College students prefer to use suboptimal learning strategies when they study (e.g., Rinella & Putnam, 2022), which can undermine their academic performance. That is especially true for first-year students, who have no experience studying for college-level classes. For these students, a poor academic performance may be deeply discouraging, possibly giving them a sense that they aren’t capable of succeeding in college. First-generation college students in particular may question whether they belong in college and whether it is worth the sacrifice of time and money. A low first-year GPA may disqualify students from highly competitive graduate and professional programs, such as medical school. These students must prioritize raising their GPAs, which may affect their choice of courses and majors.
