Do you think that graduating from college with a low GPA is the end of
August 15, 2013 8:57 AM Subscribe
Do you think that graduating from college with a low GPA is the end of the world? If someone graduated from college with a 2.5 or 2.6 overall GPA, could that person still be successful in his or her career, live a rewarding life, pursue hobbies, and travel around the world? Or would that person be confined to flipping burgers or working at Walmart for the rest of his or her life?
I was asked my GPA on a job interview exactly once. I have no idea what good it did that person because FERPA forbids a college from releasing grades to anyone the student/alumnus does not wish the grades to be released and I definitely did not sign a FERPA clearance.
posted by griphus at 9:01 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by griphus at 9:01 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
That's catastrophizing a bit. Totally irrelevant other than for grad school, or the weird employers (like my boss) who ask to see transcripts of potential hires.
For grad school, low GPA can be overcome by stellar recommendations or a post-baccalaureate program.
posted by supercres at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
For grad school, low GPA can be overcome by stellar recommendations or a post-baccalaureate program.
posted by supercres at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
My experience has been that what really matters with regards to getting meaningful employment is whether you hustled to network and gain internship/work experience, etc. No employer post undergrad or grad has ever asked about my grades either.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [7 favorites]
I'd say it's almost a blessing. If you graduate with a 4.0, you could feel like you own the world, that people should come calling for you, that you have finished the hard work and now life will be easy. The fact is the hard work and real job-relevant learning start after school, and if you have a relatively low GPA, you are probably going to be of the mindset that you have a lot of hard work and proving of yourself to do. That should serve you well. As stated above, nobody really cares in a workplace what your GPA was (after all, there are many reasons for a low GPA and it doesn't necessarily mean someone is not smart) as long as you are effective in your work, a considerate and helpful person, a good team player, fun to know and work with, etc.
posted by Dansaman at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Dansaman at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
If that person wanted to go to grad school, their GPA might preclude some options. Some government jobs or higher level financial companies or similar positions might ask for a GPA. If that person wanted to do any of a myriad of other careers, their GPA should not be a problem. But there's kind of a big gap between "flipping burgers and/or Walmart" and "travel the world!!!"-- what do you actually want to do? What are you interested in, what fields, what areas of study? What kinds of work?
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2013
Lots and lots of people drop out of college and go on to have successful careers. For that matter, plenty of super well educated very wealthy people don't travel or have hobbies or enjoy their careers.
You'll probably be fine if you are the type of person who will pursue your hobbies and you have the resources to go after jobs you want.
posted by bilabial at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
You'll probably be fine if you are the type of person who will pursue your hobbies and you have the resources to go after jobs you want.
posted by bilabial at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Google used to ask for GPAs and transcripts, but they've discovered "After two or three years, your ability to perform at Google is completely unrelated to how you performed when you were in school, because the skills you required in college are very different."
posted by ryanrs at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [11 favorites]
posted by ryanrs at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [11 favorites]
I'm not totally sure how it compares across, but my undergraduate average was B to B- (so 2.6-2.8ish I guess?) and my MSc was second class first degree (B+ basically) and I have a PhD and a research career. It did take me longer to get funding to do a PhD, but I also had a big career break due to health issues complicating things. I definitely had no problems completing the PhD successfully and I'm good at what I do regardless of my undergrad grades.
posted by shelleycat at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by shelleycat at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013
Also, the CEO of Radio Shack was forced to resign because he lied about having a degree. He was literally in charge of the company before they figured it out.
posted by griphus at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by griphus at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
I have never once been asked my GPA nor has an employer ever sought a transcript or proof of graduation.
posted by headnsouth at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by headnsouth at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013
Oh, NASA. I had to send an unofficial transcript with my application to the astronaut training program. (I didn't get in.)
posted by supercres at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by supercres at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013
Oh, I also live on the other side of the world from where I grew up so yes, career, travel, hobbies, everything is possible even with a B- degree. It's what you make of things afterwards that matters.
posted by shelleycat at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by shelleycat at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013
I graduated with a GPA lower (not much) than 2.5. Applied to and got into a top 5 business school in Chicago, have my own business, have a house in the suburbs and would personally consider myself a success although I view success as being happy, having my kids be healthy, happy and well adjusted and being able to buy cold beer whenever I want it. YMMV
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:05 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
I too have only ever been asked exactly once -- for a (Canadian) government position. Aside from that -- never. The diploma itself was all that mattered.
And the interviewers made a big deal out of a shitty grade I got in second year undergrad. Given how well I did after that, both with grad school in that same major, and law school after, I thought that was an indication that I got past that. But anything to weed out candidates, I suppose. (Who, me, bitter?)
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:07 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
And the interviewers made a big deal out of a shitty grade I got in second year undergrad. Given how well I did after that, both with grad school in that same major, and law school after, I thought that was an indication that I got past that. But anything to weed out candidates, I suppose. (Who, me, bitter?)
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:07 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
I graduated with a 3.0 or thereabouts (only that high because I only took electives my senior year) and I'm finishing up my SECOND PhD. I also have two Master's degrees from top-ranked universities. So yeah, things aren't that bad.
posted by mrfuga0 at 9:10 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by mrfuga0 at 9:10 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Not GPA per se, but as a public school teacher, I have always been required to submit transcripts from undergrad and grad school. So they care a teeny bit, but most teachers' GPAs were, well, considerably lower than mine, and it doesn't seem to have hurt them much. *shrugs*
posted by lysimache at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by lysimache at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2013
I think it'll matter more what your degree is in, what other experiance you have and what else you've done with your time.
2.5 in a "soft" degree, no internships/extracurriculars, and you have no hobbies/interests paints a very different picture from 2.5 from an in demand degree, interesting jobs/hobbies and a good can-do attitude.
I've only been asked for my transcript once, when appling to the analyst program at one of the top investment banks in the country right out of school and they also asked for my SAT scores...
posted by larthegreat at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
2.5 in a "soft" degree, no internships/extracurriculars, and you have no hobbies/interests paints a very different picture from 2.5 from an in demand degree, interesting jobs/hobbies and a good can-do attitude.
