Does GPA Really Matter?
Posted in Essential Info
People with a degree earn 75 percent more than just high school graduates, as backed up by studies. This leaves high school seniors racking up their brains to get impressive SATs numbers and extracurricular activities to help them get in to their top university of choice.
But now that they're in, how much does their GPA really matter in their quest to land their dream job and reign in the dollars?
Where it really matters
Maintaining a decent GPA is important in achieving academic success. Sub par grades could show up in your permanent record, and even put you on academic probation or cause you to lose your scholarship. A high GPA is also important if you want to get in to premier graduate schools like Harvard Med School (3.8 ave. GPA), Yale Law (3.9) or Stanford Business School (3.6).
Your GPA in the "real" world
Today's job market does not demand a fit-for-Yale Law GPA average. The National Association of Colleges and Employers' "Job Outlook 2005" survey reports that, although employers - about 70 percent of then - admit to screening their applicants based on their GPA, most of them use 3.0 as their cut-off.
Employers are more likely to pick the - if all other factors are equal - the applicant with the higher GPA. This is not to say that an average student can't land a competitive job at a top reputable company. Employees understand that a number of factors could influence a student's GPA. Some of these factors include, working one's way through college, involvement in extracurricular activities among other circumstances.
Employers admit that they do take a university's reputation into consideration, but they also say that work experience, such as internships, put candidates ahead of their competitions in today's fierce job market.
Fortunately, a high GPA at first-rate university or college is not needed to get that much-needed internship/work experience, reports the Princeton Review. Practicum coordinators look for a dynamic attitude in a candidate and which can be expressed in a cover letter and interview. Note that resumes and transcripts are not mentioned.
Transparency
Employers do just cut a candidate because of a low grade. They look at all of their candidates' qualifying factors. They also see right through applicants. Thus, it is not wise to leave out your GPA from your resume. Actually, its absence raises more questions than it avoids. It may even mess up your chances of landing the job. An nonexistent GPA leaves an employer wondering how low your grades are. Some employers, noting the absence of a GPA, automatically assume it's below their 3.0 cut-off. Lying about your grades is also a bad idea. Falsification of records is a ground of termination - that is, of course, if you were accepted in the first place.
Resume builder
If the only boo-boo in your otherwise pristine resume is your low GPA, draw your (potential) employer's attention away from the unsightly figures and turn them to your excellent academic strengths instead. Some schools prefer to look at a candidate's junior-senior year grades than an overall transcript.
Other options include:
listing your major GPAQ or average grades for the only classes taken in you major.
listing only your major GPA (should be 3.0 or higher) if your overall grades fall below the cutoff.
Listing major GPA and overall grade if both are over 3.0 (GPA is at least three-tenths of a point higher than your overall average).
Round off to the nearest tenth of point.
