<p>Hello all, I am a high school senior who is thinking about grad school, and I really need to work on building an impressive resume for myself during the next 4 years (since my high school records suck).</p>
<p>I am currently going to get a BBA in Marketing at Goizueta Business School at Emory.</p>
<p>My goal is to get a 4.0 in college and attend Wharton for grad school. (I will probably also apply to Harvard, Northwestern, and MIT.)
Then my goal is to work as a graphic designer, either for an ad agency or go into the Marketing & Sales Department at some corporation.</p>
<p>Is it realistic to get a 4.0 in college? What are some things I can do to make my college resume really impressive and competitive for grad school?</p>
<p>I am new to this whole experience so any input would be appreciated, thanks!</p>
<p>um, it probably is possible to get a 4.0 in college. You could do outside activities other than your courseload and gpa in college though to make an impressive resume. Kind of like high school, you need more than just grades, so get involved in activities.</p>
<p>its possible but dont count on it. there will always be some professors and classes where its extremely hard to get an A. its not like high school where almost everyone in the class can get an A as long as you try. most classes are curved in college and you really have to be the best to be on top. also consider the fact that many freshman tend to screw up a little during freshman year because they are getting adjusted from high school. i’m not saying its impossible to get a 4.0 but I’m just stating that its not an easy you think.</p>
<p>At this point, your high school achievements are pretty pointless. Those were a means of getting into a good college, and you have already done that. Congrats. The most valuable things you can do are getting involved in student organizations (related to marketing and/or graphic design) as well as landing internships. In order to help with your internship search, I would contact an orgazation like Inroads which helps place minorities into internships (and would give you a distinct advantage).</p>
<p>I can’t really answer your questions in regards to a graduate graphics design program. However, in regards to an MBA you would really need work experience first. I.E. to get into Wharton you would need to work in graphics design or marketing for 3 to 5 years prior to being accepted. Preferrably GPA should be 3.5+ but work experience is far more important. Internships would help you land a good job out of undergrad.</p>
<p>Let me ask you a question, which applicant sounds better? I’m going to assume both got internships over the summer.</p>
<p>Applicant 1:
-GPA: 4.0
-Great GMAT scores
-No student organizations
-Probably never went out with friends</p>
<p>Applicant 2:
-GPA: 3.7
-Great GMAT scores
-Involved in student organizations
-Probably went out and had fun with friends at least once in a while</p>
<p>Having a 4.0 is just as good as having any gpa 3.7+. I would honestly surprised if you didn’t get a job only because someone with a 4.0 applied. Yes, it is competitive for grad school.</p>
<p>Get a grip… Your still in high school and now you are worried about getting a 4.0 in college. You should challenge yourself and explore enough subjects your interested in to find your passion not just pad your GPA. Take a breath…</p>
<p>ncmentor I find your statement offensive you piece of …, just cause we got ambitions to go to incredible universities for our graduate studies, you think we are insane? What, you think wanting to be the best is too much of an insane mentality? Let me tell you something, it doesn’t matter if you win by a inch or you win by a mile, winnings winning, remember that. And your a prob some freagin geek NEway, Nuff said you …head, go … Up your life.</p>
<p>And moonnite, I find your post extremely obnoxious. First, you are resorting to name calling online. That’s pretty sad. Second, there really isn’t anything wrong with ncmentor’s post. You aren’t the only one who has the ambitions to go to good universities and be the best. We all want to be the best yet to be the best you have to challenge yourself, like ncmentor said. It’s frivolous to worry about whether or not you are going to get a 4.0 in college. You have to explore new things, gain new insight, and show that you are interested in things instead of solely worrying about your GPA. And I am really not sure why you think he is calling you insane for wanting to be the best. You should be able to keep an open mind about anything anyone tells you. You will honestly not be the best with that kind of attitude.</p>
<p>RobertoGonzales asks,"Is it realistic to get a 4.0 in college? "</p>
<p>The answer is HIGHLY IMPROBABLE. The reasons are many:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>College raises the amount of independant work to a new level. Many people find it tough to acclimate to these new demands especially in freshmen year.</p></li>
<li><p>Even the smartest kid has to have a bit of luck. It is always possible to get a very tough professor who won’t give out A’s or give very few.</p></li>
<li><p>Unlike that of high school, many classes in colleges are curved. When you consider that many of the kids are very competant to begin with in college, you can get an idea of how tough it is to make the A. When I taught at Maryland , I rarely gave more than 10-15% A’s and 20% B’s. Thus, for most classes, you really have to stand out to get that “A.”</p></li>
<li><p>Statistically, those that graduate with honors at 3.5 or higher generally represent about 25% of the graduating class and about 10-15% if you count all kids who started out but dropped out, transferred, flunked out etc. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Graduating with a 3.8_ would probably put you in the top 5% of the graduating class. Graduating with a 4.0 would make you valedictorian. It is VERY, VERY hard to even get a 3.8+, nevermind a 4.0.</p>
<p>Moreover, some majors are tougher than others to get top grades. This is particularly true in engineering, hard sciences and accounting, all of which are known for their lack of grad inflation.</p>
<p>In fact, it is generally so hard to get above an overall 3.7 that the median GPA for admittance to ivy law schools and top notch MBAs is usually around a 3.72, and this is the median. You don’t need a 3.9+ as you would have needed in high school to get into an ivy undergrad school.</p>