I've only been asked for my transcript once, when appling to the analyst program at one of the top investment banks in the country right out of school and they also asked for my SAT scores...
posted by larthegreat at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Or would that person be confined to flipping burgers or working at Walmart for the rest of his or her life?
It's good to have a job you like. I presume you are saying you would not like these jobs.
I graduated from a college that did not have GPAs. This was a small issue with my graduate school but not by much. I got decent grades in grad school and am a happy successful person. I think I would have been happy and successful even without having gone to grad school.
There is actually no way that the scenario you outline is plausible unless there were a lot of other things going on. However having a bad overly-dramatic attitude towards the whole deal is probably a minor impediment to happiness. There is no connection between GPA and hobbies, for the most part, for example. I hope you are just feeling stressed out and can look back at this question with amusement.
You will, like most people (including those who work at Walmart and who flip burgers) probably be fine.
posted by jessamyn at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
It's good to have a job you like. I presume you are saying you would not like these jobs.
I graduated from a college that did not have GPAs. This was a small issue with my graduate school but not by much. I got decent grades in grad school and am a happy successful person. I think I would have been happy and successful even without having gone to grad school.
There is actually no way that the scenario you outline is plausible unless there were a lot of other things going on. However having a bad overly-dramatic attitude towards the whole deal is probably a minor impediment to happiness. There is no connection between GPA and hobbies, for the most part, for example. I hope you are just feeling stressed out and can look back at this question with amusement.
You will, like most people (including those who work at Walmart and who flip burgers) probably be fine.
posted by jessamyn at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
Some companies care about your GPA, but generally, that's only at the very beginning of your career, as a "new hire." That's usually because they don't have any work experience or references to check on, since you were in school.
I'd concentrate on getting a good, solid entry-level job and proving that you're a worthy employee. The more years away from college, the less important that college experience (other than the degree) is going to be.
posted by xingcat at 9:16 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'd concentrate on getting a good, solid entry-level job and proving that you're a worthy employee. The more years away from college, the less important that college experience (other than the degree) is going to be.
posted by xingcat at 9:16 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
I had a not great undergraduate GPA. I now live 5,000 miles away from that place, on another continent, and am doing a PhD at a fairly prestiguous university. Anything is possible.
And actually, were my GPA better, I might not have been rejected from the US programs I applied for and would have likely stayed in my American bubble. The overseas schools did not care about my GPA and instead looked toward other metrics. This was fortunate.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:18 AM on August 15, 2013
And actually, were my GPA better, I might not have been rejected from the US programs I applied for and would have likely stayed in my American bubble. The overseas schools did not care about my GPA and instead looked toward other metrics. This was fortunate.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:18 AM on August 15, 2013
Have you noticed how when you graduate from college you have to get your GPA tattooed on your forehead and everyone you meet uses that information to decide your worth as a human being and whether or not to hire you?
No? You haven't noticed that?
Serious answer: how would anyone know what your GPA is?
posted by medusa at 9:18 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
No? You haven't noticed that?
Serious answer: how would anyone know what your GPA is?
posted by medusa at 9:18 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
Graduated from a public school in 2008 with a 2.6 in Economics, I'm now earning a little under $90k/yr in a medium cost of living city with a large company doing marketing analytics. The hardest part is getting the first job that will let you show what you can really do.
posted by speedgraphic at 9:19 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by speedgraphic at 9:19 AM on August 15, 2013
What I'm trying to say is that even *within* academia a low GPA doesn't matter much. Even less so outside of it.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:19 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by iamkimiam at 9:19 AM on August 15, 2013
I've never been asked, except for a government position and that was a formality.
But look at the job postings. You'll never see anyone demanding a specific GPA. What gets people hired in good jobs? Good connections, good attitude, and the ability to solve problems proactively.
posted by mochapickle at 9:19 AM on August 15, 2013
But look at the job postings. You'll never see anyone demanding a specific GPA. What gets people hired in good jobs? Good connections, good attitude, and the ability to solve problems proactively.
posted by mochapickle at 9:19 AM on August 15, 2013
I had a college boyfriend who had a similar GPA because he was unmotivated in college (in a soft/not in demand degree program). When he first got out of school he worked as a clerk in a retail job for a while, but that was for the same reason he had the low GPA - he wasn't motivated to get a better job. Once he got his act together he became the manager of the retail store, and then after that got in to law school, and now he's a successful lawyer.
Grad schools and employers both know that GPA during college doesn't reflect the actual intelligence and ability of the student if they aren't performing up to their potential at that time due to immaturity, mental illness, life circumstances, whatever.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:22 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Grad schools and employers both know that GPA during college doesn't reflect the actual intelligence and ability of the student if they aren't performing up to their potential at that time due to immaturity, mental illness, life circumstances, whatever.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:22 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
I actually rank resumes a bit lower when vetting if the applicant includes their GPA. I care much more about work experience, life experience, and a decent cover letter than a GPA or even academic honors. I've seen several resumes where the GPA is treated like a drop-the-mic moment - those people never even make it to phone interviews with me.
Maybe I'd care more if I was hiring people to write papers and takes tests all day, but so far I have yet to see a single job opening for such a career.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:25 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Maybe I'd care more if I was hiring people to write papers and takes tests all day, but so far I have yet to see a single job opening for such a career.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:25 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
A close friend from college whose GPA was extremely meh got into grad school (twice!) and now flies planes for NOAA.
I have never had an employer ask about my GPA.
posted by rtha at 9:26 AM on August 15, 2013
I have never had an employer ask about my GPA.
posted by rtha at 9:26 AM on August 15, 2013
I have several times now had employers act like I was too good for them because of my grass and make offers to people who were much further down in the class instead. It is very much what you make of it.
posted by Sequence at 9:30 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sequence at 9:30 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am successful in my career, I live a rewarding life, pursue hobbies, and travel around the world.
