Better to make B's and C's than A's?

[Anonymous]

It's been said that the A students work for the B students, the C students run the businesses, and the D students dedicate the buildings.

Now, just to be clear, this adage clearly doesn't apply in fields like medicine, engineering and, to a large extent, law, all of which are highly GPA-driven. You won't make it into the door of any med school or halfway decent law school if most of your grades aren't A's.

But in business majors, I think there's some truth to the C-students-rule-the-world theory. Although exceptions abound, students who get 4.0's tend to be follow-the-rules, color-inside-the-lines types who spend college with their nose in a book, refusing to take risks or buck the system. These traits are invaluable to a surgeon or an airline pilot, but in the business world, they often lead to becoming a yes-man who never rises above middle management as opposed to a trailblazer who runs the show.

Another problem with A students is that many of them have been told their whole lives by well-meaning parents and teachers that grades are king and as long as they keep those up, doors will open for them. Again, that's true if your dream is to be a doctor, but for business-minded students, prioritizing grades over socializing and networking can set you on a path to mediocrity. Take two business majors, a 4.0 library shut-in and a 2.9 fraternity president and intramural team captain, and check on them a decade after graduation. My money is on the frat god having the more successful career.

So, what are everyone's thoughts? Is it possible we push kids to focus too much on grades, especially in fields where making top grades often comes at the expense of what actually matters for success?

[Anonymous]

A students are the ones getting into elite colleges, not the C students.

Also, the vast majority of C students are average in everything, both academically and in other areas. One can be an A student and still be risk takers, and leaders.

But, if you want to follow the adage, go right on ahead. Gives my A/B student a better shot at a better college.

[Anonymous]

Maybe a decade after graduation, who knows. But, try getting an internship during college with a 2.9 as a business major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A students are the ones getting into elite colleges, not the C students.

Also, the vast majority of C students are average in everything, both academically and in other areas. One can be an A student and still be risk takers, and leaders.

But, if you want to follow the adage, go right on ahead. Gives my A/B student a better shot at a better college.

I think the OP means in college. Anyone can make A's in high school. Certainly A's and B's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A students are the ones getting into elite colleges, not the C students.

Also, the vast majority of C students are average in everything, both academically and in other areas. One can be an A student and still be risk takers, and leaders.

But, if you want to follow the adage, go right on ahead. Gives my A/B student a better shot at a better college.

I think the OP means in college. Anyone can make A's in high school. Certainly A's and B's.

\
My older DC was in a magnet program, and no, not *anyone* can make As in that program.

Regardless, even in college, an A student can be leaders and risk takers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a decade after graduation, who knows. But, try getting an internship during college with a 2.9 as a business major.

exactly

[Anonymous]

I’ve seen this. You will be lucky if you get an accounting job at a Big 4. If you work hard you can work your way into FP&A at a startup or a tech company and then after that you can have your pick. Hard to get into MBA programs but isn’t it a lot to get both a BBA and MBA?

[Anonymous]

I dispute the premise and the “saying.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this. You will be lucky if you get an accounting job at a Big 4. If you work hard you can work your way into FP&A at a startup or a tech company and then after that you can have your pick. Hard to get into MBA programs but isn’t it a lot to get both a BBA and MBA?

Clarifying - this was for a C+ type student at a good, but not great business school.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to disagree with this. If I'm a hiring manager and see less than a 3.5, I wonder what the person was doing instead of studying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this. You will be lucky if you get an accounting job at a Big 4. If you work hard you can work your way into FP&A at a startup or a tech company and then after that you can have your pick. Hard to get into MBA programs but isn’t it a lot to get both a BBA and MBA?

Clarifying - this was for a C+ type student at a good, but not great business school.

An A student at the same business school financed a $900K house five years after graduation and now is just really, really wealthy. Both hard workers and smart but one is way more successful, although both are actually very successful by any standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to disagree with this. If I'm a hiring manager and see less than a 3.5, I wonder what the person was doing instead of studying.

Socializing and getting DRUNK. In other words the same thing businessmen do when they close big deals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's been said that the A students work for the B students, the C students run the businesses, and the D students dedicate the buildings.

Now, just to be clear, this adage clearly doesn't apply in fields like medicine, engineering and, to a large extent, law, all of which are highly GPA-driven. You won't make it into the door of any med school or halfway decent law school if most of your grades aren't A's.

But in business majors, I think there's some truth to the C-students-rule-the-world theory. Although exceptions abound, students who get 4.0's tend to be follow-the-rules, color-inside-the-lines types who spend college with their nose in a book, refusing to take risks or buck the system. These traits are invaluable to a surgeon or an airline pilot, but in the business world, they often lead to becoming a yes-man who never rises above middle management as opposed to a trailblazer who runs the show.

Another problem with A students is that many of them have been told their whole lives by well-meaning parents and teachers that grades are king and as long as they keep those up, doors will open for them. Again, that's true if your dream is to be a doctor, but for business-minded students, prioritizing grades over socializing and networking can set you on a path to mediocrity. Take two business majors, a 4.0 library shut-in and a 2.9 fraternity president and intramural team captain, and check on them a decade after graduation. My money is on the frat god having the more successful career.

So, what are everyone's thoughts? Is it possible we push kids to focus too much on grades, especially in fields where making top grades often comes at the expense of what actually matters for success?

The problem is the premise is quite flawed. There is no value to graduating with a business degree and a C average. There are some unicorns that do in fact go onto become successful entrepreneurs that maybe graduated with a 2.0, however, those people should have just dropped out and pursued their career path.

Often you hear about the C student who works in Tech sales and does very well...but you also see a bunch of success stories in the very same job with no college degree at all.

Maybe there is a very rare instance where the C gazillionaire would never have gotten their first job if they had no bachelor's degree...but I am not aware of any.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a decade after graduation, who knows. But, try getting an internship during college with a 2.9 as a business major.

The kid with the 2.9 GPA who is in the same fraternity or on the same lacrosse team as the CEO was will get the internship over the 4.0 kid every day. The 2.9 kid will also have a large group of friends similarly connected who will prove to be helpful throughout his career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a decade after graduation, who knows. But, try getting an internship during college with a 2.9 as a business major.

The kid with the 2.9 GPA who is in the same fraternity or on the same lacrosse team as the CEO was will get the internship over the 4.0 kid every day. The 2.9 kid will also have a large group of friends similarly connected who will prove to be helpful throughout his career.

PP. My business kid has somewhere around a 3.3 as a junior at a school in the back end of the T100. Too much fraternity activity during freshman and sophomore years. He has finally buckled down and is getting much better grades this semester, but he is struggling to get an internship. His resume is likely not making it past GPA filters. Sure, his fraternity brothers will be there for him one day, but right now they too are struggling to get internships if they didn't study hard the first two years. Just saying, this is what it looks like on the ground, right now.