A student’s grade point average (GPA) is a numerical summary of a student’s academic performance. It helps colleges and universities pinpoint how successful a student has been in high school. There are two types of GPAs, weighted and unweighted. A weighted GPA places a higher value on advanced standing (AS) or advanced placement (AP) classes. Unweighted GPAs place the same value on the grades received in all classes a student has taken. Having only As throughout high school will guarantee one a 4.0 unweighted or 4.0+ weighted if the student is taking advanced classes.
Many students hold themselves to a high standard academically, which can be reflected through their GPA.
“I personally don’t value my GPA as much as I do the education itself,” sophomore and 4.0-student Jonah Hsu said. “I value a lot of the learning and a lot of the process of understanding how I’m able to learn over the GPA. But, I think if you value your education, that does come with a good GPA.”
For Hsu, maintaining a 4.0 is a goal of his because of its positive impact on college applications. However, his primary goal is being able to gain a good education and apply himself academically. Colleges and future opportunities are a big reason why students attempt to maintain a 4.0 throughout high school. More than that, being able to take academically rigorous classes is also beneficial in college applications.
“A student’s academic record is extremely important [in college applications],” College and Career Counselor Lisa Vasquez said. “If [students get] a 4.0 earned with academically rigorous courses, that’s tremendously important. If I’m getting a 4.0 with just the minimum A through G or high school requirements, that’s not going to be as competitive.”
Hsu sees his 4.0 as important for being able to qualify for programs and colleges he is interested in attending.
“I feel like [at] a lot of different programs [and] colleges, basically everyone has a 4.0 at that point,” Hsu said. “There [are] a lot of things that distinguish you from the next person, so if you don’t even have a 4.0 I feel like you’re kind of out of luck.”
Sophomore and 4.0-student Isabelle Cox feels similarly.
“[My 4.0 is valuable because] it dictates what colleges I go to and my academic opportunity,” Cox said. “It’s a representation of how I work as a student.”
Colleges don’t just look at a cumulative GPA of all classes in all four years of high school, they recalculate GPAs in several different ways to consider a student’s success in major-specific classes. The University of California (UC) schools can recalculate GPA six different ways.
“For example, San Jose State, if I’m applying as an engineering major, they’re actually going to extract your math grades and calculate and rank you according to that,” Vasquez said.
Many students care deeply about their academic performance and GPA, sometimes too much, as they admit themselves. For Cox, having a grade on the cusp of a B+, like a 90%, is cause for concern.
“I think [having a low A] stresses me out just because you don’t know [if you’ll keep an A],” Cox said.
Cox recognizes that her degree of stress related to grades can be a bit much.
“I think I do stress out a little too much,” Cox said. “I think in my mind as soon as my grade drops even a 1% from a 100 to a 99, I start freaking out, which is stupid because I shouldn’t. It’s still a high grade. It doesn’t matter. I think that’s a little unwarranted.”
However, she does see the importance of this stress in order to maintain the grades she wants. She sees this reaction to grades among many students.
“I also like that there is stress, I think it is stressful to keep good grades,” Cox said. “I think that in order to keep all As, there’s just a lot of things you have to think about and there’s a lot of homework you have to do, and so I think that’s rightfully stressful.”
Hsu recognizes the work that it takes to keep a 4.0, and he says that despite its importance, a 4.0 is not worth the sacrifice that some make.
“I would say, work hard for [a 4.0], but at the end of the day, if it’s way too much stress and way too much work to get that 4.0, [if] it’s just causing you to stay up until however early in the morning each day, then you shouldn’t really [push yourself that far in order to get that grade],” Hsu said.
