OPINION: What does your GPA really say about you?

By MAX SHAMBAUGH

Moapa Valley Progress

GPA: It’s just one little number, but that number is supposed to be one of the main deciding factors in your future. But how much does that number really say about you?

Most people, myself included, focus more on getting a good grade than on retaining information as well as we should. We focus on how it will determine the final score that goes on our report card. The goal is no longer to learn; it is to get the most points to achieve “success.”

When you apply to college, you send in your GPA, ACT score, and SAT score. That’s what they see before they even know who you are. The grades we earn do not show our intelligence. They show that we were able to sit still for a few hours a day and copy down everything that was thrown at us.

So, why do we focus on that score?

I think it is because we, as humans, want to be able to deal with things mathematically. Giving values to things helps us determine which is better. At the store, for example, a bottle of soap might cost $4.99, but another brand of soap might only cost $2.99. We judge products the same way we judge intelligence: with insignificant numbers.

I’m not saying GPA isn’t a system that works. I’m just saying it might not be the best for the purpose we say it is used for.

So, what does your GPA say about you? Are you hardworking? Are you going to be a rocket scientist? Or will you just be mediocre, all the while wondering at the difference between a 3.0 and a 3.25?