<p>Im a Yale student and just wanted to see what the older members think of the significance of college grades. As members of the real world, how much do you think grades in college matter? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>They matter in getting your first job. And then they matter a lot less. What you accomplish in your jobs matters considerably more.</p>
<p>Certain honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) can have slightly longer “life” than just grades. But as noted, accomplishments matter much more.</p>
<p>Grades of course can also determine entrance to graduate schools, even after you’ve been working for a while.</p>
<p>For same universities, grades don’t matter as much as the fact you are from (graduated) said universities. But you already knew this. It is also virtually impossible to flunk-out.</p>
<p>For professional schools, grades can matter a LOT. Ditto, grad school. Also, certain industries (Wall Street).</p>
<p>Grades are important for graduate school. Some posters report that they work for companies that ask for applicant’s grades…I have not worked for a company that asked for them although some kids report them on their resume. I now work for a business that required a copy of my transcript for my personnel file as a regulatory procedure, but they did not request it until after I was hired.</p>
<p>While no job has asked to see my grades, I can only assume that they helped getting into grad school. I know they are very important for internships - a cause of consternation to my son who has a very good reason for his not as high as he would like grades. And as someone pointed out, the fact that you graduated with honors (if you do) will stay on your resume forever.</p>
<p>My husband hires grads from top schools for very sought after jobs and has for decades. Being PBK and/or Suma never fails to impress.</p>
<p>So, Yalie, How is the grade deflation program working out?
:)</p>
<p>Also, what’s the motivation for your question? I assume that grades are out or near being out and you have some concerns?</p>
<p>DS finished with very, very high grades at an top 20 engineering school. They don’t do the PBK thing. They give sashes; to hold up the bathrobe??</p>
<p>I often wondered if the curriculum was hard enough? He double majored, too. ;)</p>
<p>Speaking as a parent, your grades matter as proof that you are putting as much effort into your college work as you did during the years leading up to college. Most parents would say to you something along the lines of, “We are paying a small fortune for you to attend an excellent university. We expect you to go to classes and do your best work.” which doesn’t mean that we would have no sympathy for some less than stellar grades, but we expect you to do your best, and grades are an objective way to assess that.</p>
<p>In all honesty, I have never actually seen my college students’ grades, but notifications of making the Dean’s List are sent to our home address, and we haven’t had any reason to doubt our kids’ self reported grades.</p>
<p>Grades are extremely important or not very important depending on what your plans are after you graduate. I’m pretty sure you already know that.</p>
<p>They often matter for the first job, less after that. They matter a lot for getting into top medical, law, and business schools, and certain other highly competitive graduate programs.</p>
<p>Grade inflation has been rampant at the Ivies and other elite institutions. At Yale, for example, the average undergrad GPA was 2.56 in 1963. By 1975 it was up to 3.27. In 2008 it was 3.51. Even at that inflated level, however, the average Yale undergrad will not qualify for admission to Yale Law School (median undergrad GPA for enrolled freshmen = 3.91) or for that matter any top 20 law school (#20 University of Minnesota Law School median undergrad GPA for enrolled freshmen = 3.71). The exception is that for law schools ranked roughly #8 or #10 and lower, stellar LSAT scores (above the school’s median) can sometimes compensate for a below-median GPA. But the most desirable applicants are those who are above the school’s medians in both GPA and LSAT scores. (It’s the tyranny of US News rankings, which friends tell me is even more out of control as a drive of law school admissions than at the undergrad level).</p>
<p>If you plan not to attend graduate or professional school, undergrad grades probably matter less, especially if you do respectably well at an elite school like Yale. Still, there may be some professional opportunities that your classmates with higher GPAs will get first crack at.</p>
<p>LongPrime, The Honor Society for engineers is Tau Beta Pi. There are over 200 college chapters.</p>
<p>peanutbutters, are you part of the group thinking, “Hey, if George Bush was capable of getting C’s here, and there has presumably been some grade inflation since that time, why is my Yale GPA . . . ?” If so, please be assured that you have some distinguished company. Practically all Yale students have lower GPA’s in college than they did in high school. </p>
<p>If you look at the footnotes of the study that gives 3.51 as the average Yale GPA in 2008, you will discover that this is estimated, and not based on direct data from Yale about the average GPA. The cut off for cum laude (top 30% of the class) is quite high, though, and keeps rising. However, the choice of courses does have something to do with GPA.</p>
<p>For grad school, the admissions committees (largely or entirely composed of faculty) will review your transcript, and look at performance in specific courses. </p>
<p>For med school or law school, provided that you meet the curricular specifications, GPA is pretty much all that counts directly, as far as I can tell. However, in many cases, you can compensate for a less-than-amazing GPA if you get to know a few professors who really like your work and can recommend you highly. This will not get you in the door with firms that have a specified GPA cut-off for internships or interviews, though.</p>
<p>If the Mayans were right, they don’t matter at all.</p>
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<p>Your post makes me realize that come to think of it, I’ve never seen D1’s grades either. But since I did just attend her Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony, I guess my faith in her honesty was well placed. :)</p>
<p>As to the OP’s question,*** it depends***. Because of my grades in my nursing degree, I was hired to participate in a very sought-after critical care internship. There was a very high minimum GPA requirement for acceptance into this program. If not for that internship, rather than working in the ICU environment (which enjoys protected nurse to patient ratios and incredible ancillary support staff), I would have ended up slogging it out on a general floor. I would rather flip burgers than work on the floor these days, as their nurse to patient ratios have climbed to unsafe numbers (in my opinion), leading to incredible stress for nurses, increased potential for medication errors, and decreased patient satisfaction.</p>
<p>GPA is beneficial for: internships, further schooling after college, and first jobs.</p>
<p>Depends. If you want to get into a community college two-year nursing program after graduation, better keep your GPA close to 4.0.</p>
<p>It isnt said too often (since grades arent really discussed here) but it pops up every now and then: that the Yale name makes up for a weak GPA. I started this thread because I dont really think thats the case. I just wanted to know public opinion.</p>