<p>Hi guys im new to this forum and still trying to get used to the functions here.</p>
<p>Um well i am planning to apply for UMich CoE, possibly civil engineering, but ive heard some really scary stuff about UMich CoE, especially about the grades they give here. Can someone tell me how serious grade deflation really is at UMich CoE, and whether it would harm students' chances for future employment or grad school?</p>
<p>I mean, who will accept a UMich student with a 2.9 gpa when u can choose an ivy league student with a 3.6 gpa?</p>
<p>^If you can get a 3.6 at an Ivy League I’m sure you can get a 3.6 at Michigan.</p>
<p>That said, yes Michigan is a harder school and doesn’t have the inflation of other schools but Michigan has a great reputation and recruiters know that, so it kindof makes up for the gpa.</p>
<p>^just going to point out that it is not “grade deflation” rather, it’s a lack of grade inflation, and employers are savvy enough to know the difference!</p>
<p>j89, but whats up with all those rumours about half of harvard students getting As, and mean gpas reaching 3.6 in many ivy league schools… im so confused</p>
<p>MLDWoody, but surely employers wouldn’t consider anyone with a gpa<3.0 right? it just makes me wonder where half the class goes when most ppl can’t land a job with 2.xx gpa…</p>
<p>kmccrindle, does that mean umich is not considered a school with grade deflation?</p>
<p>My observations as someone who visits U-M annually to recruit for my Bay Area company at both U-Mich and UIUC:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>U-Mich COE is definitely a tough school for grades - similar to UC Berkeley. Illinois by comparison seems easier.</p></li>
<li><p>GPA : Most employers try and see past GPA, but to be honest when you have numerous students handing in their resumes at job fairs - the GPA is the first thing one looks at to filter out the weaker students. It is probably not fair, but it happens. We typically will look at anyone greater than 3.25 at U-Mich and 3.5 at UIUC. This is not a scientific approach, but something we use to normalize GPA.</p></li>
<li><p>U-Mich Dearborn transfer effect : Another item we noticed is that there were several U-Mich Dearborn transfers who had decent GPAs, but on closer examination, they had a much worse GPA ( typically less than 2.75 ) during their Ann Arbor semesters as compared to Dearborn ( 3.5).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Keep in mind, this is one particular company’s view - so be careful before you generalize anything.</p>
<p>Sure, but most of the students in Ivy League schools aren’t engineering students. Same is true at Michigan - LSA has a way higher average GPA that CoE. </p>
<p>And most of the Ivies don’t have very well known or reputable engineering programs, with some exceptions (Cornell, etc…) Michigan engineering compares well to any of them. </p>
<p>You should try to do a comparison with other top engineering programs - MIT, Stanford, UCB, and so on. I think the grade situation at those schools is probably pretty similar to Michigan’s.</p>
<p>If you look at Harvard they have some HIGH GPA’s, because they beleive in SERIOUS grade inflation. Look at Adam Wheeler the idiot who faked his ass into Harvard he was a straight A student with one D. Not bad at an ivy league.</p>
<p>not really; crimson article said he got b’s & a’s. anyways, there’s no doubt that certain privates have massive inflation, but for top engineering schools this usually isn’t the case.</p>
<p>I wasn’t talking technically when I answered OP’s post, more or less of a motivation to set a goal to get a 3.6 at either schools rather than assume they will get the average. Wasn’t very clear.</p>
<p>But yes, Ivy Leagues are not even good for engineering and they typically have significantly higher averages. Regardless of that fact, Michigan is one of the best place to be. Various career fairs and networking opportunities pretty much sets your foot into internships and job potential. Given the plethora of opportunities available, you can easily see that recruiters like dadmm85 understand the rigor of Michigan’s COE compared to other schools since they continue to come in droves to recruit. Its not simply about the number to them.</p>
<p>In Civil Engineering, don’t expect job offers with less than a 3.0. Right now there is very little demand for Civil Engineers because of the slowdown in construction. Maybe it’ll be different in 2015 when you will presumably graduate, but right now it’s not good.</p>
<p>The same could be said about almost all majors, though certainly your chances are better in some than others. Generally it is true that you are going to have problems if you have a sub-3.0 GPA. </p>
<p>That said, a 3.0 is not that hard to get. I believe that anyone who is admitted is capable of getting higher than a 3.0 if they put forth a reasonable effort. Many do not really try. And that said, if you work long hours, or are ROTC, or have some other major time commitment, then it does become much harder, so there is a consideration there.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! I guess the situation in Umich CoE is not as bleak as my friends portrayed… and I guess with a decent amount of hard work, it’s not difficult to get above 3.0, though 3.25 would have to be a more practical goal i guess, from dadmm85’s post.</p>
<p>That said, should the mean gpa of graduates even be a factor for consideration when choosing universities?</p>