<p>I know this topic is sensitive to actually how high of a gpa and actually what extra curricular activities, but what i was wondering is if spending the time to join a club or community service is worth losing like .2 gpa. Or more specifically will a 3.6 gpa in engineering major look better than a 3.4 in the same major but with EC and things. I just want to know if joining a club is worth the time or if i should focus more on studying.</p>
<p>A 3.4 GPA (or even lower) with solid research or work experience will be a lot more impressive for potential grad schools or employers respectively than a 3.6 (or even a 4.0) GPA with neither. I'm not sure how valuable an extracurricular activities (like club activities) would be though. I'd assume they don't matter.</p>
<p>I'd recommend working on your GPA. </p>
<p>Clubs are meaningless for grad school. A bad GPA can definitely keep you out. Having zero research experience won't keep you out (although having research/job experience can help set you apart). Plenty of people enter grad school with no research experience. Plenty of people have been kept out of grad school with bad/non-competitive GPAs. Having research experience can also help you get recommendations, although most recommendation letters will be based on academics rather than research. While research is often touted as a large part of grad school, they primarily want to know you can handle the course work. Course work is usually the larger of the grad school requirements as well (for MS anyways). For PhD, it's a more even split between research and course work.</p>
<p>I was wondering, is this true for MBA (or MEng/MS) Admissions as well?</p>
<p>Work experience is very important for MBA. I think you will find that the majority of students have a few years of work experience. I'm not sure about the MEng/MS though, but maybe the co-ops and internships engineering students tend to do count for work experience.</p>
<p>I know about Work Experience, I meant about ECs. Do they matter for MBA admissions?</p>
<p>you should have clubs or EC's that you enjoy! I am on the table tennis team, a couple Christian fellowships, a business frat. Then I am an officer in IEEE.</p>
<p>GO figure, I am an EE major :D</p>
<p>College is not necessary where, but it is when people "find" themselves. So don't get bogged down by the stress of everything. Sure, you ogtta work hard, but if you were doing it solely for the resume, I wonder how much effort goes into the things you do. Where is the passion?</p>
<p>I don't think EC's matter too much for MBA, as most working adults don't even have them.</p>
<p>ECs (volunteer activitites, clubs, etc) dont matter much in real world or even graduate schools. Just do them for fun.</p>
<p>Most guys with 3.8 gpa do not know there stuff, they are just bookamart which makes a bad engineer, Any engineering company would want a lower gpa with more experience.</p>
<p>How did we get to engineering firms/employers?
The OP specifically asked about graduate, and yes a high GPA is far more essential as far as admissions to top schools go, than work experience or research. Some research is good to have but not as a excuse for bad grades. </p>
<p>i586 - I don't know how you can even begin to convey your theory of students with lower grades know the material better. WRONG - students with straight A's across the board obviously know the material better thats why their scores are higher. Engineering majors are not like history majors, where little analytical skill is needed just memorization - Memorizing formulas and theories will get failed out of school quickly. Unless, you have a vast understanding of how to apply these theories to modern-day obstacles. </p>
<p>I agree with the rest of the board. ECs during undergrad work is far less important to getting into a good grad school as they would be for a HS students attempting to get into a top undergraduate program. </p>
<p>If I was in the OP's position I would definitely try boosting my GPA before getting involved in research and ECs. Grad Schools are usually on the look out for students who will achieve success doing post-graduate work and a high GPA is a very strong indication of work ethic and development. It's not easy to obtain a 3.6 in any engineering program. However, if you can keep a GPA that high you are showing graduate schools that you can handle the course-work and research necessary to excel in any academic situation</p>
<p>your wrong, really wrong. Students who get high grades usually treat engineering as history or any other major where you need to memorize. I have known a few kids wityh 3.9 gpa's at my school in EE, ask them to take a test and do a problem set, sure they will do great. Tell them to do some vsli design work from scratch, most will be clueless and scrabbling through their ebooks.</p>
<p>GPA doesn't mean that much and I know for a fact it doesn't. Any EE employer would rather somebody with a 2.8 gpa and has done massive robotics , circuitry and electronics projects, over a higher gpa. Look at me for instance, my gpa is 2.84, i suck at tests and blow at problems sets. Give me a program to write, or a circuit to design, I don't & wont get beat by many. I truly 100% rely on my labs to get me through engineering and I know its ok because engineering is not taking tests and doing problems set. I usually never do well on tests, thogh when it comes lab time, im the one people look to for help, even those with astronomical Gpa's. Ive given up on the gpa thing a while ago.</p>
<p>To think one is better because of a test, is ridiculous.</p>
<p>i586, </p>
<p>You are way off base. What I find absolutely hilarious is the fact that the only people who say GPA doesn't matter are the ones who have a bad GPA to begin with. </p>
<p>From another thread in the graduate school forum:</p>
<p>
[quote]
