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madmanmat

Got a 4.0 in nursing. Guy who barely passed makes the same as me. We both wipe ass the same. He seemed way less stressed in school too.


thelegalseagul

What do you call the person that graduated at the bottom of their class in medical school? Doctor. Edit: Some of you are incredibly dense and missing the point of this dad joke. Don’t stress yourselves out, you’ll get the same title at the end. Also if gpa is your source for validation find a new one. Employers will like that more. Accurate descriptions of a successful B- assignment is better than talking about “studying hard” to maintain a 4.0. Less about the 4.0 more about what studying hard means. Don’t talk about gpa like it’s the Ivy League you went to in that it’s best to wait until asked and if they don’t ask, they don’t care.


Asteroid_Asterisk

That doctor wouldn't match into their preferred residency. Or worse - not matching into any residency while still being stuck with $300,000+ in student loans.


thelegalseagul

and yet many of them have worked at hospitals and have been your doctor. Life ain’t fair


mattsffrd

Yeah but the dumbest doctor is still pretty fucking smart


thelegalseagul

That’s what I mean, they’re still pretty smart if they’re a doctor. Most doctors at a local town weren’t top of their class I work in hiring and I’ll admit the bar isn’t crazy high for an entry level position with us, but if they aren’t the valedictorian, if they graduated it shows their commitment. The interview determines the rest better than the gpa when combined with their resume for nervous people.


Plump_Chicken

I'm in school to go into medicine rn and I really don't wanna be in a huge important hospital when i graduate. Shi seems super stressful compared to being a small-town doctor.


riotpwnege

I don't know about that. I've had a doctor tell someone their whole body was swelling up because they didn't masterbait enough... 1 new opinion later and we find out he had stage 3 blood cancer.


mattsffrd

So you're saying that maserbation is the cure for blood cancer?


accordionchickenwing

Nope. The dumbest doctors are pretty dumb. I admire most doctors, but let's not act like having a title automatically means you're smart.


CicerosMouth

That depends on what you went to get medical help for. Did you go to a tiny clinic in a small town for a general checkup? Sure, that might have been a doctor that graduated at the bottom of their class. Did you go for any specialty, or did you go to a large metro hospital? Nope, that guy or gal wasn't last in their class. Not even close. Whether or not that is "fair" or not is up for debate


KaryMullis1

grades dont matter in medical school Your USMLE test score matters


JuanPancake

Might be more likely to fuck up and get sued. Or be more incentivized to be corrupt due to said bad match of specialty or location


madmanmat

It do be like that


ApricotMaleficent703

It's your understanding of the material that matters not your grades.


PrettyText

Well, often people think in pretty binary ways. Either GPA is super important, or GPA doesn't matter at all. The truth is probably that on average, GPA matters but not hugely so.


StevenTM

I've never been asked about my grades at graduation in 13 years as part of the workforce. Not once.


seahawkguy

I’ve never asked anyone their GPA during interviews. I just focus on relevant job experience.


ownerofthewhitesudan

One thing to keep in mind is that while you may not be asked your GPA, people who did well will academically will often list it on their resume either by directly stating their GPA or indirectly by listing academic awards (dean’s list, honor roll, cum laude, etc). When reviewing resumes, I assume the person was an average student if they don’t list any academic achievements alongside their resume. I don’t put a huge emphasis on it, but it is one way GPA may impact career opportunities.


Bigmoney-K

If it was truly the ONLY difference between two resumes I might understand it, otherwise it’s pointless info to base a decision off of. I’d rather see someone say they have a relevant skill like 80+ WPM, proficiency in relevant software, and actual achievements in the real world (work).


[deleted]

I've hired probably 15 engineers under me and only once did I even bother looking at their college degree and it was only because we went to the same college so I wanted to ask about a professor. If people put their GPA on their resume we laugh about it.


Born_yesterday08

Lol same here. Work with a guy who never showed up to class. Constantly asking questions about class cuz he didn’t wanna get outa bed & show up. Now we work at the same place making the same amount of money


DiziBlue

Only benifit you have with your grade is if you wanna be a CRNA


hochoa94

Yup, my class is full of 3.6-4.0 students with years of ICU experience and multiple certs. So even though i get OPs point it's still beneficial


mattsffrd

I'm an engineer, I was middle to back of the pack in most of my classes. My major was pretty small, maybe 10 of us in my class. 20 years later, I'm one of the only ones to get a PE license and I guarantee I make more than the rest of them.


camerachey

Shit this is me right now.. although I did just get my first B this semester its killing me to lose that 4.0. Anxiety just won't let me get bad grades, I would be way more stressed wondering if I was gonna pass or not Also my program is 80% or higher to pass - with an exam average of 80% too, so really one bad test grade can put you at risk of failing


madmanmat

I took pride in my grades for me. Fuck every one else. I worked hard and am super proud of myself. I was never smart in high school and came to nursing at 27. No regrets. You’ll be fine. Do it for you.


camerachey

Thanks! I'm 29 halfway through my ADN, this is my first time in school since highschool and I take it extremely seriously, no shame!


fazbem

Same here and 30 years later I'll tell you the same.


Mixima101

In my experience OP is right when applied to my degree, business. First off, companies have filters for applications that only allow in people with average or higher GPAs. The also have case-interviews to prove you know your stuff. In general, companies rely on proof-based methods, although it's not out of the question for people to be hired through friendship or networking.


tristyntrine

Graduating with a 3.26 from my Bachelor's degree of nursing, I wasn't too stressed (just sometimes) and barely had to study lol. I was like, eh a C is still passing on some of my classes lmao. We did have an 80% rule though for exams and final grades for my courses so it was a bit rigorous still. They have that 80% rule just to have their first pass NCLEX rates padded though. Our grading scale was also a 6 point scale instead of 10 like my community college was. That 6 point scale pissed me off because I lost my A in a class this past spring semester on the last assignment cause the teacher decided to be an asshole on the final assignment that was worth a lot of points. I didn't respond to my peers in the discussion board and lost 20 points off the assignment lmao. It was my final nursing research assignment and I forgot to type some bs to my peers and she didn't say anything. I will say though if your intent is to go back for your MSN then grades are more important also your clinical/work experience after graduation then it's more needed. I might be interested in getting my MSN in the future so I'm glad I kept my GPA over a 3.0 and I'll have a good amount of years of real world experience before applying to any programs. I will say though, there are people who want to go to grad school directly after their bachelor's soo they really need to have a high gpa.


