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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector
In engineering school (also a B of S), I wouldn't say a student with a 2.5 GPA is anywhere close to being incompetent. The curriculum is difficult. To me, a 2.5 usually indicates that, though struggling with a fair amount of the material, the student is not giving up. Because, if you give up, engineering curriculum will not treat you kindly. There is very little possibility of "phoning it in" when it comes to subjects like thermodynamics or electromagnetic theory. A student with a 3.5 is both competent and diligent, no question about it.
In my experience, the biggest difference between a 2.5 and a 3.5 for, say, a BSEE will be the ability to jump right into a Master's program. After 5-10 years, your GPA likely won't matter as long as you were employed in the field during that time. Of course, there will always be exceptions but most university programs realize the weight of the curriculum along with the high value of application gained during employment.
For the record, I averaged a 3.4 in my EE undergrad and a 3.8+ in my grad program. I have never once been asked about my GPA. All they care about is the degree and that it came from an ABET accredited (for engineering) university. Realistically, that's all a prospective employer should care about as much of what you learn throughout your career is on the job anyway. The advanced degrees merely prove that you have the ability to learn the complex theoretical background required to do the job and also the ability to apply it. Essentially, they don't want to waste costly man-hours teaching you about the fundamentals of electricity and semiconductor theory. They expect that you have that under your belt coming in the door.
Come on now, a 2.5 indicates that the student is going to class at least three times per week and investing a lot more time in tapping kegs and burning reefer than in private study. I'm not sure that any conclusions can really be drawn about competency and faculty - it would be more appropriate to draw conclusions about personal motivation and priorities. Below 2.5 means that they are at least showing up for tests.
Personally, I think that GPAs are GROSSLY overrated even in fields that are "difficult" like accounting.
Why?
Because most universities allow students to drop classes and retake them the following semester. When I was in my graduate program, I saw quite a few students who had NOT completed their coursework for a BS in Accounting in four years. A couple of them were in their sixth and seventh year.
My most recent hire did NOT have a 4.0 GPA as she worked full time and went to school full time, did not attend a prestigious university, and English is not her second language. And she is one of the most outstanding accountants that I have worked with over the years.
I am looking for people who can:
1) critically analyze situations and resolve problems.
2) express themselves precisely and concisely in speech and writing.
3) demonstrate an ability to work with a wide variety of people (restaurant experience is generally a positive over office work).
4) play well with others in the sandbox.
Come on now, a 2.5 indicates that the student is going to class at least three times per week and investing a lot more time in tapping kegs and burning reefer than in private study. I'm not sure that any conclusions can really be drawn about competency and faculty - it would be more appropriate to draw conclusions about personal motivation and priorities. Below 2.5 means that they are at least showing up for tests.
Come on now, a 2.5 indicates that the student is going to class at least three times per week and investing a lot more time in tapping kegs and burning reefer than in private study. I'm not sure that any conclusions can really be drawn about competency and faculty - it would be more appropriate to draw conclusions about personal motivation and priorities. Below 2.5 means that they are at least showing up for tests.
Maybe in Poli Sci or something lame like that. That is, unless you speak from personal experience...
Never thought I'd see people defending 2.5 GPA as being good.
It's important to realize that there's a subset of people that are satisfied with performing at a mediocre level. There's nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn't skew reality -- higher GPA is better than lower GPA.
It's important to realize that there's a subset of people that are satisfied with performing at a mediocre level. There's nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn't skew reality -- higher GPA is better than lower GPA.
At least he is truthful. Can't say the same about some other people on here, who supposedly went to a Top 10 school and graduated with a 3.9.. in theirs dreams.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatornation
Never thought I'd see people defending 2.5 GPA as being good.
Some people have College experience, some don't. Those who do know about College GPA's. That's why we, those who know something about College GPD's, made those statements.
Last edited by Glucorious; 02-11-2012 at 08:05 PM..
Why is it ALWAYS about JOBS?
Actually, I did ask to see transcripts when I was in this position because so many applicants did not actually have the degrees that they said they did.
