<p>Frustrated with my kid for doing such a mediocre job this year but...</p>
<p>...I know so many parents whose kids failed out, partied too hard or got kicked out the first year that I also feel relieved.</p>
<p>What is normal?</p>
<p>To figure out what ‘normal’ would be you’d have to figure out what the average or median GPA is at that particular college for his particular major.</p>
<p>I know that some people on CC act as if they’re doomed to misery if their GPA is below a 3.5 but in fact, half the class has a GPA lower than the median GPA. </p>
<p>For example, in some engineering majors at some highly selective colleges where every kid is an accomplished smart kid, the average GPA could be around a 2.8 in which case your S would be somewhat lower but not terrible. But at another college in another major the average GPA might be 3.3 in which case your S would be significantly below that.</p>
<p>Regardless, he should make sure he’s putting in a reasonable effort (assuming he doesn’t want to end up with a below average GPA) and keep in mind he has several more years to get the GPA up and for some the freshman year can be real adjustment in the grading, the competition (i.e. a much higher cut of kids than a public HS for example), and the lifestyle including being on their own for the first time for many of them. If he has some major distractions such as partying, video gaming, socializing, TV, sometimes sports, sleeping, etc., he needs to get those under control.</p>
<p>He just needs to sort it out himself somehow.</p>
<p>There will be internship opportunities not available with <3.0. Your student should be told this. In some cases, if the student is not already accepted into a major, the gpa may present a problem. However, aside that those concerns, I would not be concerned. the university decides if the student can continue or not. I think I’d disengage from worry, as much as possible. If they like the school, they will want to stay enrolled. I think parties and a good social life are useful motivators. Chances are the gpa will rise.</p>
<p>As stated above, “normal” depends upon the college and the major. A student with a 2.5 is not in danger of academic probation. Since there’s little to be done about it now, after the fact, your best course of action may be to let it go. If your child needs “better” to get into a program, get a highly prized internship, etc, he probably knows this already. </p>
<p>I would just caution you to be realistic in your expectations. Anecdotal evidence aside, most students with a 2.5 won’t start pulling 3.7s and 3.8s in the same program. In the coming years, the student can focus on areas of interest but the classes get harder. High grades are less common in college (unless one goes to Dartmouth), but a student with a 2.5 still gets a degree. And you have to take what you’re told on cc with a grain of salt. Otherwise, we’d have to believe only the very top of the class at the very best schools would ever be employed at anything outside the food service industry.</p>
<p>What is your kid going to do after graduation? Is he going to grad school? Get a job? Or live at home on your couch? He needs to ask himself if he could achieve any of those things with a 2.5 GPA. If sleeping on your couch is not an option for him then it is best to tell him now, so he’ll have more time to figure out his options. There are many hiring managers on CC, I am one of those people, and I will say that I wouldn’t hire anyone with a 2.5 GPA. When D1 went off to college, I told her that for her to continue to receive full ride scholarship from us she had to maintain minimum 3.0 GPA. The good thing is this is his first year. He still has 3 more years to pull up his grades. First years is usually the worst year.</p>
<p>Classes do get harder, but sometimes if a student hasn’t yet taken a lot of courses in their future major they do get easier for that student. What’s he doing this summer?</p>
<p>My S2 (an avg/not star student) had a horrific first semester…less than 1.0 He did three grade replacement classes and at the end of freshman year he had a 2.1. He became a better student with each passing semester. Over the next six semesters he made a 3.0 or higher each time. By graduation he had managed to raise his gpa from a dismal .80 to a respectable 3.05. He had a fulltime job w/ good benefits less than 3 months after graduation. </p>
<p>Don’t be too hard on your S. Freshman year can be a bumpy ride for lots of different reasons. Let him know your (resonable) expectations and let him go fr. there.<br>
We told S2 as long as he improved (even if not by giant leaps) each semester we’d be fine with that effort.</p>
<p>At the brief orientation for parents held at my Ds top 20 LAC on freshman move- in day several years ago, the dean of first year students told us that the mean freshman GPA was a 2.9. You could have heard a pin drop among these thousand or so parents of kids with nearly straight-A HS transcripts. He went on to say the mean GPA for seniors was 3.7. I don’t remember much else he said that day, but I’m glad he warned us about that trajectory. </p>
<p>Freshman year can be bumpy for even the hardest working kid. Find out the stats at his school, if you can. Ask him questions. But it may just be normal freshman adjustments.</p>
