Question

please respond to this as if you are a student from school: So, pretty good goal for the ol' GPA improvement for this semester. Let's chat about that for a moment. Let's say your GPA from years past was less-than-desirable through your student lens. What college admissions folks see is "improvement". Frankly, all high school freshmen are entitled to "struggle" a little bit, but what counts is seeing that learner who can get his or her act together throughout their high school career as courses get tougher and life responsiblities increase - think about that for a minute for me. It's not really about having a perfect GPA, it's more about the path a student takes to get there.

MANY colleges would rather see a student who can 'grow and respond' as opposed to a student who might appear to never have encountered a 'stumbling block'. In college, you'll have courses that are easier for you and those that make you want to cry when you get back to your dorm or apartment!! I had those classes!!! I had one grad-school prof at USC that gave me a 0/8 [yes, the paper was worth only 8 points, we had only 94 points available for the ENTIRE course!] on a FULL RESEARCH PAPER (15 pages) because he didn't like the title so he didn't even read my work...............

I did know how to politely and professionally request his review and my paper became a 8/8 when he read it. Stumbling blocks happen, but students have to know how to work through! You're doing that!! Again, I'm not super nervous about any of your scores. Improving your unit 6 portfolio, could help a little bit, I'll be glad to look at "sequencing" with you!! Just keep going and really think about where you want to place your time and efforts and I'll be right here to back you up. Remember, instructors and employers would rather find a "thinker and a worker" than a "perfectionist" that's never encountered a problem....
You let me know what you'd like to do!

Answer 1

Thank you so much for your encouragement! I really appreciate your perspective on the importance of growth and improvement over having a perfect GPA. It’s definitely true that high school can be challenging, and I’ve learned a lot from my past experiences, especially about overcoming obstacles.

I’ve been thinking about how to improve my portfolio and where to focus my time and efforts. I want to make sure I’m not just aiming for better grades but also really understanding the material and developing my skills. I’d love to take you up on your offer to help with sequencing—I think that could make a big difference in how I present my work.

I agree with you that stumbling blocks are part of the learning process, and I’m excited to show that growth to colleges when the time comes. I want to be a learner who can adapt and respond to challenges, just like you described.

Thanks again for your support! I’ll let you know when I’m ready to dive into the portfolio work.