Is Bangladesh’s summer heat melting students’ GPAs?

Bangladeshi students already have their hands full year-round: quizzes, midterms, assignments, finals, and the daily traffic grind. Then summer strolls in and turns up the heat mercilessly.

Universities may shut down for two or three days, even a full week, thanks to the heatwave — but the weather still won't take a hint. Judging by endless late-night chatter across campus, libraries, cafeterias, and Facebook confession groups, Summer semesters somehow feel tougher than the others. Not because of the courses. Because of the humid, sweltering weather.

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The semester theory

According to university student Raqin, Bangladesh’s academic calendar is secretly controlled by the weather. During the Fall semester, he sleeps better, shows up to classes with unusual enthusiasm, and occasionally starts assignments before the deadline. By Spring, his productivity remains reasonably functional, and graduation still feels like an achievable goal. Summer, however, is a different academic system altogether.

“At 38 degrees Celsius, I am no longer choosing between studying and procrastinating,” Raqin said. “I am choosing between attending class and remaining conscious.”

According to his unofficial semester analysis, fall is for academic ambition, spring is for recovery, and summer is primarily for locating the nearest air conditioner.

By the time Raqin reaches his campus after surviving Dhaka’s traffic, humidity, dust, and public transportation system, most of the energy he had reserved for lectures and assignments already gets consumed. His first major decision of the day, therefore, is rarely about coursework. It is usually a choice between focusing on the lecture or just staying in the classroom for the air conditioning for another five minutes.

Meanwhile, nearly 11,000 kilometres away, Monica, a student at a Canadian university, has a very different complaint.

“Winter is freezing,” she admitted. “But once I get to class, the heating works, the temperature is comfortable, and I can actually focus.”

When Monica heard that Bangladeshi students often commute through 38°C heat and high humidity before sitting for a three-hour lecture, she paused for a moment before responding,

“Wait… you lose energy before the class even starts?”

For Monica, the biggest academic challenge is deciding whether to wear a winter jacket or a heavier winter jacket. For Raqin, the challenge is deciding whether the classroom AC is strong enough to keep his brain functioning until the quiz ends.

The great decision-making crisis

Maisha, a student at a private university in Bangladesh, shared, “During the winter season, I can solve statistics problems. During summer, I spend fifteen minutes deciding whether I should attend class or buy a cold lemon juice.”

Her classmate Riyad added, “The exam questions aren’t even the hardest part. The hardest part is pretending I’m not melting.”

Coincidence or climate?

Although there is no evidence that Summer semesters automatically lead to lower GPAs, scientists have found that high temperatures can reduce concentration, increase mental fatigue, and impair cognitive performance in certain situations.

Could Bangladesh’s intense summer heat be making it slightly harder for students to focus, remember information, and make decisions?

It’s a question that deserves research, not just memes.

Until then…

For now, if you notice that your best grades somehow arrive during cooler semesters while your Summer semester feels like a survival challenge, you’re certainly not the only one wondering.

Maybe the toughest course this semester isn’t calculus or accounting. Maybe it’s simply Bangladesh’s weather.