As the semester comes to an end, students at Lakeland High School are starting to stress about finals and class changes.
When the semester ends, each student’s GPA will change according to their grades and how well they do on finals in each class.
The first-semester ending is a little more stressful than the second because finals are less than two weeks after everyone gets back from winter break.
“Finals will be harder because I start to forget things school-related over Christmas break,” Morgan Dickerson said. “I feel like if I study, I will be fine.”
A lot of underclassmen do not realize how much their grades can affect their future GPA. Having bad grades one semester can impact a student’s GPA for the rest of high school.
With these grades, having such a huge impact on a student’s GPA can also make it even more difficult to get college scholarships.
It can also limit the options for school after high school. Most colleges have minimum GPA requirements, so having a low GPA can affect what colleges a student can apply for.
Even with all of this stress with the semester ending and studying for finals, some people are excited to have a fresh start.
“I am ready for my offseason because wrestling will be ending, and then I can relax and focus on football,” Dylan Scott said.
The new semester brings the end of many sports and the beginning of others.
While some people are worrying about making sure they are studying for their finals to pass, some people are able to skip either one or two finals with a green or a gold card.
To achieve a green card, students need to obtain between 3.33 and 3.69. This will allow students to be able to skip one final, unless it is a college class. Then, for a gold card, the GPA that is needed is a 3.7 to 4.0 GPA. A gold card allows two finals to be skipped.
This GPA stems from the previous semester, so freshmen are unable to obtain either of these during the first semester. However, once the second-semester finals come around, freshmen with a GPA in this range will be able to use a green or gold card.
This is just another reason the first semester finals are challenging for a lot of students.
Even though it is a stressful part of the year, taking time to study and focus on grades can help finals bring students’ grades up.
“I am pretty confident because I have spent a lot of time studying and preparing,” Scott also said.
The students at LHS who are starting to prepare for the end-of-semester finals are staying up late and doing everything possible to bring their grades up at the last minute or to keep them where they are.
No matter what grade a student is in, they should start studying and focusing on their GPA and finals now to be successful once everyone comes back from winter break.