Internship/Full time Job with sub par GPA

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>Hi, I currently study statistics at a 4 year college. I have already finished my statistics studies and spending an extra semester getting the economics major. I never had an internship before because of low grades as a result of being in mechanical engineering for 3 semesters and in the last 2.5 years all I have been doing is studying like crazy and being involved in leadership. I have 1 year of consulting experience through a student run organization. I managed to pull my grades to a 2.9 with a Statistics Major GPA of 3.1 (when I declared, I had a 1.95). I believe I am much better in doing my work than others because I am proactive and always consult my professors. </p>

<p>In the last 4 semesters, my GPA was 3.4 which is a significant improvement and this includes taking a lot of advance statistics courses. I always to explain why my cumulative gpa is low to prospective employers at career fairs and they always say no, because the cut off is 3.0. I have not gotten any calls from the jobs that I applied, even though I emphasized that I have been doing very well.</p>

<p>Right now, I have no idea where I am heading in life. I might have to do graduate school but I want to work for a couple of years just to get some real experience.</p>

<p>Can anyone tell me how I can go about getting a internship/job with a 2.9 GPA???</p>

2

<p>take the 2.9 GPA off your resume and put your major GPA (3.1) on it, or don’t put your GPA on it at all.</p>

3

<p>Definitely use the major GPA since it will be most relevant to your job search (and most helpful).</p>

<p>A lower GPA means that you have to be more flexible in your search and seek out opportunities that a person with a 3.9 may not even consider. More importantly, a lower average will require you to present yourself as a well-rounded applicant. If you can demonstrate top-notch writing and speaking ability it can be a major advantage. </p>

<p>If you had any major research projects that involved detailed analysis (statistical etc.)…something that might be relevant to the job you are seeking…bring it with you to any interview (multiple copies). Saying you have the skill and actually bringing something into the interviewer’s office can be the difference between getting the job/second interview and being told “at this time we have identified candidates that more closely match our needs for the current position.”</p>

<p>The extra effort you have to utilize in getting a job will be an asset in the future. Once you’ve nailed that first post-graduate job/internship, the GPA won’t really matter anymore.</p>