Engineering GPA

[Anonymous]

OP, 3.0 is not good but not terrible either. It will get harder though so keep that in mind. For those who say 3.0 is fine for engineering, that not 100% correct either.

- engineer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It probably never fooled anyone, but as someone with a subpar GPA in another field, I would separate major and overall.
3.3 "major"
2.7 overall

Most jobs do not care about that, and you do not want to be caught lying on an application.

No lying...just displayed favorably.

My son did not put his sub 3.0 how on his resume Still got a job. He did not have an internship..but it was 2020 his jr sumner and there were very few. Employers understood that.

I think this is like college aps. The most selective employers will not look at you but many will. He had a pretty interesting resume..pretty good at interview chatting. GPA is not everything .

Gpa is not everything, but you cannot shine in an interview if you never make it to the interview round because gpa is too low/doesn't make the cut

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if this is a stupid question but can't he just pad his GPA with easy classes? Or are they only looking at major classes? Or is taking easy classes not an option?

PP with kid with first Bs ever. There are few options for classes outside of major. Is currently taking a humanities class that seems easy- but many credits are math/science for major (Chem E)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if this is a stupid question but can't he just pad his GPA with easy classes? Or are they only looking at major classes? Or is taking easy classes not an option?

PP with kid with first Bs ever. There are few options for classes outside of major. Is currently taking a humanities class that seems easy- but many credits are math/science for major (Chem E)

+1

Most engineering degrees have very little room for "extras". Most have 3-5 more required classes than a regular degree. So most electives are really your core curriculum requirements.
Some semesters it will be 4 hard engineering courses, not even 1 "easier" humanities/ss course. And if your kid wants a STEM minor (CS or with a chem Eng maybe a BME minor) they will have even less options. My own CHemE major took full year of calc and chem with AP credits and is "filling those spaces with a CS minor". Not an easy path, and if they just keep a 3.0+ will be good (so far after sophomore year has a 3.5+ overall after one bad semester)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

Where did you get that? The comment was about sub 3. Not 3.8 and why not 4?
But I hope you got your 'sainthood mom moment' for the day.

Not a sainthood mom here. However, a higher education professional who sees the side affects of these unrealistic grade expectations that result in suicides. The expectation starts at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May get a job but no grad school

That's the great thing about engineering. No grad school needed!

Or he gets into a less than impressive grad school and then does well there with more maturity and a fully developed Pre frontal cortex and then goes to a great PhD program. Life is long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

Where did you get that? The comment was about sub 3. Not 3.8 and why not 4?
But I hope you got your 'sainthood mom moment' for the day.

Not a sainthood mom here. However, a higher education professional who sees the side affects of these unrealistic grade expectations that result in suicides. The expectation starts at home.

"There there dear. Mean old engineering firms care about grades. You can move back home."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

Where did you get that? The comment was about sub 3. Not 3.8 and why not 4?
But I hope you got your 'sainthood mom moment' for the day.

Not a sainthood mom here. However, a higher education professional who sees the side affects of these unrealistic grade expectations that result in suicides. The expectation starts at home.

"There there dear. Mean old engineering firms care about grades. You can move back home."

Are you suggesting that the expectations for a high GPA don't cause mental health issues? Or are you just a nasty DCUMer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

PP here. Where did you even get this ridiculous rant? I said graduation will be here before he knows it and to keep going. I didn’t say what GPA he needed to have. I don’t care what his GPA is when he graduates. My kid loves learning and loves challenges and the point is, engineering is not an easy major.

Maybe as an individual in the higher education space you should step back and recognize that not all kids have strict parents and some kids actually have their own goals. It sounds like you haven’t figured that out yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

Where did you get that? The comment was about sub 3. Not 3.8 and why not 4?
But I hope you got your 'sainthood mom moment' for the day.

Not a sainthood mom here. However, a higher education professional who sees the side affects of these unrealistic grade expectations that result in suicides. The expectation starts at home.

