What are some reasons college students G.P.A. falls below average?

Your GPA falls as your grades fall. Some schools are more strict about how they convert your grades for your GPA. For example, my community college just went by A-4.0, B-3.0, C-2.0, etc, but the university I got my BSN at is more strict and actually breaks it down further by A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc. I forget exactly what each letter grade was worth on the 4.0 scale, but it made a difference overall in my GPA.

It’s based on your grades so if they fell, your GPA falls.

because there are a lot of people that want to go to college but really shouldn’t. Their GPA is reflecting this.

GPA= grad point average, one bad apple…

Welcome to Fluther.

I’m sure you already know that your GPA is reflective of your grades; if you need a response as elementary as that then you shouldn’t even be at college.

But if you’re asking instead “Why would one not get the same kind of grades in college that one is accustomed to from high school?” you might get more helpful answers.

One reason is that professors in college are (generally) not in the habit of grading on a social curve. If the class fails to do acceptable work, then the class as a whole suffers. There is less worry about students’ ‘self-esteem’ and social promotion, so if you don’t do good work, then your grades will generally reflect that.

A lot of students enter college unprepared for the amount and type of work that will be required. They have to read on their own! and the professor doesn’t just parrot the previous night’s homework of “read the following chapters” by outlining it and reviewing it, instead today’s lecture might break new ground, and be augmented by the required reading. And there’s reading in most every class. And writing. Most high school students whose work I’ve seen in the past few years write abysmally. Fluther is (thankfully) sometimes an exception to that, but too often a reflection.

If you can’t read for comprehension at a college level and write comprehensibly, then you’ll have a hard time in academic courses.

Finally, though it’s a lot more ‘democratic’ than it was when I was going to college, it’s still a concentration of “better” students from high school. So what was “average” work in high school will be “below average” in college, because the formerly average student is now part of a more select population.

@fspann07 I assume you understand that GPA is the same as grade point average. I take it you are looking for the underlying causes that lead to people suddenly getting lower grades despite having performed well in the past.

But the question for you is this: are you really here looking for an excuse that you can put in your essay? Because what you need to do is tell the truth and explain (a) how you won’t let it happen again, (b) what lessons you’ve learned from this experience, and (c) why you deserve to hold onto your aid (e.g., what makes you a valuable student). Writing about the experiences of others won’t get you the result you want (it will read like a fluff essay), and stealing an answer from the internet constitutes fraud (which can get you in way more trouble than losing your aid).

I apologize if this is response is presumptuous. Maybe you are just curious as to how other people wind up in the position you are in now. The people who read these essays scan the internet looking for attempts to circumvent the system, however, so I’d rather give an unnecessary warning than blithely lead you into further difficulties.

People whose grades fall do not study enough. The old rule to study two hours for every class room hour is still a good plan. If that isn’t enough, then spend even more time on your assignments. Students are afraid to ask for help. Most schools offer tutoring, take advantage of it.

Personally, my grades dropped in college because I was distracted by social stuff. The freedom from past expectations was my downfall.

One word…..... Facebook.

My G.P.A. took a major hit in my Freshman year when I found myself – for the first time in my life – with a high-speed Internet connection on tap. That, and my roommate had a PS2 and a copy of Dragon Quest VIII. Thus it was that I found AIWOR (may she rest in peace!), a poll/Q&A site, into which I proceeded to pour many a waking hour. Seriously. My total word count was very probably over a million, spread across a dozen accounts.