Does Undergraduate GPA matter Forum

[005618502]

So i was accepted to law school, UVA ED, and Dugas basically told me i only have to keep a 3.85. I have a 4.0 and figured out that even with all B's this year i will have a 3.87... Plus i dont have to send it to LSAC either way.

Should i keep working hard to keep a 4.0 and maybe even drop a very difficult class to take later when i have a lighter load? Will employers ever look at my UGPA? or would i be killing myself for no reason, other than self-satisfaction, trying to keep a 4.0?

[20160810]

No, I do not think that allowing your undergraduate GPA to plummet to 3.85 will negatively impact your career overmuch. Having the type of personality that makes you ask such questions in the first place, however, might be a liability come interview time.

[005618502]

haha well thanks for the heads up. Im not to worried about my personality, one thing that may actually help me come interview time.... but i guess most people probably think that

[JG Hall]

if it means dropping latin honors, though, I wouldn't. they don't mean much, but it's a nice little line on your resume/bio.

[005618502]

if it means dropping latin honors, though, I wouldn't. they don't mean much, but it's a nice little line on your resume/bio.

Yea i agree there. That goes by percentage of your class right? to get like Summa or magna cum lade? So i know a 4.0 is guaranteed Summa, whereas a 3.9 may not be...

[JG Hall]

if it means dropping latin honors, though, I wouldn't. they don't mean much, but it's a nice little line on your resume/bio.

Yea i agree there. That goes by percentage of your class right? to get like Summa or magna cum lade? So i know a 4.0 is guaranteed Summa, whereas a 3.9 may not be...

check with your student handbook or whatever. it varies by school.

[005618502]

Actually from what i remember my school doesnt do the latin terms. They just do highest honors, high honors, honors. (i know these are what the latin terms mean lol)

Ill have to check what the % or cutoffs are

[andrew1024]

if it means dropping latin honors, though, I wouldn't. they don't mean much, but it's a nice little line on your resume/bio.

Yea i agree there. That goes by percentage of your class right? to get like Summa or magna cum lade? So i know a 4.0 is guaranteed Summa, whereas a 3.9 may not be...

check with your student handbook or whatever. it varies by school.

Yeah, I was pissed when I found out my gpa only qualifies as "honors" at my school. To get anything better I would need to take a 2-course sequence and produce a thesis.

[phoenixsoars]

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[MBskier]

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[20160810]

You might also want to keep in mind that how much your UGPA matters might depend on your law school GPA. A 4.0 and summa looks great in undergrad, but not so much when next to a 3.3 in law school. I've seen resumes that have things like a ridiculously high GPA in undergrad and latin honors, and then leave off the law school GPA. Think your law school GPA won't be a 3.3 because you have a high undergrad GPA? There's a lot of those running around law schools....

A 3.3 is about top-25% at my law school. Not saying that's an amazing GPA, but it's nothing to sneeze at. I think employers all know law school is curved and expect LS GPAs to be lower.

[Anonymous User]

You might also want to keep in mind that how much your UGPA matters might depend on your law school GPA. A 4.0 and summa looks great in undergrad, but not so much when next to a 3.3 in law school. I've seen resumes that have things like a ridiculously high GPA in undergrad and latin honors, and then leave off the law school GPA. Think your law school GPA won't be a 3.3 because you have a high undergrad GPA? There's a lot of those running around law schools....

no gpas should be on resumes anyway.

[s0ph1e2007]

if it means dropping latin honors, though, I wouldn't. they don't mean much, but it's a nice little line on your resume/bio.

Yea i agree there. That goes by percentage of your class right? to get like Summa or magna cum lade? So i know a 4.0 is guaranteed Summa, whereas a 3.9 may not be...

check with your student handbook or whatever. it varies by school.

Yeah, I was pissed when I found out my gpa only qualifies as "honors" at my school. To get anything better I would need to take a 2-course sequence and produce a thesis.

edit: I was just griping

[005618502]

Why wouldnt you put your UGPA on a resume? I always have, and seem to have always been rewarded by it.

I got to a "top public" i guess you could say.

[005618502]

at least you don't go to a school where summa (i.e. top 5%) is >3.8
it's impossible to graduate from my school with a high gpa.
you shouldn't be able to graduate top 10% and below Yale's 25%

oh well, sigh*

I am assuming you go to Stanford because no one ever puts HYPS hahaha its always HYP. Anyways i have a friend on the cross country team there who has above a 3.9 so no it is definitely not impossible (this is of course assuming you go to stanford, i dont know anyone at east coast elite schools lol)

[20160810]

I've always been told that if you leave your GPA off your resume, employers are just going to assume that's because it's bad. Maybe 10 years into my career it would be silly to have my GPA on my resume, but for now it's on there, and it didn't seem to hurt me any.

[Black-Blue]

GPA doesn't matter, but I think honors/summa designations matter. The firms still put summa cum laude / highest honors on their websites next to the UG degrees.

[005618502]

GPA doesn't matter, but I think honors/summa designations matter. The firms still put summa cum laude / highest honors on their websites next to the UG degrees.

Even for law schools?

[005618502]

GPA doesn't matter, but I think honors/summa designations matter. The firms still put summa cum laude / highest honors on their websites next to the UG degrees.

Even for law schools?

Like they put your UGPA honor titles?

[s0ph1e2007]

nvm not intelligent to continue

[pasteurizedmilk]

The drop you're talking about wont' matter.....

But some firms do care about UG GPA. Most don't, but some really, really do (i.e. dinging an otherwise highly qualified candidate over a poor UG performance......)

[20160810]

The drop you're talking about wont' matter.....

But some firms do care about UG GPA. Most don't, but some really, really do (i.e. dinging an otherwise highly qualified candidate over a poor UG performance......)

This seems exceedingly rare though. I've only heard of 1 firm that wants UG transcripts. I can imagine it might matter more if you're doing IP though.

[pasteurizedmilk]

The drop you're talking about wont' matter.....

But some firms do care about UG GPA. Most don't, but some really, really do (i.e. dinging an otherwise highly qualified candidate over a poor UG performance......)

This seems exceedingly rare though.

Yes it is.....but not rare enough (/splitter rage).

[Anonymous User]

Columbia Career Services explicitly tells everyone to NOT to put GPAs of any kind on a resume. Latin Honors, PBK, etc. speak for themselves. Apparently it is not the "done" thing.

If a firm cares, they'll ask you for a UG transcript (every 1L employer I encountered wanted UG grades).

[20160810]

Columbia Career Services explicitly tells everyone to NOT to put GPAs of any kind on a resume. Latin Honors, PBK, etc. speak for themselves. Apparently it is not the "done" thing.

If a firm cares, they'll ask you for a UG transcript (every 1L employer I encountered wanted UG grades).

Do they recommend you omit just your UGPA, or LS GPA too?

I imagine if you go to CLS it doesn't much matter. I go to a LS where you're not really in consideration for a firm job of any kind if you're not in the top-25% or so, so I feel like putting the GPA/rank on your resume is important for getting yourself a second look, especially for the OCI employers that just make you submit a resume/CL to bid and not a transcript.