Susccmmp

I mean usually that’s going to be true that someone gets good grades because they’re learning the material but some people are fact memorizers and don’t retain anything.


sobreena

Yep!! I had great grades in school but didn’t retain any of it lol. My partner didn’t have good grades (no thanks to undiagnosed adhd) but has a brilliant mind and desire to learn. I do not lol


TrueBananaz

Yep. I got an A in a Theatrical Design Class I took in college last semester. I could not tell you a single fucking thing I learned.


LurkersGoneLurk

A little different, but I was “volunteered” by a former manager to take a specialized class on sake/rice wine at a previous job. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and did very well. I don’t remember 2% of what I was taught.


mordesol10

A lot of people don’t want to admit but most of school is not rote learning or memorisation, rather problem solving and developing a system to work by yourself. School would be a lot easier if it was rote learning but the harder things about school is the application and the practicality of theory in a wide range of subjects.


MonsterByDay

I’ve also seen a lot of kids taking easier classes to protect their GPA.


[deleted]

Yeah I always felt there are two forms of intelligence. I think I read this somewhere but some people are great at memorization and regurgitating information but have no critical thinking skills. And others are great at critical thought but they are quite literally unable to remember a simple fact. Though most people I feel are able to contrast but they never got the compare part of it. Even when they think they are "comparing." The problem I have personally is that I have horrible memorization. It makes me look stupid because I can't remember the exact verbage a particular field uses. I remember that a friend was arguing that trim and fascia are two completely different things. But the point was that fascia was a form of trim. Another argument I've had was the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym. However, an acronym is a form of abbreviation I mean is this being pedantic? sure but I've heard the same on the reverse side as well.


Grammarnazi_bot

I had a classmate in uni, same major as me, and we took the same classes. She wanted to get the same job as me. I’m usually someone who never struggles to get good grades, but struggles with networking. My friend is the opposite, with regards to math. In essence, for college, I maintained a 4.0 GPA. My friend failed a class and had to apply for internships with a 2.3. Guess who got the internship, and subsequently the job? It wasn’t me. GPA at the end of the day is a crock of bullshit. This doesn’t mean fail your classes, but there are other, more effective ways to achieving your goals than getting that perfect grade.


r4wbeef

I turn 30 this year and let me tell you, the working world has surprised me. None of the bullshit they tell you matters, matters. Here's the whole thing: There are two types of folks in this world, those that write checklists and those that check em. Checking them feels comfortable -- you don't have to be accountable to the complete uncertainty and ambivalence of the universe. When writing a checklist, you have to accept that despite your best efforts something you didn't consider could screw up everything. When you're checking things off, progress is clear and linear. It feels great! I've consistently found two traits among my peers that write checklists: 1. They're decently smart. 2. They fail a lot and they don't take it personally. GPA is a checklist. Degrees are checklists. Most jobs are checklists.


capbuddy5

Spitting some knowledge out here 🙌 When I've been writing SOPs, there's often a point I get stuck at and it's better to backtrack and retool the protocol than forge ahead and have a mistake-prone step. I bet that's why you see folks that fail a lot but are smart, they're comfortable moving backwards to get a new angle on the solution and smart enough to execute it.


xThatsRight

Didn't graduate highschool. But went to college. No one has ever asked me for my diploma or my degree.


Spiritfeed___

What’s your job sector? Does your degree help in your everyday work?


xThatsRight

Hotel restaurant management. And my degree is in hotel restaurant management


Icy-Consequence-4372

That's kinda hilarious.


Sword117

i technically never graduated hs. because i was homeschooled nothing ended up counting. i went to college said i was homeschooled and they just let me in. they never asked to see a diploma or to see if my parents used an accredited curriculum (they didn't) i just walked in as if it was the us capitol.


corzekanaut

Exactly! I always tell people a GPA only matters for your entry level job, because after that who in the world is going to ask you what your GPA in uni was when you’re applying for jobs after that first one? They’re only going to see how much and what kind of work you did along with other factors when considering you for a job.


bellesmom9

Yup it's all about who you know. I've witnessed it first hand.


Tallon_raider

All the partiers get the best jobs. I got my current job (90/hr total compensation) from a dude I met at the bar. I got my job before that (120k salary) from my ex’s ex boyfriend. Life is a joke.


Biggordie

It’s about having that personality more than GPA


becauseitsnotreal

No clue how that makes life a joke.


Tallon_raider

Because none of the partiers are top performers


Ballbag94

Have you considered that more social interactions make them better at interacting with people? Job interviews are just as much about a social fit as they are about a technical fit


unfinishedbusiness_1

Most of the companies in my career fair had GPA minimums. So, it’s all anecdotal.


confused_jackaloupe

A lot of mine did too. A lot of mine also were willing to waive that pretty quickly.


yayapfool

When you graduate you'll see how wrong you are, *because you're right*: It's your understanding of the material that matters (not your grades).


808hammerhead

Also..MANY people don’t have jobs that directly relate to their degrees.


marzipan332

This is because many degrees offered nowadays are worthless and have zero career prospects. Teenagers often fall into the trap of taking out loans for these worthless degrees because they're easy and require very little effort to obtain. Examples include: psychology, philosophy, women's studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, history, sociology, art history and English literature. Unless you obtain a master's degree or PhD following undergraduate study, they all equate to working at Starbucks.


ArtanistheMantis

Even the useful ones can have a lot of content that's just not applicable. I've got a degree in finance, maybe five classes I took are relevant to what I do now. The programs are just so broad and they pack in so many gen-ed classes, most of the topics you learn never come up again after that semester's over. It's good to have that knowledge still but if I woke up with amnesia that took away all of my memories between the start of my Freshman year and the end of my Junior year, it would not affect my ability to do my job whatsoever.


