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Which GPA should I put on my resume

post #1 of 25
1/29/10 at 4:34am
Thread Starter 
I went to a career fair today and saw several of my peers resumes and many of them did not put their cumulative gpa. when applying for engineering jobs should i put my cumulative gpa, school gpa, or major gpa? there is a .16 difference between the highest and lowest.
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post #2 of 25
1/29/10 at 4:52am
Putting your major's GPA is just silly. You'll have to explain to your employer later why the GPA in your transcript didn't match the one you told them, and thereby come across as somewhat dishonest. Do it if you must, but there's that risk to think about.
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post #3 of 25
1/29/10 at 4:56am
I had both on mine.... as an engineering student, I had to face a lot of non-major "weed out" classes, where a C on the first try was a significant accomplishment. .. and if an interviewer asked why the difference, I was able to elaborate on that fact. If not, they saw I could excel when I apply myself and am interested in the subject matter. Mine was more like 3.0 / 3.75. I believe it made a difference for me to display both. I would not, however, represent your major GPA as your accum... as DarkNWorn said... you'll look like an ass later on.
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post #4 of 25
1/29/10 at 5:12am
Thread Starter 
thanks. i put my lowest gpa to be on the safe side, but when asked i told them my major gpa. when applying for grad school, how significant is research in comparison to gre and gpa? I feel that my gpa is a bit low, although above average at the moment and with 1 more year before graduation, there is not much I can do to improve. I'm pretty sure I can get two very good letter of recommendations from professors i've done research with and score about 85 percentile on my gre, but will that be enough to offset my gpa? looking at top 40 engineering schools.
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post #5 of 25
1/29/10 at 5:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EMY View Post
thanks. i put my lowest gpa to be on the safe side, but when asked i told them my major gpa. when applying for grad school, how significant is research in comparison to gre and gpa? I feel that my gpa is a bit low, although above average at the moment and with 1 more year before graduation, there is not much I can do to improve. I'm pretty sure I can get two very good letter of recommendations from professors i've done research with and score about 85 percentile on my gre, but will that be enough to offset my gpa? looking at top 40 engineering schools.
"grad school" is a little too vague... GRE is not nearly as important as MCAT, LSAT, or GMAT score. In research fields, recommendation is probably key. In Humanities, I have no idea.. a good essay may or may not do the trick. Bottom line, Med School, Law School , and Business School just want to push out qualified graduates, so test scores get you far. In Humanities, you've got to be able to publish, and in research, you've got to be able to experiment.
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post #6 of 25
1/29/10 at 5:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoRon View Post
"grad school" is a little too vague... GRE is not nearly as important as MCAT, LSAT, or GMAT score. In research fields, recommendation is probably key. In Humanities, I have no idea.. a good essay may or may not do the trick. Bottom line, Med School, Law School , and Business School just want to push out qualified graduates, so test scores get you far. In Humanities, you've got to be able to publish, and in research, you've got to be able to experiment.
I'll be applying for phd chemical engineering with a B.S. in chemical engineering with biochemistry/material science concentrations. I am also thinking about taking the LSAT but if I don't think I have a chance at top 40, I won't apply. edit: kinda got side tracked, but the purpose of the resume was for summer internship positions or jobs. I am not actually going to start working full time.
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post #7 of 25
1/29/10 at 10:20am
If your GPA is low, why the hell would you put it on the CV?
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post #8 of 25
1/29/10 at 10:22am
You can put both. I would definitely do that before putting just one or the other on the resume.
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post #9 of 25
1/29/10 at 10:29am
If you're looking at the top 40 you should have a chance with an above-average GPA and solid test scores. 85th percentile isn't outstanding, but it's certainly good.

If it makes you feel any better my overall undergrad GPA wasn't particularly good, and I got into a very good graduate program. I was also on an assitantship the whole time. I did do a few things to help mitigate my lower performance, however: I killed it in my major, I explained my lower-quality work in my personal statement, and, I think this was most important, I visited the places I really wanted to go. I talked to graduate coordinators, I set up meetings with professors, and I went to pre-scheduled information sessions. Basically, I showed them it was worth taking a chance on me.

Edit: To answer your original question, if you put only one I'd put the overall, but if you really want to put your major GPA I'd put both. That said, I've always heard the rule of thumb is that you never put a GPA if it's below 3.00, so if your overall is below that number you may not want to put anything.
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post #10 of 25
1/29/10 at 12:03pm
Whenever I have to put down my gpa, I always write 'cum.' and then put my gpa. That way I'm stating that the gpa I am posting is my cumulative gpa; thus avoiding the perception of dishonesty. At the same time, I don't put my gpa on my resume or when applying for jobs (unless I am specifically asked). Instead of my gpa, my resume states that I was on the dean's list, which shows that my gpa is above average without providing a specific number.
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post #11 of 25
1/29/10 at 1:38pm
A friend of mine from my days in public accounting only put his major GPA on his resume. He was hired. A few months into the job, HR called him into the office. They said he lied on resume because he didn't put his overall GPA on it. He was fired.
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post #12 of 25
1/29/10 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by imageWIS View Post
Whenever I have to put down my gpa, I always write 'cum.'
Yes Jon., we know it's your favorite word.
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post #13 of 25
1/29/10 at 4:06pm
I would put whatever helps you the most -- as long as you're explicit about which GPA it is, you're not being deceptive or disingenuous. Your resume is supposed to help you get a job. Never put anything on it that you don't have to if it hurts you.
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post #14 of 25
1/29/10 at 4:34pm
For a while after undergrad I put my 'major' GPA on my resume, which was an excellent 3.8 for my major. I did it because my overall was a 3.4, an average one for the school. Everyone who looked at my resume knew what was going on, and they understood I was really good at my subject. After a few years of working, you do not put a GPA on your resume anymore as your experience is more important that school work. Now if you are talking about doing a PhD it really doesn't matter. You will have to include your transcripts and all your grades. The admission committee may glance at your resume but they will look much more closely at individual classes and your grades. Your 85% is pedestrian but won't disqualify you. Your research experience is a big plus for a phd degree. Have your recommenders emphasize your research ability as well.
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post #15 of 25
1/29/10 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Connemara View Post
Yes Jon., we know it's your favorite word.
Only when it's on a girls face.
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