Be More Than a GPA

Upon entering college, students are told from day one not to get distracted from the original goal: go get good grades and land a great job. It is usually assumed that the highest GPA will land the highest paying and most satisfying job. While grades will play a huge role in your academic and post graduate life, GPA is not the end all be all.

PR Daily mentions in their article that grades are a huge factor in school performance but not so much professionally.

Taking your academics seriously is an extremely important aspect of college life, but it is important to find the balance of other things that will help you professionally and socially. Here are some other things to keep in mind during college besides your GPA:

1. Know how to learn- You will find during internships and jobs that employers don't always need the expert, just someone who has a strong willingness to learn! The ability to learn beyond the classroom is essential to your life post-grad. You may be the young social media savvy student teaching older professionals at you internship the essentials of Twitter, but you must also be able to learn from them.

2. Time management- Being in the right place at the right time is key to professional development. Knowing how to complete tasks in a timely fashion is usually a non-negotiable skill in the job and internship markets.

3. Giving and receiving feedback- This means more than commenting that you 'like' something. Give constructive feedback that indicates why you like or dislike something. What makes it effective, or how could is be made better?

4. Build your network- Spending all your time in the library is not an effective tool for networking. Networking not only allows you to make connections and build contacts, it also forces you to get used to face to face interactions. This is essential for interviews and professional settings.

While your GPA may look nice on paper, not having the proper skills to back it up will never get you past that. It is most important that you have the skill sets to back up your GPA, and prove that you are more than a number!