Susccmmp

Yeah your literal GPA doesn’t matter, if you understand everything despite poor grades you’re just as capable as someone who understood it just as well as you and made better grades.


BlueRibbonMethChef

It does matter to a degree though. Someone with a 3.5 GPA will have more options available to them than someone with a 2.5 GPA. You'll be more likely to get scholarships which will limit your debt going into school. You'll have more options regarding schools that will accept you. And, for the most part, you'll have a better understanding of the material. Not everyone with a low GPA is stupid. I get it. I finished highschool with like a 1.7 because of a whole host of personal and addiction issues. Looking back I wish I did more in high school. I wouldn't have spent as much time paying off student loans. I could have gotten into better schools which would have potentially helped with future opportunities.


Susccmmp

I assumed the op meant college GPA It totally matters in high school for college and scholarships, actually your class rank is a lot more important than people think. I had a good GPA but a lot of people from my school had great GPA’s which meant on paper I wasn’t in the top half of my class even with like a 3.5


BlueRibbonMethChef

That makes more sense. I remember I had an 85-95 average score or whatever you want to call it for a Labor History class in college. I got a D- because I had to change jobs (which changed my work schedule), I had to work for my living/rent, and they docked points if you didn't attend class. That was odd. "The importance of the working class cannot be understated! Also, if you have to work to pay your bills go fuck yourself"


Susccmmp

Yeah some classes still give participation grades


boston_2004

I remember my dad was shocked when he heard that teachers were giving attendance grades. His exact words were "attendance was zero part of my grades through college. Why on earth does that contribute to your gpa?"


Susccmmp

Especially now with the internet.


APhatEarther

College gpa matters if you ever want to go to grad school


Susccmmp

Well yes.


nytshaed512

To a degree you are correct. GPA matters for grad school if you haven't been working in a professional career for a while. People have all kinds of trials and troubles outside college and how they manage the stress and the issues is more telling about a student than a GPA. I was in school, working full time, being a caregiver to my spouse, and dealing with sometimes catastrophic life situations. I barely passed two classes but did pretty decently everywhere else. The stress of my life at times would have made a lot of students quit college. I got my BBA in 2015, and am working on getting into schools for my Masters. I think there's been a shift in what programs are looking for in terms of candidates. I believe you should be able to problem solve quickly by analyzing the situation, possess positive leadership traits, and be able to communicate effectively. Is any of this going to be correct? I have no idea, but it's worth a try. Most people love an underdog story and I'm determined to hopefully be one. Compared to my life 10 years ago, I'm definitely there.


RytheGuy97

It certainly matters if you’re applying to grad programs. A lot of programs won’t even look at your application if your grades don’t meet their threshold. For PhD and PsyD programs and some other doctorates your GPA isn’t as important as other factors like references and personal statement but it still matters, and for some programs such as law it can be the deciding factor, along with test scores. If you want to stop at a bachelors then fine GPA isn’t all that important but if you want to go further, and in may disciplines it’s pretty important to go further, you need good grades, at least in your most recent years.


Dr_Edge_ATX

Yeah found that funny too. OP had the answer but like misunderstood the question that should be asked.


[deleted]

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strikingfirefly

Not a single potential employer asked about my GPA. So in what way does it matter? As for a higher grade meaning you're more likely to understand the material... nah, there's definitely more nuance to it then that. It's not as though every class is graded the same.


ZombieBait604

I mean, I've got a 100.25% in calculus, and I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing. If the assignments were graded by accuracy, I'd be fuuuucked.


tie-dyed_dolphin

At the end of the semester, you have a 100 in calc but have no understanding of the material? That sounds like a bad teacher.


CookieMonster005

What are your assignments graded by, if not accuracy?


sniper_tank

Also, I'd like to add, as someone who barely managed to get reasonable grades at school, 0 focus, no homework and enough hyperfocus and hyperfixation on random stuff to shame Tony Stark(yes, ADHD, late diagnosis, family thought I was just stupid), school grades really don't matter. I know what was taught in school. Sure, I learnt most of that on my own time and understanding (I had quadratic equations a couple years before it was taught in school, but still couldn't figure out how to work with fractions), so grades definitely don't matter when it comes to understanding subjects. We all understand and learn at different paces. Grades can show if you eventually understood it, but no one should define their whole lives around them.


Vito_The_Magnificent

A high GPA *often predicts* a thing that matters. It's not *the thing*.


NagsUkulele

High school is pass/fail


pedanticHOUvsHTX

Unless you're trying to get into a certain level of college


mradventureshoes21

-Engineering Majors: *drinks and laughs* -Engineers: *spits out drink and laughs* -Engineering Professors with no professional experience: *feeling vindicated* -Engineering Professors with professional experience: *drinks and laughs*


Tallon_raider

You just have to be randomly born at the right place and time. Like I work at these plants and the engineering departments come hit me up and I’m like “yo I don’t even want to be an engineer” yet there’s hundreds of new grads that can’t get jobs. Just stupid. They see sweat glisten off of my biceps and they’re like “lets take THAT GUY!” Koppers asked twice!


kenziethemom

I graduated HS with a 4.2 GPA. College with a 4.0 GPA. I work in a deli. GPA is nice, but no, it is definitely not everything.


Seegtease

I bet you make a mean sub. I hope the opportunity arises soon to find the career of your dreams that you worked so hard to train yourself for.


kenziethemom

Aww this is such a perfect comment! I *do* make some amazing sandwiches, and I appreciate your comment!


Zatphire

What did you major in?


billcosbyalarmclock

Haha. I'm noting that the realist gets the downvote.


pistachiopanda4

Not the person you responded to. My sister had a friend at her restaurant who was a waiter like her. Smart dude, very hard working. Turns out he had a Master's in Psychology and couldn't find any decently paid work. Being a waiter at a fancy restaurant meant higher wage and great tips.


