Cool article for Undergrads and Grad Students: Your high GPA and high test scores mean squat

[thadoctadvocate]

if only google was the only company on the planet then iwouldnt have toworry.

even forinternships they aint interested unless u got a 3.0 or above

 

[lordofcastamere]

networking and real world job experience >>> grades.

A lot of people have networking and real job experience + good grades. Job experiences don't make up for stupid. Everything is getting more competitive across the board, do your best on every facet of what makes you competitive in your chosen field.

In some fields like law and medicine, numbers>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[dwalk31]

Undergraduate grades and test scores CERTAINLY matter when applying to graduate and professional schools... The fact that people can do well without them doesn't mean that doing poorly or not thinking they are a big deal is by any means a recipe for success...

 

[lordofcastamere]

I look at it like this, just like SATs and ACTs aren't a true representation of how intelligent someone is or how well they can apply things (its probably the best gauge we have for applying to colleges from different backgrounds)....GPAs are similar, if you're in a top 15 school for whatever discipline, you can't really accurately portray how "intelligent" they are based on school records b/c some schools are just harder than others for the exact same program so there's a lot of variability. What doesn't vary though, is how well a person can communicate and pick up on a project and how well they can grasp things and if they are personable during an interview or speaking at a convention, etc.

I'll be frank, I was in engineering and got good grades, but some classes were literally hundreds of complex formulas and equations and if you can solve them then you'd do extremely well. Now, some of them I couldn't see how they were applicable to real world instances i just knew how to solve equations, I couldn't tell you how some of them actually applied. Thats why my favorite classes were ones where you had a huge end of term project where you couldn't just plug in numbers or use Diff Eq or integrals to solve a problem b/c that stuff is just practice. The end of term projects didn't have concrete answers, you'd need to solve an issue and justify it with facts, testing, and equations to show why or why not its valid...thats much better than taking a test that may or may not be similar to a practice exam already provided in some cases and some teachers don't bother to change much year to year (true for one of my classes) and you could just get a copy from an older kid and learn the answers.

Professional and graduate schools DO take this into account. A 2.0 from Cornell>>>>>>4.0 from Harlem Kollege. If you take a look at a lot of top law and med schools, most of those kids come from top 50 undergrad programs.

 

[Gill Baka Esq. LLC.]

I don't know about getting a C as and undergrad but as a current grad student C's....one C I mean is okay....


I spoke to a couple of the faculty at my program and they were like "Grim, don't stress gettin an A.....passing the class is the important part.....can't tell you how many people come into my office and ***** point here or there when they already have an A-....its worthless. It's not about the grades, it's about what you learn at this stage of the game."


It kinda took the pressure off of me and I enjoy grad school much more now. I'm consistenly a B student right now, but my clinical placements are all A's cuz thats where I feel you shine the most....the actual application of what your learning.


At;east in my field this is how it is.

C's are never ok in grad school. 

Plus grad school is more for those who are able to think critically, and not every student fits the mold. 

For some grad programs, it's more about matriculation, but the students themselves have to develop cognitively in order to fully grasp many of the concepts being taught. 

I believe it's more individual than anything else. 

Subjective. You can't speak for all grad programs. Depends on a variety of factors. I was just told today that my clinical skills are excellent and I have verbal confirmation of 3 professors on my faculty that are willing to write me a recommendation just based on that. This is with getting a B and 2 B+ in their class. I showed that even though I may have started off them semester rough....I was able to end it better than when I began the classes.

You may get by with one C depending on the program, should never be more than that.

Like I said depends on career/major. I'm def gonna bump into my professors down the road but their not gonna remember me for my grades, their gonna remember what I did with my clients.

 

[acemaster193]

Top Investment banks won't even consider a candidate if their GPA is below 3.5. It depends on the industry.

 

[ninjallamafromhell]

I was told I was hired because of my Army experience, the lab reports I put on my LinkedIn, and because they liked the documentation in the game addons I've written.
The job desired a 3.5, I had a 3.1, and I know a couple people had 4.0 or close to 4.0 GPAs that I was going up against.
I later learned that my GPA was the lowest of all of the candidates, but most had 1 or no internships and next to no job experience if any (as in no job in high school either).

 

[Thats My Word]

BTW. HR are looking more toward LinkedIn profiles. Just a heads ups.

I just created my linkedin profile 2 weeks and added all my relevant work experiences from my past 6 years of employment and a lot of great tech companies are reaching out to me. Don't know why I didn't create one before, I don't even have to look for job postings, they come to me. You guys should do the same if you haven't already.

My profile isn't even that detailed. So far I've only listed the companies that I've worked for and how long I've worked there and the university I got my useless degree in. I added all the people I've worked with in the past and present and got up to "500 +" connections pretty quickly.

