You’ve done it. You’ve navigated the labyrinth of course catalogs, survived the 8 AM lectures, and powered through finals week fueled by coffee and sheer willpower. Now, you’re logging into the SDSU student portal, heart pounding, to run that final Degree Evaluation. The cursor hovers over the button. This single click will determine if you cross the stage, but for many, it holds another weight: the coveted Latin Honors designation—cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude.
For generations, these honors have been the gold standard of academic achievement. They are the tangible reward for late nights in Love Library, the proof of intellectual grit. But as you await that report to load, a question lingers, one that echoes the complexities of our modern world: In an era defined by climate crises, algorithmic bias, global pandemics, and deep social fractures, what does that GPA, that final calculation for honors, truly measure? And what, perhaps more importantly, does it leave out?
Let’s be clear—the mechanics matter. The SDSU Degree Evaluation is the unassailable gatekeeper. It is a complex algorithm that cross-references every course you’ve taken against the requirements of your major, your general education, and the university’s graduation standards.
Graduation honors are strictly a numbers game, and the rules are precise. They are based on your entire SDSU cumulative grade point average, with the following cut-offs (which are subject to change, so always verify with the Office of the Registrar):
There are no exceptions, no appeals based on extenuating circumstances or a particularly challenging major. The system is ruthlessly objective. It sees A’s and B’s, not the stories behind them. It calculates a number, a powerful number that will forever be part of your academic transcript and your early career resume.
This is where our exploration begins. The Degree Evaluation is a brilliant tool for measuring academic proficiency, but it is blind to the human experience behind the grades. It doesn’t see:
The system, by its nature, values individual achievement within a structured framework. Our world’s most pressing problems, however, demand something more.
Consider the headlines that dominate our news cycles. The skills needed to address these issues are often cultivated outside the lines of a syllabus.
Your Environmental Science class may have contributed to your GPA, but does the Degree Evaluation account for the climate anxiety you managed while studying? Does it measure the hours you spent volunteering for a beach cleanup with Surfrider Foundation, or your personal journey to a low-waste lifestyle? This ecological resilience—the ability to process overwhelming data and still engage in actionable solutions—is a critical skill for your generation. It’s a form of emotional and practical intelligence that is entirely ungraded.
You may have aced a communications course, but your real education likely happened in the wilds of social media. Discerning credible sources from sophisticated disinformation, engaging in difficult online conversations with empathy, understanding the ethical implications of AI—this is the digital literacy that defines our age. Your degree audit doesn't have a box for "Resisted Echo Chamber" or "De-escalated a Toxic Online Debate," yet these are the skills that will determine the health of our public discourse.
SDSU’s diverse campus is a microcosm of the world. The most profound learning often happens in the dorms, the student union, and in classroom discussions that venture into sensitive territory. That time you listened to a perspective that fundamentally challenged your own, or advocated for a more inclusive policy in a student organization—that was leadership training. That was a masterclass in nuance and cultural competency. The registrar’s office calls it "extracurricular." The world calls it essential.
This is not an argument to devalue your academic honors. Earning a summa cum laude is a phenomenal feat of discipline and intellect. It is an asset that will open doors. The goal is to empower you to conduct a more holistic self-evaluation as you prepare to leave SDSU.
As you look at that finalized Degree Evaluation, I challenge you to write a second, unofficial transcript for yourself. Call it your "Human Impact Transcript."
This exercise isn’t about padding your resume. It’s about recognizing the complete picture of your education. The late-night philosophical debates, the failed startup idea, the support you gave a struggling friend during finals, the budget you meticulously kept to get by—these are not footnotes. They are core curriculum for the 21st century.
So, when your SDSU Degree Evaluation confirms your eligibility for graduation honors, wear that stole with immense pride. You have earned every thread of it. But carry yourself with the knowledge that your true readiness for the world is measured by a much broader metric. It’s found in the empathy you’ve cultivated, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the quiet conviction that the most important tests you’ll ever take won’t come with a letter grade. Your education, in its fullest sense, has been about learning to build, to heal, and to lead in a world that needs every bit of the wisdom you’ve gathered, both inside the classroom and out.
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Author: Degree Audit
Link: https://degreeaudit.github.io/blog/sdsu-degree-evaluation-for-graduation-honors.htm
Source: Degree Audit
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