Discuss: How much do you think grades matter in grad school?

[golonghorns]

I have heard they don't really matter like they did in undergrad, but am wanting to hear different opinions and experiences on this topic.

[IOPsych83]

they don't matter, B= PhD

[cogneuroforfun]

I have to get the equivalent of two A's out of seven classes and have to keep a 3.0 average or might get a talking to by the program and maybe some sort of probation or something.

[kahlan_amnell]

I have heard they don't really matter like they did in undergrad, but am wanting to hear different opinions and experiences on this topic.

they don't matter, B= PhD

They do matter. Getting a B in grad school is like getting a D or even an F in undergrad. Getting a B+ is like a C. Many Ph.D. programs require students to maintain an average between B+ and A- and some programs don't consider anything below B+ or even an A- as satisfactory progress.

To keep my teaching assistantship I'm required to maintain a 3.5 GPA at minimum. An A- is a 3.7 and a B+ is a 3.3. So for me, B would not equal Ph.D.

[rising_star]

I have heard they don't really matter like they did in undergrad, but am wanting to hear different opinions and experiences on this topic.

For the most part, this is true. The exception would be some fellowship and grant competitions where they take grades into consideration. I turned in a really bad paper last semester and still got an A in the course because I was trying and because the prof knew that my course final paper was the first stab at a conference paper and future publication.

But seriously, this is my fourth year in grad school and I've never gotten less than an A. I do know that people in my master's program often got A-s or B+s in the required course, but that was the prof's way of flexing some muscle within the program. I also heard rumors that he has given out Cs a couple of times in that course. It was never really a big deal because as long as you had above a 3.0, your funding was not in jeopardy.

Really, graduate school is about learning and professionalization. Instead of focusing on writing an A final paper, you should be focusing on writing a paper that you can submit to a conference or a publication of some sort. I basically refuse to write papers that won't in some way contribute to my educational goals, which is fine because I'm in a program that encourages that.

To keep my teaching assistantship I'm required to maintain a 3.5 GPA at minimum. An A- is a 3.7 and a B+ is a 3.3. So for me, B would not equal Ph.D.

How so? Losing your teaching assistantship is not the same as not being able to earn a PhD. You may lose funding but that does not mean you could not continue working towards the degree, at least not based on what you have written here.

[dherres]

During our meeting for new students, the grad reps, and the division head pro temp., we (newbies) were explicitly informed that, provided you maintain a 3.0, grades don't matter.

Personally, however, I'd like to leave the option for pursuing an MBA or something after completing my PhD open, so I'd really really like to finish with something a LOT better than just a 3.0.......

[kahlan_amnell]

How so? Losing your teaching assistantship is not the same as not being able to earn a PhD. You may lose funding but that does not mean you could not continue working towards the degree, at least not based on what you have written here.

I didn't go into complete detail. Loosing TA funding for a lot of people would mean they could not continue working towards a degree, because it is not wise to go into debt to get a Ph.D. in the humanities. TA funding is the main sort of funding available here, and someone who lost their funding due to low GPA probably wouldn't be able to get other funding like fellowships.

However, to be more specific about why B would not equal Ph.D in my program I quote from the requirements "Ph.D. students who fall below a 3.3 cumulative grade point average in any 2 semesters will be permanently barred from further enrollment." A B+ is a 3.3 a B is 3.0 here.

So B would not equal PhD and B+ would equal being on the verge of being dismissed.

[belowthree]

So I was just trying to figure out what to do with grading. Here we appear to be allowed to take the entire program S/U if we wanted.

I'm wondering if there's any good reason not to. Classes aren't the focus, so... why bother with letter grades? Faculty positions? Do they really care?

[aginath]

I graduated with my M.S. degree with a 4.0 and was damn proud of it. Most of my peers had a 3.75-3.9. During the orientation session for my doctoral program (it included masters students), one of our senior faculty members made a comment that blindsided me...

If you get a 4.0, you did something wrong.

I'm still waiting for the opportunity to visit with this particular faculty member, but I think the gist of his message was that graduate school should be an educational journey and mistakes are not only inevitable, but should be meaningful as well.

[timuralp]

The most common take I've heard is this: "If you're getting As, you're spending too much time on classes and not enough time on research."

Then again, make sure to fulfill all the requirements.

[IOPsych83]

The most common take I've heard is this: "If you're getting As, you're spending too much time on classes and not enough time on research."

Then again, make sure to fulfill all the requirements.

Yeah this is the most common idea I have heard tossed around. You are there to learn, but you are also there to enhance the field and your career, either through applied experience or research (depending on end goal).

[UnlikelyGrad]

I have heard they don't really matter like they did in undergrad, but am wanting to hear different opinions and experiences on this topic.

If you're heading for academia, keep in mind that a lot of schools want you to send transcripts. So don't completely blow off your grades...

