GPA=Smarter?

[ybbor]

Good point, and there's another side to it too: diligent studying tends to make you smarter in the long run.

That's controversial for some reason. Actually I know the usual reason: many people want to divide "knowledge" from "intelligence". But that leaves you with a nonstandard and rather useless concept of "intelligence". So don't go there.

that's a great observation. I'll have to remember that.
(yes, yes, I'm very intelligent; I just don't know anything. )

Some people seem to be insisting that GPA only indicates how hard you work, which to a large part is true. But I have never really sympathized with the argument that intelligence is unrelated to work ethic. There's too much variance in human intelligence to chalk it up to biology or environmental factors; some of it has to come with your ability to concentrate on a certain area and try to understand it. And like Ayatollah So said, "diligent studying tends to make you smarter in the long run."

A high GPA indicates someone who can understand difficult concepts (yes, I know, there are exceptions. Assume "introduction to underwater basket-weaving" is excluded), has an ability to concentrate and focus on tasks, someone who has good time management skills/can complete assignments efficiently, someone who challenges themselves, and someone who enjoys learning. If that's not intelligence I don't know what is.

"I'm really smart! I just can't be bothered to do any work." seems like an excuse from an idiot. These people don't challenge themselves, don't enjoy learning, and don't put in effort. A list of these people would stretch a mile wide. A list of people with high GPA's would be far shorter.

Spoiler full disclosure :

I have a high GPA. So my biases should be obvious, but it makes my arguments no less valid. (FWLIW I have high standardized test scores too)

oh, and I would assert that those talking about comparing different course loads (i.e. engineering to general studies; calc to pre-calc) are intentionally avoiding the question.

 

[Lockesdonkey]

The two are probably correlated, but the correlation is likely weak.

I know that if I had taken easier classes in high school, my (high school--I haven't started college yet) GPA would be higher.

 

[CaptainF]

that's a great observation. I'll have to remember that.
(yes, yes, I'm very intelligent; I just don't know anything. )

Some people seem to be insisting that GPA only indicates how hard you work, which to a large part is true. But I have never really sympathized with the argument that intelligence is unrelated to work ethic. There's too much variance in human intelligence to chalk it up to biology or environmental factors; some of it has to come with your ability to concentrate on a certain area and try to understand it. And like Ayatollah So said, "diligent studying tends to make you smarter in the long run."

A high GPA indicates someone who can understand difficult concepts (yes, I know, there are exceptions. Assume "introduction to underwater basket-weaving" is excluded), has an ability to concentrate and focus on tasks, someone who has good time management skills/can complete assignments efficiently, someone who challenges themselves, and someone who enjoys learning. If that's not intelligence I don't know what is.

"I'm really smart! I just can't be bothered to do any work." seems like an excuse from an idiot. These people don't challenge themselves, don't enjoy learning, and don't put in effort. A list of these people would stretch a mile wide. A list of people with high GPA's would be far shorter.

Spoiler full disclosure :

I have a high GPA. So my biases should be obvious, but it makes my arguments no less valid. (FWLIW I have high standardized test scores too)

oh, and I would assert that those talking about comparing different course loads (i.e. engineering to general studies; calc to pre-calc) are intentionally avoiding the question.

I remember reading, though, that there was a bit of a problem going on across public schools, in a manner that is the opposite of the special-ed kids, so to speak.

Problem is, that in a lot of schools, more resources are allocated to the mentally handicapped kids than to the gifted ones (sometimes, as in the case of my school, NO resources whatsoever are provided for the gifted students). Thus, what happens is that gifted kids who ordinarily would be slamming through course material get super bored in regular classes, fail to see the point, and just blow it off. GPA certainly isn't a factor there.

 

[ybbor]

I remember reading, though, that there was a bit of a problem going on across public schools, in a manner that is the opposite of the special-ed kids, so to speak.

Problem is, that in a lot of schools, more resources are allocated to the mentally handicapped kids than to the gifted ones (sometimes, as in the case of my school, NO resources whatsoever are provided for the gifted students). Thus, what happens is that gifted kids who ordinarily would be slamming through course material get super bored in regular classes, fail to see the point, and just blow it off. GPA certainly isn't a factor there.

good point. I imagine for the most part though, for people other than top 20% or so GPA is a good indicator, and in most schools where resources are allocated to gifted students, there's a good comparison.

does your school really have no honors or AP classes?

 

[LucyDuke]

GPA isn't a national standard. Things like SATs, ACTs, AP tests, PSAT, and other national tests do indicate higher intelligence. Not in every single case, but 99.9% the time someone who got a 1450 on old SATs would be smarter than someone with a 1000.

I think one important factor you're missing is that those tests are a one shot deal. You go, sit down for a few hours, distractions are minimized, and you do it and get it over with. To keep your GPA up requires the time, dedication, attention span, et cetera, to keep it up. You don't need to keep up your SATs.

I say this because my GPA never correlated with my standardized test scores. My tests were quite high. My GPA was quite unremarkable.

 

[Fifty]

One negative side effect of the "numbers" obsession is that some people's education is just an arbitrary numbers game, and all they understand is ranking/reputation to the exclusion of personal fit. It's all about the highest numbers, the best "name" school, the most majors, the easiest grading professors, etc. etc. I know a *ton* of people like that in real life and none of them are among the smarter people I know.

The reputation obsession I think really compromises some people who are figuring out what grad school to attend, especially when they focus on general reputation and don't research it more. In philosophy, for example, you'd do much better generally by studying at Rutgers or Pittsburgh or Arizona than at Chicago or Yale or Penn (although Priceton, Stanford, and Harvard have top departments as well so of course it isnt true that all big name schools have departments that aren't tops).

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Pretty simple, a relative of mine keeps saying that they're smarter than others because they have a higher GPA. Do you think a higher GPA means that you are smarter, or that you merely turn assignments in on time so as not to get a reduction in your overall grade?

My life experience has told me that GPA has no correlation to intelligence. Neither is the school one went to.

 

[downtown]

Its difficult I think, to make this correlation, because GPA isn't standard. A 3.6 at a demanding public prep school, or private school, means something totally different than a 3.6 at a countywide, rural, public high school, or a high school in SE DC. Plus, your GPA doesn't take the rigors of your studying into account. I may take almost all advanced Public Policy classes, and get a 3.6 GPA. Does that make the guy who has a 3.7 in Sports Studies smarter than I am?

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

Some of education and your GPA is based on your intelligence and how smart you are, but a much bigger part is how much work you put into school. My best friend is probably just as if not more intelligent than I am, but he barely does any work while I spend a lot of time working in school. I'm Salutatorian for our class while he has a GPA in the mid 2 range. All GPA tells about a person is how much effort they feel like putting into school.

 

[mrt144]

Its difficult I think, to make this correlation, because GPA isn't standard. A 3.6 at a demanding public prep school, or private school, means something totally different than a 3.6 at a countywide, rural, public high school, or a high school in SE DC. Plus, your GPA doesn't take the rigors of your studying into account. I may take almost all advanced Public Policy classes, and get a 3.6 GPA. Does that make the guy who has a 3.7 in Sports Studies smarter than I am?

depends on whether he coaches a team to a superbowl that beats your team

 

[Civrules]

I know people with high GPAs. Smartness has nothing to do with it.

The most crucial thing is social intelligence. If you don't know how to handle people throughout life, your GPA doesn't mean diddly-squat.

Ironically high-schools do not emphasize these skills.