Have you ever considered taking an interesting class, but stopped yourself because it might hurt your GPA?
This is a dilemma many students face — while curiosity might drive them toward a fascinating elective, the fear of damaging their GPA may hold them back because employers, graduate programs and even internships often look at GPA as an indicator of a candidate’s diligence, work ethic and overall competence. Because of this, students are understandably cautious about the classes they take — a single grade in a difficult or unfamiliar subject could negatively impact their overall GPA, which could, in turn, affect prospects. This creates an unfortunate barrier to achieving the liberal arts ideal of a broad, interdisciplinary education.
One potential solution to this issue is the introduction of two GPAs — an overall GPA and a major-specific GPA. The overall GPA would reflect the student’s performance in all their classes, while the major-specific GPA would showcase their performance in their chosen field or fields of study.
The implementation of dual GPAs could provide several benefits.
A major-specific GPA would offer future employers or graduate programs an easy way to view a student’s competence in their chosen area of study. This could help distinguish between students who took challenging courses outside their major and those who padded their schedules with easier classes just to boost their GPA.
An article published by Forbes in 2022 argued that GPAs have become obsolete, asserting that employers instead need a way to measure hard skills — such as programming or writing. I believe a major GPA would provide one such measure. The symbol would indicate a student’s proficiency in their choice of specialization, and — since students often have more experience or interest within their chosen major — could help employers more easily understand an applicant’s interests and skill sets.
Moreover, this system would introduce an even broader benefit by promoting intellectual exploration. Liberal arts education is rooted in the idea that students should engage with a wide range of disciplines in order to gain a deeper understanding of the world and become more well-rounded individuals. With a hopefully reduced fear of GPA damage, students may be more willing to take risks in their academic choices and sign up for courses in fields they might not have considered otherwise.
In turn, this could lead to a more fulfilling educational experience, in which students are encouraged to follow their interests and passions — even if those passions lie outside their major. It could foster a greater appreciation for interdisciplinary learning, which is increasingly valuable in a world where complex global problems require knowledge across multiple fields.
Implementing a dual GPA system would require significant changes in how universities calculate and report academic performance. It would also require that employers and graduate programs reconsider how they evaluate candidates. However, the measure — if accepted by both groups — could represent a meaningful shift in how we think about education. By providing students with the freedom to explore without the constant fear of GPA repercussions, we can create a more vibrant academic environment — one that nurtures curiosity, encourages intellectual growth and prepares students for the complexities of the modern world.
Isaac Mittman is a member of the Class of 2027. Guest columns represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