 

[antidope]

BTW. HR are looking more toward LinkedIn profiles. Just a heads ups.

I just created my linkedin profile 2 weeks and added all my relevant work experiences from my past 6 years of employment and a lot of great tech companies are reaching out to me. Don't know why I didn't create one before, I don't even have to look for job postings, they come to me. You guys should do the same if you haven't already.

My profile isn't even that detailed. So far I've only listed the companies that I've worked for and how long I've worked there and the university I got my useless degree in.

I added all the people I've worked with in the past and present and got up to "500 +" connections pretty quickly.

Seriously? My LinkedIn is WORTHLESS, I have never gotten a single message on there about anything of importance. Everytime I see someone say that LinkedIn got them a job I'm inclined to think theyre lying. It just seems like the sole purpose of it is for people to brag about when they get new jobs.

 

[tn123]

Top Investment banks won't even consider a candidate if their GPA is below 3.5. It depends on the industry.

Isn't there a problem with this though? Mathematically I am very intelligent. I finished calculus BC in high school and got 800 on my sat scores. However I can't get a job in a financial field because in college my core classes such as literature and the study of stars I got Cs in because I wasn't interested?

 

[tn123]

I can see why top firms would hesitate though. If you can't even motivate yourself for one semester to put your head down and work in a basic core class just cause you weren't "interested", then what are they going to do about you when you aren't "interested" in an assignment they give you? While I don't believe in it, they probably view your mentality as arrogant, like just because you don't enjoy the subject you won't put forth the effort.

Why would they hire someone with a low GPA just because they have strong quantitative skills? Unless your numerical skills are clearly standout, there's tons of kids out there who can destroy technical classes and still work hard in classes they dislike. I don't agree completely with it but I understand why... and I'm like you, good with math/sciences, 800 on SAT.

Point taken but lets be honest. School these days is about cramming and taking adderall just so you can memorize something for a final and forget it 6 hours after the final. This isn't learning, its memorizing. 

 Now I am talking completely about math related jobs, I have friends in financial industries that got hired because of their grades yet they know nothing when it comes to it because they memorized stuff and can't apply it to real life work. They still need calculators to do the simplest mathematics. I mean isn't it embarrassing when you're in a meeting talking numbers and you can't do simple math stuff? That's where my head is at about the subject.

I am not talking about any other jobs because I don't know how those areas work and my interest is in finance and a majority of my friends are in that field so I see what goes on in a day to day basis. And it really is pathetic

 

[acemaster193]

Isn't there a problem with this though? Mathematically I am very intelligent. I finished calculus BC in high school and got 800 on my sat scores. However I can't get a job in a financial field because in college my core classes such as literature and the study of stars I got Cs in because I wasn't interested?

There definitely is a problem with this. Just like the SATs though, GPA is the only ground factor in which employers can distinguish "good from bad." A lot of factors go into an individual's GPA makeup, but for now the system will remain as is. Sometimes it's all about getting that shot and chance to shine. Best of luck brother.

 

[Thats My Word]

Seriously? My LinkedIn is WORTHLESS, I have never gotten a single message on there about anything of importance. Everytime I see someone say that LinkedIn got them a job I'm inclined to think theyre lying. It just seems like the sole purpose of it is for people to brag about when they get new jobs.

I'm not saying my linkedin got me jobs, I'm just reiterating what I quoted OP saying, employers are looking for people's linkedin profiles. You gotta make yourself available/visible to employers. That's all.

 

[wawawowee]

This is the tech industry's hipster side. The tech industry likes to go against the grain to show that they're not like the old corporate America.

The truth is that they're just a variation on the same theme. Sometime GPA's matter and sometime they don't. The hiring process for different positions with the same company can and often times do differ. There is an unlimited amount of variation when it comes to hiring or not hiring an individual.

 

[wawawowee]

Point taken but lets be honest. School these days is about cramming and taking adderall just so you can memorize something for a final and forget it 6 hours after the final. This isn't learning, its memorizing. 

 Now I am talking completely about math related jobs, I have friends in financial industries that got hired because of their grades yet they know nothing when it comes to it because they memorized stuff and can't apply it to real life work. They still need calculators to do the simplest mathematics. I mean isn't it embarrassing when you're in a meeting talking numbers and you can't do simple math stuff? That's where my head is at about the subject.

I am not talking about any other jobs because I don't know how those areas work and my interest is in finance and a majority of my friends are in that field so I see what goes on in a day to day basis. And it really is pathetic

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you and I always hate going through the motions of a class which I feel isn't necessary for my major/career plans. But let's put it this way... some kids out there are willing to get As in these classes while kids like me and you are just saying "this stuff is useless", and those same kids will do the same thing in the technical classes where we shine. The classes we dislike aren't that hard, so of course an employer will choose that kid.

