On the fourth day of Christmas, The CollegeBound Network gave to me…

A 4.0 GPA

How often is perfection within reach? Hardly ever, which is why if you have the brains and the determination to earn a 4.0 GPA in college, I say GO FOR IT.

Here’s something you might have forgotten along the way: the reason you are going to college in the first place is to earn a degree. Lots of students—maybe even you?—view college as a four-year –long party. I’m not trying to rain on your parade, because there is plenty of fun to be had as an undergraduate, but you need to remember that the goal of college is for you to become a college graduate. And achieving that goal does require a bit of work.

It might take some time, but you will find the right mix of work and fun in your college life. College life isn’t meant to be a 24/7 party, but it shouldn’t be a 24/7 study session, either. Find a schedule that makes you happy, and you’ll find that you are successful in all areas of your life.

Don’t underestimate the power of a high GPA. As a freshman, you may think you know where life will take  you, but no one truly knows what the next four years will bring, let alone what will happen when you graduate. Therefore, whether you plan to be a dancer or a dentist, make sure you work on keeping that GPA high. As far as I’m concerned, no one has ever been turned away from a job or graduate school for having too high a GPA.  But I have known a lot of people who started out in majors where a GPA “didn’t matter” only to find that by graduation, they ended up in a field where their GPA was a pretty big deal.

Why stress out? Enjoy college, but remember why you’re there in the first place and be smart about your studies. You’ll be thankful in the end.

–Barbara Bellesi