Does college GPA matter for future employment?

[Anonymous]

Work on developing your peer and alumni network.

Doesn’t mean you should have a shit GPA, but if you are say finance it’s not that hard to be 3.5ish or higher.

However, the connections are far more valuable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Work on developing your peer and alumni network.

Doesn’t mean you should have a shit GPA, but if you are say finance it’s not that hard to be 3.5ish or higher.

However, the connections are far more valuable.

In finance it's all about going to the right feeder school (Dartmouth/Bucknell/Colgate/etc.) and making those alumni connections as early as possible. The Greek system and career services office will plug you into the network if you put yourself out there. And yes GPA matters, but a 3.5 well-networked extrovert will make bank over a 4.0 nose-in-the-book introvert.

[Anonymous]

Can people on DCUM learn there's more careers than just finance? Like a lot more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. All you need on a resume is an accurate graduation date. Include magna or summa cum laude if you earned it, but that’s it.

That's definitely not true for federal gov't. jobs, which will require a GPA no matter how long you've been working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can people on DCUM learn there's more careers than just finance? Like a lot more.

Thanks…do you have any helpful for advice for GPA or networking or getting a job in whatever your profession may be?

[Anonymous]

Unless your kid is connected or planning on attending law school, a 3.2 Economics major at is going to do better than a 3.9 Anthropology major with post-grad recruitment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid is connected or planning on attending law school, a 3.2 Economics major at is going to do better than a 3.9 Anthropology major with post-grad recruitment.

Recruitment? Well duh, anthropology majors aren’t looking for finance careers- they major in anthropology. Anthropology is a major for people interested in people based careers like social work, hr, administration.

[Anonymous]

The more junior you are, the more your GPA matters. But you have had a job or two, it matters a lot less to not at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Freshman DC feels they are likely "average" in their class. Expecting a B+ ish grade in most courses. Big drop from GPA DC was used to HS -- but not surprising as the student body in college (Ivy) is generally high quality and competitive. Question for this group: Does this type fo GPA hold you back from strong job opportunities?

not from an ivy, does not matter at all. B+ or B is the average in most STEM classes, A- or even A the median in most humanities. after first semester avg gpa is around 3.5. tends to go up some as they adjust plus curves are skewed easier as they go into harder classes, so most students have a higher GPA their last 4 semesters than their first. all part of the plan to make everyone have a favorable trrend.
overal average GPA is 3.75-3.8 at most ivies, and premeds with 3.6 or even 3.5 and 515+ MCATs get in to decently good med school from ivies. they are well respected and everyone understands that the peer group is super competitive. experience in research and internships matter more for grad/prof/career placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. All you need on a resume is an accurate graduation date. Include magna or summa cum laude if you earned it, but that’s it.

That's definitely not true for federal gov't. jobs, which will require a GPA no matter how long you've been working.

That cannot possibly be true. Who on earth looks at GPAs of people out of school for years? Thank goodness things are going to change in federal government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid is connected or planning on attending law school, a 3.2 Economics major at is going to do better than a 3.9 Anthropology major with post-grad recruitment.

Recruitment? Well duh, anthropology majors aren’t looking for finance careers- they major in anthropology. Anthropology is a major for people interested in people based careers like social work, hr, administration.

Lots of anthro and art history majors go into consulting for big$$ at ivies and Duke and similar schools. This is not new and has been discussed many times before. From certain schools you can major in anything and end up getting hired into a high paying job. others want nonprofits or law school or phDs and that is great too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. All you need on a resume is an accurate graduation date. Include magna or summa cum laude if you earned it, but that’s it.

That's definitely not true for federal gov't. jobs, which will require a GPA no matter how long you've been working.

Maybe don’t get a federal job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid is connected or planning on attending law school, a 3.2 Economics major at is going to do better than a 3.9 Anthropology major with post-grad recruitment.

Recruitment? Well duh, anthropology majors aren’t looking for finance careers- they major in anthropology. Anthropology is a major for people interested in people based careers like social work, hr, administration.

Lots of anthro and art history majors go into consulting for big$$ at ivies and Duke and similar schools. This is not new and has been discussed many times before. From certain schools you can major in anything and end up getting hired into a high paying job. others want nonprofits or law school or phDs and that is great too.

Exactly. But it’s the school name that gets you in not the major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I interview a lot of college seniors every year and they all put their GPA on their resumes. I also look for it.

But let me ask you this: would you say a 3.6 from say an Elon grad was better prepared to work for you than a 2.9 from say Georgetown? I just think there's a big difference in rigor and expectations across universities, so GPA can be hard to distinguish what a person can really do. When I look at candidates, I might consider GPA if it's there, but I look at where they graduated from and when. From there, can they write, can they communicate, are they weirdos?

I hire a lot of college grads (mostly Econ/math/compsci) and definitely look at GPA. I would prefer a 3.6 from Elon to a 2.9 at Georgetown. The candidate would need a lot of other positives or a good explanation to overcome a 2.9.

What would a good explanation be? I wish I hadn't stumbled upon this thread. It's stressing me out. I have a senior in what many would consider a top undergrad business school and it was a horrible choice for a major for him. He is objectively very intelligent, but has LDs that classify as a math disorder, among other things. His high intelligence got him into the good school, but it has been quite a challenge. Failed a class, several Cs and Ds--but also lots of As. His need to focus on school has kept him from doing anything else like side jobs or clubs. The only other thing he's into is fitness, which he has to do to keep his head together. Had just a so-so internship opportunity and will graduate with probably right around a 3.0., maybe even a 2.9. In his finance major he'll have a 3.3 or higher and his Phil minor will be a 3.4 or so. Does he have a prayer of ever finding a job? He's a sweet kid and doesn't slack--just needs to find the right thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I interview a lot of college seniors every year and they all put their GPA on their resumes. I also look for it.

+1. We also ask for transcripts. If the gpa isn’t listed on the resume, it’s usually less than a 3.3.