For most students, it is a rare experience to achieve a 4.0 GPA; however, some students, very few, manage to reach and maintain this impressive GPA. Why is it that only the small percentile of the whole student body is capable of this?
In order to get a 4.0, a student must maintain a grade that is higher than A for all 8 classes he/she is taking. Now, this might sound relatively easy for some excelling students, while for others it might seem impossible. There are some ways, however, that might help everyone get close to 4.0 GPA.
First, not all summative assignments count the same. Most teachers value exams and projects way heavier than quizzes or “small assignments.” There is more to it. Even though there are two exams, those two exams might not worth the same. One could be out of 30, while the other is out of 60. In this case, getting a better grade in an exam that is worth 60 points will definitely boost one’s grade up significantly.
Second, check the rubric when doing group projects or individual presentations. It is tedious and might feel useless to check the rubric when you feel like you know everything. However, checking it will prevent you from unnecessarily losing points that might have helped you reach 4.0. Remember, all the teachers have the rubric in front of them when they are grading your work. If you, by any chance, completely leave out one of the sections, it will severely hurt your grade.
Third, focus on one subject at a time. Do not be anxious because you have a bad grade in one or two subjects. Instead, focus on other subjects that you can raise the grade. For every quarter, I found out that there are about 4 or 5 major summatives per quarter. This means that you have a minimum of 2 summative to raise the bad grade you have in that subject.
Fourth, forget about getting a 4.0 if you have Ms. van Strien’s class. It is beyond human capability to get more than A- in her classes. Only if you spend all your free hours doing her essay, and correct it, proof-read it countless times, maybe, maybe, you will be able to get more than 92. Oh, but do not expect to get all your other homework done if you do that. Instead, I would suggest concentrating on the other 7 classes you have instead of trying to get an A in her class (it is impossible, trust me.)
