Do Academic Grades Matter?

Key Highlights

• Maintaining good academic grades in college is important for academic standing and future opportunities.
• Balancing academic performance with personal growth and extracurricular involvement is important.
• A high GPA can open doors to scholarships, graduate programs, and competitive job markets.
• There are, however, umpteen instances of tremendous success in spite of below-average academic performance
• While grades are important, they are only one predictor of future success.

Introduction

Do academic grades matter? Yes! If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be around, printed on your transcripts. Do grades more than everything else? Now, that’s a good question. Grades are a simple and straightforward measure of a student’s academic and extracurricular performance. That makes it a tempting yardstick for school and college admission officers and on-campus recruiters.

However, do you know there are many top companies that can hire you for your dream job without caring for your grades and even without a college degree? Also, the primacy of grades as a performance measure fades during the course of professional life. There are so many books, TED talks, and other expert opinions about the topic of the role grades play in a student’s career and life.

Let us examine this important topic once more with a fresh perspective!

The Real Impact of Grades on College Admissions

When you apply to a college, your GPA indicates your academic aptitude and learning ability. These elements of a student’s personality are vital to withstand the rigors of higher education. Though it isn’t the only thing that counts, it is the factor that carries the highest weightage. Even standardized test scores, essays, recommendations, personal background, and extracurricular activities are less important than high school grades in the admission process.

One of my students couldn’t get entry to a postgraduate program at any Ivy League university despite a very strong application. The problem: his undergrad grades!

Where Do Grades Rank in the Factors for College and University Admissions?

Different programs may treat grades differently, but you can be sure admission committees will treat them seriously. A high GPA will give you an edge, especially for competitive programs.

Consider your college GPA as an essential requirement. Often, you will need to meet the minimum GPA standards, especially for certain majors or programs. Simply put, your grades prove to admission officers that you can meet their academic expectations.

The Influence of Grades on Career Opportunities

The Importance of Grades in the Beginning of a Career

Employers don’t have much of a choice but to look at the resumes of internship applicants, freshers, and recent graduates. Some companies don’t even accept applications below a grade cut-off. If a company automates application filtering, those with better grades will make the cut.

Some others, however, look for other traits in a candidate’s personality.

Some Industry-Specific Expectations for Academic Performance

Traditionally, some industries focus more on academic success. Here are a few examples:

• Finance: Investment banks and consulting companies want to recruit candidates with a filter for strong analytical skills and problem-solving ability. They generally choose applicants with high GPAs, usually over 3.5.
• Engineering: Technical fields like engineering require a good understanding of key concepts. Thus, a high GPA is a must for entry-level jobs.
• Graduate Programs: If you want to enroll in a master’s or a Ph.D., your undergraduate GPA will play a major role.
• Non-profits: They would be more interested in your dedication to their cause. Grades would often be of secondary importance to them.

Do Grades Matter as Much for Senior Professionals?

With the progression of professional careers, grades lose their importance. Employers get other parameters, like work experience and on-the-job performance, to judge a candidate.

Promotions, salary hikes, and the distribution of incentives almost solely depend on the contribution an individual makes toward the organization’s success.

Top Successful People Without Top GPA: The Other Side of the Story

Chances are that you are reading this blog on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac! Steve Jobs, the brain behind all these devices, was a college dropout. He is just one of a long list of illustrious high-achievers who did very well in life without finishing college.

Elon Musk: He left his PhD program at Stanford University after just two days. He chose entrepreneurial ventures like PayPal over a doctorate. Even in high school, he wasn’t a valedictorian.

Bill Gates: Once the richest person in the world, his 2.2 GPA had his parents worried.

Albert Einstein: He couldn’t get admission to good schools in Germany at many stages during his youth.

People have different levels of motivation at different stages of life. Though grades indicate a person’s ability to work hard, they don’t bring luck, fortune, or an assurance of success. I’ve seen many of my students struggle academically but do very well in life. I also have countless examples of academically brilliant students getting low or mediocre levels of success later on.

Closer home, one of my friends is the most successful in our class. She didn’t have anything to write home for her grades while in college.

Some People Simply aren’t Made for a Typical Classroom

Many of the people I mentioned above felt the college education system is restrictive. The instructor-led academic system stifled out-of-the-box thinking. They felt they could do much more with their time.

This category of people also includes the ones with a special ability or early learning disability. As educational institutions are not designed for those with special abilities like Autism, a type of neurodiversity, these individuals don’t stand a chance to score well in a typical classroom. The same goes for students with learning disabilities like dyslexia.

I have personally known many students who outshone their peers later in life once they got the right support.

What matters more than the academic grades?

Resilience comes up as a quality that most often triumphs over grades. The ability and determination to overcome adversity is a major factor in overall success. Life is not a straight line. Neither does it have a ready script. Other qualities and virtues often take over and reflect a person’s worth more than the academic profile.

Do College Grades Matter for Risk-takers?

Risk-taking ability isn’t necessarily tied to grades. Academic grades don’t matter out there when you are auditioning for a lead role in a movie or trying to qualify for the main draw in the US Open tennis championships. So, there are certain fields where grades hold almost no value. These are typically the non-mainstream careers that society treats as risky, like sports or cinema.

For example, the famous actor John Cusack dropped out of his program at New York University, saying that he had “too much fire in his belly.” Many athletes also don’t have fancy degrees or top grades.

University Grades don’t matter as much outside a 9 to 5 job

A 9-to-5 job, also called a day job, is the norm for most people in the professional sphere. However, many professionals who are in unconventional careers, like artists or freelance professionals, build their own portfolios. In such cases, grades are hardly relevant.

In the MEB online tutoring team, I give as much importance to our freelance tutors’ performance in demo sessions as to their grades. We’ve had cases where top grades on a tutor’s resume didn’t translate to great tutoring skills.

The Changing Landscape of Learning and Success

A few decades back, I would have found it nearly impossible to learn a new skill, get an online certification or a full-fledged educational degree, network with professionals, register a company, or apply for a job just by clicking a link on the internet. AI is changing the landscape faster than our imagination can fathom.

Many companies have their own set of requirements and personality traits for hiring, not just for senior rules but even for entry-level positions. Many job roles are becoming redundant. A lot of new-age jobs require a different kind of aptitude than the grades typically indicate. Many firms now prioritize skills over academic qualifications and grades.

Conclusion

Grades start off as a major determinant of a student’s chances for college admissions. Your academic performance and extracurricular activities also play a role in complementing your grades. They can also affect job opportunities, especially fresh out of college.

While good grades can give you a jumpstart, they are no guarantee for future success. We have enough examples of stellar success without an equally stellar academic track record. Examples to the contrary are also aplenty. So, a clear verdict isn’t possible.

On average, grades reflect your academic acumen and open doors for you. Try your best to maintain good grades, but don’t think of them as a be-all and end-all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all colleges have the same criteria for grades?

No, colleges have different academic rules. They may ask for a minimum GPA, but not all schools look for students with outstanding college grades. The University of Michigan, for example, considers GPA compared among the applicants.

Can strong extracurriculars compensate for lower grades?

They can, at least to some degree. If you have meaningful extracurricular activities on your application, they reflect your interests and abilities outside of schoolwork. Good extracurricular activities also showcase your character, leadership, and commitment. These can help in getting college admissions, even with lower grades. However, there is nothing like a strong GPA combined with strong extracurriculars.

How do grades affect scholarships and financial aid?

Grades do dictate whether you qualify for many scholarships and financial aid programs. If you maintain good grades, you can get merit-based scholarships and grants. You don’t have to spend as much of your money on a college degree. On the other hand, lower grades might mean you only have student loans as an option.