Graduating soon but with poor GPA... 8

[ShiftF4]

Hi,

I want to get some honest opinions about my chances in getting a decent job with a sub 3.0 GPA. I'm having a great deal of difficulty finishing my last 400 level courses. Although I did great in my 200 level courses, I'm having difficulty grasping the higher-level concepts and am scraping by with a string of C's. 300 Level courses were B's. When I graduate, I expect to have an overall GPA of about 2.7-2.8. Part of the reason why my GPA is so low is that I haven't done very well in my non-engineering courses either.

All that being said, during my two internships I was noted as being a very hard worker and learned quickly on the job (processes, use of software, but not technical material).

I'm hoping to get some ideas/strategies on how to improve my job outlook. Thanks for any help!!!

 

[VirtualWorker]

First of all, count me as one who thinks a high twos GPA is good enough in engineering. From my experience getting good at your job relies partly on intelligence, but a lot on effort. My boss once said we need A-players and C-players. The C-players get more mundane work, but are often ok with it. If your boss hires you thinking you will be a C-player, you will be able to change his mind over time if you want to.

 

[PEinc]

Grades don't usually measure common sense or work ethic. Give me an engineer with a 2.5 GPA, common sense, and a good work ethic any day over a 3.5 GPA without either of the other two assets.

 

[HgTX]

It depends on what job you're doing.

If it's a judgement call kinda job, yeah, common sense prevails over GPA.

But low GPA probably means not so good at doing calculations on paper. For a design job, I wouldn't want someone who's not so good at doing calculations on paper.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[PEinc]

HgTX,

I agree with you about judgement calls and common sense but not the part about low GPA meaning poor calculations. A low GPA could mean the student was just not good at or interested in physics, calculus, fluid mechanics, chemistry, or EE. However, that same student could have done very, very well with structures, soil mechanics, transportation, hydraulics, surveying, etc.

 

[HgTX]

That's where upperclass & underclass GPA (or major concentration vs. "other") comes in, and except for online forms, one can usually manage to squeeze in a subdivided GPA (I've done it myself). If someone has over a 3.0 in upper-division classes, that's great. If they were a consistent 2.5 all the way through, that's a different story.

The original poster in this thread was getting worse and worse grades as the classes got more advanced. To me that's a bad sign--as one specializes more and more in one's chosen area, one should be doing better and better. I really don't see that as a "no big deal" situation. Again, unless it's not the kind of job that requires deep analysis or calculation skills.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[UNLengineer]

The only problem with making judgement calls as part of your job, is that you have to have a reason behind those judgements. Typically a young engineer will double check things with a quick calculation as they do not have the experience to draw on when making judgement calls. In this case, the original poster is a fresh graduate, and therefore does not have the experience, and if their grades were getting worse with the more advanced classes, might not have the necessary critical thinking skills to solve real life situations. From my experience, the advanced classes became more like the real world, as the problems did not state the equation needed, the known data, and the required solution as the basic classes did. You had to search for information and make a lot of judgement calls.

 

[qcme]

I graduated with a GPA of 2.8 last year while many of my friends and classmates (as far as I know) graduated with at least a 3.0 (and were employed by the time they graduated). I didn't have a job when I graduated and didn't land a job until 4 months later. Like you, I've had problems with the higher-level courses. Not that I don't understand the concept it's just that the grades are weighted too much on the tests - I'm a terrible test-taker. I learned that tests and exams are just there to see how well you memorize what you learn. They don't test you the concepts. At least, that's my experience. Besides, what are the chances of "remembering" everything when you get into the real world? References are everywhere, they are there to be used. Like you, I wasn't very confident about find a job, even landing an interview would be a dream.

I landed a job 4 months later and have been here for over 6 months. I didn't put my GPA on my resume and all the companies I interviewed with didn't bother asking me about my GPA. Of course, it also depends on what type of companies you interview with. The more competitive the company the more likely they will be looking at your GPA. If you try small companies they are less likely to care about your grades (in my experience). I put all my experiences on my resume and apparently that has impressed my employer.

Up until this day, my employer believes I am talented even though I do not think so myself - because of what I graduated with. This is enough for me to feel more confident about myself and my career goals. Even my previous professor didn't think 2.8 was that bad! It's a B-

Here's another story: a friend of mine graduated with a 3.5 GPA (or higher)...she didn't find a job until 4 months later after graduation as well. I saw her resume and it looked impressive, I just didn't understand why it took her so long.

If you're not too keen on large/competitive companies, I would think you have just as much of a chance of landing a job as a student who graduates with a 3.5 and above.

Good luck!