[dherres]

If you're heading for academia, keep in mind that a lot of schools want you to send transcripts. So don't completely blow off your grades...

Just an anecdote (not meant to contest your statement!): one of my professors exclaimed the other day in class how bitter she is that she made a 4.0 in grad school and not once has anyone ever wanted to see her transcript. (It was meant in jest, but there's some truth there.....)

But yes, still, many places do want to see them. So careful!

[frankdux]

It really seems like it depends on the field, and the program, and sometimes it just boils down to your professors.

[Cornell07]

At Yale, for my MA program, there are no A/B/C/D/F grades, only Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail. Everyone needs to get during the two year program at least two Honors to graduate and one more Honors for every Pass. One could say that the grades are roughly equivalent to H = A, HP = B, P = C, F = F, but even that varies significantly from professor to professor. Only 2 or 3 students in the past 10 years have received all H's, but only 3 or so have been asked not to return for their second year due to poor grades. A major incentive for getting top grades is to be one of the few people who will be reconsidered for funding for their second year.

I just wonder what the heck will happen when I apply to PhD programs next fall...

[readyforachange]

While it may not matter when you go out on the job market (few, though some do request transcripts), but in my experience, it definitely matters. First, often time there is a minimum GPA you have to maintain for your funding - usually like a 3.0. Secondly, there are often annual progress report-type deals where faculty (or the DGS) will review your work from the past year (although a combination of everything is taken into account - grades, work experience, publishing, etc). In my last program, if you got a B, it was considered the equivalent of failing. Talk to current students who are more advanced in your program; it will vary by field and university.

[liszt85]

What do you guys think is a good GPA to maintain in grad school? I got a 3.523 in my first quarter (which was very hectic since I come directly from a semester system which is much slower and easier..).

[rising_star]

What do you guys think is a good GPA to maintain in grad school? I got a 3.523 in my first quarter (which was very hectic since I come directly from a semester system which is much slower and easier..).

I think above a 3.5 is a good GPA in graduate school. Really, anything that keeps you progressing with your research and doesn't jeopardize your funding. Or whatever your advisor says is needed.

[piccgeek]

I think above a 3.5 is a good GPA in graduate school. Really, anything that keeps you progressing with your research and doesn't jeopardize your funding. Or whatever your advisor says is needed.

+1 to whatever your adviser says is needed. Adviser's word is law, (most of the time, anyway).

[kahlan_amnell]

What do you guys think is a good GPA to maintain in grad school? I got a 3.523 in my first quarter (which was very hectic since I come directly from a semester system which is much slower and easier..).

I think above a 3.5 is a good GPA in graduate school. Really, anything that keeps you progressing with your research and doesn't jeopardize your funding. Or whatever your advisor says is needed.

I agree to go with what you advisor says.

However, people who are in a Masters program and planning to apply for Ph.D. programs would be well advised to keep their GPAs up.

[belowthree]

Okay I just finished my first quarter taking all my classes S/U and it was glorious. I seriously am wondering why everyone isn't doing this! Do most programs not have S/U options or do most programs enforce that you take letters?

Grades don't matter, so why does anyone bother with letters if they don't have to?

Well I say grades don't matter, but getting Us is really bad though. Here you get two Us and you're out, you get one and you get a talking to at your yearly review. So they matter exactly that much.

[viavoice]

Ugh. I just finished my first term of grad school and I was happy with my grades (3.7) until I heard that many of my cohort got a 4.0. I took classes that would challenge me, but I think from now on, I'll take the challenging courses as credit/no credit!

[StrangeLight]

There are probably people in my program who have 4.0s, but I'm sure there are way more with lower GPAs than mine (3.917... I calculated wrong in some other thread). I spent so much of this semester focusing on my classwork that I barely made a dent in my research. Not worth it, in my opinion. I know from professors at a few schools, and grad students who are on the hiring committee at my school, that grades don't matter that much when hiring a professor. 3.0s look a little suspect, but those applications are reviewed like the 4.0 ones and the real difference on who gets invited to interview and who gets the job really comes down to the quality of your research, who is writing your LORs, and how you gel with the departments in terms of personality and filling their research niche.

Essentially, how good your masters thesis is (and whether it gets published, and where it gets published) and how good your dissertation is (and if you could potentially turn it into a book, at least in my field) matter FAR more for hiring prospects than the difference between a 3.5 or a 4.0. Don't lose your funding, as others have mentioned, but don't sacrifice your research to turn an A- into an A.

[Battman]

My impression: after you get your PhD, nobody will ever care to see your grades again. Until then, grades can matter for the purpose of competing for funding against other grad students.

[Genomic Repairman]

Your grades don't matter as long as you pass, its the data and science that you turn out is what matters. I guess that makes sense if you are in a science field, if not then choke on a nutsack. Hook em horns!