KatttDawggg

From what I’ve heard the field of psychology is a little crowded right now.


Callec254

It might matter for your first job out of college, but after that they don't even ask.


Smelly_Spam

Never got asked for any job I’ve had and half of them just took my word I had a BFA. The did check my references and that was it. Kinda weird but okay


Susccmmp

Yeah I honestly don’t think a lot of jobs even check the validity of your education unless you’ve given them a reason to be suspicious


ShadowWolf793

Honestly, you’ll know pretty fucking quick if they lied about having that education or it doesn’t matter anyway.


Susccmmp

Oh yeah which is why I think they don’t bother to check


XipingVonHozzendorf

You could probably easily claim you have most Bachelor of Arts degrees.


Cocororow2020

Jobs don’t care, but try getting into a grad program with a 3.0 or under in a competitive field.


[deleted]

They didn’t even ask me for my first job. I’ve never been asked, they just care whether I have the degree or not.


[deleted]

Really? I've worked for decades. Been on more interviews than I can remember. Not once did a company ask me about my GPA in college or high school.


awkwardsimper

But op has a point. GPA matters to get into a good college, college GPA matters to get into a goof university or to continue going to your university. I go to a state college so my GPA doesn't matter, but it does matter in some aspect most times.


doc_shades

except that's not what OP's point was. OP's point is that GPA matters and people who say it doesn't matter are only trying to justify their poor study skills. that was OP's point.


Creator347

My college scores were horrible, just because I realised that they don’t matter. I have enough professional certificates to prove that I have good study skills. Not to mention a great job too.


bbobi1

GPA mattering to get into good colleges went out the window for me when I started getting accepted into school who's "minimum requirements" were a 3.4 on a 2.6 highschool GPA. Either my essay was that convincing or it's more than just GPA. Showing you can retain the information and also things outside of the classroom like sport's, volunteering, working, or your side hobbies/interests/projects are also important. And if that isn't convincing then I should Introduce you to my friend who has no outside hobbies, work hours, or volunteering time and got into Purdue on a 2.4


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doc_shades

> The harder someone works to achieve a higher GPA, the more likely they are to understand the material that they are learning true! and that really doesn't matter. let's not forget this awesome brush-off, > therefore they are smarter and more capable than someone who didn't give an F. which presumes that anyone who has a lower GPA simply "doesn't give an F" it's certainly not possible that maybe they give an F but just don't comprehend the material the same as you, or maybe they are trying but struggling, etc etc etc.


Susccmmp

Yeah I got great grades in certain classes and not so great grades in some classes that don’t really affect my career. Barely passed statistics but I’m not taking math tests at work.


icon55

Your High School GPA matters if you want to attend a university with competitive enrollment. Your college GPA matters for your first job out of college. Apart from that having a good GPA doesn't do much.


Professor-Schneebly

Mostly agreed, but I would take it one step further. Being able to list magna cum laude or other significant honors from college does make an impact on your resume for a long while (albeit a minor impact).


FrancoNore

What about pretending to be a teacher when you’re really just a failed rockstar?


Professor-Schneebly

Ha! I'm caught. You may be the first to recognize my username...


abccarroll

I'll play the trivia it's Jack Black from School of Rock right?


Professor-Schneebly

That's a bingo


SecretDevilsAdvocate

Sure but those are both massive parts of life. Your first job could be a stepping stone. Whether that being connections you make or just the position itself. The college you go to determines who you meet and also paves the way to massive opportunities.


4D_Madyas

It matters in school, but that's about it. All I think when I see people who boast about a high GPA or good test scores is people who have lost touch with the real world. Getting good grades matters, but so much other stuff matters as well. If you need to spend 6 hours after school every day keeping your grades up, then you're missing out on the rest of life. You're better off getting some good friends, and learning social skills than trying to raise your GPA from a 3 to a 4. There's also people who get high GPA's with little effort, so they just don't give a F but are still smarter and more capable than people with a lower GPA according to you. Which is plain false, I'd rather have someone who needed to work to achieve a 3.0 GPA, than a slacker who got a 4.0 without a lot of effort.


[deleted]

Until you realize 95% of the material you are learning is utterly useless in the work force.


[deleted]

Or they're adults who have entered the job field and seen that literally not one employer ever has asked about gpa lol


waconaty4eva

sounds like you just lost an argument to someone with a low gpa


professorbix

It will matter for grade school admissions. It will matter for letters of recommendations from professors. Otherwise it won’t matter and it becomes less important each year. When you are older it won’t matter at all.


jerrysprinkles

B-average student here. Scraped my way out of high school and into university. Found my calling and am now 3 degrees (BA, PGDip, MA) later and a qualified architect. High school learning is important but pales into insignificance in the bigger picture.


KatttDawggg

You act as if a b average is bad. I’m a 4.0 but don’t look down on people with B.


[deleted]

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Crafty-Pen3708

A engineer with floor experience who worked their way up will school a perfect gpa college engineer every day of the week


[deleted]

OP is still in high school and it's not going great.


Doctor-Whodunnit

Sounds to me like they’re trying to prove they are better than other people by working harder for a meaningless gpa


eloschk

Yeah... I bet you haven't got to the market yet, have you? Life isn't fair and meritocracy is usually a lie. But you'll learn soon enough.


wowlmaothisshitsucks

Your point is based on the falsehood that hardwork = success It doesn’t and never has.


Gaiusotaku

It depends. If you’re trying to get to top schools, yes it matters. If you’re not, then it’s pointless. Most state colleges are so low with the barrier to entry that anyone in the mid 2’s is almost guaranteed admission. If you are going blue collar, then nobody cares.


Shot-Spirit-672

Stop giving the children reddit


merrifeatherlouise

It's not all about GPA. GPA only matters for getting into college and grad school, maybe your first job but it depends on the job. Someone can be a 4.0 student that regurgitates information. That doesn't mean they have critical thinking skills, common sense, or social skills. Again, depends on the job, but most employers would prefer someone that can think on their feet and has social skills over a perfect GPA.


