Hey Sophomores, we need you to know: your grades matter, and especially in your Sophomore and Junior years.

When we say this, do you automatically think that we mean you need to be a straight-A student or all is lost? No? GOOD. You don't. We'll explain what we mean and what kinds of grades we hope you'll strive for on this page.

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A Few Quick Reasons

Your grades matter for many reasons. Here are three:

eligibility to apply to 4-year colleges
English & Math placement in college (both 2-year and 4-year schools)
influence what Financial Aid you can receive, especially for Cal Grants and competitive Scholarships

You already know you need to complete your A-G requirements with a C- or higher in order to apply to 4-year colleges. You'll learn more about placement once you get to college as you get ready to apply, but know that improving your reading, writing, and math skills now will help you immensely later on. On this page, we'd like to focus on why your grades matter for Financial Aid.

Grades & Financial Aid

When it comes to your grades and Financial Aid for college, there are two big things to consider: Cal Grants and Scholarships. Our bottom line recommendation is this: make it a goal to have above a 3.0 cumulative GPA during your Sophomore year, and then maintain it or raise it as a Junior.

Cal Grants

You could be eligible for a Grant from the State of California called a Cal Grant. Cal Grants are awarded to help you pay for tuition for qualifying 2-year and 4-year schools in California, and the amount you receive depends on the school you attend.

To qualify for a Cal Grant, you need to not only be a California resident but qualify based on grades and family income. The higher your GPA, the higher your family's income could be. The exact income maximum changes year to year, but know this: if you maintain that 3.0 or higher academic GPA, your chances of qualifying for a Cal Grant increase significantly.

Scholarships

It's a well-circulated myth that you need a super-high GPA to qualify for Scholarships, but some Scholarships take grades into account. Aiming to keep your GPA above a 3.0 will help. Having above a 3.5 will help even more. That does not mean that students with lower GPAs will not qualify for Scholarships (in fact, we'll tell you more about that as Juniors), but keeping those grades up will help you qualify for more. Also, the higher your GPA, the more likely it is that you could be eligible for merit-based (aka grade-based) scholarships at private or out-of-state schools.

Our Rule of Thumb

Aim for As and Bs in most classes, and know that a C here and there in particularly challenging classes is totally okay. If you're a student who earns As without too much effort, then maybe your rule of thumb is As and hard-earned Bs. Know yourself and what kind of student you are and set goals accordingly.

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School & Balance

We know that school and grades can be stressful. If they aren't stressful for you, then something else in your life probably is. We want you to know that we hope you will make challenging but healthy goals for yourself. School is not the only thing in your life. In fact, (insert thing here) is not the only thing in your life.

If your GPA slips lower than what you'd prefer (3.0 or 3.5, for example), don't stress! The GPA taken into account is not from a single semester but from all of your classes through Sophomore and Junior year. If you get a 3.5 three out of four semesters, but one semester was particularly rough and you got a 2.8, your cumulative (or overall) GPA would be approximately a 3.33. We'll go into this more on the next page!

So, set achievable goals and learn from your mistakes on the way! Know that you are so much more than the numbers and letters on your transcript. We'll be here for you the whole time.

Check Your Knowledge

Let's see what you remember about why your grades matter by answering these questions. If you need to, scroll up and read sections again as you answer the questions.

Click Next to see a few examples of how GPAs are calculated.