GPA competiton

In today’s increasingly competitive college admissions, a high GPA has become a very important component of a strong application. It is the thing that often determines who makes it into their dream school and who does not. 

In recent years, the school has seen a growing trend among students: The pursuit of the highest possible GPA. While driven by a desire for academic excellence, this competitive spirit has also raised concerns about the potential negative impacts on students’ mental health and overall well-being. 

According to Principal Ross, the pressure to achieve a perfect GPA has been exacerbated by the school’s previous practice of naming a valedictorian and salutatorian. “Since we stopped having a valedictorian or salutatorian, it’s been less competitive,” he explained. “And also, since we have stopped publishing class rank, we’ve had a lot less meetings where parents or kids are concerned about it.” 

However, Ross also acknowledged that the desire for high grades can lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as overloading students with challenging courses. “I think one of the common mistakes that we see some of our higher achieving students do, is that they see all of our different courses that offer college credit or our AP, and they think they have to take them all,” he said. “And the reality is we don’t have all those classes for one person to take.” 

Assistant Principal Pitts echoed Ross’s concerns, emphasizing the importance of a balanced academic approach. “I think we’re only acknowledging kids who have reached a certain GPA,” Pitts said. “So if a kid can almost make the Dean’s list, they should be acknowledged, and maybe we need to do more of that to make kids feel like they have done well in that with their academics.” 

Ultimately, Northwest High School aims to foster a supportive environment where students can thrive both academically and personally. While the pursuit of academic excellence is commendable, it is essential to prioritize students’ overall well-being and ensure that the pressure to achieve perfect grades does not overshadow the joy of learning. 

Principal Ross attested, “It’s understanding that ultimately they’re just cheating themselves, right? Like, yeah, if they cheat to get a grade that gets them access to some sort of education or higher level class or something like that, eventually it’s going to catch up to them.”