IN THE LIFE OF A COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENT: Does my GPA matter?

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 Does my GPA even matter? Should I attend lectures? From a student that has been there

Let me just say, the first few weeks of Uni are the most productive weeks throughout your whole semester. In those first weeks, you're likely to stay on top of lectures and assignments.

Unfortunately, as time goes on, you’ll most likely start missing classes.

SO... DOES GPA EVEN MATTER?

So, does your GPA really matter? The answer is both no and yes. Your grades don't really matter in the sense of, if you're in a STEM based field recruiters/hiring managers don't focus much on your transcript, rather on your level of experience; projects you've worked on outside school, the impact, leadership roles as well as how fast you're to adapt and how keen you're on learning to be great within your domain.

Yes. Your Grades Do MATTER! Apart from just your experience, your academics also sets you apart and that's because it showcases your level of grasping information quickly and applying the learned skills on school related projects which are to be graded.

The struggle of trying to juggle personal projects as well as balancing your grades is real, and that is why I am introducing the IEP concept that will help kickstart your journey to efficient learning.

THE IEP METHOD

I KNOW.... You're probably like ' how am I going to maintain good grades, and still be able to partake on personal projects? ' . It can feel like there’s just not enough time for all of that.

Hear me out. I get it. Uni is a lot of work, Computer Science is really DEMANDING. and you're not wrong, but then this is where the IEP strategy comes in, a strategy I call 'Identify, Eliminate. Prioritize'.

This method has helped me throughout my year as a freshman and even now I have a clear plan of balancing schoolwork while still working on personal projects and taking part in societies, workshops and hackathons. For example, during my first semester, I used the IEP method to focus on two challenging classes while still working on a personal coding project as well as learning new frameworks and a new programming language. It not only helped me keep my grades high, but I was also able to apply skills that I had learned in school to real-world projects, which boosted my confidence, logical thinking and practical skills.

IDENTIFY

So, let's get back to how Uni, generally how CS can be so overwhelming with so many modules/classes to catch up with. To better make use of the available time efficiently and still get great grades, we need to IDENTIFY the necessary modules. By necessary, I mean the modules that you believe are overwhelming you- modules that you have to give your full attention to.

For my first semester as a Freshman, I had a total of 5 classes, from those 5 classes I identified 2 classes I needed to focus on which were Discrete Math and Business Management. After Identifying your necessary classes, we move on to...

ELIMINATE

Once our necessary modules/classes are identified, we then begin with the ELIMINATE process. In this part you'll need to eliminate the unnecessary modules meaning eliminating the less challenging or less time-consuming subjects that don't require as much attention.

When you have eliminated those unnecessary modules and have identified your necessary ones, that's when you can fully give your attention to them by...

PRIORITIZE

This is the part where you have so much time on your hands, because you have identified and eliminated necessary as well as unnecessary classes. With this time, you'll create a clear plan to focus on your necessary classes, research, self-study, and personal development, understand your material and then with the time left use it to commence on yourself improvement, skills and experience journey.

As you embark on your journey do prioritize necessary aspects, such as if you are designing your first ever project, let me say a Self-improvement application, you need to focus on doing more programming than just learning the whole programming language without any practice. To eventually grasp the basics and gain better knowledge on the programming language of your choice, you should implement what you're learning by starting with your system design.

To Conclude...

If you implement the IEP method into your CS journey you will be sure to set a clear goal that will allow you to gain necessary skills along the way by prioritizing the essential aspects and setting yourself up for success academically and professionally. Be sure to make use of the IEP method and you will thank yourself for the great change that’s about to unfold. By using the IEP method, you’ll not only improve your grades but also make real progress on your skills. Trust the process — your future self will thank you, and remember YOU'VE GOT THIS!