How I went From a 2.7 GPA to a 3.45 GPA

Hello and happy Friday! Its been a long week and I (once again) have been packed with papers and studying *sigh*. Anyways, since its probably about to get worse within the next two weeks, I decided to share a story in the hopes that it will inspire some of you. Now where to start?...

My first semester in college was honestly horrible (honestly speaking). It was my first time going to school in New York in 8 years and to say I was excited would be an understatement. I wanted that 4.0 GPA and therefore studied very hard (or at least I thought so). It. backfired. Completely. At the end of the semester I was in for a very big surprise. I didn't get that 4.0. Instead I got a staggering 2.7 and I. Was. Shocked. (and scared *African households*). I remember being so scared I hurriedly called my sister in law who helped me send letters to my professors in the hopes of fixing my grades. It worked and by the end of that week I had a 3.0. (I'll admit I had to put in a lot of work to get there). Needless to say, my parents weren't impressed. They demanded I go off social media. 18 year old me gasped. I was a huge social media addict and I felt that I couldn't give it up. To me, it was sort of my safe haven. I spent that winter vacation sulking.

The following spring semester, I made sure I'd get at least a 3.5 GPA. To get there, I had to first identify my problem areas. I immediately fixed them. I started going to office hours and balanced my time out by putting in more time studying and spending less time on social media. My friendships online suffered a blow but it was my future on the line. Certain sacrifices had to be made. As my French teacher used to say, "There is more sleep after death". My grades improved that semester and even though I didn't get that 3.5 I so deeply desired, I got a 3.45. Score! In addition to that, I got on the dean's list. Double score! Currently my GPA is the same (thankfully) and I've been on the Dean's list for two years.

The lesson in today's blog is: no matter how bad your grades get and no matter how bad you feel, don't give up. There's always a rainbow after the rain. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you overcame an obstacle in your academic life.