<p>The dean of the computer science school at Carnegie Mellon asked everyone in the auditorium to raise their hand if they had been in the top 10% of their class. Just about everyone raised their hand. Then he asked how many thought they’d be in the top 10% at CMU. The same group raised their hand. Then he said, “90% of you are wrong, but don’t worry, and here’s why…” and went on to the presentation about where all the grads went on to, including those at the bottom of the class.</p>
<p>With my kids I am hoping I chill if they have a bumpy time at college … expecting a smooth trip from the get go ignores maturity issues that are typical for many 18-22 year olds … this is especially true if the student is at school where the work level is such that there isn’t a lot of slack if the student slides at all.</p>
<p>Then again this is written by a parent who had at least one D-, D, D+, C-, C, C+ and a 2.5 GPA through his sophomore year … and after growing up ended up at a couple top 5 grad schools.</p>
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That’s a key point to understand - especially at a place like CMU for a CS major. Everyone in the cohort is the top slice from their high schools yet that top 10% of HS students now comprise 100% of the college class and 50% of those will be in the bottom half of the class. But, even those with a 2.5 GPA will likely end up doing well in the job hunt (partly because it’s a CS degree from CMU).</p>
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Sounds like definite grade inflation there.</p>
<p>What you need to do is talk to your kid and find out why. It may be he was just getting the lay of the land, found a passion/subject/major he liked better than his core classes, had a girl who distracted him, was at a school that doesn’t suit him, was unhappy being away from home, or some combination.</p>
<p>My H discovered after his first semester he was in the wrong school and the wrong major, transferred to a CC to get all of his gen eds out of the way, and then to our well-regarded state U and now has an excellent job and 2 degrees. My niece changed majors after HER first semester and graduated near the top of her class. My own D dropped her loser BF, changed schools and career plans and couldn’t be doing better.</p>
<p>I have never worked anywhere that GPA is required, even for new grads, and besides, it’s his first semester. He has plenty of time to figure it out and get it right. The idea that “above average”, which is was a 2.5 is, is sub-par everywhere is just nonsense.</p>
<p>sseamom - just out of curiosity, when you are looking at a new grad’s resume, how would you determine who you would want to bring in for an interview? When there are hundreds of resumes with similar majors, how would you weed them out? I had 2 positions and I received 300+ resumes. I narrowed it down to 20 to bring in because it was expensive and time consuming to interview so many people.</p>
<p>Here we go again. Same old argunents. We constantly hire. We don’t look at Gpa. We give a technical exam to all qualified applicants then interview above a certain threshold wirh a panel and standard questions.
There are lots of hiring methodologies. If oldfort won’t hire you other folks might. Of course if you have a good gpa you have a chance both places which is obviously better.</p>
<p>Sorry for spelling. I’m on my stupid phone.</p>
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<p>Considering many colleges require a minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.0 just to graduate, that means 2.0 GPAs aren’t “average” among graduating seniors…but at the very bottom of the graduating class. </p>
<p>A 2.5 isn’t likely to be regarded much better unless the grade distribution across a given major/school is such the mean and medians are in the extreme low 2.x range.</p>
<p>There are only some industries that care about GPA. Mine is not on my resume and I’ve never been asked for it or to supply a transcript. I got plenty of interviews and ultimately got my job for specific skills and experience.</p>
<p>We hire a lot of interns. Some of them list their GPA on their resumes, but we don’t ask and really pay attention to it. I think how much this matters depends quite a lot on the industry that your son wants to go into.</p>
<p>How much GPA matter for new grads depends on the major and type of jobs. But there shouldn’t be any argument that a higher GPA is better.</p>
<p>"But there shouldn’t be any argument that a higher GPA is better. "</p>
<p>Of course it is. But a 2.5 doesn’t doom anyone to a life of flipping burgers any more than going to a non-“top tier” school does. </p>
<p>My son didn’t even GO to college. His technical skills have gotten him ever job he’s ever had-and much of it is self-taught. My I have two nieces who work in marketing. Both got their jobs through connections. GPA wasn’t involved. My sister just tested into a field usually meant for kids right out of college when she career-changed. She had a job lined up before she even took the test-no GPA involved. And so on.</p>
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<p>When I was graduating college in the late '90s, both my faculty advisors and my past summer job supervisors recommended I listed my GPA if it’s above a 3.0 as failing to do so could be interpreted as a sign one’s GPA is well south of it. </p>
<p>On the flipside, it’s not recommended to list it if it IS below 3.0 as doing so is likely to get the resume not only rejected, but sometimes even posted in the water cooler/break area for the amusement of HR staff and anyone else who happens by.</p>