Which is Better: High GPA or Hard Classes?
The question that parents and students most often ask me is, “Which is better: getting a high GPA or hard classes?”
The humorous, accurate, but not always helpful response is: “Take the hardest course you can and get an ‘A’ in it.”
Here’s the scoop: this is not an easy question to answer categorically. In truth, it all depends on the student. Every student should take the most challenging courses he or she can perform well in. Colleges seek students who push themselves. They want students to delve into their intellectual interests and who love to learn. Honors courses are an indicator of intellectual drive and curiosity.
After all, both high school and college are about getting the best education you possibly can. So take advantage of the opportunities in front of you to learn the most you can.
Don’t Get Bad Grades — Especially in Easy Classes
But it does no good to take a slew of AP courses and get a “C” or “D” in each. Further, anyone who takes an AP course should set his or her sights on taking the AP exam. You need to pass the exam–not the teacher’s tests–to get the true credit for taking a high-quality AP course.
Parents also ask about how GPAs are then calculated for honors, AP, and IB courses. Generally, grades are weighted to give “extra credit” in the GPA for these tougher courses. But that does not mean that a “B” in an honors course is the equivalent of an “A” in a regular college prep course. (For more on weighted vs. unweighted GPAs, see my post here). The fact is that an “A” is an “A” and indicates exemplary work, while a “B” is a “B” and indicates good work.
Which is Better, a High GPA or Hard Classes?
So how to answer a question? It depends on your child. If he or she is capable of honors-level work, by all means, enroll in those courses.
And isn’t often the answer to all things college: “It depends.” Not very cut and dried. But it’s the true answer.
The general rule is clear from a conceptual point of view. But how can you apply this general rule to a specific student in a specific situation? Well, to be honest, that’s where a good educational consultant can help clarify the variables. It all comes down to the details, the trade-offs, the ambitions, the individual circumstances. A good consultant can help you wade through those things and come up with an educational plan that contains just the right amount or rigor without risking low grades.
Don’t Ease Up On Rigor Just to Get Top Grades
One of the worst things a student can do is to be enrolled in honors courses through sophomore or junior year, and then take easier courses in order to boost a GPA. This always backfires, as admissions officers want to see upward trends in both the GPA and the rigor of the academic program.
The fact is, you cannot hoodwink an admissions officer into seeing only a higher GPA. Admissions professionals are well-trained to identify the story behind the transcript. They follow the sequencing of your choices. If they see you were in honors courses and did reasonably well, but then pulled back in junior year to boost the GPA. They are unlikely to congratulate you for being such a serious and diligent student who puts academic inquiry and curiosity before some silly statistic. You’re not going to fool anyone with this sort of choice.
Don’t Push Yourself So Hard You Flounder
The reverse can also be true, however. Sometimes students think they should push themselves harder just because they can. But then get themselves into a bind when they are unable to handle the level of difficulty of the course.
Good students with a history of doing well in school can be particularly at risk if they don’t see the signs of trouble before things really begin to wonky. If the student has never, ever received a bad grade–even on a test–they may have a lot of negative emotions about that failure that can prevent them to taking immediate action to get back on track.
If you find yourself in a challenging course but your performance is not what you expected. You need to reach out to the teacher right away to figure out the problem. It may be that it’s simply a matter of reinforcing certain content that you just never mastered earlier in your educational career–and once you get that hole filled, you’re off and running again. Occasionally, however, you may be in over your head, and you may have to take more drastic action to prevent an academic disaster.
High GPA or Hard Classes: The Example of Math
Math is a subject in which this can happen. In this country. We tend to think of math as a race of some sort: whoever gets to calculus first, wins. However, math is not a race. It’s a set of concepts and skills that help us make sense of the world using numbers and figures. It’s a powerful tool that requires us to master certain skills before we take on new ones.
However, since colleges seem to value calculus as the highest possible mathematical achievement for entry to college–especially into some majors–students and parents may feel pressure to push into higher levels of math before the student is really ready to do so.
Therefore, if you have any questions about advancing into higher levels of math, talk to your school counselor and your math teachers. What are the risks, if any? What can you do if you find the material challenging? What resources does the school provide to help students struggling with advanced material?
Don’t be afraid to take on a challenge. Also don’t be afraid to seek out help if and when you need it. Not only do you want to take those hard classes, but you want to excel in them.
The Bottom Line: High GPA or Hard Classes
As we agreed in the beginning, the general rule here is to take the hardest classes possible and get the highest possible grades in those classes.
However accurate this guidance might be, it really doesn’t provide granular advice to the individual student trying to register for next year’s courses.
So what can you do? Here are some questions to get your mind going.
Are you aiming for the most selective colleges in the country? Then you need to push yourself into higher levels of rigor at every opportunity. However, remember that not every student can push themselves in this way, do be careful here.
Are you particularly good at particular subjects? If so, push yourself further. You can likely handle greater rigor. And you’re pushing yourself in a subject you enjoy, then the subject might become all the more enjoyable as the pace picks up and the difficult of the course increases.
Are there subjects in which you struggle? Is there a subject that seems to suck up all your homework time, when the gain in your grade is not all that great? This is a sign that you may be pushing too hard and it might be worth pulling back in a subject.
High GPA or Hard Classes: Get Professional Help to Decide
If you really can’t figure out for yourself–using all the resources at your disposal–to make a clear decision about whether to go for the rigor or pull back a bit. You might want to consider hiring a professional educational consultant like the team at Great College Advice. We help our students make these difficult judgment calls all the time. We help them understand that there is no simple answer to this simple question. You have to figure out the right balance for yourself, and we can help you do just that.