I didn't finish high school.
posted by Jairus at 9:33 AM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
I didn't finish high school.
posted by Jairus at 9:33 AM on August 15, 2013 [4 favorites]
I have been asked for GPAs and college transcripts before, but it did not affect me professionally. My jobs and graduate school opportunities were due almost entirely due to my work experience.
A person's low GPA is almost invariably a symptom, not a cause, or their professional shortcomings. Employers care much less about GPA than they do about a track record of experience and your motivation and fit for the job.
posted by deanc at 9:36 AM on August 15, 2013
A person's low GPA is almost invariably a symptom, not a cause, or their professional shortcomings. Employers care much less about GPA than they do about a track record of experience and your motivation and fit for the job.
posted by deanc at 9:36 AM on August 15, 2013
2.9 at a mediocre liberal arts college that no one's ever heard of, majored in history (graduated 2007). I make $100k+ in the consulting world, and just got into a relatively prestigious grad school for an entirely different subject, a subject in which I received poor grades in my original undergraduate career (including failing a class). I do considerable work and personal travel, although that'll have to stop once school starts, and I fully expect to double my income when I enter my new field.
So no, your life is not over.
posted by downing street memo at 9:36 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
So no, your life is not over.
posted by downing street memo at 9:36 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
No one cares about your GPA. Or where you went, except alums who are trying to help out other alums.
As a contrapositive to all the people here who are posting low GPA and high success, I had a 3.26 in the engineering department of a top-20 school and can't get a callback for anything. Which proves the point from the other side of the limit.
posted by notsnot at 9:37 AM on August 15, 2013
As a contrapositive to all the people here who are posting low GPA and high success, I had a 3.26 in the engineering department of a top-20 school and can't get a callback for anything. Which proves the point from the other side of the limit.
posted by notsnot at 9:37 AM on August 15, 2013
No, your life is not over. All else equal, it is better to have a higher GPA, and it may limit you in some fields as you apply for your first job, but a few years out, as others have noted, your work experience will trump your GPA.
posted by deadweightloss at 9:38 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by deadweightloss at 9:38 AM on August 15, 2013
College dropout here. I've worked on software that's been used in films you've enjoyed (and have credits in a few blockbusters), built portions of consumer products that you've used, been interviewed by grad students for my role in social media movements.
My resume doesn't mention my ill-fated college career. For jobs that are listed as requiring a degree I've mentioned in my cover letter that I don't have a degree and still get interest.
There are things that would have been easier with a degree, but your career and what you do with your life is what you make of it. Plenty of people struggled through high school and went on to run huge companies, plenty of people with decent college degrees struggle to hold down retail jobs.
As others here have pointed out, you might struggle to get a government bureaucracy job, but so what? Get out there and change the world.
posted by straw at 9:39 AM on August 15, 2013
My resume doesn't mention my ill-fated college career. For jobs that are listed as requiring a degree I've mentioned in my cover letter that I don't have a degree and still get interest.
There are things that would have been easier with a degree, but your career and what you do with your life is what you make of it. Plenty of people struggled through high school and went on to run huge companies, plenty of people with decent college degrees struggle to hold down retail jobs.
As others here have pointed out, you might struggle to get a government bureaucracy job, but so what? Get out there and change the world.
posted by straw at 9:39 AM on August 15, 2013
I didn't quite graduate from college and I make a six figure salary as a silicon valley software engineer. I have a girlfriend and a daughter. I race sailboats for fun. I've been to eight countries on three continents. Your mileage may vary, but clearly it's possible.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:42 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:42 AM on August 15, 2013
There might be some specific career where GPA is critical. Most places? Nope. Doesn't matter. I have worked for one employer who did care about GPAs and hired partly based on them. He was a jerk and the people we did not hire because of their GPAs were better off. Even in that case, GPA wasn't the end-all. I had a horrible GPA due to some spectacular mental-health-related crash-and-burning. Truly horrible - worse than the GPAs you are positing. He hired me because he knew the person I was working for at the time, who gave me a glowing review. Possibly also because my in-major GPA was actually pretty good. But overall? Lower than your examples.
I am zipping my way up the ladder in a career that I enjoy, getting accolades for my performance on recent projects, not-infrequently approached by other groups trying to hire me away because I've impressed them. I have a partner I love, hobbies I love, own (well, co-own with the bank) a house that I love in a city I love. I've travelled around the world just fine in the past, although at the moment I'm the only household income so we're not going to be jetsetting until that changes.
You might find it a little trickier first job out of school, but I'm not even sure of that. Once you've gotten into and been successful at a first job, your GPA will never matter again for jobs.
I will say that it has held me back from applying to grad school. My overall GPA is well below what pretty much any school lists as their requirements. But even then, given I now have an extensive work history and glowing work references, I suspect that if I really wanted to go to grad school, I could find a school that would work with me and care more about my recent accomplishments and supervisors' references than about the fact that I bombed Statistics 14 years ago. Or I could be a non-credit student somewhere for a little while, get a good track record of recent good grades, and then apply to a for-credit program. There are ways around that hurdle if I really cared enough to work toward them.
posted by Stacey at 9:42 AM on August 15, 2013
I am zipping my way up the ladder in a career that I enjoy, getting accolades for my performance on recent projects, not-infrequently approached by other groups trying to hire me away because I've impressed them. I have a partner I love, hobbies I love, own (well, co-own with the bank) a house that I love in a city I love. I've travelled around the world just fine in the past, although at the moment I'm the only household income so we're not going to be jetsetting until that changes.
You might find it a little trickier first job out of school, but I'm not even sure of that. Once you've gotten into and been successful at a first job, your GPA will never matter again for jobs.