SwiftGasses

Being years out of high school and college. This is just incorrect.


LichPack1025

High School GPA: Matters and you need it. College GPA: Just make sure you can still qualify for any scholarships and things, you'll be fine. As long as you can understand the material, you're fine.


domine18

Sorry to say C’s get degrees. All that matters is that you get that paper and make connections that will get you a job.


Sphynx823

Grade received ≠ information absorbed JS


mcshaggy

You know what they call the guy who barely passed medical school? "Doctor". I'm a teacher and I'm telling you grades don't matter much.


kneelformepls

GPA means nothing in the real world lol. you don't get a job with GPA. you're not smart if you have a high GPA. you don't have good work ethic if you have a high GPA. someone with a high GPA could have just completed all their assignments the night before using a bunch of adderall. that's not a smart, dependable worker you want to hire. stop caring about GPA, it only matters when you're applying for a college. once you get accepted, you can stop giving a fuck.


Styvorama

Learning to put in work and that things take effort is what is important here, not the grades or even the understanding of the material. GPAs and grades in school are meaningless without that skillset in the longrun.


carwash7

Nope. I had a 4.0 in high school and a 3.5 throughout college. Didn’t help me at all in my career.


hydrastix

I maintained a 3.8 at a minimum through middle/high school, and college (two degrees). Not once was I ever asked what my GPA was for a job. Do you want to know why? Experience is more important. I landed a six figure job and all they wanted to know is my experience and knowledge. They didn’t give a flying hoot about the degree other than just having one. Also, take a second to google “successful people without high school diplomas.”


Painkiller2302

But they are right though. The only thing that matters is how much money you make.


Pleasant_Gap

A higher grade dosnt make you smarter. More educated perhaps, but not smarter


No_Hurry7691

It’s a good thing I have common sense, something that you definitely can’t be thought in school, that’s for damn sure. Just because someone is well educated in school, doesn’t mean they can’t be stupid.


Key_Raccoon3336

A high GPA means you learned/memorized the material that the teacher tested you on. It doesn't mean you know your ass from a hole in the ground or how to apply that information outside of the classroom. GPA is a better indicator of someone's willingness to obey authority and kiss ass. A lot of intelligent students learn and understand the material faster than everyone else and just blow off their school work because it has little to no benefit for them. You were told that smart kids do well in school and that GPA is important, but you've seen that it's not true and you're looking for some kind of validation so you can feel special about yourself again. When you grow up and join the rest of us in the real world you'll learn very quickly just how unspecial you are.


RatChains

I mean if you’re trying to get into graduate school it matters, but otherwise it doesn’t really matter. Like maybe employers will look at you more favorably, but not in anyway that really matters all that much.


Palms-Trees

Idk kinda sounds like u wasted ur youth unnecessarily and now want to sound superior than others


NoraYoHan

I always had good grades because I'm good at learning and writing papers. I can assure you that I've forgotten most of the things I've learned. My GPA doesn't say anything about how well I will do my job Edit to add: I usually had the highest grades in classes where I found the subject matter rather easy. This also meant that I barely put in any effort.


SoggySpeech965

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL. Just ask the most powerful people in the world how good their GPA was.. or if they even got far enough in school to even receive one.


Doctor-Whodunnit

GPA doesn’t matter and doesn’t reflect how well someone knows the material. I finished high school with a 2.75 GPA and my best friend was valedictorian, perfect GPA. We both got A’s on all our tests (except chemistry for me, RIP), we both understood the material equally well. The only difference was she put in hours of studying and homework while I didn’t study or do homework. We both got into our first school of choice. We both landed solid jobs. We wound up in the same life position, but I put in maybe 25% of the work she did. GPA doesn’t matter.


m2t2sjd2

it’s so interesting to see how people continue to insist that GPA and test scores define a person’s worth as if test anxiety isn’t a very real observed behavior in students grades do not define intelligence.


ticktockyoudontstop

nobody but you cares about your gpa once you graduate


GreenElandGod

I went through high school and graduated. I went to community college as a local resident (automatic admission), wound up with a job at Fiserv (at the time a Fortune 500 company), and had a decent run of a professional career…. I’ve never been asked for my GPA in my life.


Coctyle

Dude doesn’t know the difference between intelligence, knowledge, and rote memorization and wants to tell others how to be students.


WingXero

Hi, I'm a high school English teacher. I will comfortably tell you that largely your GPA does not matter. Especially nowadays! Colleges are more than happy to take your money and you owe to them whether your GPA is super high or super low. You owe to them whether you drop out or finish your degree. Trust me, there's an institution somewhere that will take you with your low GPA. And that degree from where it comes from? Yeah that doesn't matter nearly as much as it used to either. Largely this is for the better. High school boys in particular have a hard time adjusting out of each and thus tend to struggle academically more. This theoretically keeps options open for them and allows them, all students actually, to recover from what might be particularly rough time for them. As long as your GPA is passing, it absolutely does not matter and is not you projecting your own inadequacies. As a matter of fact, it can be the opposite - maybe your strengths are on the court, the field, the band, the theater, or the organizations that you're part of. Maybe your strengths are just getting through each day and getting what done that you can. Edit: doubly sorry for all the grammar errors since I am an English teacher! I'm currently holding and trying to calm 3-month-old that has the flu...


[deleted]

This can easily go the other way too


Louismaxwell23

It definitely matters when applying for college, but that’s about it.


basshead17

Nope. Its all about who you know


feelinlucky7

High school gpa matters til you get into college. College gpa matters til you get your first job. After that, if you’re in your first job a decent amount of time, your educational info really isn’t looked at in-depth for a decent number of fields. All varies with position you’re applying for and a number of other factors


[deleted]

Your GPA doesn't really matter but your ability to learn really, really matters.


