<p>How much does it matter? I know there are minimums needed to be breached to get, say, an internship, but how much do they matter in terms of getting a job? And would a 4.0 be regarded as significant plus over a 3.8 in the job market?</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, there are pretty much 2 gpa cut offs. You want at least a 3.0 because it seems this is most companies’ minimum. A 3.5 is kind of the next tier. So anything above a 3.5 wouldn’t benefit you significantly. From there it’s all about the interview. So no, a 4.0 isn’t significant over a 3.8. At that point they are just gonna hire based on other factors.</p>
<p>Yes and No.
GPA inflation is a serious problem in many colleges and university. GPA is just an indication. Getting 3.8 and 4.0 is not a big deal. Getting practical rather than theoretical is important.
Your employer does not care whether you earn 4.0 or 3.95968309. When you go to interview, you have to show the person what you can do and how you can bring profit to the company.</p>
<p>However, I think GPA below a 3 is definitely a very very significant indication of your performance. In the end nobody cares about your excuse for why your GPA is low. In other words, whether you suffer from a lost in your family, or the professors were totally A*<em>H</em>LE. Nobody cares.</p>
<p>Between 3.0 and 3.5 it’s still very average. 3.5 - 3.7 is probably a good one.
3.7 or above is not that big a deal. If I were to hire someone, I would first look at the GPA ,the school and your resume. Then I will look at whether you meet what I ask. If you are a software engineer, I would give out a problem and you have to present your solution. School and GPA is my first concern because this is my first impression of you.</p>
<p>However, GPA is important for getting an internship(especially on campus), research grant, and scholarships.</p>
<p>“Between 3.0 and 3.5 it’s still very average”</p>
<p>I dunno about that. I would consider a 3.3 and above pretty good. And I don’t think a gpa within that range would prevent you from getting a job, unless you are looking for an elite one.</p>
<p>^ Yes. Of course everyone sees the number differently, no doubt.</p>
<p>I don’t know how many employer actually look at your QPA (quality point average), which is a score that only take your major courses into the calculation. Some students would get so many easy liberal arts classes and raise their GPA. This is why I feel that between 3.0 and 3.5 it’s pretty average. This is exactly where GPA inflation comes in: a lot of people are getting 3.6, 3.7 these days. </p>
<p>I also notice that some schools are very harsh with the grade gap. For example. A- is 3.66, B+ is 3.2 is like a killer there.</p>
<p>do engineering majors tend to have higher or lower gpas than people of other majors?</p>
<p>Lower usually.</p>
<p>Lower sounds right. I was always happy to take non-engineering courses, because I knew I would get an A!</p>
<p>Whenever I would take non-engineering courses (usually biology), i would tend to do slightly worse. In fact, my major gpa (Chemical/Biomolecular Eng) is about 0.2 higher than my overall gpa</p>
<p>Generally, 3.0 is the minimum “acceptable” GPA. Below that things become more difficult, but not impossible.</p>
<p>I think GPA matters more at large companies, at least initially. They get so many applicants that they need a quick and effective way to thin down the numbers. Interviews and the whole application process at larger companies, at least to me, always seemed more by the book and scripted whereas interviews at smaller companies had more of a personal touch.</p>
<p>One thing that matters more than GPA is having good interview skills. GPA might get your foot in the door but it won’t take you much farther.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, when does GPA stop being a factor in employment consideration? Is it only an issue for entry level jobs?</p>
<p>I would imagine GPA stops being a factor 1 sec after accepting one’s first job offer but I have read about Google, Inc. requesting the college GPA of individuals who have been out of college for 20 years or more.</p>
<p>/anecdote</p>
<p>A friend of mine graduated as an engineer in the early 2000s. Before graduation he had about 6 months internship experience and some time after graduation he landed a software development position with a medium-sized company. He says he got the job thanks to two professional references he obtained during his internship and some of the skills he learned during his time there. He never listed his GPA on his resume and never provided it to the hiring dept. because his GPA was 3.2. Fast forward to today: my friend is working for a large national corporation making a low-end 6 figure salary (which is great for a single man in his late 20s with minimal debt).</p>
<p>Now, if one does not want to worry about GPA, one may always start her/his own company.</p>
<p>
Yes. A friend of mine did bad on liberal arts, and very good with engineering courses. Another friend was the opposite.</p>
<p>What about for Grad School? Not employment.</p>
<p>Not only are the engineering classes more difficult, they usually have to take many more courses. I found many of the engineering student’s grades to be lower than the average students. Without the curve, there were many tests where nearly the entire class failed. The religion, English, and public speeking classes were designed to help boost the GPAs.</p>
<p>GPA is a measurement of your performance in school. Of course, there is GPA inflation. But you still have to work to get 3.8, 3.9, 4.0 right? There is still some respects for those who get good GPA. What we are suggesting is that GPA is not as big deal as it sounds like anymore. But getting a decent GPA is just good and beneficial.</p>
<p>Therefore, gradate schools do look at your GPA seriously, regardless. Think of freshman admission, graduate school is about the same. Scores, essays, recommendations, and resume.</p>
<p>are there gpa ranges like there is for undergrad?</p>
<p>^ There is no so called “specific range for undergrad”
If you read other comments from the previous page. Generally 3.3 or above is a good GPA. Some people like me consider a 3.3 average GPA, but some don’t. It’s a matter of personal preference.</p>
<p>However, note that high GPA is beneficial when applying to a scholarship, a grant, or internship, and of course GPA is still a considerable factor in potential employment. Generally speaking, if you want to apply to a top engineering grad school, 3.7 or above should be ideal. But there are many other credentials which the admission will look at.
A solid GPA can bolster your chance in just everything you want to do.</p>
<p>I will agree that a high undergraduate GPA will help with being admitted to graduate school…but…</p>
<p>Let’s make it clear that there is a difference in graduate admissions between funded grad programs and non-funded part-time or distance programs. Some schools allow a hopeful graduate student to take 3 graduate courses before being formally admitted in what is called non-degree graduate status. If the student does very well in those courses (3.5+ GPA), that student has an excellent chance of being admitted to the graduate program.</p>
<p>You have to look at it this way: The GRE is used to determine in one can do grad work. Well, what is the BEST way to prove that you can do grad work before being admitted to the program?..DO GRAD WORK! I had nowhere close to a 3.3, 3.5 or 3.7 GPA as an undergrad but my grad program required graduate Statistics, Linear Algebra and Computer Science courses. Well with me being a math major as an undergrad and having experience in software engineering, I sure took advantage of that loophole. That was 3 graduate courses with a 4.0 GPA. Not many grad programs are going to turn away someone who just aced about 1/3 of your grad curriculum AND (probably more important) had employer reimbursement checks coming into Student Account Payable.</p>
<p>jwxie, excuse me but you sound like a typical corporate prick. I would never want to work for someone like that even if you were to pay me extra. GPA 3.5 is average and GPA 3.7 is probably good for engineers? Well let me break it up to you typical/almost all engineering classes are curve to C+ at least in any top 50 institutions, which means that the average is nowhere near 3.5, and in absolute terms it would be near impossible to pass any engineering related classes.</p>
<p>In short, for engineers a 3.0+ would get you into most grads school and 3.5 virtually any PhD programs.</p>