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

[Anonymous]

Variety is the spice of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Sorry I just don’t see this play out in real life. The C students don’t necessarily go to college, and if they do it’s a struggle and they are more likely to drop out or flunk out. They tend to have less focus.

From my experience, the A and B students tend to be goal-oriented and leadership-oriented. And leader doesn’t have to mean extroverted presidential type running everything, but simply being a SME and top performer in their area.

As a hiring manager at a F50 company, we don’t look at nor want the C students. Why should we? Why would we? Past performance is the best predictor we have for future performance, so we put our bets on the A/B students and grads that have proven they are high performers.

You are supporting OP's claim that A/B students are employees, and others are independent business founders.

No. You must have been that C student with those poor reading comprehension skills.

The C students that I personally know have ended up as tradesmen/women, police, firemen, teachers, LPNs, low-level office workers, sole proprietor landscape company owners, strippers, high school football coaches, truck drivers and bums. In other words they tend to end up in very average middle class jobs. There is nothing wrong with that, and yes there are exceptions.

But far and away, the A/B students had an entirely different trajectory in life than the C and D/F students I knew. And that goes for both high school and college.

I'm lost for words here, except to say that you, my friend, are a whack job. People must hate you.

[Anonymous]

I really wish this were true. But my brilliant kid with severe ADHD is about to go from a B- average to a C by failing a class junior year at a top 20 university. It is not from lack of trying. He is super smart and works very hard, but every single semester he has one class that kills him. He does like to socialize and has lots of friends. works out, and loves his girlfriend. But all of these people work equally hard and know how lucky they are to be where they are. Most of them do excellently. He just cannot. I feel so badly for him and think this whole thing is so unhealthy--which is why I am fine with him enjoying his friends, buidling a network, and staying physically healthy. Just hoping he doesn't flunk out and can use his network to get any kind of job when he graduates and figure it out from there. Maybe he'll be a mechanic or maybe he'll run a compay some day. Whatever it is, I just want him to make it there healthy and happy.

[Anonymous]

I had a 77 average in HS and graduated college after 5 years with a 2.6 GPA in a generic business mgt degree from a commuter school college.

Other than first job out of college where people ask GPA did not matter.

I was in the managing training program of an investment bank on Wall Street by 24. I was a Director in the Big Four, had a big corner office with lots of staff including Harvard. My current job doing great I also got my MBA at night and barely graduated with a 3.0 GPA absolute minimum to graduate.

Tons of my friends have big jobs. My one friend graduated with a 1.96 GPA they rounded to 2 the minimum to graduate. He is a Doctor and Author and has worked with US Presidents, the drug dealer frin college is a lawyer, my pink rocker friend is a managing director. The C students have higher incomes in their 40s/50s than A students. That’s a fact.

[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.

+1

Why so many posts trying to declare that grades don't matter, when they obviously do matter - ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

When doing business, BD is the sole skill you must have to build a business. You can hire CPAs and MBAs. You can be an A student and not be able to do BD. You can be great at BD and not be able to be an A student.

Best case is both and a lot if the very successful entrepreneurs I've worked for tend to be A/B students. Only one was a Georgetown MBA. I work for a lot of mid sized co as a vendor. I have my own successful firm. I'm a C student in college but A student in HS.

I know a lot of A students personally in HS who weren't great in college and many own successful businesses. My old boyfriends who were mostly MBAs or JDs from top schools all work for someone. The former all make more money than the latter.

[Anonymous]

I think this is way old school thinking.

[Anonymous]

PP above - the most common mistake people make about how grades impact business success is whether someone goes into a corp business as a top mgr which requires a degree. But if you're going to start your own co from ground up, honestly, yiu just need to know to build a book. That's something books can't teach you though I will suggest golf is still a good game to know . Seriously though, you really can't teach BD/sales in terms of building a business. Corp sales is a bit different but when it's your own co it's more about ambitions and drive v precision and details sometimes. Getting As typically requires the ability to test well and sometimes you just don't need that in real life. Reading people is a skill as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nah OP. That was 1950s logic when only white, WASP men, were in the professional world ( Jewish men hired "their own". It was called a " gentleman's C" ( note the exclusion of women). Hopefully, you are trolling; otherwise, you are a terrible role model for your kid(s).

