Why You Should Earn Great Grades

Do you want to know the “real” secret behind earning great grades?

OK, it’s this:

I WANT IT SO BAD!”

This might be vague, but it is the fundamental concept to know and act out to earn great grades.

What separates those who earn great grades from those who earn not-so-great grades is a deep why, a deep obsession with achieving something they can’t live without.

It is this desire that drives all action to be effortless.

You might not be convinced about why you should earn great grades.

Would you like to be convinced about why you should earn great grades?

If so, you are in luck because in this post, I will give you 3 reasons why and I will give you an activity so you can develop this why.

Let’s get to it.

You Want a Career That Pays, Right?

I figured.

Look, some careers pay well and don’t require a degree, but for a lot of careers, you need that piece of paper.

And with those careers comes good pay.

I’m assuming that if you are going to college, you are in a situation financially that is not desirable, right?

You want a career that gives you a better life, right?

Well, the first step to those careers is to earn great grades.

Because let’s face it, there is only a certain tolerance regarding GPA that companies permit.

For example, let’s say you wanted to get into investment banking.

Firms like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey typically require high GPAs to get into their companies. Some sources say that the minimum GPA to be employed by these companies is around 3.5–3.6. 

That can be a high standard to meet for some folks, but the bar is understandable if companies are looking for a person with a track record of being able to get assigned a task and take it to completion.

The bottom line is you will need to earn a high GPA to access certain well-paying careers. 

to Get The Career You Want

Let’s face it, for certain careers, a high GPA is a MUST.

Or maybe, you want to become a doctor or a lawyer.

I don’t this needs an introduction, but in order to become a doctor or a lawyer, you need to earn a high GPA.

Period.

Medical schools probably require at least a 3.7, just to break in the door with applying. Law schools would likely require at least a 3.5 GPA to break in. In Ivy League schools, the standard is set even higher than that. 

To give you a few examples, let’s look at the minimum GPA to get into the medical school of my alma mater, Florida International University (FIU).

According to FIU’s website, the average GPA for someone who got into their medical school is 3.82.

If you look at FIU Law School’s median GPA for incoming students, it’s 3.74 according to a site called Law School Data (LSD).

Mind you, this is for a school that is not as reputable nor as well known as the big name schools you hear about. Hence, if you want to get into medical school or law school, you need to up your game academically.

And if you want the best shot of getting into these medical schools or law schools, wouldn’t you want your GPA to be even higher than what I just mentioned?

If so, you’re in luck because this site will teach you what you need to know to earn the grades you need to achieve whatever goal it is that requires you to earn great grades.

Even if you want to do something like get a graduate degree, you’ll need a high GPA to give yourself the best shot of getting in. If you are pursuing Ivy League institutions for your graduate degree, a high GPA is only part of what’s considered (but an important one). 

Hence, why you need a high GPA to get the career you want.

Don’t compromise that.

To Live Your Dream Life

Listen, even if you don’t want to have a prestigious career, you still need money to get the things you dream of having.

Do you want to have those nice vacations?

Do you want your kids to be healthy?

Do you want to buy yourself some nice clothes or those nights out with your friends without having to fret about the bill all of the time?

And,

Do you want to buy yourself out of the financial prison you are in because you can’t earn enough money?

If so, then you should be earning great grades.

Earning great grades is, without a doubt, the easiest way to a career that pays well.

Maybe not wealthy and buying a private jet, but a career that pays well.

Look, if you earn great grades, you’ll have an easier time securing employment.

You’ll have an easier time applying for opportunities.

You’ll have an easier time moving up in your career.

And,

You’ll have an easier time enjoying your life, rather than slaving away your life.

Is this something that you want?

If so, then you should be earning great grades.

Now let’s talk about the importance of knowing the reasons why you want to earn great grades.

Why The WHY Is Important

Without the “why” you won’t be motivated to succeed in earning great grades.

Period.

It’d be like you are walking into a classroom trying to figure out what the hell you are doing in the class.

You’d be floating like a bag of potato chips in the wind.

I remember feeling like this when I contemplated dropping out of college. I was wondering why I was even in college even though I knew in my heart I wanted to be an entrepreneur.

One semester, I was so focused on being an entrepreneur that I completely neglected my studies.

