How to Improve Your GPA in Five Easy Steps
Do you have a dream of attending a great university where you can learn, try new things, and meet some very exciting new people? Before you get to that stage, you first need to look at your current standing and figure out what you’ll need to do to increase your chances of being accepted. One of the best areas to start focusing on is your GPA. Even if you have a stellar list of extra-curricular activities and personal accomplishments, you’ll need to back those up with good grades.
Don’t worry if your current grades aren’t the best. With these top tips, you’ll be on your way to meeting your goal in no time at all.
Give Yourself a Real Goal
One of the best first steps to take when it comes to improving your GPA is to give yourself a real goal. One of the most common goals is to look up online to see what the real GPA requirements for your top choice university are currently.
Take UCLA, for example. Technically you only need a 3.0 GPA, but with an acceptance rate of just 17.28%, the true UCLA GPA is much higher. You can easily check in on the latest average UCLA GPA requirements online. This true GPA refers to the average GPA held by incoming students. Though the requirement is 3.0, for example, the current average is 3.89. To increase your chances of getting in, you need to set your goal of getting a 4.0 or higher.
Work with Your Teachers
Being keen to do better is a good place to start. Not every teacher will have the time or ability to help you catch up, however. Still, there is no harm in asking. They may let you retake a test, may let you work on an extra assignment, or may even be willing to sit down with you to help explain something you don’t understand.
Understand How You Learn Best
Do you remember information best when your teacher explains it? Do you understand best when it’s written out? When you watch a video? When you try something out for yourself? Understand your learning style so that you can then replicate it in your own time when you study. This will help you not just memorize but truly understand the content in question.
Explain Things to Yourself
When you write out notes, do so in your own explanations. It doesn’t matter how bizarre or strange your explanations are. If something in science actually relates back to a show you’re watching, use that. These are memory tricks that can help you contextualize what you're learning and remember it better.
Small and Steady Steps
When it comes to studying, break up your efforts. Doing a half hour every day until the day of a test is better than trying to cram it all in the night before. You don’t even need to do those thirty minutes in one go. You can read through your notes in the morning and again at lunch and then test yourself for a bit longer in the evening. The constant reintroduction of information that you’ve designed to be easily understandable to you and you alone will help you learn better and improve your grades as a result.