I will say that it has held me back from applying to grad school. My overall GPA is well below what pretty much any school lists as their requirements. But even then, given I now have an extensive work history and glowing work references, I suspect that if I really wanted to go to grad school, I could find a school that would work with me and care more about my recent accomplishments and supervisors' references than about the fact that I bombed Statistics 14 years ago. Or I could be a non-credit student somewhere for a little while, get a good track record of recent good grades, and then apply to a for-credit program. There are ways around that hurdle if I really cared enough to work toward them.
posted by Stacey at 9:42 AM on August 15, 2013
Even within academia it is not always the end of the world. I know someone who just joined my old department in grad school (a top 10 institution in this field) with a sub-3.0 GPA. My undergrad GPA was no great shakes either. Any more specific advice will probably depend on what exactly you want to do, but a 2.5 is not some kind of indelible scarlet letter.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:46 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by en forme de poire at 9:46 AM on August 15, 2013
Response by poster: I am a senior at Brooklyn College majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Biology. My overall GPA is a 2.54 because I am diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which made it difficult for me to take a full course load of 12-15 credits each semester and get good grades in every course. I am interested in various topics including biological anthropology, osteology, population genetics, forensic anthropology, neuroscience, psycholinguistics, animal behavior, primate evolution and anatomy, prehistoric archaeology, cultural anthropology, tribal art, sustainability, environmental issues such as deforestation and climate change, and public health. I am dreaming about working for the Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the American Indian, a primate conservation center, a nonprofit organization dealing with environmental health and sustainability, or becoming a professional travel blogger. I am currently feeling depressed because I think that my mediocre GPA is going to stop me from achieving any of those goals. I will never get a job or get into a Master's program. Employers will judge me by my horrible undergrad GPA, assume that I'm mentally retarded, and won't even give me a chance to prove myself. Also, most jobs in the Anthropology field require at least a Master's degree and I will never get into graduate school with a 2.54. I don't know what to do with myself.
posted by annanyc at 9:47 AM on August 15, 2013
posted by annanyc at 9:47 AM on August 15, 2013
The only thing that will stop you from reaching those goals is a negative attitude.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:53 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:53 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Yeah, read through these responses. The outcome you're fearing isn't inevitable. You're catastrophizing; failure doesn't have to be your destiny unless you want it to be.
You may not be able to get into the world's best anthro program; your path in general might not be the linear, fast-track one reserved for folks with high gpa's and/or prestigious undergraduate institutions. But you can make it.
posted by downing street memo at 9:56 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
You may not be able to get into the world's best anthro program; your path in general might not be the linear, fast-track one reserved for folks with high gpa's and/or prestigious undergraduate institutions. But you can make it.
posted by downing street memo at 9:56 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
I don't know what to do with myself.
Are you working for a lab/library/museum now ? You should start talking with professors you have a rapport with about finding internships/student jobs/etc. doing those sorts of things. You'll do a bunch of scut work initially, but by being around and useful, you'll move up.
You overcome low grades with great recommendations and you get those by talking to people and helping them do their jobs.
Keep your chin up. You are a fine and smart person.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:58 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Are you working for a lab/library/museum now ? You should start talking with professors you have a rapport with about finding internships/student jobs/etc. doing those sorts of things. You'll do a bunch of scut work initially, but by being around and useful, you'll move up.
You overcome low grades with great recommendations and you get those by talking to people and helping them do their jobs.
Keep your chin up. You are a fine and smart person.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:58 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
You are probably going to have to work harder to demonstrate what you're capable of. There are very few things that the low GPA, in and of itself, is going to disqualify you for (going to grad school right out of undergrad might be one of those things, but going to grad school right out of undergrad isn't the only way to get a career in one of your fields of interest).
Honestly? Your chances of working (especially full-time, for a living wage) at the National Museum of the American Indian are incredibly low, whatever your GPA. But it's not like your options in life are to either work there or to be consigned to a life of drudgery.
Get a job (now if it makes sense, or when you've finished your degree). Demonstrate that you can excel at something and you'll make it much easier for people to overlook your undergrad GPA.
posted by mskyle at 10:00 AM on August 15, 2013
Honestly? Your chances of working (especially full-time, for a living wage) at the National Museum of the American Indian are incredibly low, whatever your GPA. But it's not like your options in life are to either work there or to be consigned to a life of drudgery.
Get a job (now if it makes sense, or when you've finished your degree). Demonstrate that you can excel at something and you'll make it much easier for people to overlook your undergrad GPA.
posted by mskyle at 10:00 AM on August 15, 2013
Have you reached out to any of the museums that you're interested in, either as a volunteer or an intern? I volunteered at the Smithsonian's Natural History museum for a summer when I was 17, doing research on fossils and helping to catalog and photograph specimens, so I assure you that there are a lot of opportunities available. (The paid intern program is more stringent, but you could always touch base with them.) There are other museums and cultural institutions in NYC that touch on those subjects and what generally speaks louder than grades are actual results from internships and jobs, whether it's front of the house staff or curation. I also seriously doubt that you couldn't get into a master's program, even if it's not your first choice, especially if the grades in your major are higher.
More importantly, I know how tough it is to be facing the end of your college career and facing the great unknown. Work with the career staff at your college to build a couple of working resumes and CVs for different positions. Network with alums or set up informational sessions with people whose jobs you're interested in (I think there are more than a few mefites whose work deals with anthropology, primate research, and forensics.) Read, read, read-- about programs, about developing stories, articles.
posted by jetlagaddict at 10:01 AM on August 15, 2013
More importantly, I know how tough it is to be facing the end of your college career and facing the great unknown. Work with the career staff at your college to build a couple of working resumes and CVs for different positions. Network with alums or set up informational sessions with people whose jobs you're interested in (I think there are more than a few mefites whose work deals with anthropology, primate research, and forensics.) Read, read, read-- about programs, about developing stories, articles.
posted by jetlagaddict at 10:01 AM on August 15, 2013
It might be a problem for grad school admissions directly out of college, because that's the one area where your undergrad academic skills directly translate.
On the other hand, I don't think employers will care. You have pretty wide ranging interests--maybe you can volunteer or get a job in some area that's relevant to your interests and once you've proven that you have skills and abilities, you can either move ahead as a worker or graduate school opportunities (if you still want to do that) will be there. After a couple of years out of school, people get jobs on the basis of 1) things they've already demonstrated they can do successfully and 2) other people vouching for them, not on the basis of grades.
NO ONE is going to assume that you're "retarded."
