Walking the College GPA Tightrope: Maintaining a High GPA

In college, exam week serves as the end of the semester, the end of late-night studying, and the end of weekly parties with your closest friends. To some, exam week may also seem like the end of their life as parents eventually learn of semester grades! However, with a little research and planning, making good grades and scoring a high GPA can become much easier. Not only will you sport a stronger academic record, but your parents will be proud, as well. Who knows? Maybe they will even provide a little more cash for that summer road trip...

Plan Your Courses
The most important concept of college academics is planning your semester-by-semester layout for the future. Know what classes you will have to take, and which you can avoid. If your best subject is math, why take an optional history course and risk lowering your GPA? Planning ahead and knowing what your future holds in terms of courses also helps when researching courses and getting the dirt on professors. Also, many colleges and universities post future course schedules online days in advance of registration. Take a peek at the professors of the courses and make note of professorship trends (that is, see if the same guy teaches every semester or only in the fall). This will be useful later when online researching comes into play.

Ask Around
College is about making new friends, going to parties, and having fun, right? Well, take the time to interrogate a friend or upperclassmen who has already taken the course for which you are planning to register. Ask him who his professor was, what kind of work the course involved, and how effective the professor taught, overall. But why stop there? Since he is a friend, you have a good chance of predicting how motivated he was in that course. So, ask what his final grade was for the course. If he tends to be somewhat of a slacker and made a B, you can figure how you compare to his level of devotion to the course and predict your own final grade. Also ask about professors to avoid, interesting electives courses, and tips for scheduling classes.

Online Message Boards
Many colleges and universities feature unofficial message boards (independently operated and unaffiliated with the college or university) where students can share thoughts and discuss topics of interest throughout their college career. In addition, sites such as www.ratemyprofessors.com and www.pickaprof.com provide student-generated reviews of professors from a vast list of colleges and universities worldwide. These are ideal places to discuss and receive advice on the best courses and professors. With the wide audience of other students, the general input will prove to be beneficial in selecting which course and professor to take.

Grade Distribution Reports
Some colleges and universities provide grade distribution reports online for previous semesters. Not only can you see how many A's or B's were in the class, but you can also check out the variety of professors and grading trends throughout the past. For example, if Dr. Easy only teaches in the fall of each year, and Dr. Difficult teaches each spring, why not wait until the fall to take the class? Not only will you save a lot of sleepless nights spent on Dr. Difficult, but you will also learn more and enjoy Dr. Easy's class more. When a student gets stressed over difficult homework or hours of studying for tests, he or she will probably give up all hope of learning something valuable from the course. He or she will also begin to hate the course and professor, maybe even stop going to class, thus resulting in lower grades. However, interesting and simple classes tend to keep stress at a minimum, allowing students to enjoy the class more and not dread each new day.

Grade Distribution reports can also identify professors who stand out in the company of their peers. While one professor may have 50% C's and 5% A's, another professor of the same exact course may have 50% A's and 5% C's. Think of it as if you are eating a box of chocolates- check out the professors who give the best first impression (based on grade distributions), then gradually make your way down the list until you run out of options.

Preview Course Websites
In recent years, colleges and universities have become more dependent upon the Internet to distribute and store information. Similarly, professors tend to use the Internet for creating homepages for their courses. By listing homework, syllabi, projects, and other key academic concerns, these professors and providing their own "resume" for prospective students to review when selecting the right one to take. Check out these course websites. Notice the grading policies of each professor. Compare this to their previous grade distribution reports and other student reviews to make sure they are consistent throughout. Also take the time to get to know a little background information about the professor. Maybe he or she is a famous inventor and family-oriented with several kids, or perhaps he or she just received a Ph.D. and researches topics you loathe. Either way, professors who share your own interests or ideals tend to relate to those ideas during their classes - a more enjoyable class means less sleeping, more studying, and higher grades!

Summary
After all these tips, what seems to be the most significant factor for improving or maintaining a high GPA? Selecting the right professors for your courses! While some may say the professor is just there to assign homework, give tests, and facilitate learning, professors are more than an academic intermediary. A college student will spend about four months getting to know each of his or her professors, and one who is skilled at keeping the class entertained and informed receives a much higher student response. Instead of taking naps during class or skipping class altogether, one is more likely to attend class and participate in discussions and daily activities. Not only will the professor become a friend, but he or she will also become part of the cherished memories of college.

However, as with many things in life, they are never as simple as they seem to be. Explore all of the available options before registering for classes, and make sure you have a clear picture of what the future semester may throw in your face. Remember that professors can make or break courses. It is much better to learn from an enjoyable professor and remember information longer than to learn something from a despised professor and forcefully forget the material and anxiety associated with such classes.

Finally, do your part and help future students through their college years by posting reviews on message boards and giving advice to younger friends and peers. With less stress, students can balance academic and social aspects of life while attending college. When final exam week rolls around, it will no longer suggest a tirade of disappointed parents. Instead, it will signal the end of a great semester filled with classic memories, close friends, and hopefully higher grades.