Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
(OP)
Hello all,
So I'm about 3 months away from getting my MS degree in Aerospace Engineering from a university that ranks in the top 10 (Georgia Tech). I will be interviewing with companies over the next few months along the West (CA, WA, OR, CO, AZ) because that is where I would really prefer to live. Therefore, anything I can do to increase my chances of getting a job in that region is important, which leads me to my GPA question. I know GPA is trivial in many cases but I still feel compelled to ask about it.
My GPA is not necessarily stellar (but technically not "bad"). I have a 3.0 and that will be the GPA I'll graduate with. Maybe I was burned-out or maybe I'm not too bright, but either way, that is my GPA and I have to deal with it. So, my questions are:
Should I put this GPA on my resume considering it is from a highly regarded school? Or should I not put it on my resume considering it is right around the cut-off line to where they start ignoring job applications?
Will this GPA hurt my chances of employment?? Typically there are 3.0 and 3.3 cut-offs for job applications in aerospace, but I always thought this cut-off was generally for undergrad degrees (considering grad school is a whole different level of curriculum).
Is a 3.0 GPA something to worry about in terms of employment in the aerospace industry?
The reason I am so worried is because I would really like to work in the west, so I don't want anything holding me back. I'm basically just wondering if my 3.0 GPA will hold me back from my goals. Any input would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Also important: My focus within Aerospace is structures, solid mechanics, finite element methods, structural dynamics, etc (you get the idea - anything "structures" related)
So I'm about 3 months away from getting my MS degree in Aerospace Engineering from a university that ranks in the top 10 (Georgia Tech). I will be interviewing with companies over the next few months along the West (CA, WA, OR, CO, AZ) because that is where I would really prefer to live. Therefore, anything I can do to increase my chances of getting a job in that region is important, which leads me to my GPA question. I know GPA is trivial in many cases but I still feel compelled to ask about it.
My GPA is not necessarily stellar (but technically not "bad"). I have a 3.0 and that will be the GPA I'll graduate with. Maybe I was burned-out or maybe I'm not too bright, but either way, that is my GPA and I have to deal with it. So, my questions are:
Should I put this GPA on my resume considering it is from a highly regarded school? Or should I not put it on my resume considering it is right around the cut-off line to where they start ignoring job applications?
Will this GPA hurt my chances of employment?? Typically there are 3.0 and 3.3 cut-offs for job applications in aerospace, but I always thought this cut-off was generally for undergrad degrees (considering grad school is a whole different level of curriculum).
Is a 3.0 GPA something to worry about in terms of employment in the aerospace industry?
The reason I am so worried is because I would really like to work in the west, so I don't want anything holding me back. I'm basically just wondering if my 3.0 GPA will hold me back from my goals. Any input would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Also important: My focus within Aerospace is structures, solid mechanics, finite element methods, structural dynamics, etc (you get the idea - anything "structures" related)





RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer
http://bwengr.com | http://bwstructuralengineer.com | http://bwcivilengineer.com
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
John R. Baker, P.E.
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
prognosis: Lead or Lag
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
My suggestion is leave it off and keep the focus and your qualitative accomplishments. Some recruiters/managers, but not all, will look for the GPA. Of those, some will ask for it, a few others will round file your resume due to the omission, the rest will move on without it. Of those that ask, a few will care, others will only be checking a box. In those situations you either meet the hiring requirement or not; it is already out of your control and you will do better to focus on what is in your control.
The only GPA focused hiring I have experienced was fresh out of undergrad when talking to recruiters for management training programs, I think they use GPA for those programs more to find the 4.0 overachievers / workaholics in the crowd than to estimate actual skill level. That was when I realized that, just like high school, the REALLY smart kids took the easy classes/majors in order to qualify to manage the kids who put some skin on the line and actually learned something in the challenging areas. I don't want to work for those people.
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
- Steve
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
It reminds me of the line about what do you call the guy who graduates dead last from medical school: doctor.