My college roommate had about a 2.5 GPA (at a school where it was honestly hard to get less than a B-in a class) and is now a VP at her large company. Grades really have pretty much nothing to do with your ability to have a productive and interesting life.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:02 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, I don't think employers will care. You have pretty wide ranging interests--maybe you can volunteer or get a job in some area that's relevant to your interests and once you've proven that you have skills and abilities, you can either move ahead as a worker or graduate school opportunities (if you still want to do that) will be there. After a couple of years out of school, people get jobs on the basis of 1) things they've already demonstrated they can do successfully and 2) other people vouching for them, not on the basis of grades.
NO ONE is going to assume that you're "retarded."
My college roommate had about a 2.5 GPA (at a school where it was honestly hard to get less than a B-in a class) and is now a VP at her large company. Grades really have pretty much nothing to do with your ability to have a productive and interesting life.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:02 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
My overall GPA is a 2.54 because I am diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome...
This is harsh but it's true: nobody cares if you have Asperger's syndrome. Least of all employers. Either you can come to them saying "look at this useful thing I can do for you" and they hire you, or you can't tell them that, and they won't. The reason *why* you can't get shit done isn't really of concern to potential employers. Want a job? Be able to get shit done. Someone will hire you if you can do that.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 10:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [11 favorites]
This is harsh but it's true: nobody cares if you have Asperger's syndrome. Least of all employers. Either you can come to them saying "look at this useful thing I can do for you" and they hire you, or you can't tell them that, and they won't. The reason *why* you can't get shit done isn't really of concern to potential employers. Want a job? Be able to get shit done. Someone will hire you if you can do that.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 10:03 AM on August 15, 2013 [11 favorites]
It's certainly a challenge getting into a master's program if you cannot handle coursework and keep your grades up. But there are a masters programs in soft sciences that have different priorities. You may have to spend a few years doing interesting things so that you have some experience to show, but fresh college graduates aren't actually very desirable in master's programs because of immaturity and inexperience anyway, so that was probably something you'd have to do no matter what your grades.
Employers will judge me by my horrible undergrad GPA, assume that I'm mentally retarded
Excuse me? Mine was a 2.8, I make high five figures, and I'm really fucking smart. Nobody's ever questioned that. My husband is an awesome guy and my life is sweet.
Also, nobody except grad school has ever asked or given a crap what my grades were. And now that I've been in the world for a while, not even grad school would care.
If YOU decide you're going to fail because of your grades, you most assuredly will. If you decide you're going to work hard (sincerely as hard as you can) and don't make excuses and do make opportunities and succeed, that's likely what will happen.
It kind of sounds like you might need some help changing your point of view, and as someone who self-defeated and doomsaid everything when I was your age I recommend getting that help sooner rather than later. CBT or DBT, and maybe look into asking for informational interviews with people who do the sort of thing you want to do so you can get a better idea of the paths for getting there.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Employers will judge me by my horrible undergrad GPA, assume that I'm mentally retarded
Excuse me? Mine was a 2.8, I make high five figures, and I'm really fucking smart. Nobody's ever questioned that. My husband is an awesome guy and my life is sweet.
Also, nobody except grad school has ever asked or given a crap what my grades were. And now that I've been in the world for a while, not even grad school would care.
If YOU decide you're going to fail because of your grades, you most assuredly will. If you decide you're going to work hard (sincerely as hard as you can) and don't make excuses and do make opportunities and succeed, that's likely what will happen.
It kind of sounds like you might need some help changing your point of view, and as someone who self-defeated and doomsaid everything when I was your age I recommend getting that help sooner rather than later. CBT or DBT, and maybe look into asking for informational interviews with people who do the sort of thing you want to do so you can get a better idea of the paths for getting there.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:04 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Something else I wanted to add is that people hit their prime at different ages. When I entered college I had a lot to work through mentally, and all of that competed with schoolwork for my attention. On the one hand, I went from a very restrictive environment to a very permissive one and wanted to explore. On the other hand, I can also be pretty competitive, and I spent a lot of time taking the hardest classes I could while doing time-consuming extracurriculars, not necessarily because that was what I most wanted to do but because I felt like I had something to prove to my peers. The end result was that I felt really conflicted and ambivalent about my priorities in college. It didn't help that I had never developed any sane work strategies in high school (in high school my strategy was "don't do any homework until parents yell at you, then resentfully work in an inefficient binge until it is finished" with a side of "cram for tests the period before" which for obvious reasons didn't work in college). It was a mess.
Since then, I've figured a lot of other stuff out about my life, I found a broader group of friends I didn't feel like I was always secretly in competition with, I have focused more on pursuing my own interests than about satisfying some ideal of being "hardcore" enough to impress people (well, I'm working on it), I got treatment for anxiety and attention mismanagement, I found a research niche that fascinated me and became "my thing," etc. It took a long time, at least a few years into graduate school, for this process to start, let alone to start bearing fruit, and it's definitely not over. But sorting out my priorities in life, plus getting some help with the mechanics of work (and yes, plenty of meditation and therapy) really helped me to change.
Anyway, this is a sort of roundabout way of saying that in addition to your life not being determined by your GPA, a low GPA doesn't even mean that you can't handle coursework in general, or that you are doomed to be a mediocre student now and forever. It is a 1-dimensional summary of specific aspects of a specific period of your life. People's motivations and capabilities change over time, and not always at the same rates or for the same reasons.
(And as a postscript, on preview, yes, recommendations from faculty are GPA kryptonite in grad school applications. Be an awesome research assistant for a couple of years and you will be in way better shape.)
posted by en forme de poire at 10:12 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Since then, I've figured a lot of other stuff out about my life, I found a broader group of friends I didn't feel like I was always secretly in competition with, I have focused more on pursuing my own interests than about satisfying some ideal of being "hardcore" enough to impress people (well, I'm working on it), I got treatment for anxiety and attention mismanagement, I found a research niche that fascinated me and became "my thing," etc. It took a long time, at least a few years into graduate school, for this process to start, let alone to start bearing fruit, and it's definitely not over. But sorting out my priorities in life, plus getting some help with the mechanics of work (and yes, plenty of meditation and therapy) really helped me to change.
