<p>When I went to college, long ago, just getting a degree was what mattered. I had several job offers after graduating, even with a major in world religions! My gpa was ok, but I never interned. I have NEVER been asked my gpa in a job application. I had a BA from a top school . That is all that mattered. It appears, not any more.</p>
<p>My S graduated last May from a top LAC w/ a major in physics and minor in math. Trouble is, his gpa is not stellar. This is not because he couldn't do it, but more wouldn't. He also never interned anywhere. He also did not take advantage of the career placement office at his school, although he probably would not have been selected for an interview for a job or internship given his gpa. (It's not a 2.0 but not a 3.0 either. Somewhere about half way in between.) He definitely has some other issues, but his college choices, major and other things, could be helping him more now had he choosen differently. He does not have a full time job. So much for demand for math and science majors. </p>
<p>My D1 is a senior at a top school and has a very strong gpa but a bit unusual major, (Industrial Labor Relations.) She had an internship at a top Investment Bank in NYC after sophomore year and another after junior year. She was given a job offer last summer, so has a job waiting for her when she graduates in May.</p>
<p>So my suggestions--
-get the highest gpa you can. It matters.
-try to get an internship in a field you are interested. Or any internship for professional job experience.
-major in something that will teach you a job skill (accounting, physical therapy, education, engineering, computer science, etc.) If not, get the gpa!!
-think about what school, when choosing, may result in the best job offer.</p>
<p>As far as our S is concerned, at this point, it was not worth the price of the top school. He should have attended the local state school. (He did for a semester for medical reasons and got a 4.0-- taking the several of the "most" difficult classes at the school.)</p>
<p>I don’t know–I think it has always been helpful to have an internship in a field you plan to pursue. My S did summer research after his sophomore & junior years. He has had several job offers in his field, some as early as January. </p>
<p>It has always been helpful to get good grades in a major that relates to a career, if possible. S is an EE. Many of his engineering friends who didn’t have internships have not received job offers, especially since only 50 of the usual 150 employers showed up for the job fair this month!</p>
<p>Grades & major also affect propects for grad school.</p>
<p>We have been looking at Internship and part time opportunities with S, who is majoring in the computer field. Many of those ads state as a requirement that the GPA be a minimum of 3.0 or in some cases 3.2. This also applies for entry level positions coming out of college. So not that he needed it, but he has additional incentive to keep that GPA up.</p>
<p>GPA does matter, but from what I’ ve seen from hiring at my employer and my son’s friends’ experience in the job search process, major doesn’t matter all that much (other than specialized positions requiring engineering degrees or something similar). I think a good rule of thumb is to major in something you really like - you are more likely to do well in those classes. I think GPA matters particularly for your FIRST job, less so for subsequent jobs (if at all).</p>
<p>Morrism, I think you are referring to our sons’ mutual school - that placement office does continue to help alumni. Your son should contact them.</p>
<p>It all depends - when I searched for jobs as a senior (in 2007), I was asked for GPA only about 20% of the time, and a lot of people I know claim to have never been asked for GPA. Some fields care more than others. Some companies care more than others. Some places will ask for GPA if you went to a less-prestigious school, but not if you went to a big name.</p>
<p>GPAs do matter as many personnel departments screen by GPA. Physics and math are fine majors - we do hire them sometimes for software engineering.</p>
<p>I’d look harder at a 2.5 gpa student, and probably ask to see the transcript if I was interested in potentially hiring. There’s a huge difference to me between a student who flunked out freshman year, and who came back and dug himself out of the hole with a solid mix of As and Bs during junior and senior years than a student who rather consistently got Bs and Cs all the way along. The first student, I could hire. The second student is flying a lot of warning flags from my perspective, and I wouldn’t be likely to hire him unless there was something else truly persuasive about his situation, or unless he already had three or four years of solid work experience with excellent recommendations.</p>
<p>D1 was a physics major also. That is a TOUGH major–I think she could have done a little better GPA-wise in college (she majored in ECs; minored in physics), but never would have been a top student. She took 3 computer classes her senior year and now is a software engineer.</p>
<p>I don’t know what she would be doing if she hadn’t taken those computer classes…</p>
<p>Some jobs are much more easily gotten if you’ve done internships–investment banking and engineering jobs are good examples. Luckily, those fields are more set up for providing internships.</p>
<p>So what is your S’s plan for the future? Once he figures out what he wants to do, he can take post bac classes at the local state U, up his GPA, get a masters degree (applying himself this time) and move into a career. Whether or not he feels well-served by his expensive undergrad degree, he can move on…</p>
<p>In large companies, the HR person doesn’t have expertise in the major or work area so they have to filter based on what is easily fliterable. If someone can get around HR directly to the hiring manager, then the GPA might not be as much of an issue.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is an “internship” per se that does it. I think employers like to see college kids that have SOMETHING on their resume that demonstrates they have been a reliable, productive contributor to a real-world enterprise. A lot of college kids have never had a real job. One of the dangers of hiring from hoity-toit schools is the risk of getting a kid who is unwilling to accept the “grunt-work” of an entry-level position.</p>
