Do kids with low GPAs ever amount to anything? (SAT, college, degrees)

[megiddo9]

I mean do the kids in high school that do drugs, don't really study, or the ones that do study but are still below average students anyways, do they ever get anywhere in life?

[nana053]

I suppose that it would depend upon what happens later on in life. Some kids who do drugs manage to kick the habit and turn their lives around. The kids who study but are below average students may succeed *if* they are persistent and learn despite their low grades. Some of these students are dyslexic, too.

Here are some successful people who had bad grades in high school. All of them had dyslexia or another learning disorder.

Henry Winkler
Danny Glover
Cher
Nolan Ryan
Winston Churchill
Agatha Christie
Thomas Edison
Tom Cruise
Harry Belafonte
Bruce Jenner
Magic Johnson
George Patton
Charles Schwab

[southbel]

This made me chuckle because my husband was one of those "low GPA" students! He was very poor growing up, didn't care about school, didn't see a way out, etc, etc. However, he did join the Marine Corps, met me (the best thing to ever happen to him!!) and realized there was a big world out there outside of West Virginia. He went to college after the Marine Corps even though he had to redo most of his high school courses and now manages huge landscapes commercial projects. I am so proud of him! So, yes, I think my husband did amount to something.

Those low GPAs generally have a reason behind them and if that reason can be discovered and rectified, then you've just added yet another successful contributor to our society.

[ak_47_00]

Those kids get somewhere if there is a way in for them. There has to be a reason they're like that. Much of the time they're bored with school and find other ways to occupy their time.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by megiddo9

I mean do the kids in high school that do drugs, don't really study, or the ones that do study but are still below average students anyways, do they ever get anywhere in life?

The ones who do study but are below average students may actually do pretty well. The people who persist are the ones who do well in life.

If you are going to be a drug addict, that is not a path to being happy or doing well in life. Some people figure this out. Some never do.

Many people who didn't do well in school but who are motivated, start their own businesses.

You might be surprised to know that many millionaires got mediocre grades in college (but most millionaires, did, indeed graduate from college). You might want to read The Millionaire Next Door for details.

Grades are important but will only take you so far. I think what is equally important is persistence and your ability to be able to get along with people. People who are good at networking and meeting other people also have an edge in the job market, and in life in general. This is also known as having "good social skills".

Another good book on the subject is The Difference by Jean Chatzky.

[jasper12]

I hated school, and never did very well. I barely graduated from high school. I also flunked several classes in college, until I became motivated to be more successful. I have severe ADD and Dyslexia. School is not easy for me. However, once I found my passion, and had a concrete goal to achieve I was absolutely driven, and have since then completed two masters degrees, and have a successful job. I make more money than I ever thought I would, and have completely surprised my family as well. When you do something yuo love, it is not work.

[Ivorytickler]

Some do, some don't. It really depends on the reasons they are low performing. Some are just lazy but will learn that life doesn't reward lazy and fix that. Some are bored in school and will rise to a challenge when one presents itself. Others just don't care and if nothing changes to make them care, they will flounder. Some will flounder for a while and then learn.

Ironically, sometimes it's the kids to do best, academically, who flounder. Sometimes they don't know what to do when there is no one to tell them what to do anymore. They're good at playing the game to get grades but that's all they're good at. They never figure out that it's not about the grades but the person you developed gettting those grades.

[namomof3]

It depends if they have a support system- it can be the form of a supportive family, finding a good partner, having a mentor that believes in you, being savvy enough to use the skills you do posess in a positive manner, etc.. At the end of the day "where there's a will, there's a way."

[le roi]

of course. there are people out there without any education, who amount to something.

if you take the view that a white-collar job is "amounting to something", and that college is necessary to land a white collar job, then a low GPA combined with a low SAT can be a big obstacle to that. You want a high GPA or a solid standardized test score, at least.

but there is far more to it than that. plenty of people put themselves in "fun" or "easy" majors that have little value in today's job market. plenty of people who don't go to college will learn skills on-the-job that provide them with a lifetime of valuable pay.

So for certain paths, GPA is critical, for other paths, it is completely irrelevant.

[radraja]

There are some "lazy, drug using, low GPA kids" who can turn their lives around and do well, absolutely. But I feel like those cases are the exception, rather than the rule.

For every high school drop-out who becomes a major success later on in life, there are probably 20 more high school drop-outs living paycheck to paycheck at a minimum wage job.

I don't say this to be discouraging either, but to simply put things in perspective. Coming out on top under those circumstances isn't easy, and not everyone manages to do it. In order to succeed, you have to want to change your habits, and you have to put a lot of effort into it. I feel like luck and chance is a component too, as unfair as it sounds - being in the right place at the right time seems to be a trend in a number of the success stories I've read.