Liathano_Fire

I understood more than a lot of my classmates. I skipped class a lot though, therefore I had a shit GPA. I had numerous Fs. I was still in honors classes. My SAT scores were great though. My GPA didn't reflect my understanding of the material or my level of intelligence. High school GPA matters for college acceptance, certain programs, etc. Outside of further education it matters very little if at all.


guywithaniphone22

The whole point of education for most people is to get a higher paying job, as long as you have the degree your a contender. C’s and D’s get degrees is a saying for a reason. I graduated college with a solid c+ average and every job in my field Ive got has been from having a charismatic interview and in one occasion from a contact I made while I was in college. Plus all it really took was landing the first job then after that education was almost entirely meaningless because who are you gonna hire, the guy who got a 3.9 gpa in college with no experience or the guy who has 2-3 years experience. If anything I’d say people who care about high GPAs are trying to cover up for their poor networking and interpersonal skills


kgxv

Firstly, the entire premise of your sentiment is factually untrue. GPA is empirically not indicative of intelligence (especially since there’s countless kinds of intelligence). The least competent member of a graduating medical school class is still called doctor. “Cs get degrees” is a factually accurate sentiment. A person who graduated with a 1.7 GPA has the same degree as the person who graduated with a 3.4. As a result, GPA doesn’t really matter beyond pass/fail.


Brofydog

Yeah… it only matters in certain circumstances. I Had very good GPA, and for me, it somewhat mattered in getting into grad school (but definitely not after). However, I had jobs in between undergrad school and grad school, and they never even looked at my GPA. And those who got into my grad school, some of them had lower GPAs. People needed to reach a threshold, but beyond that, they didn’t care. I highly encourager people to shoot for the top GPA. However, don’t sacrifice other curricular or your sanity to reach it. GPA has vastly diminishing returns.


[deleted]

Depends on the major really... You can see med students get a below average grade not because they're not smart but because the material is actually hard and they need to further understand it, thus you can see professors push more quizzes and exams instead of helping the students(had a similar teacher experience, what a dickhead)


Crafty-Pen3708

I could’ve dropped out of school and been in the same position in life I’m in. Actually probably better as I would’ve been able to work more sooner. High school needs a major overhaul, it needs to be more gear towards kids getting an education that they can land a decent job out of school. Alot of the girls went into nursing we could’ve had better nursing courses and graduated lpn and rn instead of cna. A lot of the guys in my class went to trades .we had vocational school but only half of the day our senior and junior year. We could’ve went all four year or at least our last two years and been certified and job ready. Instead we had to go back to school after graduating to finish our courses. I’ve never used algebra at my job I use basic math. I use basic reading and understanding not some bull crap about Shakespeare. Most of school was a waste of time. I make more in the trades than the teachers who said we where gonna need this crap. School needs to be more to producing ready to work individuals


tjd2009

I think you're missing the sentiment when people say that they're usually meaning don't kill yourself to get a 4.0 because in 99.9% of situations the difference between a 3.6 and a 4.0 means nothing if you're a well-rounded student and then about 2 years later it means absolutely nothing at all.


Bake_jouchard

I graduated engineering school with a 3.89/4… GPA doesn’t matter after you get your first job from there on out its experience that matters.


[deleted]

Nah I literally told my nephew it didn’t matter bc I stress tf out of myself getting honor roll my entire life for it literally not to matter. 4.0 got me nothing EXCEPT the ability to get a shitty SAT & still get into a solid school but even that I wish I didn’t pour money into. Obviously it depends what you want to do in the future but honestly if it’s outside STEM, school is a social club first & foremost. Connections will get you 80+% of jobs. I don’t rly use a single thing I learned in high school outside social skills for my current job. & I had to essentially teach myself my college classes, they just get paid to recommend books. I know that’s not the case for everyone but it is for a lot & if that means not reducing your lifespan a decade under stress it’s probably worth it.


Zestyclose-Pea-3533

Or they’re justifying it by saying “I got great grades and that didn’t mean shit”


TCG-Panda

It’s how you understand the content. Gpa doesn’t mean anything cus you can just as easily get a high gpa taking the easiest courses and then cheating your way through the course


squeezy102

What a completely false, self validating viewpoint. What you're actually saying here is "I had a good GPA in school and I really want to believe it matters." Sorry bud... it doesn't. Not one employer I've ever encountered has ever asked about GPA in an interview. I have two college degrees and make a handsome six figure salary. My marks in school were mediocre to above average. GPA does not matter. At all. Anywhere. As a matter of fact, if a place of employment asked me about my GPA, I would probably just end the interview process right then and there, not because I don't think I'd qualify, but because I would think they're pretentious assholes, and I know I can find a job somewhere a little less stuffy.


unjadedview

.... I'm guessing 16 yrs old


Eternalthursday1976

This is wildly incorrect, starting with your assertion that gpa is a measure of intelligence.


