The Unconventional Scholar: Ignore Your GPA
Unconventional Scholar November 14th. 2007, 8:13pmThis is the first entry in a new semi-regular series I’m calling: The Unconventional Scholar. In the style of my first book, How to Win at College, this series features unexpected (but surprisingly effective) tips for getting more out of college.
The Mystery Number
In my last couple years as a college student, I looked up my GPA on only two occasions that I can remember. The first was in the fall of my senior year. I had to put it down on my grad school applications. The second was in the late spring. I wanted to see if I was in the running to be Salutatorian. (Fortunately, I wasn’t — my GPA remained a healthy 0.025 points away from being competitive — so I was saved the stress of thinking about giving a speech.)
Outside of these isolated occurrences, me and my cumulative GPA lived separate lives. We had no interest in knowing about each other. I suggest you do the same.
Here’s why…
GPA Breeds Stress
There is no good reason to know your cumulative GPA. It can only serve one purpose: stress. If you’re a GPA addict, then as you study for exams, you can’t help but think about how different grades in the class will affect your overall standing. This makes you nervous. It makes you more upset when you score lower than you wanted. And it shifts your focus away from discovering the most efficient possible way to embrace the material and toward a paranoia about avoiding GPA-busting mistakes.
Ignorance is Bliss
Here’s what you should do instead: ignore your GPA. In most classes, your professor will tell you your grade at the end of the semester. There is no reason to look at the grade report that arrives in the mail, and comes emblazoned with your GPA. Do what I did, and simply throw out this envelope without opening it.
(In fact, earlier this year I ordered a copy of my transcript for use in a promotion for Straight-A, and was shocked to find a collection of citations from professors that I never knew about; I had missed them at the time because I never read the grade reports in which they were originally sent.)
Focus On Performance, Not GPA
Smart students treat each class like an individual challenge. Your goal should be to find the most efficient possible way to really learn the material. You might not always get this right. Sometimes, you’ll make stupid mistakes on a test or bet on the wrong thesis, but that’s okay. So long as you’re getting better at being a student, over time, most (not all) of your grades will be great. By ignoring your GPA, you’re simply cutting out a lot of stress along this journey.
November 14th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Oh, bless you for this! As a professor, my least favorite thing is grading, not because it’s all that hard but because I know that for so many students it’s the only measure of value they care about. It’s so depressing. Listen: grades are bunk! They are, at best, a measure of how approximately your understanding of the material matches a professor’s or book author’s conception of what your understanding should be. Good grades tend to flow naturally from understanding and effort; it doesn’t happen the other way around though (that is, understanding doesn’t flow from good grades).
I was lucky enough to finish my undergraduate education at a school that didn’t give grades, only narrative evaluations (UC Santa Cruz). I recently came across my 12-year old transcript, and could vividly remember each class and my work in each class based on the descriptions — and found it was still a useful document, in a way that a list of A
s and B’s could never be. If only we could adopt that standard throughout higher education…
November 15th, 2007 at 3:11 am
great article Cal, I just actually finished reading your second book (planning on getting the first one which I have not read yet), but this article just placed the cream on top of the writing from your straight-A book.
November 15th, 2007 at 3:36 am
Cal, sorry to post again but I forgot to ask you in my previous post on what you noticed among straight-A students during lecture note-taking. Did any of them recommend printing out the lecture slides (if professor supplies) and then taking notes on these slides or did they all just take very effective notes during lecture?
Thanks for the insight.
November 15th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Thank you Dustin.
In researching Straight-A, I talked with around 50 straight-A students. I would estimate that a significant majority were process-focused. Interestingly, the students who obsess over grade tactics — getting the professor to like you, dropping courses before they impact the GPA — tend not to be in the upper echelon of scorers.
- Cal
November 15th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Ilham,
If the professor provides Power Point slides, don’t print the slides, instead, keep them open on your laptop and annotate them using the notes window in Power Point. For Word Docs, similar annotation tricks work better than printing. (As you know, I’m not a big fan of hand writing notes.)
You’re not the first to ask about this. I’m planning on doing a MMC on the topic next Monday. Stay tuned…
-Cal
November 16th, 2007 at 9:05 am
[…] Why You Should Ignore Your GPA Cal Newport writes a compelling article on why you shouldn’t focus on your GPA. He says its most important to focus on your performance while in school. Some great advice! […]
November 17th, 2007 at 7:02 am
I really wish I can ignore it, but this is only possible for smart students. I give in the effort, but because of the circumstances or whatever, my GPA is below the school’s satisfactory. They outlined it right in there catalog that thou shall not get below this or else they kick you out. With that kind of pressure, you have to be GPA obsessive.
December 6th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
[…] The Unconventional Scholar: Ignore Your GPA | Study Hacks […]
March 9th, 2008 at 4:56 am
How could you know where you stand as far as academic success without looking at the results? A bit hard for me to swallow that over achievers don’t bother looking at their GPA. Not even once just to for the sake of it? I understand your life shouldn’t revolve around it…probably going to take some time for this to digest since it’s my first year in University.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
[…] Ignore Your G.P.A. This Unconventional Scholar essay tackles the larger question of what significance exam performance should play in your life. It’s core message: ignore your cumulative G.P.A. Instead, view each courses as an individual challenge to come up with the most efficient possible method for learning the material. Sometimes you’ll screw up the actual exam. That’s okay. Believe in your strategies and keep improving; it’ll save you a fortune on ulcer medication. […]