What your GPA says about you?

Hey everyone. I'm sure we all keep seeing these threads about people lying about their GPAs and rounding them up when they shouldn't. So I was hoping to see from someone who reviews resume's perspective, what different GPAs say about each candidate.

4.0: .....
3.9: .....
3.8: .....
3.7: .....
3.6: .....
3.5: .....
3.4: .....
3.3: .....
3.2: .....
3.1: .....
3.0: .....
Below 3.0: Back Office

What do you guys think different GPA levels mean? What's your preferred GPA? What GPA do/did you have?

 

You can't compare GPA on a 1:1 ratio, too many factors involved: Grade inflation, workload, academic / subject rigor, how the classes are graded.

Let's say you have a 2.9 GPA candidate in Math / Physics / Engineering from Caltech, vs a 3.6 GPA candidate in the softest of soft majors from certain Ivy League schools, who do you think had the most challenging workload? Grade inflation is so bad at certain schools and majors that you can get a 3.0 by simply having a pulse.

 

My school doesn't have the curve that you mentioned, everyone can get an A if they meet the numerical criteria outlined in the syllabus. This might be a dumb question but what happens in a class with all smart people? Like, if you're at H/S/W and everyone in your class gets a B or above, is the professor forced to fail people?

 

The 3.9+ GPA students were always the most insecure and "one-up" people that I met at University (non-target). If you were double majoring they would talk about how they aren't double majoring because of this excuse or that. They usually were pretty bad at reading the room and those soft skills. I had a 2.5ish GPA (I can't remember what it was exactly) but I emphasized learning rather than grades. Yeah it made me work in BO for 1.5 years or so before moving to FO, but I busted through with the skills that I learned and cultivated.

 
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The fact you have to preface your question with that shows how insecure other people can be. I don't mind you asking that, just as I've never minded talking to people about salaries. The more information, the more people learn.

I've never listed my GPA on my resume and my education is at the bottom. I gave no impression that my grades were that low and my resume is stellar in terms of layout (most people comment that it is visually appealing and that probably played a big part). I'm also not at a top tier bank (WF) so it may be different and impossible to make the jump if you're at JPM/GS/MS. For me, it was more about getting that ONE shot in front of a manager who needs someone RIGHT NOW because someone left and I crushed my chance. Life is so much about seizing opportunities regardless of circumstances.

 
George_Banker:
3.6: never studied once, but got by with good enough grades to justify it

3.2: never cheated.

Nailed it...I will do a one up just as a point of reference. I got a 3.67 with basically no studying/class attendance with a dual engineering/finance major.

One of my best friends went next level and didn't even bother to turn in engineering homework and got a 2.9. He then worked in Lockheed skunkworks and now runs an entire country for an oil major. Smart people rise to the top regardless of grades, assuming proper motivation.

Classroom work and rote studying never fit my personality. I want to learn by doing.

 
TechBanking:
George_Banker:
3.6: never studied once, but got by with good enough grades to justify it

3.2: never cheated.

Nailed it...I will do a one up just as a point of reference. I got a 3.67 with basically no studying/class attendance with a dual engineering/finance major.

One of my best friends went next level and didn't even bother to turn in engineering homework and got a 2.9. He then worked in Lockheed skunkworks and now runs an entire country for an oil major. Smart people rise to the top regardless of grades, assuming proper motivation.

Classroom work and rote studying never fit my personality. I want to learn by doing.

What a contradiction.

First, smart people will rise to the top....second, I don't like something so I do poorly in it lol.

Personally, the 3.5+ kids were copying and cheating off my work, and I had a 3.3.

It's not that you don't like studying, you don't care and would rather be a puckered lipped ass kisser. Those type of people always get by because they say they can do something they don't know with a smile and their parents bred them to be prime brown-nosers.

That's why you get people from pure backgrounds making all of these royally stupid mistakes in leadership today.

/rant

 

Don't be sorry, no one cares.

I never said oh, those engineering majors have it tough, I should go do engineering so I have it tough, too! I wasn't interested in it, so I did other things.

There are plenty of reasons people get different ranges of GPAs, mixtures of work ethic, intelligence, focus, blah blah blah. Who cares? What I want to know is your batting average in 10 year-old little league.

This, and other awesome subjects, will be beaten to death on WSO, the Mount Olympus of male insecurity.

 

Okay so let's say the average is 90% and everyone scores around that high. This never really happens, but for the sake of argument, that means that everyones' grades get curved down, and a 90% literally becomes the new average, a C. Sub-90% is C- or worse, and you'd need to be pretty close to a perfect score to get an A.