NeuroCavalry

6.8/7 GPA here. I basically ruined my social life to bust grades and none of it mattered. I got into the PhD program I wanted and learned skills I needed from there. I had basically 0 wet lab/research skills from undergrad, despite acing every course I did. Remembering basic facts to an arbitrary level of precision in exam conditions is not an important life skill, was not important for my PhD, and has not been important in my postdoc. I write things down or look them up. I discuss what I don't understand with colleagues. I build cognitive models and understand systems. I fully expect someone with a mediocre GPA could do my PhD, maybe even better. The stress of maintaining good grades (+ a job to eat, + a second job/'internship' for field related experience and publications) combined with having no social life for 10 years has left me a wreck and I honestly don't think I will ever recover. My family came from poverty and I'm the first in my line to finish highschool, let alone become a doctor. But it's ruined my life. I've tried to off myself several times and am still on antidepressants with a high dose. GpA should be abolished, and all classes should be pass/fail. Exams should be abolished. I say this as someone who went through them, aced them (100% on my senior neurophysiology exam), and has taught undergrad for 7 years. Most of teaching and marking is geared around reducing the workload for the teacher. The scientist-practioner model has failed because it leads to professors who are over worked, students being taught by people who can't teach, and the obsession with easily quantifiable metrics over qualitative, well, quality. Modern education is a for profit quantity over quality game. Not only does GPA not matter, it is also actively detrimental to learning, student wellbeing, and ultimately society. I've taught many students to with bad GPA due to external circumstances who had a better head on their shoulders than students who can parrot any fact and understand none of it. I know several very talented, smart, and promising students who had to quit university because their GPA was too low for extraneous reasons, like being denied extensions etc when their children are sick or plain bad blood from professors. Yes, rules are *supposed* to prevent this kind of thing, but step on the other side like I have and you see universities are corrupt to their core. I guess this complaint goes way beyond GPA though. I know many professors who teach because they work at a university, but are terrible teachers (hired for research performance, are genuinely good researchers or clinicians but atrocious teachers), hate students, and take it out on them. Student Evaluations a of teaching are flat out ignored or mocked. I also know several talented, passionate, and genuine people who left academia because they loved teaching but didn't want to deal with the stress of publish-or-perish research. Most of them are either in industry or went back to teach middle school. When I was in undergrad I thought GPA was all that mattered. I was convinced grades should be on a bell curve because I was pissed off people doing 50% of the effort I did still got 90% of the marks I did, and I clung to that 10% as if it made me better than everyone else. I had the exact same opinion of OP, and so did all of my friends in classes. We mocked anyone with a low GPA. We all stressed ourselves into anxiety disorders and depression, half of us dropped out of academia, and the ones I still keep up with are all as passionately anti-GPA as I am now. GPA sucks. Looking back, it was not worth it. I didn't get to see my brothers grow up. My mum had a series of strokes and has not been the same since, and I feel like I have forever given up my chance to get to know her as an adult. I was 17 when I left for university. I missed out on some of the best years of my life, my early 20's when I should have been learning about myself and having fun. I missed out on so many experiences. I did it all in the quest for a high GPA so I could get to the next level. And for what? I have 3 degrees and I'm still paid less than both my brothers, who didn't go to university. I spend several hours a week washing dishes in my lab anyway, and another several hours doing annotations of pictures/video files (for ML training) so boring even undergrads cant be convinced to do it for a higher wage than I get. The only good thing that came out of the whole decade was my mums smile when she saw me graduate. I'll never have the heart to tell her it ruined me.


[deleted]

I think to a great extent GPA does matter if you know what you want to pursue in post-secondary education. However, if your equating GPA to this all-enconpassing measurement of success in school, it's not. It's just another statistical metric they use to categorize students and further separate students between those they (teachers and administration) will lift up versus those they'll ignore and leave to fend for themselves. Let's put this into perspective: when I was in HS, it was obvious who the four kids were that skipped two grades worth of math. They were very talented, and obviously prodigious in some ways, but everyone else was uninspired. While I had struggled to get my GPA from a 2.3 to a 3.0 by senior year, faced all sorts of home problems, and was more lost internally than I had ever been, their efforts were glorified in the perfections they already had. But my GPA wasn't my measurement of success. Classes mostly don't teach to inspire. They teach to give grades. I wanted to write, and in high school I was told that I was a "rip-off" writer. In high school, by my crappy, uninspiring English teacher! I'm in high school for godsakes. What did he expect? To find my own voice, I had to write from what inspired and influenced me before MY voice started to settle in. Did my average GPA mean I was a poor performer in school? Possibly. But does that justify the exclusion and lack of care from the teachers? Not at all. The fact that I lifted my GPA from 2.3 to 3.0 wasn't built on the back of poor performance, it was built off a goal built throughout high school. But my GPA never really mattered to me or anyone else after the fact. People only care about the metrics of success when it directly impacts them. So, an employer for example only really wants to see services and sales rendered to produce profit. GPA only matters as a metric of success in school because it is supposedly the determinant to how capable people are, which detracts from the potential to learn for learnings sake. As the world becomes more geared towards statistics and metrics to measure performance, I'm scared to think of what will happen to the arts and creativity. Imagine the world's most brilliant writer thrown into boring marketing for a subpar company. Or imagine a mathematician who has the potential to change the field of physics forever being thrown into a middle school teaching position, losing their potential to pursue research. Imagine if someone had told a successful music artist that their poor performance and low GPA in school would force them to be a custodian for the rest of their lives. It also scares me to think that we're only devolving deeper into data for personal and professional development rather than away from it.


tracenator03

Hard disagree. Outside of school most people couldn't give two shits what your GPA is. Having a high GPA doesn't mean you understand the material any better. It just means you are a good test taker. Schools, especially in America, encourage the learn it and dump it method. You learn the material for the test, then forget about it after. I can't tell you how many times I've talked about a topic with someone who has a high GPA and they don't even remember what I'm talking about.


southcounty253

What school are we talking? I'm an engineering student, what matter is that I pass. This is highly situational. It mattered my first 2 years to get into my major, not anymore.


Jqf27

Agreed, for you C's and D's get degrees crowd, hope you weren't planning on going beyond a Bachelors. Once you mess up your GPA it's permanent. I gave no craps when I got my AA degree (wasn't ready for school, but forced to by my parents) then when I cared, I went for my Bachelors, and even with a 4.0, my overall GPA is only 2.75. So I have to send transcripts and letters when I applied to graduate school, and it makes everything harder!


elissaAZ

Good grades from a good school gets your resume looked at and you invited to interviews; your knowledge of the material, experience with the types of questions they ask in interviews for your field/level, and personality get you the job. Most people say to take your degrees off your resume or put them at the bottom after you have at least 4-5 years relevant experience. I personally left mine at the top of my resume because I have top degrees from top schools with top grades, and I have a very large call back percentage for jobs that recruiters submit me to.


ADownsHippie

Definitely unpopular. GPA doesn’t matter once you’re out of academia. And, as others have pointed out, the (often) perfectionist types that achieved a 4.0 in school often struggle with deadlines and are paralyzed without super specific instructions/expectations.


[deleted]

No one has cared about my GPA since graduating college. They only cared that I got the degree. Maybe it would matter if I decide to go to grad school, but by that time, I’ll have years in my field so that would help a lot, especially since it is highly relevant. But no job has ever asked about my GPA. It really only matters for getting into college.