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
A former company used to send out recruiters who would essentially hire anyone breathing with a 4.0 GPA and then figure out what to do with them; so we get a 4.0 GPA EE from Cal Berkeley, who was literally a lump on a log. He had zero motivation, zero curiosity, etc. I could never figure out what got the recruiter interested in this guy, and wonder if a 3.3 GPA guy with guns blazing would have been more useful.
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
- Steve
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Waiting with bated breath to find out what a Desmond is though...
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
However, if you've got to the interview then you've passed this test already.
Sompting, my sadly rather low Desmond mapped to under 3.0 when I had it properly reviewed, I want to say 2.8 ish but it's been a while. On the bright side my A levels read across a bit more impressively essentially equivalent to a year or two of college or some such.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
- Steve
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
- Steve
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Maui
www.EngineeringMetallurgy.com
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Good luck,
Mike
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
I would say do you know who scored 50% on their engineering tests? Honor students.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer
http://bwengr.com | http://bwstructuralengineer.com | http://bwcivilengineer.com
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Other than friendly grief from colleagues, it's never caused me a problem.
I have not mentioned my classification in interviews or paperwork as nobody has asked. The only company which did ask employed me the next week.
Designer of machine tools - user of modified screws
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
You will quickly see... GPA and University mean next to nothing.
Accept to get through the computer controlled screens!
I had the person with the highest GPA in my office ask me what PSI stood for. (this is in the USA) That is one of the three times in my career i feel sorry i over reacted.
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Good luck with ur job search
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East - http://www.campbellcivil.com
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
I graduated from a foreign land that not many people even heard of, and I am employed decently in this good old US of A.
GA Tech Vs Third world: Even if you sting, they'll pick the yellow jackets over 4.0 GPA from a community college any day.
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
- As you go from BS to MS to PhD, the GPA becomes ever-more important in the hiring process. A BS with 3.0 will have more willing employers than an MS with 3.0.
That said, engineering programs teach very little in some very critical areas:
- If your 3.0 if offset by other skills, those other skills can greatly outweigh the value of the extra GPA. For example, a student who needed to work part-time to keep income going may have traded study time for time spent working. What skills did that job develop that the study-only students do not have? In my example, that person may have been a bartender and in fact developed exceptionally good social skills that make them likeable and a highly effective sales person. The technical background is a bonus.
- How is your business acumen? Are you good with money and competition? Can you manage people?
- Are you an exceptionally good communicator? Can you excel at taking technical content and making it useful information for those without the technical training?
All departments are in need of "streetable" engineers who might not make the most elaborate MathCAD calculations or derive the most subtle understanding from an analysis, but can make engineering meaningful for the rest of the organization. Determine what it is that you are good at and also like to do that might fall outside of the coursework and find employers who need that versatility.
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Conversely...if I'm hiring for a project-oriented, technical role and someone walks in with a 4.0, I'm usually wondering if a) they'll be happy during project work, and b) if they'll be able to handle the stress that real-world problems create, that theoretical work doesn't have.
So i generally look for people in the 3.0 range. ;)
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
My GPA in college was pretty good, but I still removed it from my resume when I was looking for job #2. I felt it gave the impression that I was focused on past college accomplishments rather than what I had done since I left school, which is infinitely more important to most employers.
Also, for what it's worth, my first boss said he wouldn't hire someone with a GPA that is too high. I think there is a stigma that if one is that focused on grades, he would be less well-rounded. Results may vary.
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
The design and fabrication aspects of my project had NOTHING to do with what I was hired to do. It DID make me stand out in a field of candidates. I also brought a portfolio of some of my projects with me. Those are the things that got me hired, according to my boss-- I represented myself well and I had interesting "cool" projects that made me unique. GPA didn't hurt, but it didn't get me the job, either.
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
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RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
RE: Graduating with barely a 3.0 GPA from a top university- should I worry?
Doug