"There there dear. Mean old engineering firms care about grades. You can move back home."

Are you suggesting that the expectations for a high GPA don't cause mental health issues? Or are you just a nasty DCUMer?

So every kid is suicidal because they want good grades in college? Nobody is talking about 4.0s here lady. Calm down with your perfection talk. All these parents are stating that it’s not that uncommon to have a low gpa in engineering and that it’s a challenging major.

[Anonymous]

Our kid had a 3.6 from UMD Engineering and never got a summer internship. He was gainfully employed in an engineering position upon graduation and loves his job. I would say his gpa helped him get his job post graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

Where did you get that? The comment was about sub 3. Not 3.8 and why not 4?
But I hope you got your 'sainthood mom moment' for the day.

Not a sainthood mom here. However, a higher education professional who sees the side affects of these unrealistic grade expectations that result in suicides. The expectation starts at home.

"There there dear. Mean old engineering firms care about grades. You can move back home."

Are you suggesting that the expectations for a high GPA don't cause mental health issues? Or are you just a nasty DCUMer?

So every kid is suicidal because they want good grades in college? Nobody is talking about 4.0s here lady. Calm down with your perfection talk. All these parents are stating that it’s not that uncommon to have a low gpa in engineering and that it’s a challenging major.

-"your kid will have a difficult time landing internships and jobs with a sub 3.0"
-"DS graduated with a sub 3.0. It took him while to find a job but is now employed with a decent salary at a large firm. Some jobs did say they required a 3.0 but he would apply if interested and occasionally would still get an interview."
-"Then there are cuts at 3.5/3.7 for some positions/companies. But without a 3.0+ most kids will have trouble making even the first simple cut to getting looked at today."
-it was divulged that their GPA was under 3.0, so they were not hired, even though they were far along in the process."

This conversion isn’t about perfection, it's about the pressure to succeed with success being viewed as a GPA 3.0+. The underlying message is inherently there and commented upon throughout this discussion. Engineering is an extremely difficult degree. Putting additional parental pressure on your student to “succeed” can have a detrimental effect. And of course, employers want to know that the student they are hiring can succeed. And I’m sure I don’t want an engineer who barely passed their classes building our bridges.

Thankfully the original poster did say “we stopped monitoring his grades because it just leads to stress and angst.” Taking a closer look at the mental health and well-being of our student body is important alongside the GPA mentions and comments of success. It's good to see that some parents do understand this connection, while others are flaming me for pointing it out. The survey listed below shows that the pressure for academic success is a mental health stressor.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2023/06/29/five-ways-help-college-students-cope-academic#:~:text=The%20natural%20pressure%20to%20do,as%20a%20way%20of%20compensating.%E2%80%9D

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

Where did you get that? The comment was about sub 3. Not 3.8 and why not 4?
But I hope you got your 'sainthood mom moment' for the day.

Not a sainthood mom here. However, a higher education professional who sees the side affects of these unrealistic grade expectations that result in suicides. The expectation starts at home.

"There there dear. Mean old engineering firms care about grades. You can move back home."

Are you suggesting that the expectations for a high GPA don't cause mental health issues? Or are you just a nasty DCUMer?

So every kid is suicidal because they want good grades in college? Nobody is talking about 4.0s here lady. Calm down with your perfection talk. All these parents are stating that it’s not that uncommon to have a low gpa in engineering and that it’s a challenging major.

-"your kid will have a difficult time landing internships and jobs with a sub 3.0"
-"DS graduated with a sub 3.0. It took him while to find a job but is now employed with a decent salary at a large firm. Some jobs did say they required a 3.0 but he would apply if interested and occasionally would still get an interview."
-"Then there are cuts at 3.5/3.7 for some positions/companies. But without a 3.0+ most kids will have trouble making even the first simple cut to getting looked at today."
-it was divulged that their GPA was under 3.0, so they were not hired, even though they were far along in the process."

