Low First Year GPA

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WhatsThePoint
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jun 17, 2015 10:27 pm

Low First Year GPA

Post by WhatsThePoint » Wed Jun 17, 2015 10:33 pm

Hello, I am rising sophomore at small liberal arts college in America. My first year was not very good. I had an overall Physics GPA of just 3.16, My initial plan was to go to Grad School but that prospect looks very dim to me now. Don't get me wrong, I still like Physics, It was a series of unlucky events and general carelessness that got me this grade. What do you guys think, should I carry on with Physics? Was anyone here in a similar situation?

playoff
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:00 pm

Re: Low First Year GPA

Post by playoff » Thu Jun 18, 2015 8:23 pm

I am a rising sophomore too, and I was in a similar situation when I took summer courses last year and got a 3.19 GPA. It definitely hindered my confidence, as I was never competent in high school (graduated with 3.0 GPA), and getting such grades to start off college with made me think that I am not good enough to do college level physics and math.

However, I worked really hard and disciplined myself last Fall and Spring, and earned really good grades. Though the initial drop in my GPA still hurts me, it was a good experience for me, as I it gave me confidence and taught me how to bounce back from failure.

Grad schools don't mind low grades in lower division general physics courses as long as you show competence in core upper division courses, and in fact, prefer a trend of improvement, so you shouldn't worry too much about it as I used to (a lot). I think studying over the summer and getting good grades your next semester will help you get back your confidence.



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