Anyway, this is a sort of roundabout way of saying that in addition to your life not being determined by your GPA, a low GPA doesn't even mean that you can't handle coursework in general, or that you are doomed to be a mediocre student now and forever. It is a 1-dimensional summary of specific aspects of a specific period of your life. People's motivations and capabilities change over time, and not always at the same rates or for the same reasons.
(And as a postscript, on preview, yes, recommendations from faculty are GPA kryptonite in grad school applications. Be an awesome research assistant for a couple of years and you will be in way better shape.)
posted by en forme de poire at 10:12 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
I didn't graduate from high school, and I've dropped out of college at least four times. Yet I've never flipped a burger or worked retail in my life.
Your accomplishments count for a little, your ability counts for a lot, but your attitude counts the most.
So fix it.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:20 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Your accomplishments count for a little, your ability counts for a lot, but your attitude counts the most.
So fix it.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:20 AM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Maybe pay some attention to the many, many ordinary people who are leading happy fulfilled lives in the less competitive and glamorous sides of the fields you are interested in. You probably won't be the next Jane Goodall or Rick Steves. That is not the end of the world.
I was on academic probation a couple of times and my undergrad GPA was low. I have a pretty great life now doing useful interesting work that matters to my clients.
posted by steinwald at 10:23 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
I was on academic probation a couple of times and my undergrad GPA was low. I have a pretty great life now doing useful interesting work that matters to my clients.
posted by steinwald at 10:23 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am dreaming about working for the Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the American Indian, a primate conservation center, a nonprofit organization dealing with environmental health and sustainability, or becoming a professional travel blogger.
The biggest impediment to having hobbies, going traveling, and having a good lifestyle is not going to be your GPA, but rather the fact that these jobs pay like shit and go to people from rich families with educations from elite colleges who have a track record of experience and internships (many of which are unpaid) in this field.
Take my advice with a grain of salt coming from someone whose motivation and success is deeply rooted in his sense of fear about his future... Nevertheless, the stories you are hearing of "I had a bad GPA/dropped out of college but am still a big success" are coming from people who couldn't "follow their dreams" precisely because of their academic problems. Rather, it was because they had to do whatever it took to survive and picked the things that would allow them to survive and thrive no matter what, because they had no other option.
Your problem isn't your GPA. Your problem is that you need to be working your ass off to put yourself in a position where you can get these opportunities in the first place. In a sense, what we are telling you about your GPA makes things more difficult for you-- it means you can't blame your lack of professional progress on your GPA. It means that not getting the opportunities you want is coming from not having chased after them and put yourself in a position where you have mentors and experiences which will allow you to progress.
posted by deanc at 10:24 AM on August 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
The biggest impediment to having hobbies, going traveling, and having a good lifestyle is not going to be your GPA, but rather the fact that these jobs pay like shit and go to people from rich families with educations from elite colleges who have a track record of experience and internships (many of which are unpaid) in this field.
Take my advice with a grain of salt coming from someone whose motivation and success is deeply rooted in his sense of fear about his future... Nevertheless, the stories you are hearing of "I had a bad GPA/dropped out of college but am still a big success" are coming from people who couldn't "follow their dreams" precisely because of their academic problems. Rather, it was because they had to do whatever it took to survive and picked the things that would allow them to survive and thrive no matter what, because they had no other option.
Your problem isn't your GPA. Your problem is that you need to be working your ass off to put yourself in a position where you can get these opportunities in the first place. In a sense, what we are telling you about your GPA makes things more difficult for you-- it means you can't blame your lack of professional progress on your GPA. It means that not getting the opportunities you want is coming from not having chased after them and put yourself in a position where you have mentors and experiences which will allow you to progress.
posted by deanc at 10:24 AM on August 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
My overall GPA is a 2.54 because
Your GPA is 2.54 because that is what you have earned. You may or may not have challenges. Stop focusing on them and certainly don't bring them up as an excuse when you discuss the number with folks.
Which it's unlikely you will need to in very many circumstances, as people above have told you. GPAs have some value, get used/considered in some areas where they do not have value, and get ignored in most of the rest of the universe.
Statistically, most degrees exist for employers not as indications of how well you know something or even necessarily what you know. They're primarily a badge that you get that shows you can set a goal and jump through the hoops necessary to achieve it. That's not universally true but when you see "degree required" that's most often the case.
So finish your shit and cross the line and get the sheepskin. If you find yourself in a situation where you get asked your GPA then answer honestly (if you want to answer at all) and don't prevaricate. If they press you, say you had issues that impacted your grades (if you want to answer at all). Mine were like yours and if I'm asked about them - and feel like answering - I say that they were mediocre because I worked my way through school, didn't care about letter grades, and followed my passion rather than a GPA.
Sometimes that means I'm not a good fit at a place that wants people who care about those things. Okay. It's a big wide world. If YOU care about those things and didn't succeed in that area then maybe you need to confront what that means for you. People with your challenges manage to get good grades, though perhaps they self-select into areas where they can better succeed in that way. Perhaps they work harder. Perhaps they're just more talented in that area than you are. Sometimes we have to confront that we don't excel in the exact ways we want.
But that's not a metric for your worth as a person and it's not a permanent impediment to doing things that you will find rewarding. You have gotten to where you are in life and you're stuck with that reality. You're not stuck with how you choose to react to it or how you perceive it or what you do now. The worst thing you can do is declare failure preemptively.
My mediocre college performance is far in the past and it never stopped me from having a satisfying career and life experience. It may have stopped me from getting through a few doors I would have liked to get through, though those roadblocks are puny in size and number compared to all the ones I set for myself. Either because of the same choices that got me questionable scores, because I let myself talk me out of doing something I wanted, or because I made worse choices as a result of bad choices. All the good things I achieved resulted from my owning my choices and reality and trying for what I wanted.