It probably isn't because they feel those kids "learned" stuff we didn't, but they still chose to excel and for all we know, they could've thought those classes were useless too.

Not really.

A job isn't a hobby. Most jobs aren't fun. A lot of the time, in order to perform at a high level in your job, you have to grind it out.

If you can't grind out a 3 month class that meets 3 hours a week, how are you going to grind out work at a job day in and day out for 10 hours a day?

If you're lucky enough to get a job where you're doing exactly what you want day in and day out then this doesn;t apply.

 

[soleasian]

Top Investment banks won't even consider a candidate if their GPA is below 3.5. It depends on the industry.

Isn't there a problem with this though? Mathematically I am very intelligent. I finished calculus BC in high school and got 800 on my sat scores. However I can't get a job in a financial field because in college my core classes such as literature and the study of stars I got Cs in because I wasn't interested?

That's because most of the investment banks want someone more well rounded
Even if you're not interested, you should've at least attempt to get a decent grade on it rather than just pass it. They don't want some ****boy who just concentrates on the major courses and disregards everything else
Take a job at a boutique and after a few years, maybe you can get the chance to move to a bulge bracket.
A lot of banks are also downsizing their IB divisions. With the exception of JPM and GS, i believe everyone else on the BB has or is looking to downsize their IB to cut costs.

 

[metsn13]

I feel like people with good grades show that they can work hard or at least know how to do well when given work to do. Classes / courses may be "artificial environments" but they do require us to do reports and assignments that we may see in the workplace.

Exactly!  The same goes for medical school as the highest ranked students are often in the best position to covet the highest paying specialties.  Moral of all of this is to work as hard as you can at anything you do to be the best.  Don't fall into the trap of just graduating or skating by.

 

[youngdoc]

Top Investment banks won't even consider a candidate if their GPA is below 3.5. It depends on the industry.

Isn't there a problem with this though? Mathematically I am very intelligent. I finished calculus BC in high school and got 800 on my sat scores. However I can't get a job in a financial field because in college my core classes such as literature and the study of stars I got Cs in because I wasn't interested?

There was so much crap in medical school that I had to do that has little relevance to my specialty, radiology.

Not important at all for a radiologist to know biochemistry or know how to do a PAP smear. But someone who is willing to work hard no matter the task/subject material is more attractive.

There are few careers where you'll never have to do work in something you're not interested in

 

[ill steelo]

there's usually a GPA cut off for internships in most fields.

And obviously grad schools have GPA & test score requirements.

 

[legreyfoxx]

my gpa meant i got hope scholarship

 

[dirtybuhbuhnew]

This is the opinion of one company - I'd be careful about extrapolating it to all companies/situations.
A few points:
Graduate schools and professional schools still highly value GPAs and test scores in considering admissions.
Many companies still highly consider GPAs in their hiring decisions.
Basically, not all companies are Google.

Having honors helps a bit, however most employers just look at the degree itself. They don't have time to search for your GPA. Tons of C students with degrees working decent jobs.

Here is a random question. Would you take a C Harvard student  who majored in marketing over a A+ Virginia State Student who majored in marketing?

 

[franklucas]

This is the opinion of one company - I'd be careful about extrapolating it to all companies/situations.
A few points:
Graduate schools and professional schools still highly value GPAs and test scores in considering admissions.
Many companies still highly consider GPAs in their hiring decisions.
Basically, not all companies are Google.

Having honors helps a bit, however most employers just look at the degree itself. They don't have time to search for your GPA. Tons of C students with degrees working decent jobs.

Here is a random question. Would you take a C Harvard student  who majored in marketing over a A+ Virginia State Student who majored in marketing?

Would depend on what work experience they had before.

A C student is not going to put their GPA on their resume so unless you asked you wouldn't know. Even then, unless you request a transcript, they can lie. If i were the hiring manager and both have similar work experience, i'd take the one who i feel i can talk more easily to

 

[dirtybuhbuhnew]

Would depend on what work experience they had before.

A C student is not going to put their GPA on their resume so unless you asked you wouldn't know. Even then, unless you request a transcript, they can lie. If i were the hiring manager and both have similar work experience, i'd take the one who i feel i can talk more easily to

In todays age, A hiring manager is still more likely to take that Harvard C student due to credibility of the school. Like you said also, most hiring managers are looking at your experience along with your degree. Did you work before? If so was your work related to your degree? Did you do internships related to your degree? How recently?

 

[aznlilrs]

Google isn't the only company ever. GPAs and test scores unfortunately still matter.