I graduated in electrical engineering from a good university in Canada with a very low GPA of ~2.5. Yeah, such a low GPA IS possible! I am not a dumb person (although some would argue that I am if I let my GPA go so low). My terrible GPA is more a result of extreme procrastination and the illusion that I would get a job easily if I just graduate and make it out of undergrad. Sadly, I realized it too late to do anything about it.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Trust me.. anyone with a GPA below 3.0 is going to have a hard time finding a good job. Many companies have strict policies that a 3.0 is the minimum. For advanced positions, these GPA minimums are often 3.2 or as high as 3.5 (even from top schools). For the record, I had a good GPA, and had no problem getting job offers and accepted into grad school. I know from experience how important a good GPA is. Anyone who graduated with a poor GPA often had to take less than ideal industry jobs (ie. manufacturing instead of design or real engineering). </p>
<p>I'll be the first to say that after 5-10 years of experience, no one is going to even ask about your GPA. But getting ahead the first few years (whether that be into a top grad program, or getting a dream job) goes to the graduates with high GPAs. </p>
<p>But don't think that employers would want you over someone with a high GPA. Of course they wouldn't. You clearly haven't demonstrated that you have the knowledge or skills necessary to do well in your program. I predict that you'll change your mind about how important a GPA is once you try to get your dream job out of school, and the company won't even return your calls.</p>
<p>Ive already gotten my dream job with ibm. so im good pal. even with that 2.8.</p>
<p>
[quote]
, i suck at tests and blow at problems sets. Give me a program to write, or a circuit to design, I don't & wont get beat by many. I truly 100% rely on my labs to get me through engineering and I know its ok because engineering is not taking tests and doing problems set. I usually never do well on tests, thogh when it comes lab time, im the one people look to for help, even those with astronomical Gpa's
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is a load of crap, if you stink at problem sets how do you ever expect to be able to go out into the world and solve real-life problems?
Unfortunately life is not that simple. No employer in their right mind would hire someone who "sucks at solving problems." Engineering is simply - applied mathematics and science used to "solve problems."</p>
<p>
[quote]
To think one is better because of a test, is ridiculous.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'd hate to be the one to break it to you, but here is how it is. Life is tests. The same way you are under pressure to learn the material needed to take tests is the same way you will be required to do research and meet deadlines in the "real world." </p>
<p>GPA is a great indication to employers of who exactly is capable of busting their butt and getting the work done effectively vs. someone with a 2.8 GPA who does minimal work. It is common sense.</p>
<p>Ive already gotten the job I have wanted my entire life, so im good for now. I don't need to fool around with stupid statics problem sets, give me a real problem that hasn't been solved already, thats what Il do.</p>
<p>Life is tests, but not hand written ones.</p>
<p>If you have mediocre grades, how do you prove to a potential employer that you are actually brilliant but just can't show it? And why would an employer take a chance on your say so? </p>
<p>Congrats on getting the job of your dreams. You are lucky indeed.</p>
<p>Um you show them projects and such. My resume is long, ive worked on alot of teams, ive done research. I just let them know in the interview who I am and what I know. You cant say that tests and grades mean everything. I have a learning disability and suck at tests, but how does that say I am a bad engineer, hell no it doesn't. It doesn't because I excelled in labs and my professors knew I knew the material, I just sucked at tests. All of my referrals were great, even though I had low grades.</p>
<p>I have done a lot also, I have done Google Summer of code 2x in a row, worked for Atto, IBM and in the labs at my school. I have done research in VSLI, I did a lot of graduate level research, ive worked in my schools Cedar program in handwriting recognition, as well as data mining for the USPS. Ive done a lot projects to. I have all of this documented and have very high words from my professors.</p>
<p>So I didn't need good grades, because I couldn't of done the research and projects if I didn't know the material. Its sad that most classes are basses mostly on tests, but thats how it is and i am already through it.</p>
<p>I have alot of friends on different online forums, many engineers whom I talk to frequently and some even work in HR. Ive been told by them that grades rarely matter and thats what reassured me a few years ago. Guess what they were 100% correct.</p>
<p>i586, you are special. most people with 2.8's don't have time to do EC's cuz their grades suck.</p>
<p>truth: most employers(EE-based, not tech stuff) seek employees with GPA's from 3.0-3.6</p>
<p>A lot of employers (not the top tier) rather not have people with super-high GPA's because the guys with 4.0's are usually more independent and arrogant, might not get hired into those BIG companies, or just get offers same as Mr. 3.0 but of course mr. 4.0 gets recruited from graduate schools and big names like GOOGLE and the bunch.</p>
<p>But unless you got a huge resume like i586 and get lucky... maybe he/she is URM, a 2.8 does not really cut it. But don't lose hope if you got something between a 3.0 and a 3.6, majority of companies REALLY want you.</p>
<p>So, do you tell employers that your gpa is low because you have a learning disability? Maybe it depends upon what that disability is. I am curious because I know someone like this. </p>
<p>Employers probably know that students with learning disabilities get all sorts of additional help, such as extra time on tests, exemption from certain required classes, typed sets of class notes prepared for them by note-takers, etc. Wouldn't being a person, no matter how smart, who needs all of these special considerations be a detriment to being hired? (unless mayabe that counts as hiring a disabled person???)</p>
<p>i586, are you hired as an intern, or are you hired as a graduate?</p>
<p>(BTW, I know all of the companies who were looking for interns at my son's school were very interested in high gpa's, and most did have lower cut-off numbers.)</p>