How Important is Your Grade Point Average in Business Life?

NilayMeltem Yıldırım

NilayMeltem Yıldırım

Editor @ceotudent ||KEL '15 || Boun - ME

Does the university average matter? Does the diploma grade matter? This is of course a topic that has different answers for everyone. For example, you started university life after an intensive work schedule and you no longer want to work as hard as you used to and spend your youth in library corners. At the same time, you are gnawing at your insides thinking, “GPA is also very important in job applications, isn’t it?” Because many people around you intend to spend all day and night in the library and get a 4.0 GPA! It is a nightmare for you to continue your life like this while your competitors are relentless. If you suffer from this problem like most students, this article is for you! We have researched for you whether GPA is really important or how important it is. Is it enough to make a 3.50 average at university? After reading our article, you can decide for yourself whether you will work harder or not. ☺

In which areas is your GPA most important?

First of all, of course, having a high GPA gives a lot of advantages. Especially in master’s degree applications, your GPA is of great importance when ranking among the candidates in the fields of consultancy, finance, engineering and investment banking. If you want to work in these fields, it is important to note from the beginning that you should not skip classes completely. But your GPA is usually only important in your first job; in subsequent jobs, no one cares much about your GPA. Because your GPA is now secondary.

Does university GPA matter? Here are 5 Factors That Make Your GPA a Second Priority:

1) Work Experience Comes First

The fact that you got high grades at university does not mean that you are a great student, but that you know how to study and can do well in exams. What really matters to an employer is your success in the field, your rapport with people and how you perform in real-world tests. Every experience you gain, every challenge you face and overcome in business life is much more valuable than a 3.5-4.0 average. Employers also pay more attention to your experience than your grades, although they may initially use your GPA as a benchmark.

2) Employers Value Your Other Skills More

Employers often want their employees to have skills such as leadership, strong communication, strategic thinking and problem solving. The fact that you led an activity or took part in a project during your student years is more important to them than your high grade point average. Because you are now an experienced person and they know that real life is not interested in the fact that you did the right integral calculus in a math exam a few years ago.

3) Grade Inflation

Grade inflation is defined as students receiving lower grades for the same work in the past and higher grades now. In other words, in the past, a small number of students at the same level used to get A grades, whereas now many more students with the same qualifications get A grades. This would preclude the possibility of an objective assessment.

4) Too High a GPA Can Even Have a Negative Effect

One of the points that worries employers is that employees with very high GPAs are more likely to want to pursue a master’s degree in the next period or to take better opportunities that come their way. In interviews, such people are often told: “We are impressed that you have such a high average, but we are concerned about the possibility that you may move to a different field and leave your job in the short term.”

5) Grade Point Average is a Subjective Evaluation

>Considering that each university, and even each professor, conducts its own exam and evaluates students accordingly, how accurate would it be to rank students who are not exposed to equal questions through a centralized system, based on their grade point averages? In other words, since there will be differences between universities, it is not a healthy approach to look only at the average when comparing the person who graduated from university X with an average of 3.5 with the person who graduated from university Y with an average of 3.0. Since employers are also aware of this, your GPA takes a back seat at this point. In addition, it is not healthy to compare graduating from the engineering faculty with an average of 3 and graduating from the sociology department with an average of 3.5.

Brian Robben, a famous entrepreneur who graduated from university with a 3.9 GPA, answers the question “How important has GPA been in your life?” as follows:
“As an entrepreneur who works from home, I can tell you that the high average I achieved during my university years is as important in my life as the socks I wear while working. And I must confess to you that I don’t wear socks when I work.”

 

Of course, having a high GPA is a great achievement to be admired. Because that person has set this goal for himself and he has realized this goal that he has set in his mind. This shows that he is a determined, hardworking person and that he is determinedly pursuing his goals. These are certainly facts that cannot be underestimated, but don’t forget that there are many other things that can put your GPA on the back burner. Your teenage years will never come back, so never forget that success can come to you without missing out on life, without chaining yourself to library corners.
And finally, good luck with your exams!

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Kategoriler: Career, Education

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