| Topic Name: |
Specific GPA question |
| Message Name: |
at your school |
| Date Posted: |
02/01/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
I am especially encouraged to hear that recruiters consider grade inflation, since at my alma mater the emphasis was on grade deflation and the goal was to put you through the wringer and see if you live to tell the tale. To date, I know many people from Chemical Engineering programs elsewhere who got 4.0s, who have serious respect for a 3.0 from my school.
It is not fiction to say that I have had peers who when they mentioned the name of our school were greeted with ripples of "OOohs" and "Aaahs" spreading in unison. The notoriety of the rigor at my school preceded them. That said, i'm glad recruiters account for these things.
It wasn't until graduate school that I actually started 'learning' in a real sense. Undergrad was more of a survival test than anything else. |
| Message: |
One of the main reasons that firms have "core" schools is because the consultants who do the recruiting at each school need to understand how to account for things like grade inflation. Thus, the screen might be set much lower at CalTech or MIT than at Harvard. (I don't know this for a fact, just guessing.)
At schools where the Firm comes to campus, you can expect that at least a few people on the recruiting team will be alumni of your school who will know if you really do have a stellar academic record despite a GPA that appears to be so-so. I know the hardest courses at my alma mater and the other schools I visit each year. When I see transcripts with good grades in those courses, I take that into account. I also watch for applicants who appear to have good grades but never took any difficult course.
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