At one point of time in college life, I'm pretty sure you would have come across the question, "How important is CGPA?". Here's the funny thing. The answer varies from person to person. Ask an eight or nine plus pointer, and he or she will say, "It is not important at all." Ask a seven pointer, and he or she will say, "It is very important.". And if you ask a six pointer, the answer will be, "It is more important than life.".
Sadly, many students are not aware of it's importance until they reach their third year. And by then, it could be possibly too late. The teachers give a subtle reminder in the FIRST semester to study hard and have a good CGPA. After that, no one really bothers. But the important question is, why is it so important? After all, it's just a number. Is it something to be so worked up about?
Companies come to our campus for internship and placement opportunities, in our third and fourth year respectively. It is at this point our CGPA matters a LOT. Some companies place the bar at nine while others may keep it as low as seven. But you can never be sure about it as the criteria can change every year. Is that the only reason why it is important? I believe that in itself makes CGPA really important, but there's another point to note. The higher your CGPA is, it shows how thorough and regular you are with in your course work. If two candidates tie during an interview, the interviewer will definitely choose the one with a higher CGPA.
Some interesting facts about CGPA's:
1. Most students get the highest during their first semester. After that, it goes completely downhill. The reason is two fold. The syllabus in the first semester is a repeat of your class 12 portions. And the second reason is, the workload in each semester piles up as you clear each semester. Plus, if you have arrears, it gets more difficult to clear them.
2. If your CGPA is really high, it's not easy to bring it down by a low GPA in one semester. But note that it is not easy to bring it up by a high GPA too.
3. One subject can make a HUGE difference to your GPA.
4. Most aim for an 8.5+ CGPA by the end of college. But remember, your internship and placements come during your fifth and seventh semester. So aim for an 8.5 + by the fifth semester, and your college life will be smooth.
