Decent GPA and Does It Matter

[GradSchoolNooby]

I understand this has been asked plenty of times, but I just have to ask again, Does anyone have any experience or know of anyone which could shed some light on this topic? In terms of getting a job in the industry post graduate school (I am not looking to go into pH.D ever) how much does the GPA matter? I'm barely above a 3.0 in my first semester and plan to finish it up next semester. I just got into a lab that I will be in for 6 months for probably about 25+ hours a week and I know that will play a bigger factor than the GPA but would say a 3.0 pretty much kill my chances with big pharm companies 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

On 12/10/2015 at 6:08 PM, GradSchoolNooby said:

I understand this has been asked plenty of times, but I just have to ask again, Does anyone have any experience or know of anyone which could shed some light on this topic? In terms of getting a job in the industry post graduate school (I am not looking to go into pH.D ever) how much does the GPA matter? I'm barely above a 3.0 in my first semester and plan to finish it up next semester. I just got into a lab that I will be in for 6 months for probably about 25+ hours a week and I know that will play a bigger factor than the GPA but would say a 3.0 pretty much kill my chances with big pharm companies 

Firstly, I think it depends on what field you are in. If you are in the natural sciences then it is more acceptable to have a lower GPA. If you are in the social sciences, then it usually expected to have a higher GPA, due to differences in course difficulty. I would say anything 3.0 and above would be acceptable, at least that is what I have heard from some of my friends that work in pharmaceuticals. I do believe they had around a 3.2 when they graduated.

[zipykido]

Once you're out of undergrad I find that most people don't bother putting their GPA on their CV/resume. If it comes up on an interview then be honest about it but I don't believe any major company out there has a strict policy on GPAs. If you're doing a master's thesis then that body of work will be more important than your GPA. In my experience doing a biomed PhD, your GPA only matters so far as it is required for enrollment (above B average, no C's, etc). In industry it doesn't matter what your GPA is as long as you can demonstrate that you can do the work assigned. 

[sackofcrap]

I don't think it matters all that much, unless you are trying to get into a phd program afterwards. If you are going for a job, I don't think it's that important, as long as you get the degree.

[xXIDaShizIXx]

On 12/14/2015 at 4:59 PM, zipykido said:

Once you're out of undergrad I find that most people don't bother putting their GPA on their CV/resume. If it comes up on an interview then be honest about it but I don't believe any major company out there has a strict policy on GPAs. If you're doing a master's thesis then that body of work will be more important than your GPA. In my experience doing a biomed PhD, your GPA only matters so far as it is required for enrollment (above B average, no C's, etc). In industry it doesn't matter what your GPA is as long as you can demonstrate that you can do the work assigned. 

I agree with this as well. Unless you are going for a Ph.D. it matters even less. But on the other hand, just because you can graduate with a 2.5 GPA doesn't mean you shouldn't strive for higher in the sense that it could be the difference in you or someone else getting hired.

[Texan_Air]

Not sure in in big pharm, but in engineering you will always be able to at least find one big company with a GPA requirement even for post graduate school. This requirement probably doesn't matter much to the mangers, and only seems to matter to the recruiters that shuffle through your resume. I'm in graduate school now, but I have been told by my dream companies that I need to stay above their 3.5 GPA requirement to work for them. The requirement will be on the job postings if your worried, but there is always chances to make it through if you somehow run into one of these companies. GPA seems to be coming more and more relevant as years go by for finding entry level positions.