Exactly!
I love how those white people are fantasizing that they still have the same white privilege in climbing the corporate ladder using the corrupt "network" and "connections".

Good looking and tall counts more. When I graduated college with my 2.6 GPA the first few years I figured out sending a resume does squat. I would apply in person charm the women in HR. I was so cocky I asked the HR women on a date during an interview! My favorite I had a 1NS with a girl and in morning I realize she works for Goldman Sachs I ask her to put me in a job I get interview and HR is like how do you know “Susan” I was ready to crap my pants. Three months later did same thing at an Investment bank but this time the 1NS asked her Dad to put me in then awkward Dad wants to meet me so went to his firms Skybox at Ranger game with girl to snooze. I think C students just know how to do this stuff better. Being an A student is a drawback. I once spoke one hour as a last minute speaker at a luncheon in front of 200 people when speaker had a car accident, I just popped up there. Afterwards a few people commented how impressed they were I had no notes at all and how did I memorize and prepare. I literally made it all up I can talk for hours on any subject. Just don’t fact check me,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP above - the most common mistake people make about how grades impact business success is whether someone goes into a corp business as a top mgr which requires a degree. But if you're going to start your own co from ground up, honestly, yiu just need to know to build a book. That's something books can't teach you though I will suggest golf is still a good game to know . Seriously though, you really can't teach BD/sales in terms of building a business. Corp sales is a bit different but when it's your own co it's more about ambitions and drive v precision and details sometimes. Getting As typically requires the ability to test well and sometimes you just don't need that in real life. Reading people is a skill as well.

These days it means more about researching/writing and presenting well. A lot of what you do in the work real life IMO. The social bit is an extra--but IME A students often have that better than C students. A students know how to the read the prof and what's involved and make the connections in study groups.

[Anonymous]

Meh, there are some holes to the theory. Not all A students are rule followers. Some are just competitive and ambitious, while others are naturally able to get As.
Also, the outgoing, social student can also get all As; they aren't mutually exclusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a 77 average in HS and graduated college after 5 years with a 2.6 GPA in a generic business mgt degree from a commuter school college.

Other than first job out of college where people ask GPA did not matter.

I was in the managing training program of an investment bank on Wall Street by 24. I was a Director in the Big Four, had a big corner office with lots of staff including Harvard. My current job doing great I also got my MBA at night and barely graduated with a 3.0 GPA absolute minimum to graduate.

Tons of my friends have big jobs. My one friend graduated with a 1.96 GPA they rounded to 2 the minimum to graduate. He is a Doctor and Author and has worked with US Presidents, the drug dealer frin college is a lawyer, my pink rocker friend is a managing director. The C students have higher incomes in their 40s/50s than A students. That’s a fact.

You have no clue of what you're talking about. Keep bluffing. So pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meh, there are some holes to the theory. Not all A students are rule followers. Some are just competitive and ambitious, while others are naturally able to get As.
Also, the outgoing, social student can also get all As; they aren't mutually exclusive.

+1
DCUM is too dumb or unconfident to understand this.

[Anonymous]

Is this proven anywhere?

I think instead of basing it off grades, they should say "students with the best networks and social intelligence end up most successful". Because a C student could be someone smoking pot half the time or it could be someone who is socializing too much to study. Big difference.

That being said, my slacker child is definitely gifted socially. I would like to hope this means he's set up for a successful future and I won't tell him to color in the lines and follow all the rules, but I will still be pushing him to get decent grades so he has opportunities!

[Anonymous]

Among very successful people in my circle, some were top students, some were average. Same goes for unsuccessful or mediocre achieves, some were top students but most were not.