<p>I just finished my first quarter at Northwestern with a 3.566 GPA. I have no clue what this means. Should I be happy or should I be disappointed? My high school graded on the 100 point scale so I am totally not used to this 4.0 grade scale…or this whole grades in college thing. What should Freshmen aim for? I’m sure that a 3.5 isn’t the best grade to graduate with, but is it an all right start?</p>
<p>At northwestern, 3.5 will get you anywhere you want to go afterwards. It depends on what you want to do afterwards though. 3.5 seems average at many top schools, but then again the average person at a top school like Northwestern usually does extraordinarily well. If you think you can do better then do better, if not, then don’t stress yourself over it because it’s not a bad gpa, it’s actually pretty good and many would be happy to graduate with 3.5 from a place like Northwestern. Then again, I’m not sure what the course load is like there, if it’s anything like the best LAC’s, then 3.5 is great for many professions. If it’s harder, then 3.5 is great. And…well you get the picture. Sorry I’m just babbling on, but I hope that helps even a little bit. Shoot as high as you think you can get, but try not to burn yourself out in the process.</p>
<p>Depends on the school and depends on what you want to do afterwards. 3.5 is great for a school like Cornell or Berkeley but maybe not so good for a school like Harvard with grade inflation. 3.5 is probably sufficient for grad school (esp. at Northwestern) but maybe a little low if you want to go to med school.</p>