My Proven Formula For A 4.0 GPA
I know what it’s like to keep a 4.0 GPA, and I also know what it’s like to fail a course three times in a row.
I won’t bore you with those stories.
Instead, I’ll tell you what I learned from them.
Lucky for you, I summed it up into one cute little formula (not like those monsters you’ll find in calculus, gross).
I’m not going to show you my transcript for proof; just know that I got 100% in my financial accounting course and my major was marketing. It works.
My Formula For A 4.0 GPA
Disclaimer: This won’t work for everyone, but it sure as hell worked for me and it’s been too effective not to share with students who are serious about their education.
The Preparation
If you want a 4.0 GPA, you need to prepare yourself by finding motivation, scheduling time, and learning to respect instructors. This may sound boring, but I promise it’s important.
Find Your Motivation
You need to have a reason for going back to school besides the fact that your parents want you to or because your friends are going. My motivation was for a career that challenged me and that opened options for a better wage.
Without motivation, you’ll get bored quickly and it’ll be difficult to apply yourself. Picking a career path isn’t an easy decision, but it’s important to find one you like.
So go ahead — do a gap year, travel the world, get some partying out of your system — then come back when you’re ready.
Now, I’m not saying you can’t party in college or university; that’s silly talk. It just seems that most people go through a party phase, so you may as well get it over with before you pay thousands of dollars for post secondary education.
Remember when I said I failed a course three times? That was because I went to university before I was ready to apply myself (and yes, it was calculus). I went back years later for a career I was passionate about and retained the knowledge like a Tupperware holds spaghetti stains.
For those gifted people who can party like they’re invincible and still get high grades, I salute you. The rest of us usually end up picking one or the other; good grades or good times.
Make Time To Study
Do everything you can to make time for studying.
Students paying their own way through school usually need to work part time, which is super respectable. But keep in mind that you’ll need to put a lot of hours into studying to get the most out of the education you’re paying for.
If you’re working so much that you don’t have time to learn the material, you’re not getting your money’s worth.
Find a way to balance your time, whether that’s reducing your hours at work or spreading your course load over more semesters. Save money ahead of time, use student loans, find a room with low rent, heck move in with your parents if that’s an option. There’s no shame in that if you’re using your time efficiently.
If you want that 4.0, you need to commit the time to it.
Respect Your Instructors
There are some amazingly talented and passionate instructors out there. Some will give you assignments galore and others will practically give you the answers to their exams. I’ll tell you something, though.
The ones that are the hardest markers and assign the most work are usually the best teachers.
Before you get angry because you got a shit mark on your paper, take a deep breath and try to understand their decisions. They have certain lessons they’re trying to teach you; read their notes carefully and learn from your mistakes.
They want their class to get good grades, but they also want their students to truly understand the material. They’ll assign more work but you’ll thank them for it later.
Diligent teachers want their students to learn the material and retain it, whereas the ones who to give out good grades like candy on Halloween may be focusing on performing rather than learning. There’s a fascinating difference between learning and performing that Nick Soderstrom, Ph.D. explains in his article.
Another note on respecting instructors. Pay attention in class, OK? I know it’s hard but you’re paying to be there so you may as well try. Take notes and listen for hints. You can read all the textbooks you want but nothing beats the examples and explanations you’ll get in class.
Write their examples down, and if they assign homework, do it! Don’t be lazy, or you’ll be lost next class, and the next, and then you’ll spiral into a fog of confusion until you decide to catch up.
And this goes without saying, but treat them with respect. Some profs are going to make you scream with frustration and yes, some are unfair. But the ones that care about their students will give you their undivided attention when you ask for help and participate in class. If you disagree with them, practice empathy and disagree respectfully.
How To Study
We’ve covered being mentally prepared, now follow these three steps throughout your semesters and you’re golden.
1) Read Ahead of Class
Keep an eye on your course schedules and note which topics will be covered each class.
If you read the material ahead of time, it’s way easier to pay attention. It can be discouraging to hear your prof talking about words you’ve never heard of; but if you read ahead, the words don’t sound so abstract. You’ll feel more confident in class and can grasp topics faster.
2) Make Sloppy-Ass Notes
Once you’ve read ahead and gone to class, it’s time to read the material again and make your own notes. Don’t start this step a few days before the exam, though. That won’t work.
You should be doing this all throughout the semester, no matter if the exam is coming up soon or not.
Read every page of the chapter (unless you’re told something is not being covered) and write the definitions, lists, concepts, and steps down in your own words.
This is the part that a lot of students miss. They write down a definition and memorize it without understanding what it means.
Take the time to understand each term then write it down in words that you’ll understand when you go back to read it later.
A word of caution, though: don’t discard all the fancy language the textbook uses. A lot of it will come up on exams so make sure you study what those words mean.
Don’t worry about making the notes tidy, just get them written. Use the jot-notes you took in class to decide which topics are the most important and include the examples your instructor gave in these new notes.
3) Make Beautiful Quick Sheets
This is my favourite part.
Buy some coloured pens & sharpies, plain paper, and those plastic paper protectors. Oh yeah, you’re a real keener now. There’s no going back.
Turn your sloppy notes into colourful masterpieces on plain paper.
Studies (1,2) have shown that colours and pictures help us remember things and it sure worked for me. There’s something to be said for doodling, too (Fahri Karakas says it well here).
Treat it like a bullet journal and make it friggin’ beautiful. Get creative.
The purpose of the sloppy notes is to organize the concepts in your head. Once you’ve finished, you’ll have a better idea of what should stand out on your quick sheets. Plus, the more often you write a term down, the more likely you are to remember it.
Once you’ve made a quick sheet for every chapter you’ll feel like a boss.
By the end of the semester you could have an entire course summed up on about 15 sheets of paper. That’s your weapon for the final.
And every other exam, too. Finish these at least a few days before the exam. Then you won’t have to cram, you can simply read over your exquisite, colourful notes.
One part I always include in my quick sheets is steps for important calculations.
Then when I’m practicing questions, I just flip to that sheet and it guides me through it. I don’t rely on it entirely, though; I practice until I don’t need the sheet anymore. Then I study something else and practice it again later.
One Final (But Very Important) Note
This will be stressful. You will feel like you don’t have time for anything other than class, studying, and work — but you need to make time for your health. Make time for exercise; it’s an amazing stress release.
Keep in touch with your friends, too. Good chats with close friends are extremely valuable. Keep reaching out and answering their messages. They could be going through a hard time and might need your support. And you’ll likely need theirs, too.
At the end of the day, grades aren’t everything. You don’t need a 4.0 GPA to get a degree; a 3.0 is still an extremely good result and one you should be proud of.
Many people finish their education with lower grades and that’s totally fine; there are many highly intelligent people who simply don’t get stellar grades.
Just keep in mind that you’re paying thousands of dollars for this education, so you may as well get every ounce of value you can.
Depending on your program choice, you can look back on your degree as an expensive piece of paper or you can take that knowledge and apply it in your field every day.
It’s up to you.