<p>In today’s competitive job market, and with the opportunity that employers have to place positions off shore GPA matters, even from top colleges.</p>
<p>As a hiring manager I would look at an applicant with a 2.5 GPA with scrutiny.</p>
<p>I agree with interesteddad – in my current experience, many of the kids in our reasonably affluent and highly educated community have major hooks that help them get internships that look amazing, and because of the general affluence, usually don’t need to worry about earning money – and often choose internships that actually cost their families a good deal of money in travel expenses. On the other hand, I once hired a new college graduate who had started with McDonalds in high school, worked her way up through shift leader early in college, and become someone that the local franchiser used to train new staff and to sub in for assistant managers taking summer vacations. She’d paid quite a lot of her own college expenses, and was one of the best hires I ever made. Her deep understanding of people and how to work with them came from a lot of hard-earned experience. In the end, I don’t think that it matters so very much whether it is an internship or a job, but the student does need to show some intensity and growth, and being social chair of the fraternity with a 2.5 gpa isn’t what I’m looking for.</p>
<p>Umm, no, so much for demand for math and science majors with lousy gpa’s. High-achieving graduates with degrees in mathematics and other quantitative disciplines are in perennial demand in many fields.</p>
<p>GPA certainly does matter, it can even effect how much you get paid, with high acheiving students being offered a higher base salary. But the real killer is if you have no internships or work experience of any kind and if you don’t do any networking. </p>
<p>Internships or work experience give you something to put on the resume to show that you have certain skills and experience and can handle yourself in an office environment (or whatever the environment is). Even if they aren’t applicable to the job you’re applying for (say you interned in a museum but you want to be an investment banker) they show you have initiative. </p>
<p>One of the great benefits of going to a small LAC vs. a large university is that it connects you to a wide network of alums who can help you with your first internships and first jobs, even if you have no experience or not a great GPA. That’s really what career centers at LACs do, not so much place you in a job but help you connect to the alum network and to on-campus recruiters and let them help you find positions. </p>
<p>But a GPA below 3.0 with no internship or job experience to show that he’s a hard worker even if not an academic high achiever, well if you were a hiring manager, what would you think? Here’s a person who chooses not to apply himself. Why would you want him in your business even if he has skills that are in demand, especially in a weak economy?</p>
<p>Your S should think about getting in touch with his career office and asking for the addresses/emails/phone numbers of alums working in his preferred field and set up some informational interviews. At this point, his best shot to a full time job is making a connection with someone who will hire him despite his low GPA and lack of internships.</p>
<p>So most of you agree–GPA matters a lot in this day and age. This needs to be emphasized to college students, many of whom think only the diploma matters.</p>
<p>Basically my smart S is in a heap of trouble.</p>
<p>I have had this conversation with my D several times - 3.0 is a minimum, and a 3.2 is highly desirable. 25 years ago, some companies wouldn’t even interview those with below a certain cutoff - 3.5, 3.2, whatever. I imagine it’s even worse now, with computerized pre-screening.</p>
<p>Recently I looked into the alternate route to becoming a teacher – the min GPA is 2.8, I believe - no matter how old your transcript is, or how much experience you have. I also looked into returning to school to get a Masters degree - after all these years, there is also a minimum GPA of 2.75, even for the “professional” masters degree.</p>
<p>GPA matters a whole lot. I would even say that if you child does not maintain a cumulative above 2.8, it is not worth paying for - have them take a break until they are ready to do better.</p>
<p>Well, I can’t say that I know about all grad programs, but I do know that it is possible to get into some grad programs for teaching with a 2.5 from the recent experience of someone that I know. That transcript included a couple of Ds. </p>
<p>Depending on what grad program is desired, some GPA’s can be boosted with additional courses at the undergrad level even at your local state U. I also would think there are grad programs that are available even in the student’s previous fields of study with less than a 3.0 from a good college, but a wide search would be necessary. </p>
<p>Unfortunately it is a bad job outlook for new grads. This was much the case when I graduated years ago. Many of my friends who did not go to grad school took jobs that were somewhat “lesser” (for lack of a better word), but eventually did get good positions. Of course it is better to be an analyst in an I Bank than some big wigs assistant, but lots of college grads did and still do that. Additionally, when I worked as a lawyer in NYC, paralegals had college degrees from good colleges (even top LACs) and went on to law or other grad schools. I would also suggest looking at openings in government.</p>
<p>Heck, even the government can and IS selective, since many people are applying there as industry/private jobs are “drying up.” S has many friends who have no idea what they will do this summer or to get a job after they graduate from college. Schools, programs & employers DO look at grades and can increasingly afford to be extremely picky.</p>
<p>Job and internship experience is also very important.</p>