A difference in GPA system between high school & college

<p>As a high school Senior, I recently realized that I would suffer some degree of grade deflation in college due to a difference in GPA system between high school and college. While many high schools give 4.0 for A-, many colleges seem to give only 3.7 or 3.67 for A-. Now, I’m having cumulative unweighted GPA 3.85 in my high school. So in college, is it most likely that I will get lower GPA than 3.85? </p>

<p>Every high school and college is different. My daughter’s HS was a 95 for 4.0, in college thus far it has been 93 for 4.0. High School GPAs are traditionally easier to keep up then college. Also, no weighted GPA in college.</p>

<p>It’s MUCH harder to get a B in college than in high school. In addition, some classes are “weed out”, ie., designed to fail a certain percentage of the class.
If you get a 3.85 in college, all power to you! You could get admitted to top internships/top PHD programs with that. It’s quite rare though. A 3.5-3.6 isn’t even that easy to achieve and usually represents a top student. However if you want an internship don’t fall below 3.0 and if you want to go on to grad school aim for 3.3 or, better, 3.5+.</p>

<p>OK. I could get how the difference is like. </p>

<p>At the first sign of getting less than a B, go to the math center/the writing center/the tutoring center. Don’t think it’ll get better on its own. Tackle the problem before it becomes real.
Also, during the first 2 weeks, go to office hours with each professor (or TA, depending on where you go to school). Even if you feel you understood everything, jot down a question after your reading or the lecture or the discussion section, and go ask it during office hours. Of course, if you didn’t understand something that’ll be your moment to clear things up. Make sure you have a couple questions prepared, or an exercise you want to go over. Get in the habit of going every time you have a question.
These two habits will save you a lot of grief down the road and will help in establishing contact with professors (which is crucial if you want to join a research project, need a recommendation for an internship, etc).</p>

<p>Since I’m a terrible learner in humanities, I will practice your advice when it’ll be necessary in those classes. I tend to talk with faculties frequently in my current class, so I will try to keep the same habit in the college. </p>

<p>It really does depend on the university. At mine, for instance, a 98+ is a 4.0, a 96/97 is a 3.9, a 94/95 is a 3.8, etc. This was a huge shock for me because a 93+ was a 4.0 at my high school. Now, it truly seems like only the best and brightest get top grades, but it’s really okay. Like MYOS said, anything above a 3.5 is really good, and it all just depends on how your institution operates and the resources your university has. </p>

<p>I’m a writing center tutor, and I totally encourage you to go to your university’s writing center at least once a semester. We do waaay more than just editing. In fact, we can help students brainstorm a topic, help them make an outline of how they can finish their projects, go over their assignment sheets and help determine if they’re on track; we can help with a lot of things. It’s a really important service, and it’s not just for people who “struggle” with writing. I have my co-workers look over my stuff all the time, and I’m supposedly a “good” writer since I help others write. You’re never good enough to not benefit from a second set of eyes going through your paper, so it’s always a positive thing! </p>

<p>Another important thing to getting a good GPA is managing your time appropriately. This can’t be stressed enough. Gone are the days where you can throw everything together on Sunday night and still get an A (well, maybe you can can still do this for some 100-level classes, but the 300-levels will devour your GPA if you try this). The best way to do it is to always stay on track and get help if you fall behind. Spread your studying throughout the day so you don’t burn out, and treat class, homework, and studying like a regular job that you can’t afford to lose. </p>

<p>Good luck with everything! </p>

<p>Thanks so much! Since I totally had no idea about the function of writing center, I just got a precious information of helping myself in college from you. </p>