Put the scores behind you and recognize they matter almost not at all compared to what you do now and how you look at your situation.
posted by phearlez at 10:37 AM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
Your GPA is 2.54 because that is what you have earned. You may or may not have challenges. Stop focusing on them and certainly don't bring them up as an excuse when you discuss the number with folks.
Which it's unlikely you will need to in very many circumstances, as people above have told you. GPAs have some value, get used/considered in some areas where they do not have value, and get ignored in most of the rest of the universe.
Statistically, most degrees exist for employers not as indications of how well you know something or even necessarily what you know. They're primarily a badge that you get that shows you can set a goal and jump through the hoops necessary to achieve it. That's not universally true but when you see "degree required" that's most often the case.
So finish your shit and cross the line and get the sheepskin. If you find yourself in a situation where you get asked your GPA then answer honestly (if you want to answer at all) and don't prevaricate. If they press you, say you had issues that impacted your grades (if you want to answer at all). Mine were like yours and if I'm asked about them - and feel like answering - I say that they were mediocre because I worked my way through school, didn't care about letter grades, and followed my passion rather than a GPA.
Sometimes that means I'm not a good fit at a place that wants people who care about those things. Okay. It's a big wide world. If YOU care about those things and didn't succeed in that area then maybe you need to confront what that means for you. People with your challenges manage to get good grades, though perhaps they self-select into areas where they can better succeed in that way. Perhaps they work harder. Perhaps they're just more talented in that area than you are. Sometimes we have to confront that we don't excel in the exact ways we want.
But that's not a metric for your worth as a person and it's not a permanent impediment to doing things that you will find rewarding. You have gotten to where you are in life and you're stuck with that reality. You're not stuck with how you choose to react to it or how you perceive it or what you do now. The worst thing you can do is declare failure preemptively.
My mediocre college performance is far in the past and it never stopped me from having a satisfying career and life experience. It may have stopped me from getting through a few doors I would have liked to get through, though those roadblocks are puny in size and number compared to all the ones I set for myself. Either because of the same choices that got me questionable scores, because I let myself talk me out of doing something I wanted, or because I made worse choices as a result of bad choices. All the good things I achieved resulted from my owning my choices and reality and trying for what I wanted.
Put the scores behind you and recognize they matter almost not at all compared to what you do now and how you look at your situation.
posted by phearlez at 10:37 AM on August 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
Since the school year is just starting I wouldn't use "GPA doesn't matter" as a reason not to push hard this year.
It's true, what's done is done, and you can survive getting a bad GPA.
You might be asking the wrong question - instead think about what doors open with a high GPA. You can certainly use a high GPA too your advantage and not just for graduate school...success in later years after a poor start can be even more important to show you have grown. Start now and don't look back...
Being 5'10" doesn't ensure you can't play in the NBA, but being 6'10" certainly makes that goal easier to achieve...
posted by NoDef at 10:40 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's true, what's done is done, and you can survive getting a bad GPA.
You might be asking the wrong question - instead think about what doors open with a high GPA. You can certainly use a high GPA too your advantage and not just for graduate school...success in later years after a poor start can be even more important to show you have grown. Start now and don't look back...
Being 5'10" doesn't ensure you can't play in the NBA, but being 6'10" certainly makes that goal easier to achieve...
posted by NoDef at 10:40 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Your GPA is a result of your grades. Your grades are a result of the quality of work you hand in, your class participation, and whatever else the syllabus says your grades are based on. That is the long and short of it. You cannot honestly draw an arrow from "diagnosis" to "middling GPA" without passing through the work you did and did not do.
Asperger's is certianly a stumbling block for college education, but so are many disabilities and disorders. Even neurotypical people face contextual difficulties to getting good grades like chaotic personal lives, going to school while working, or even something as universal as getting older.
You have plenty of testimony here to the fact that a good or bad or mediocre GPA is not a guarantee of anything at all, much less the trajectory of your entire life. If your GPA is still of utter importance to you despite what you've been told here, your only choices are to compensate for whatever is making studying hard (e.g. go to the writing center, join a study group, research different methods of studying, speak with counselors or advisers, visit professors during office hours) or lower your expectations to your abilities and make peace with yourself.
posted by griphus at 10:53 AM on August 15, 2013
Asperger's is certianly a stumbling block for college education, but so are many disabilities and disorders. Even neurotypical people face contextual difficulties to getting good grades like chaotic personal lives, going to school while working, or even something as universal as getting older.
You have plenty of testimony here to the fact that a good or bad or mediocre GPA is not a guarantee of anything at all, much less the trajectory of your entire life. If your GPA is still of utter importance to you despite what you've been told here, your only choices are to compensate for whatever is making studying hard (e.g. go to the writing center, join a study group, research different methods of studying, speak with counselors or advisers, visit professors during office hours) or lower your expectations to your abilities and make peace with yourself.
posted by griphus at 10:53 AM on August 15, 2013
You know that old joke, "'What do they call the person who graduates at the bottom of his class in medical school?' 'Doctor!'" It's funny 'cause it's true.
It's natural that you're feeling depressed and stressed right now, because you've been working your ass off, and you have one more big hump to clear, and you're probably surrounded by people who haven't had to fight half the challenges you have. But you're borrowing trouble way ahead of time, and you don't need it right now! Focus on doing the best you can on these last classes.
And if you're old enough to know who the hell Mary Tyler Moore is*, go outside, throw your hat in the air, and say, "You're gonna make it after all."
*I know you're not. But It'll make an old lady happy if she can pretend you are.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:39 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's natural that you're feeling depressed and stressed right now, because you've been working your ass off, and you have one more big hump to clear, and you're probably surrounded by people who haven't had to fight half the challenges you have. But you're borrowing trouble way ahead of time, and you don't need it right now! Focus on doing the best you can on these last classes.
And if you're old enough to know who the hell Mary Tyler Moore is*, go outside, throw your hat in the air, and say, "You're gonna make it after all."
*I know you're not. But It'll make an old lady happy if she can pretend you are.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:39 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Half of all college graduates graduated in the bottom half of their class.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:50 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:50 AM on August 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
Q: What do you call a med school student who graduates at the bottom of the class?
