I completely agree with Mr.Taylor's conclusion that a high G.P.A "demonstrates a strong work ethic and smarts"; in order to get good grades I believe you must either be an intelligent person or a hard worker, and most times a little bit of both. I'm sure we have all heard the phrase that someone is "book smart" usually this refers to someone who puts a lot of time and effort into getting good grades, studies a lot, and reads their textbooks. On the other hand are people who are just naturally highly intelligent, if you will, who can sit in class and listen, and do well on tests just from the information they have absorbed. The later are students most of us despise because it comes so easily to them. Most of us however will fall in the medium of having a relatively stable level of intelligence but must also put in a sufficient amount of time in order to succeed. I'm happy to hear that businesses are looking closely at G.P.A because personally I work very hard in order to achieve the grades that I do, and appreciate that it will not go unnoticed. Also it makes sense that G.P.A is now regarded more highly because if two people take all the same type classes but one has a higher grade point average that person obviously retained more information for examinations and assessments, and hopefully also carried more information out of school with them.
I can also see where Ms. Steinfield is coming from with the need for an emphasis on social skills, I also agree these things cannot be measured the way G.P.A can and they are also important; but that's what interviews will solve. If you find applicants with higher G.P.A's and interview them you will be able to see communicative and social skills, and be able to have the best of both worlds. However if you interview applicants based solely on communicative skills you will miss out on the good work ethic that a high G.P.A usually entails, the exception being those with naturally high intelligence stated before however high levels of intelligence will not go unnoticed in a company either.
I agree with you and I feel as though businesses rely too much on GPAs to decide among applicants. Some people, like myself, may not be the best in school or have the highest GPA but can interview like a pro. I love interviews because it allows me to explain myself and show how hard working and smart I really am. Just judging me on my GPA would not show any of that. And knowing the fact that CEOs may only be looking at my GPA stresses me out even more. I don’t like knowing I have little chance without a good GPA.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that companies are using GPAs as a way to judge an incoming candidate for employment. I think that it is an important measure of a student's work ethic and intellect level, as well as you do. However, I do also know several students who study harder than I do and put in much more effort, yet still earn a lower grade than I do. I also know students who don't study at all and are complete slackers, yet earn a higher grade than I do. I would have to agree that most of us fall somewhere in the middle and that interviews are a good determinant of what a GPA can't tell them. I think that GPAs should be used in judging potential employees, but not solely as a guide for hiring.
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