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Increasing your GWA/ GPA is the dream of every college or university student.GPA is the grade Point Average. There are a number of proven ways to increase your GWA/GPA. In some schools, it is referred to as Grade Weighted Average(GWA) while others also refer to it as a Cumulative Weighted Average(CWA). This depends on the grading system adopted by the school. GPA/GWA is a universal term (a number) that defines how high you score in your courses on an average.
In this article, I would use the term “GPA” often to make references to CWA, GWA, and GPA. Albeit making a significant increase to your GPA can be quite a challenging task especially if you find yourself in the penultimate or final year, it can still be a very daunting task even for students in their first and second years of study.
Why Is It Important To Have A High GPA?
Before I dig deeper into why you must have a high GPA, it is also extremely important to first understand your GPA(I’ll write an article on this a make a link)
Having a good or high GPA is as important as graduating. A look at your GPA tells anybody all they need to know about how good or bad you are or were as a student. I’m very sure you wouldn’t want to give a bad impression of yourself to anyone.
There! A good GPA gives a good impression of your academic performance and boosts your self-confidence as a student.
A good GPA increases your chance of earning a scholarship
Most educational institutions believe that only the brightest of students are worthy of their funds. While this may not be entirely true, the educational system is set up to give financial aid to only well-performing students. A good GPA is your only means of proving how much you qualify for a scholarship.
A good GPA helps secure you postgraduate admission
More often than not, there are very limited vacancies for post-graduate degree courses while there may be numerous applicants. The only reliable criterion for selection would be based on a high GPA. I’m pleased to inform you that the essence of having a good GPA does not cease after your first degree.
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A good GPA might secure you good employment
Yes! I have personally come across job vacancies that only encouraged first-class students to apply. Who knows? A good GPA could earn you a job right after your education.
Why Most Students Struggle To Increase Their GPA
Patently, no student wants to be referred to as “a bad student”. Like I stated earlier in this article, every student dreams of impressing those around him or her with a high GPA. Unfortunately, not all students are able to realize this dream. Here are a few reasons why many students are not able to increase their GWA/GPA.
A lack of interest in course of study
Naturally, people commit their time to the things they have an interest in. Likewise, if you’re not interested in your course of study, it will be difficult to invest time in studying your books hence a poor reflection in your grades making it difficult to increase your GWA/GPA.
Difficulty in understanding what is taught
A firm grasp of what is taught in class greatly reflects how your GPA looks. Students who have a hard time increasing their GPA usually have difficulties in grasping concepts of their courses.
Starting off on a bad note
Making significant increases to your GPA largely depends on how you start. You might want to end your first semester with a good GPA to enable you to make increments as you climb up your academic ladder. Think of your GPA as starting a building. It will be very difficult to have a stable beautiful building on a poor foundation. Though it may not be completely impossible to build stably on a bad foundation, you cannot escape the fact that it will be extremely challenging.
Giving up completely
Increasing your GPA/GWA can be a handful but not impossible. Usually, students are made to believe that it is impossible or extremely difficult to increase your GPA. Many have given up on the idea of increasing their GPA/GWA. Giving up completely on your grades is equal to inviting failure.
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How To Increase Your GWA/GPA
Increasing your GPA basically means doing better or putting in more effort than you did in your previous semester. Increasing your GWA/GPA can be quite demanding. That is why I have put together some tips to help you increase your GWA/GPA. Bear in mind that the list is in no particular order.
Start right
Once you gain admission, you should know that a new chapter has begun. You need to put in all the hard work. Study your learning materials as much as you should. Make sure to attend all lectures especially when you’re new to familiarize yourself with your lecturers. In your first year of school, you might want to avoid so many social activities because combining extracurricular activities with studies can be overwhelming. As a fresher, you may have challenges with your courses. Teaching Assistants are there to aid you. Make use of them. This is one of the most important proven ways to increase your GWA/GPA.
Understanding your GPA
A thorough understanding of your GPA would give you an overview of how you are performing academically. Understanding your own GPA paints you a picture of your course strengths and weaknesses.
Make use of the library
Studying in your room can be distractive. Study time is more productive when you find yourself in the library or a similar facility.
Organize yourself
There is a popular saying: “You plan to fail when you fail to plan”. Planning is very essential in all of life’s endeavors and your studies are not an exemption. You must schedule a learning time for yourself and plan for all your school activities.
Plan when to do your assignments and research, plan which social activities to attend and when to attend. Planning your schedule helps you to eliminate time wasters thereby allowing you more time to focus on your studies and consequently increasing your GPA.
Take care of yourself
As strange as it may sound, taking care of yourself is vital to increasing your grades. As much as possible avoid all-nighters. Staying up all night to study especially a few hours before a paper suggests that you have been lazy throughout the semester. Squeezing a three-month course to study in just about 10 hours only puts pressure on the brain and decreases retention.
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Study effectively
It is better to study effectively than to study for longer hours. Quiz yourself often to know your strengths and weaknesses. Give more attention to the courses you are weak at and work your way around until you’re comfortable with them. If possible, find study partners. Always make sure you have study partners who can help you and who you can help.
Teaching others what you know helps your retention. Space out your study schedules to help your mind better grasp and retain concepts. Be interested in submitting all your assignments and classwork. Some university lecturers give extra points to students who submit their assignments. An extra point is all you may need to increase your GPA.
Be optimistic
Of course! Increasing your GPA demands a lot of discipline but it is not impossible. Be positive and determined to increase your GPA and you will find that your mind will set itself up for the task. Your seniors may have put fear in you telling you how difficult or impossible it is. Or how wicked that lecturer can be. Well, there has ever been a student to score a higher grade in that “wicked” lecturer’s course. Your school has obviously graduated a number of first-class students from your course. Why should you be an exemption? You can do it!
While these points are proven ways to help you increase your GPA, you should also apply your common sense. You know what you have to do as a student. Make sure to do what is required of you and at the right time and you will surely increase your GWA/GPA.