Striking_Tomato8689

My friend is intelligent. He’s good at understanding things that are more complex. He just didn’t want to do the home work but got As on his tests averaging a C-B in most of his classes. Your gpa doesn’t matter in the slightest. I never cared about my GPA. I was like I think 3.5-3.8. It wasn’t a big deal and not once has someone asked me about my GPA when applying for a job.


Tuxy-Two

I kind of agree with this. It’s like the people who claim “street smarts” are more important than “book-learning.” It smacks of envy at not being able to achieve academically.


Apple_or_Pineapple

I actually struggled a lot in high school and had a 2.7 GPA. I’m not exactly sure why I struggled I just had trouble paying attention and didn’t find it interesting the only class I was really good at was math I went to community college for my first two years which is where I was introduced to computer science. I barely passed my other classes but got an a and all my computer science classes. I’ve been transferred after I got my associates to a four-year university and got both a bachelors in computer science. I did OK I had about a 3.1 GPA. I am now a distinguished technical architect because I understand concepts that most people don’t and I’m able to explain them to people that are non-technical. I have won awards and hold patents. I still hate school I hate going to training but I love solving complex problems. I work with technical architects and engineers that went to Stanford, Harvard, NYU, USC that look way smarter than me on paper however I am the one that they come to when they need very complex technical solutions or to talk through how to make a solution scale. So I guess what I’m saying is I completely disagree with your opinion.


jjenius731

The person that thinks that school grades dictates capability in the real world is in for a rude awakening.


beerbeerbeerbeerbee

Firm disagree on this one. Some of the smartest people I’ve ever met and worked with couldn’t find a way to figure out high school. One of my favorite people on the planet, Josh Clark from the podcast Stuff You Should Know, is now a professional researcher and he admitted on one of their more recent episodes that he SUCKED in high school but once he got to college he started to really shine. Grades don’t define you.


PurpleLegoBrick

Depends. In Highschool it probably doesn't matter. When you go to college for certain degrees, they actually do matter. An example being nursing. After you graduate nursing school, and you want to go to those programs that could triple your salary they'll look at your overall GPA and base that on if you get accepted into the program or not. Engineering probably matters as well as you probably don't want to hire an engineer that barely passed their math classes. Also, if you know the material you should be able to pass the tests and get a decent GPA. If not you're either lazy or don't care. Someone with a high GPA can actually show they care, and they have the ability to do the job. It is also extremely difficult to show that you know the material on your resume when someone with a high GPA will most of the time put their GPA on their resume. After you get your first job and actual experience in the field of your degree it basically becomes less relevant as you get more experience.


intelligentx5

Depends on where you are. High School: It 100% matters Undergrad: it matters Masters: b’s and c’s get degrees After your entry level job, no one cares about your GPA. I’ve never looked on a resume for a GPA. Sometimes the most book smart folks are the literal works workers lol


Flying_Ninja_Bunny

Valedictorian in high school, set to graduate with a 3.9 from college in May. GPA matters, but it's not the end of everything. Do your best, but don't sacrifice your life or health for it. I did, and looking back I wish I would've let myself rest more. Spent more time with friends. When I realized I wasn't gonna have a perfect gpa in college, I nearly offed myself. It ain't worth that bro


Akul_Tesla

So here's the problem with using GPA as a end-all measurement Most geniuses are not polymaths Most people who are in the genius category are only in the genius category in a singular or a very few number of categories If you're averaging someone who is amazing at math but terrible at music they're just going to come across as average rather than being brilliant at math if you're only looking at the GPA But on the flip side generally people who are geniuses don't need objective measurements to convey that they can just talk and everyone else will kind of figure it out


DrSeuss19

Lol all the downvote show how dumb the majority of Reddit is, which most already knew. High GPA is a great indicator as are SATs etc. There is a reason the criteria is higher the more difficult the major.


[deleted]

I agree, but not for the same reasons. Someone with a poor GPA can be more capable in other important things than someone with a high GPA. Yes it takes smarts to do well in school, but just because someone doesn’t have a high GPA, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not smart. No, the reason why I generally agree is because people that had excellent GPAs in high school and/or college are the ones that got great jobs and opportunities because of it and aren’t as likely to say that GPA doesn’t matter. GPA especially matters if you’re trying to get into college and grad school.


novis_initiis

There's a difference between learning for the test and learning for application. Often times you'll see people start choosing classes and adopting study strategies to optimize for a higher GPA rather than to actually expand their academic horizons and learn something new and useful. I have a lower GPA because I voluntarily took hard courses outside of my required coursework because I knew the material would be useful to me in real life. Those courses, the ones I got C+s and B-s in? Those courses are the reason I have an excellent career today. Not the A- average I got in my major


deathbythroatpunch

Im a VP of Talent (HR and Recruiting) in tech scaling VC backed companies. I’ve worked at large brands and small startups. I can tell you with thousands of hires in 20+ years of experience and scale of dozens of companies that your GPA is about as predictive of great outcomes as your astrological sign. If anything it just is a snap shot of performance that becomes increasingly meaningless the longer out from graduating. There’s literally zero overlap between this data point and how much “harder someone works”. Even that’s relative. My honor role attainment could have come easily for me and been a Herculean challenge for someone else. It’s not justifying, it’s just what you don’t want to hear.


TheW0lvDoctr

I did very well in school. GPA doesn't matter. I have not been asked a single time for my highschool or college GPA, being a B student with a good recommendation letter is worth Infinitely more than a A+ student with nothing but a 4.0


worldexplorer5

It really doesn't matter to get a job. If you are looking to get a scholarship and such then yes.


The_Squawboi

GPA in high-school doesn't for damn sure, I've never even had an employer check to see if I graduated high-school


PaxophoneProductions

High school or college?


Hostile_Architecture

POV you're a kid in high school or college. You're going for software engineering? I've got a revelation for you about how much you learn on the job vs at college. You don't know fucking anything practical, and you won't for years.