This conversion isn’t about perfection, it's about the pressure to succeed with success being viewed as a GPA 3.0+. The underlying message is inherently there and commented upon throughout this discussion. Engineering is an extremely difficult degree. Putting additional parental pressure on your student to “succeed” can have a detrimental effect. And of course, employers want to know that the student they are hiring can succeed. And I’m sure I don’t want an engineer who barely passed their classes building our bridges.

Thankfully the original poster did say “we stopped monitoring his grades because it just leads to stress and angst.” Taking a closer look at the mental health and well-being of our student body is important alongside the GPA mentions and comments of success. It's good to see that some parents do understand this connection, while others are flaming me for pointing it out. The survey listed below shows that the pressure for academic success is a mental health stressor.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2023/06/29/five-ways-help-college-students-cope-academic#:~:text=The%20natural%20pressure%20to%20do,as%20a%20way%20of%20compensating.%E2%80%9D

It is called LIFE. LIFE is a mental health stressor. We should not be trying to eliminate stressors from a young person's life, but rather, teaching them how to fight through them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another engineering parent here. My DS was a straight A student in HS and is now a sophomore in college. GPA dropped to a 3.2
The work ethic is there but these classes are crazy hard. I keep telling my DC to keep going and before he knows it, graduation will be here. It really goes by so fast.

Was the expectation set that your DS was going to get straight A's in college as well? It sounds like it.

It's a shame if parents are setting such high bars and the poor students are trying but will only disappoint their families. It's just too much pressure, as an individual in the higher education space it's been so hard seeing solid students with significant mental health issues because of unrealistic exceptions.

Where did you get that? The comment was about sub 3. Not 3.8 and why not 4?
But I hope you got your 'sainthood mom moment' for the day.

Not a sainthood mom here. However, a higher education professional who sees the side affects of these unrealistic grade expectations that result in suicides. The expectation starts at home.

"There there dear. Mean old engineering firms care about grades. You can move back home."

Are you suggesting that the expectations for a high GPA don't cause mental health issues? Or are you just a nasty DCUMer?

So every kid is suicidal because they want good grades in college? Nobody is talking about 4.0s here lady. Calm down with your perfection talk. All these parents are stating that it’s not that uncommon to have a low gpa in engineering and that it’s a challenging major.

-"your kid will have a difficult time landing internships and jobs with a sub 3.0"
-"DS graduated with a sub 3.0. It took him while to find a job but is now employed with a decent salary at a large firm. Some jobs did say they required a 3.0 but he would apply if interested and occasionally would still get an interview."
-"Then there are cuts at 3.5/3.7 for some positions/companies. But without a 3.0+ most kids will have trouble making even the first simple cut to getting looked at today."
-it was divulged that their GPA was under 3.0, so they were not hired, even though they were far along in the process."

This conversion isn’t about perfection, it's about the pressure to succeed with success being viewed as a GPA 3.0+. The underlying message is inherently there and commented upon throughout this discussion. Engineering is an extremely difficult degree. Putting additional parental pressure on your student to “succeed” can have a detrimental effect. And of course, employers want to know that the student they are hiring can succeed. And I’m sure I don’t want an engineer who barely passed their classes building our bridges.

Thankfully the original poster did say “we stopped monitoring his grades because it just leads to stress and angst.” Taking a closer look at the mental health and well-being of our student body is important alongside the GPA mentions and comments of success. It's good to see that some parents do understand this connection, while others are flaming me for pointing it out. The survey listed below shows that the pressure for academic success is a mental health stressor.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2023/06/29/five-ways-help-college-students-cope-academic#:~:text=The%20natural%20pressure%20to%20do,as%20a%20way%20of%20compensating.%E2%80%9D

It is called LIFE. LIFE is a mental health stressor. We should not be trying to eliminate stressors from a young person's life, but rather, teaching them how to fight through them

Finally a half way reasonable response.

[Anonymous]

Does the school matter? Is 3 GPA from top engineering college the same from any other college? Plus how do hiring managers measure students soft skills it can't be only grades.