Why Does a Drop in Grades Happen When Students Enter University or College?

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Holly Education Coach, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

Research shows that students experience a drop in grades when they move from high school to university or college. Unfortunately, that drop is the most significant for high achievers; the students with A averages.

I, myself, was a straight-A student in secondary school, but in my first semester of university I was shocked to find myself with three A-minuses, one B-plus, and one B grade. My grade point average (GPA) dropped from a 4.0 to a 3.4, which actually put me in jeopardy of losing my scholarship. I realize that many people would still consider these to be good grades (and they are!), but for a student who was used to breezing through my assignments with hardly any study time, it really stung that I spent way more time on my university classes for way less payoff. How could that have happened?

There are a lot of reasons. For me, the reason for my drop in grades came down to one (huge) thing; I had no idea what I was doing and nobody to help guide me.

I was the first person in the history of my entire family to attend university. I didn’t know how many classes to register for. I didn’t know what kind of a workload was too heavy for first semester (while I was working part-time). I didn’t know what my professors really wanted and I didn’t know how to ask them for help. I had no idea about the study skills required to be successful and I didn’t know how to work smarter, not harder. Did I use the campus resources available to me? No, because I didn’t know they existed. My own experience is a major factor in why I started Education Coach.

An article in The Globe and Mail (May 11, 2018) reveals, “students with high-school marks in the 60-79 per cent range had a 4.4 per cent drop [when they got to university],” and “students entering university with a 90 per cent or higher average in high school experienced a drop of 11.9 per cent.” A drop of 11.9% can be enough to cost a student their scholarships, or maybe even their competitive edge when it comes to being accepted to a transfer university or graduate school. This Maclean’s (July 8, 2010) article sums it up well, “the vast majority of students see their grades fall, often dramatically, once they get to university. What is sometimes called ‘grade shock’ can have devastating consequences for students, as they struggle to cope with the fact that they are no longer at the top of the class. Within the course of a semester dreams can be easily whisked away.”

I designed Education Coach to give students an advantage – and to be the personalized, goal-oriented support that students need in their first year of university or college. Education Coaching (or academic life coaching) ensures students are using all the resources available to them so the “grade shock” effect can be reduced or eliminated.

If you’re interested to know more about how education coaching (aka academic life coaching) can help you, visit www. educationcoach .ca