Academic careers are calculated based on your grade point average (GPA). Your GPA is an accumulation of all of your grades and the number of courses you took during your high school or college career. You need to work hard to reach a certain grade point average, especially if your GPA is already on the low side.alculate your GPA regularly to see where you stand. For example, you have a 2.5 after your first semester in college and you took four classes. To raise your cumulative GPA to a 3.0 in one semester you have to take a minimum of four classes and earn at least two As and two Bs.