Having trouble balancing social life with academics will lower a student's GPA. An effective way to solve this problem is to use a calendar to organize your various tasks during the week. This provides structure and reduces the amount of time that it takes to see what tasks are needed to be completed each day. This gives you time to study and socialize with friends.
Students that participate in sports and other extracurricular activities have trouble balancing these activities with their academics. This may result in poor grades. Many athletes travel a lot and lose valuable study time. Also, if you are in too many extracurricular activities, it may prevent you from taking time to form study groups or finding time to focus on your work.
According to an article on Fox News, students who pull all-nighters have lower grade point averages because they have fewer hours to sleep. A lack of sleep causes students to lose focus in class, impairing their ability to remember the material that the teacher explained to them.
A plethora of personal issues can damage students' grades, such as financial problems, illness or unplanned parenthood. Personal issues can lead to depression, and this can prevent a student from focusing on schoolwork. Some reasons for depression for students in college are homesickness or romance problems.
Studies show that students who work have lower grade point averages than students that do not work. Students who work have less time to study. Also, working can be tiring and cause students to lack focus in class. Fatigue can cause students to miss class and give them a lack of motivation while in class. Skipping class can make the professor see you in a negative way, and this can affect your grades.
Students who transfer to different schools typically have difficulty adjusting, and it reflects in their grade point averages. Finding friendship and getting used to the teachers is stressful for some students.
If you do not understand the material given in class and you do not ask for help in trying to comprehend the material, you will receive low grades. Study groups are one way to help you understand the material. Also, sitting in front of class and class participation may help you understand the material better.