Students with high GPAs may qualify for scholarships or graduate with honors. Employers may use GPA as a screening standard for job applicants. Your GPA may determine whether or not you are admitted to graduate school. You can keep a strong GPA by considering some of the following strategies:
- Plan a manageable course load. Don't take more credits than you can handle. You should plan to spend approximately 6-8 hours a week studying for a 3-credit semester course, maybe more depending on your assignments and experience with the subject. Taking four, 3-credit courses per term is the equivalent of a full-time job.
- Check and follow prerequisites. Instructors expect you to know the material taught in prerequisite courses. Taking a course without taking the prerequisite almost guarantees that you will be lost, confused, and at a disadvantage compared to other students. Refer to the current college catalog or website for course prerequisites and descriptions.
- Get help early and often when struggling in a course; don't wait until you are hopelessly lost. Seek out assistance immediately if personal issues, family difficulties, learning difficulties, career stress, or other difficulties are interfering with your ability to complete courses successfully. Talk with your instructors about why you are having difficulties--discuss options. Organize a study group. Use tutors. Talk with your advisor about strategies. Seek assistance from counselors and advisors for study skills, time management, or personal and family issues.
Maintain a strong grade point average (GPA). Grade point average (GPA) is a short-cut measure of how strong a student you are and determines your academic standing.
The GPA scale is as follows:
Letter Grade
|
General Rating
|
Quality Point/Credit Hour
|
A
|
Excellent
|
4.0
|
B
|
Good
|
3.0
|
C
|
Adequate
|
2.0
|
D
|
Partially Adequate
|
1.0
|
F
|
No grade or credit
|
0.0
|
To determine what grades you will need to improve or maintain your GPA, use our GPA Calculator.
Find out more information about NHCC's Grading System
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