Is college really about learning?

tagutcow · Nov 24, 2009

Originally Posted by phreak

lol my buddy founded a spanish speaking interest group club thing and after a couple of years it has over 150 members. i dont know if he just fails at marketing himself but he says that it has been a complete waste of time in terms of post-grad employment.
Â¡imbÃ

cil!

holymadness · Nov 24, 2009

Considering that grades at American universities have been inflated to the point where a B+ is average, anyone who can't get a 4.0 taking any classes he pleases is not really cut out for excellence in life.

I suppose it goes without saying that this is in the arts, not chemical engineering.

Teacher · Nov 24, 2009

If an employer looks at your transcript at all, they want to know what classes you took. Taking pottery three times will torpedo your chances of landing that great job when much of your competition was taking the hard classes in order to learn (yes, many college students take that seriously). GPA is somewhat important, but polls of employers over the years have shown that things like extracurricular involvement, high achievements (other than GPA), recommendations, and impression during the interview are more important. There are lots of people who get 4.0 and have zero people skills or trainability.

Oh, and college is for learning, so quit wasting your time. Seriously.

Milhouse · Nov 24, 2009

I request transcripts from interns. I hope no one will be amazed at the number of high gpa candidates that have dropped required classes two or three times in order to get a good grade.

What is unfortunate, IMO, are automated HR screening systems. They really are worthless. So, if you are going to be trying to get jobs thru online app systems (as opposed to networking into jobs), then pad your gpa, go to the right school, and major in the right things.

Milhouse · Nov 24, 2009

Oh, and a quick anecdote. An intern that worked for me was the type that started out strong in college, but then later he'd rather have fun and coast. So he started picking the easiest professors and the easiest classes to graduate.

He emailed me and let me know he failed a class in his first year of grad school. They asked him to take the rest of the year off and come back fresh with the new class.

thenanyu · Nov 24, 2009

Learn what you can. Take interesting classes. Develop a good relationship with your professors. Use your soft skills to get a job.

Teacher · Nov 24, 2009

Originally Posted by Milhouse

What is unfortunate, IMO, are automated HR screening systems. They really are worthless. So, if you are going to be trying to get jobs thru online app systems (as opposed to networking into jobs), then pad your gpa, go to the right school, and major in the right things.

Yup.

constant struggle · Nov 24, 2009

I used to list all my relevant classes on my resume when I was looking for a job, I think it helped, showing I didn't take Bullsh!t classes, some places didn't even ask for my GPA

Fobulush · Nov 24, 2009

The best thing you can learn in college is how to game the system. I went to a top 10 engineering school and majored in the 2nd hardest major there. I took 100 more units than I needed to graduate, and those units came from very difficult engineering classes. I ended up graduating with a 3.3 and a lot of places wouldn't hire me because my GPA was too low.

If I could do it all over again, I'd take maybe 3 difficult classes my whole college career (ones I could talk about in interviews) and pad my GPA with classes that sound difficult but really aren't. That seems to get you a lot further than actually learning anything.

Teacher · Nov 24, 2009

Originally Posted by Fobulush

The best thing you can learn in college is how to game the system. I went to a top 10 engineering school and majored in the 2nd hardest major there. I took 100 more units than I needed to graduate, and those units came from very difficult engineering classes. I ended up graduating with a 3.3 and a lot of places wouldn't hire me because my GPA was too low.
.

Uh...you sure about that?

MetroStyles · Nov 24, 2009

Originally Posted by Teacher

Uh...you sure about that?

If he applied to be a management consultant it would be true. It is silly but it's the way things are in many professions.

crazyquik · Nov 24, 2009

Originally Posted by Pennglock

Don't be the guy who games all his courses in order to leave college with +.2 points on his GPA. Nothing could be lamer. Just the professors with a reputation for teaching and try to better yourself.

Other people are gaming the system.

You should too.

There is no nobility in poverty. And there is no nobility in being unemployed, but knowing that you took the hard classes and didn't game the system.

APK · Nov 24, 2009

College is a business. I don't regret going through the process, since it's made me a more well-rounded individual. But at the end of the day, it's a business that doesn't necessarily benefit everyone who attends.

StephenHero · Nov 24, 2009

College is about proving to an employer you can complete a task you don't want to do. That's all you can rely on.

APK · Nov 24, 2009

I was going to mention that, too. In many ways, college is as much about developing skills for the work world as it is about learning.

Is college really about learning?

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