A: Doctor.
In the beginning of my career, I got asked for my GPA on job interviews a lot, and put it on my resume. Once I was looking for my second job, not a single person cared; they cared more about the job experience.
(Oh, and grad school admissions asked.)
If your college gave you a diploma, it means they think you are proficient enough in your field of study to get a degree in it. (Otherwise, of what use is a diploma as a credential?) GPA is only a means of distinguishing those who performed well from those who were merely adequate.
My college GPA upon graduation was not stellar, but it was adequate enough for a diploma. It seemed difficult to get my first job, but I had one lined up before graduation. If I had a higher GPA it might have been easier, but I'll never know.
posted by tckma at 12:25 PM on August 15, 2013
A: Doctor.
In the beginning of my career, I got asked for my GPA on job interviews a lot, and put it on my resume. Once I was looking for my second job, not a single person cared; they cared more about the job experience.
(Oh, and grad school admissions asked.)
If your college gave you a diploma, it means they think you are proficient enough in your field of study to get a degree in it. (Otherwise, of what use is a diploma as a credential?) GPA is only a means of distinguishing those who performed well from those who were merely adequate.
My college GPA upon graduation was not stellar, but it was adequate enough for a diploma. It seemed difficult to get my first job, but I had one lined up before graduation. If I had a higher GPA it might have been easier, but I'll never know.
posted by tckma at 12:25 PM on August 15, 2013
I had a 2.3. No one has ever asked me about it. Further, I went out and built a portfolio and six years later found myself in the #1 grad program for what I wanted to do.
So: No, doesn't matter, but you may have to work a little harder to prove yourself to academia. Nail those GREs.
posted by GilloD at 12:41 PM on August 15, 2013
So: No, doesn't matter, but you may have to work a little harder to prove yourself to academia. Nail those GREs.
posted by GilloD at 12:41 PM on August 15, 2013
I had one phone screen where she casually asked how I did in school and it really threw me off. I was a top student but I had been out of school for like 7 years and couldn't figure out how that was relevant.
posted by radioamy at 12:46 PM on August 15, 2013
posted by radioamy at 12:46 PM on August 15, 2013
could that person still be successful in his or her career, live a rewarding life, pursue hobbies, and travel around the world?
This person does all that.. and I think my GPA was an even 2.0 when I graduated.
posted by Rash at 1:14 PM on August 15, 2013
This person does all that.. and I think my GPA was an even 2.0 when I graduated.
posted by Rash at 1:14 PM on August 15, 2013
I graduated college with a 2.4 GPA and I am a successful lawyer. FWIW.
posted by amro at 2:21 PM on August 15, 2013
posted by amro at 2:21 PM on August 15, 2013
I make lots of money writing software, love my job, and have extremely good future job prospects.
Rarely went to class, graduated with a ~2.1 GPA. This will preclude me from a handful of jobs I wouldn't want anyway, and that's it.
posted by wrok at 5:16 PM on August 15, 2013
Rarely went to class, graduated with a ~2.1 GPA. This will preclude me from a handful of jobs I wouldn't want anyway, and that's it.
posted by wrok at 5:16 PM on August 15, 2013
I graduated with a low GPA, went on to get two master's degree and a high paying/high ranking job with fed government. I didn't mature until my 20s..that's when I learned to be a good student. Do not worry, you will have a successful career if you really want one, regardless of your GPA. It will require work, however.
posted by dmbfan93 at 9:55 PM on August 15, 2013
posted by dmbfan93 at 9:55 PM on August 15, 2013
No. If you were applying for further education, like a master's or law school or something, being able to show an upward trend in your grades if not consistently high grades would be very helpful. But for real jobs in the real world, they don't care. Maybe at places like Google they only hire people who get 4.0s, but generally, no, you're not resigned to a life of flipping burgers just for getting a 2.5 your final semester.
posted by AppleTurnover at 12:15 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by AppleTurnover at 12:15 AM on August 16, 2013
I graduated college with a 2.2 overall and a 2.0 in my major (the lowest possible to successfully graduate). And while it wasn't the end of the world, it was definitely less than ideal. It kept me out of on-campus interview for a lot of companies I was interested in. But it did not stop me from hustling a job at a Bay area startup that cared more about coding skills than my degree. It also didn't stop me from getting into grad school (three times).
posted by zanni at 3:31 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by zanni at 3:31 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
I had a 2.001 and had no trouble finding good work. In fact, I also had no problem getting into a good graduate program, although I did possibly abuse some professional connections in order to do so. I actually think that if I had done better in school my life would probably have ended up being less interesting, but who knows. Just go with the flow.
posted by Literaryhero at 7:13 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by Literaryhero at 7:13 AM on August 16, 2013
Of course not. I had a very low GPA and I make >350k/yr (as an educator!).
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:12 AM on August 17, 2013
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:12 AM on August 17, 2013
Response by poster: I am getting straight As in college right now, but unfortunately it is too late for me to raise my overall GPA because I am a senior with 108 credits.
posted by annanyc at 5:13 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by annanyc at 5:13 PM on August 19, 2013
I am getting straight As in college right now
An upward trend is great. If you had a rocky start but are pulling a 3.5 now, that is way, way better than what I had, which was wildly inconsistent, high-variance grades the whole way through. (And shit still turned out pretty well for me.)
More importantly, that is an accomplishment to be proud of, however much you may feel like flagellating yourself because of your past transgressions. Congratulations!
posted by en forme de poire at 9:53 PM on August 19, 2013
An upward trend is great. If you had a rocky start but are pulling a 3.5 now, that is way, way better than what I had, which was wildly inconsistent, high-variance grades the whole way through. (And shit still turned out pretty well for me.)
More importantly, that is an accomplishment to be proud of, however much you may feel like flagellating yourself because of your past transgressions. Congratulations!
posted by en forme de poire at 9:53 PM on August 19, 2013
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posted by General Malaise at 8:58 AM on August 15, 2013 [52 favorites]