Master's Degrees
A high GPA doesn't make you smart. A low one still gets read. And once you graduate, you can't change either.
I've never been someone who studies for the grade. I've also never let my GPA drop below average. Both are true, and they're less contradictory than they sound.
What a GPA doesn't tell you
High grades are nice. I just don't think they mean you're smarter than the person next to you, or that you'll be more successful. Plenty of people with unremarkable grades, or who dropped out, ended up happy or rich.
When I study something, the point is to learn it. To know more and understand more than I did before.
But I do keep one limit: I don't let my grades fall below average. The score itself doesn't matter much. If mine ever went under that line, though, something would be going wrong.
What admissions committees are reading
They care about your GPA for two reasons.
First, they don't know you. Everything they know about you is on paper, and a low GPA can suggest you struggled in school.
Second, they're trying to answer one question. If we admit this person, will they finish the program? Your GPA from your last degree is their best hint about how you'll handle the next one.
Your GPA is permanent once you graduate. So even if you have no plans for grad school, aim for the highest GPA you can realistically manage. You might change your mind later, or need it for something you can't see yet.
No one has ever regretted having a high GPA.
Next up: how to get admitted and earn scholarships with a low GPA.
