Making use of the office hours will always add an advantage in improving your image.
3. Attending the regular classes
The biggest mistake that most students make is not attending classes regularly. When you do not attend the regular classes you miss the lectures that may be important. Further, when a professor teaches you, he/she has prepared a proper schedule. Each of the class is mostly related to each other. Therefore when you miss a class, there are high chances that you may not be able to understand the concepts of the next class.
4. Hiring a private tutor
If you still are not able to understand the concepts and are finding it hard to study them, you must get a private tutor. A private tutor is one who is specialized in the subject they are teaching. They will help you understand the concepts and also help in getting some mock exams. Mock exams will help you prepare for the exams faster. If you are not able to find an offline tutor, you can always look for an online tutor.
5. Do a weekly study review
When you have created a timetable and followed it properly, you must try to do a weekly review at the end of each week. It will help you to understand how much amount of content you have learned so far. Further, it will also help you to understand how much timetable you have followed so far.
6. Try online resources
In the present world, there are a lot of online tools that help you understand the concepts. You can look for some platforms like Chegg, where you can rent the textbooks you need. Further, you can also check for some pirated books that will help you in getting the books at low rates. Also, there are a lot of online platforms where you can find a tutor who can help you in studying from the place you are living.
What are some of the factors that are important other than GPA?
Following are some of the factors that are important other than the GPA-
1. Letter of recommendations
As we discussed above letter of recommendation is a document that is written by someone who knows you professionally. It is the document that works like a reference for you to get admitted.
2. Personal statement
The personal statement is an essay that helps to understand who you are in a better manner. It is basically an essay that helps the admission council to understand you in a personal as well as professional manner. You need to include everything about you like your hobbies, interests, achievements, etc.
3. SAT and ACT score
As we have discussed above these competitive exams are also important in addition to the GPA you have scored. Both the exams help to understand your general knowledge in different sections like reasoning.
Conclusion
GPA is an important factor that you get when you are studying in a classroom. However, there are many students who do not know when does GPA starts. You usually start getting the grade when you are in elementary school. However, when you are in elementary school the GPA really does not matter. It will start mattering when you are in the 9th standard. The 9th standard GPA is required to get in a good college.
If you are having low GPA then you must try to increase it so that you can get admission into a good college. Some of the ways that can help you to increase your GPA are by managing time, taking help from the professor, or attending regular classes.
