What exactly does a GPA show?

..i mean my roommate has a 4.0 in finance and economics double major. He barely got 1250 on his SAT, he can't explain to you what a computer does? he got interviews but of course didn't get an offer because he was too theoretical.

Don't get me wrong but all he does is study. If you ask him a question and he doesn't know it, his answer would be, its not in the textbook.

I have a mid 3 average and i can say, i would prefer to be in my position than him.

can anyone please then tell me why a gpa should be used a barrier of entry to a field and also why it is used to evaluate who is smart and who is not, when it doesn't tell you much

 

First, it's the most indicative measure companies have of how well someone does in class, which measures how hard someone works and how well they understand the class material. Second, it's the only way to look at candidates relative to each other at a first glance.

Not perfect of course, but it's the best first screen and comparison when you don't know a candidate. The interviews are there to weed out those who do not possess the additional qualities sought after.

 
Best Response

I've asked a number of recruiters what they believe a high GPA means. Perhaps surprisingly, most of the answers had little to do with intelligence. Here are some of the responses:

  • Ability to excel within a system (quote from a dot-com megamillionaire who is now big in VC)

  • That the applicant is most likely NOT lazy at all, but not necessarily smart. (quote from a BB recruiter)

  • If the coursework was rigorous: may tell you that the applicant can just sit and work and work and work and not complain (relevant in IBD). On a similar note, that the applicant is probably willing to make sacrifices to improve career prospects. (again, pretty relevant in IBD) (quote from a HF manager)

 

The GPA is a number, and numbers are better than anything else for easily separating applicants. Like the above poster said, if you have to read thousands of resumes, you'll want to, at first glance, eliminate some. A 4.0 is clearly better than a 3.0. Put the 3.0 in the reject pile. Move on. Repeat. There's no time to read every little detail.

Of course it's not a perfect measurement, but it's the easiest way.

 

i agree with the above, the gpa is just a way to weed out applicants. think about it, when you have maybe 10-20 seconds per resume and theres a thick stack of em in front of you, you want to get through em as quick as possible and the gpa is one way to weed em out.

i will say this though, the gpa is not indicative of how well you will do in this industry or others..i know a VP at a BB who had a 3.1 from a non-target who's prob as good a VP as there is and was a direct promote through VP. I also know a lot of people from target schools with a 3.0-3.3 who got into banking and did just fine.

 

Had a low 3's GPA bc I was balancing doing domestic activation missions with a homeland force (think Nat'l Guard/Reserves etc.), helping out with flood victims, building collapses etc. while I was a full-time student (while majoring in Mathematics and also having a job). 

Additionally, the STEM major is almost always going to have a more rigorous path to the same GPA as many non-STEM majors.

Grading standards almost always differ significantly between institutions as well. 

I agree that GPA is a fairly easy initial screen but not all GPAs are created equal. In fact, far from it. 

(then again maybe I'm biased)

 
AttackSnail

Had a low 3's GPA bc I was balancing doing domestic activation missions with a homeland force (think Nat'l Guard/Reserves etc.), helping out with flood victims, building collapses etc. while I was a full-time student (while majoring in Mathematics and also having a job). 

Additionally, the STEM major is almost always going to have a more rigorous path to the same GPA as many non-STEM majors.

Grading standards almost always differ significantly between institutions as well. 

I agree that GPA is a fairly easy initial screen but not all GPAs are created equal. In fact, far from it. 

(then again maybe I'm biased)

I understand STEM is harder and the GPAs are lower, but there is always that one guy with the 4.0 in a STEM major that is just a genius.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Had a low 3's GPA bc I was balancing doing domestic activation missions with a homeland force (think Nat'l Guard/Reserves etc.), helping out with flood victims, building collapses etc. while I was a full-time student (while majoring in Mathematics and also having a job). 

Additionally, the STEM major is almost always going to have a more rigorous path to the same GPA as many non-STEM majors.

Grading standards almost always differ significantly between institutions as well. 

I agree that GPA is a fairly easy initial screen but not all GPAs are created equal. In fact, far from it. 

(then again maybe I'm biased)

IMO a GPA should be "good enough" if coupled with well-rounded extra-curriculars and informed interest. When you only screen for the top GPAs you're narrowing your pool to robot nerds who often lack an ability to be creative, social, contrarian, or overcome non-academic/intellectual challenges. 

 

I think GPA is good because it's one of the only ways to initially screen candidates that you don't know. But imo it reflects 60% how hard you work, 30% how well you can game the system, and 10% intelligence.

There's too much grade variance from school to school. Schools can have an A- at a 3.5, 3.667, or 3.7. Some schools will curve you up and inflate, some will reduce your grade to fit some class average that is also arbitrary. Some classes have 80% of the grade based off exams, some it's 40%. You can also take super easy classes to boost your GPA, which just comes down to money for the extra credits. Wish there was a better system.

 

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