How To Raise Your GPA
As college students, we aim for high grade point averages (GPAs) because we believe it reflects our academic ability and gives an advantage when we apply to schools for continued education. But we sometimes receive a letter grade that drops our GPA, and sometimes we do not think it was fair. Fortunately there are ways to dispute this, and even raise your GPA.
First thing to do is justify every F letter grade in case there is a chance the F may be excused. Sometimes there are extreme circumstances that can reasonably excuse an F grade, such as an illness, death in the family, family drama, housing problems and money problems.
Look for a class to get an easy A in. This will make it harder for low grades to drag the overall GPA down. Start by choosing quality instructors. RateMyProfessor is a helpful source for this.
Finally, take a long look at grades from the past. If there are instances where a grade can be disputed, do so using a retroactive withdrawal request. This is the appeal to have a grade overturned. The first step is reaching out to the professor who gave the low grade.
If nothing transpires, it is then time to speak with the coordinator, who is the professor's boss. And if the coordinator cannot help resolve the issue, then it is ultimately time to use Student Life Center, a student service that will issue a formal appeal that could introduce the U.S. court for mediating the issue.
One final way to raise GPA, is to know when to drop out of a class with a withdrawal, or W. A W is certainly better than an F in terms of keeping GPA up. The strategy is to be keenly aware of the withdrawal deadline. Use all of the time leading up to that point to decide whether success in the class is guaranteed or impossible.
Moreover, evaluate a class by how much comprehension you achieve in the first 3 to 4 weeks. If there is no learning going on, then it might be a wise decision to drop the class with a W grade, and focus on the subjects where learning indeed does take place.