GPA is a good (not perfect) reflection of your performance in High School. I'm in college right now and had some of the same views of my GPA as you do; my parents wanted me to have a 4.0/4.0 and I had 3.75/4.0. Looking at the high school GPA of myself and my friends, I can tell you that your GPA in high school will probably be similar to your GPA in college, certainly your first year. If you are viewing school with the attitude that grades don't matter now, you're going to have the same view in college. Other than AP/IB classes, what you learn in high school will be retaught in college or will be of no importance to you. The point of high school is not to teach you content, it's to teach you how to teach yourself. You need to learn how to properly research information, find valuable sources, and study efficiently. If you are getting a 2.7/4, you are NOT learning this information. You need to be at the 3.5/4 level before you are able to transition into a college environment. Everything you are doing right now is practice for college. If you think you don't need to try right now because "its high school and it doesn't matter", and you'll start trying once you get to college, you are going to fail hard. In college, you will be dropped into a pile of work. If you haven't practiced how to manage multiple classes and consistently produce quality work for every single assignment you turn in, you will not get above a 3.0/4 in college. You're parents want you to get a 3.5 because they understand how the system works and think you are capable for achieving it. Don't be mad at your parents for having confidence in you and wanting you to succeed at life. Start doing the very best you can at every assignment you get and you will be on track to succeed in college.