What was the result?

2 Fs, a D, a C, and an A.

Ouch (Luckily, there was a forgiveness policy that got my GPA back up where it needed to be.).

However, after that semester, my focus completely changed to earning the best grades possible. I became driven to be the best there was at studying and the best at earning great grades. 

It was my goal to make it to an Ivy League School to become a business executive at a really large company.

It was this drive and desire to excel that got me to focus all of my attention on my studies and block out everything else in my life.

Studying was the ONLY thing that preoccupied me after that bad semester.

The result of this was that during my last 2 years of college, the worst GPA I had in a semester was 3.85. I had a semester where I finished with a 4.0 GPA and a few other semesters where I got SO close to a 4.0 (3.97 and 3.89). 

I achieved these results because I was SO motivated to get into an Ivy League MBA program and be better than the rest.

Now, will I ever get into an Ivy League MBA program?

I don’t know. Only time will tell, but that doesn’t matter.

What matters is I had a strong urge to do something and for me to accomplish that something, I had to be the best at what I did.

And, at the very least, I became one of the best.

There are many examples of those who had a goal and because they had that goal, they were motivated to achieve the results they got in their lives, particularly those who studied in university.

The bottom line of this section is your why is the catalyst for all of your actions in college, whether they are in your studies or otherwise. 

I will help you find your why later in this post if you haven’t found your why already.

How To Channel Your WHY To Earn Great Grades

I want you to picture yourself with your dream life.

What is that to you?

Picture it.

Write it down.

Ask yourself “What do I need to do to earn this dream life I would like to have?’

Chances are, you will need to earn great grades to get there.

Now ask yourself “OK, how BAD do I want this?”

Meaning, “How obsessed or desperate am I to have this thing I would like to have? 

Then, ask yourself “Is it something I can’t do without?”

You should be saying “Very bad” to the second question and “Yes” to the fourth question.

If any of your answers don’t match with the 2nd and 4th questions, you should go back to the first question and answer that one before moving on to the 2nd and 4th questions.

Finding something that you’ll be obsessed about achieving will intrinsically motivate and drive you to accomplish that thing.

Because you want it so bad, you’ll develop a natural desire and drive to be disciplined in achieving your goals and seeking OUT the knowledge necessary to achieve your goals.

Because of your newly found obsession, you will keep pushing through to earn those great grades even if the going is tough and adversity is thrown your way (which it will be thrown your way).

The best way to push through the adversity is this:

1. Keep your eyes on the prize at all times. 

For example, if you want a 100% on the chemistry test, always recite to yourself, out loud or in your mind, “I will get a 100% on the Chemistry test.” 

Because it’s something you can’t do without, you will have a natural drive to get the information necessary to accomplish this goal.

There was one particular time I did this and here was the result:

You’ll have to stick around on the blog for that story, but in short, it goes to show you what can happen if you put your mind to things.

2. Make it as if your goal is like THE opportunity to meet Taylor Swift (or another celebrity you like)

Let me ask you, if you really wanted to see someone you looked up to, wouldn’t you do anything to see that person?

If you are a Taylor Swift fan, how badly do you want to see Taylor Swift?

Would you do anything possible to see her?

I THOUGHT SO.

Now, imagine you REALLY wanted to earn a 100% on the chemistry test for whatever reason (you want to be top of the class, you desperately want to get into medical school, etc.).

Wouldn’t you do ANYTHING to get that 100%?

What if getting 100% on the exam got you an internship that could prove vital to getting into medical school?

Would you want to get 100% on the exam?

I thought so.

The bottom line is if you are going to earn great grades, attach this to a goal of yours that you simply can’t have without earning great grades. This will force you to be desperate and do anything and everything to earn those great grades.

It’ll push you to do things very few people are going to do even if the temptation from others is high.

Put yourself in a position of desperation to earn those great grades and you will be in a better position to do what you need to do to earn them. 

Just don’t become desperate through procrastination. That kind of desperation is REALLY bad.

Remember, the “what to do” is pointless without the “why I need to do it.”

Hence, I ask you this:

Why Do YOU Want To Earn Great Grades?

It’s a very important point, so read it again if you must.

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Happy Studying!

Evan