I never had this happen that badly but I had an A- curved down to a B+ on a test because everyone did so well on it. Always feels unfair but it is what it is.

There are also obviously times when a really hard test has an average of only like 60%, and then the 60% becomes the new average. This is more common, because classes and tests are usually pretty hard at my school.

 

Personally, I think the correlation between GPA and persona is pretty gray. I knew kids who spent days in the library to break 3.0 while others didn't have to crack a book open for 3.8. It really just measures your ability to study and account for material which for some could take days and for others could take a few hours. It's really just how much time you want to put into some exam as opposed to going out for the fourth night in a row, and this comes from a 3.6 guy. Also, always go out regardless of whether it's the fourth night in a row.

Not too high, not too low
 

jesus gpa does not matter as much as you think my goal for college was to get a good enough gpa that i could get in the door (3.5+) with the minimal amount of effort, and i think more ppl should take that approach

your internship experience is what will really take you over the top so spend that time cold emailing and practicing for interviews

 

A GPA is very important if (and almost only if):

A) You're applying for certain scholarships

B) You're applying for prestigious Universities (grad. school for example)

C) You're applying for grad school in general, though most no-name schools have a hard 3.0 limit

D) You're applying for certain finance or consulting gigs. This is obviously a topic you can write a book about, and depends very much on firm and location. Where I'm from, regioal the banks are extremely fixated on grades, and it's next to impossible to land a job / get passed the gatekeepers without the minimum grades. Other places, it's entirely possible to get through with other relevant experience.

All in all, I'd say that having a good GPA is more important in academics, than in the professional world. At least in the professional world, you have the possibilities to get in via alternative ways. It's exceedingly rare to get on a Ph.D program with shit grades...I've heard about 2.7 GPA candidates which networked their way into IBD programs, I've never, ever heard about 2.7 GPA students that managed to convince multiple professors to vouch for them, AND publish research-level publications, to get passed Ph.D admissions.

 

I had 4.0 my first year then my side hustle started picking up and I stopped caring about my GPA as I was already making close to 100K while going to school. My business was actually located in a different town from my University and some semesters I didn't even rent a place to stay in my University town, id just crash on a friends couch for midterms and finals week. Id typically start off my semester with -10% as I wouldn't show up for any quizzes.

Got like 3.0s ish for the rest of university and finished with something like 3.1, was still able to break into a FO role.

GPA is only relevant if its the only thing you got going for you.

 

I don't get it - 3.9 means anti-social? Grade inflation is rampant and it's really really not hard getting a 3.8/3.9 if you're majoring in Business. It all comes down to how you manage your time and what classes you choose - don't be that idiot taking Russian literature with a professor who gives out like 5% A's.

To all the freshman/sophomores - Do your fcking research before choosing classes. So many of my friends have shot themselves in the foot by taking ridiculously hard GE's and then ending up with a B after putting in a shit ton of hours.

This doesn't apply if you're going to an ivy or you're in a STEM major, cause it's obviously much harder.

 
Brute_5:
I don't get it - 3.9 means anti-social? Grade inflation is rampant and it's really really not hard getting a 3.8/3.9 if you're majoring in Business. It all comes down to how you manage your time and what classes you choose - don't be that idiot taking Russian literature with a professor who gives out like 5% A's.

To all the freshman/sophomores - Do your fcking research before choosing classes. So many of my friends have shot themselves in the foot by taking ridiculously hard GE's and then ending up with a B after putting in a shit ton of hours.

This doesn't apply if you're going to an ivy or you're in a STEM major, cause it's obviously much harder.

@Brute_5" 3.9 doesn’t mean anti-social. But a 4.0 falls into three buckets:

a) Asian with no social skills b) virgin/incel/autistic c) Black majoring in African American Studies: Professors rubber stamp As as “reparations” or the liberal administration wants to bullshit the public by saying “how dare anyone says affirmative action candidates don’t serve to be here. They have higher GPAs than the white and Asian kids.”

 

4.0: Nerd. 3.9: Nerd. 3.8: Nerd. 3.7: Nerd. 3.6: Nerd. 3.5: Nerd. 3.4: Perfect balance of charisma, smarts, and charm. A true gentleman and scholar. 3.3: Idiot. 3.2: Idiot. 3.1: Idiot. 3.0: Idiot. Below 3.0: Idiot.

 

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