 

[ChrisConley]

Quick question, was reading the thread (because I found the topic interesting) the one thing that held me up is I kept having to get my calculator to work out what 2.7/4 was.

Up in Canada (and many other places) we use a % based grading system, what is the history and purpose of the 4 point GPA system?

 

[IRstuff]

A, B, C, D converts to 4, 3, 2, 1. Makes it possible to get a numerically averaged grade

TTFN

 

[Ashereng]

I was told some GPA are out of 3. Is that true IRstuff?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[HgTX]

And some are out of 5. But most are out of 4. There should be some fine print on the transcript explaining what the scale is, but no one reads it.

My sister's high school switched to some kind of unusual system (I forget exactly what) in which the numbers came out looking lower for a certain performance level than for most other high schools. Surprise, surprise--hardly anyone that year got into really good universities. No one reads the fine print.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[abba7114]

Reading the above responses strengthen my opinion that examination is not always the best way of testing ones capability to perform.
Most people even with poor GPA in school they excell in their carrears,There are many instances where people with lower grades performing much better in job interviews.
My advice to you is to try and develop confidence in yourself and have a mindset that you will succeed.
Good luck.

Abba7114

 

[Ashereng]

Interesting points everyone.

I wonder how many of us here who hire/have hired university/college graduates (people without professional experience), have also used a "cutoff" rule (eg GPA above 2.9 only) to reduce all the resumes that comes across our desk, to determine who we interview?



"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[ziggi]

It all depends on the person, personally I'm a visual person, I did horribly in my first year at univ b/c all the tests were on theory. For some reason unless there's an example present I cannot learn theoretical knowledge. As the years wore on I got excellent marks in my tests b/c they became more about application and troubleshooting than about the derivative of the stress of a cube in space with various forces acting on it in x,y,z directions etc etc. My friends who did well in the theory were struggling with the application though and their marks dropped as a consequence.

For the same reason I don't do standarised tests very well, without a clear background/framework to the question I cannot properly evaluate the problem. I think it's b/c I cannot accept the logic the question is trying to force on me, I intuitively know that a beam cannot hover in midair with forces acting on it, I need to know what the beam is attached to b/c I know that it relates to the answer.

Hopefully I'm not the only freak who thinks this way

 

[wbd]

Take the FE exam ASAP. Passing that will aide in your quest.

 

[mewhg]

In the interview for my current job I was asked what my GPA was....."I looked the interviewer (President of the Co) right in the eye and said "I was a very solid C student, sir!"

Be confident....you can do it.

 

[flch95]

alright guys, doesn't a lower GPA mean that the student has a slightly weaker grasp of the engineering concepts/fundamentals?? this suggests that you don't value what is taught in college coursework or that its not that critical to getting a job done. i'm just not seeing how a 2.5 is more desirable than a 3.5.

 

[jpankask]

flch95, yes and no. A lower GPA usually does mean a weaker grasp of the fundamentals, but not always. At my previous job, I actually used about 5% of everything that I learned in college while on the job. Everything else was on-the-job training or self-taught as the need arose. The degree signified that I had the capacity and background knowledge to apply and learn what I needed to. I dare say most companies are that way, and they want the new grads like that so that they can mold them a certain way.

I don't think that anyone has suggested that a 2.5 is more desirable than a 3.5. However, for some companies a 3.5 isn't always more desirable than a 2.5 either. The GPA is just another tool to pick the right person. Some companies use it to pare down the pile of resumes, some don't care. I am sure that a lot of companies have passed over some excellent candidates because their GPA was too low (or too high) but they have always found someone they thought was a good fit. Sometimes they are wrong, there's no perfect system. As an example, when I was interviewing with companies after my MS, one company (who I thought sounded really cool-defense contractor) asked me in my interview if I had ever received any D grades in my classes and why. I explained to him why I thought I had not done well enough in the couple classes where I received D's. It seemed like that interview was cut very short. The other companies I interviewed with never even asked for a transcript. I can't imagine a better fit for me than my current job and the D I got in Physical Chemistry will not be noticed by my boss (but it still dragged down my GPA a little).

 

[flch95]

"on the job training", never heard of it..its a nice concept though, lol!!

 

[Senselessticker]

Its been my experience (from knowing what has happened to buddies from college):

If you have a low gpa from doing the bare minimum to pass the courses mixed with poor study habits: You'll be just fine in landing a job (although perhaps not as quickly as those with higher gpa's) and establishing a career as you've probably developed good social interaction skills from spending too much time in bars and chasing women.

If you have a low gpa because you truly lack the mental capacity to understand and apply engineering priciples and concepts no matter how much you study....then don't expect to land a job anytime soon.


*Put the laziest man on the hardest job....and he'll find the fastest way to get it done.