And when choosing, if all other factors were equal, yes I would choose the person without the "2 something" average.
Why spend four or more years in college just to eek out something like a "2.4" ???
I graduated from a top 10 engineering program for undergrad in the mid 90s (always ranked top 10 in US News National Ranking each year) and the average GPA for graduating seniors was 2.7x. Perversely, the average business school grad had a 3.4 GPA. Go figure.
There's been massive grade inflation in the last several decades, so I don't know what's normal now.
Most courses gave "C" grades because that was AVERAGE, and you had to work your ass off just to earn that sometimes. Today it seems everyone is above-average / borderline genius. (Accord to their GPAs!)
You've told so many stories here, half of them are probably not even true. So I would take a long hard look in the mirror.
Where do you rate 2.5GPA? Good, Bad or inbetween? The poster below you just said that the average GPA in his program was 2.7. Others in this thread have said they were satisfied with 2.5. That goes along with what I said.
GPA is important right out of college. It can be extremely helpful in getting that foot in the door...and that foot in the door is everything. But a few years down the road, even as little as five, no one seems to care. Experience rules but sometimes one needs that GPA to earn that experience.
I've learned the path to success is more about who you know, and who you are as a person rather than particularly what you know. I have some extremely intelligent, book-smart people under me but they'll never rise to management. Why? They don't know the difference between a powerstroke and cummins. The advantages of 260 over a 308. How WWI began. Why gas stocks may or may not be a good investment. Why Milwaukee is better than DeWalt. The best fly fishing techniques. How to cut five strokes off your golf game. The advantages of traveling to Belize over Panama. Quite simply, they don't know how to be noticed nor interact with people.
Just about every job I moved into, I was unqualified for in the beginning. What I had going for me, maybe the only thing, was upper management was willing to go out of their way to train me. I'm by no means saying I was completely unqualified nor incompetent, just that there were clearly better candidates. I just learned being a person people want to be around and folk want to know can compensate for quite a bit of...say we say "gaps in knowledge."
Maybe some can relate here. You know someone, maybe even many above you and you think to yourself, "How can someone who is so clueless have the position he/she has?" Now you know. I'm guilty of it also. I've promoted one over others for the simple fact he had time to go hunting with me on the weekends. I could relate to him, he had good work ethic, yet probably wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed out of the pool to choose from. But he was adequate, always came to me for questions, was a humble kind of guy, just a guy who I felt would try his hardest to make me look good and not stab me in the back.
I'm not saying a 4.0 is in anyway bad, just that many who earn such a score mistakenly feel self deserving. And I still see it with my HS classmates over ten years later. Some of my best friends were in the top five of our class while I was quite average. It just drives them crazy how stupid me earns more than them. How can this be? This isn't how the pecking order was suppose to be! This isn't how we were taught. 4.0 = six figure job and life is good. There are all difference types of intelligence. After HS, my kind (whatever that might be) came into its own.
In HS, it seemed I was always digging myself out of some sort of hole...or crises grade wise. Seemed I'd bust a 38% on that first major test then spend the rest of the semester busting my butt to eek out a very hard earned C by the end. I mean how does one come back from a 38%? The written grade taught me nothing, but the experience gave me everything. It turned me into a person that could cope with and take on total failure. Life isn't a book, you can't spend a little more time reading to prevent failure. In life, failure is guaranteed. I saw a grown 12th grade woman bawl her eyes out for not getting an F, nor D, nor C, ...but a B in a class!!! Where is she now? I'd say underemployed doing job where it is impossible for her to fail. In fact many of the top individuals in my class went on to take up quite mundane employment.
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Engineering.. huh
The written grade taught me nothing, but the experience gave me everything. It turned me into a person that could cope with and take on total failure. Life isn't a book, you can't spend a little more time reading to prevent failure. In life, failure is guaranteed. I saw a grown 12th grade woman bawl her eyes out for not getting an F, nor D, nor C, ...but a B in a class!!! Where is she now? I'd say underemployed doing job where it is impossible for her to fail. In fact many of the top individuals in my class went on to take up quite mundane employment.
