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The 3.0 w/ EC's vs 4.0 with no ECs spiel, bs or not?

pyroknifepyroknife 196 replies63 threads. Junior Member
edited October 2011 in Engineering Majors
I always hear people saying "oh an employer would definitely higher a 3.0 who was involved with extracurriculars rather than a 4.0 with no EC's" that it's become quite annoying. EC's are great and all, but it sounds like a load of bull to me. I am involved in a couple clubs, but can you honestly say that a 3.0 will be chosen over a 4.0? What if the 3.0 was someone incompetent and just joined a bunch of clubs to make themselves look good? It seems the gpa would be a better indicator in this case.
edited October 2011
5 replies
Post edited by pyroknife on
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Replies to: The 3.0 w/ EC's vs 4.0 with no ECs spiel, bs or not?

  • ucbalumnusucbalumnus 79680 replies712 threads Senior Member
    Depends on what the ECs are. Do you mean something like:

    * Summer or co-op job or internship.
    * Job relevant to your major while in school.
    * Research in your major.
    * Writing a useful and well known open source free software program.
    * Engineering competition like the concrete canoe or solar car challenge, or math/science competition like Putnam.

    Or stuff like campus clubs, fraternities and sororities, intramural sports, etc.?
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  • pyroknifepyroknife 196 replies63 threads. Junior Member
    I can't be 100% sure on this, but it seems like they're emphasizing membership in organizations/clubs. Extracurriculars imo, similar to pre college, refers to clubs&sports. Other type of activities are referred to as something else, I can't think of it on the top of my head right now, perhaps work experience.
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  • youknowme123youknowme123 142 replies2 threads Junior Member
    I'm sure an employer can tell if somebody just joined something just because. If a recruiter doesn't know what meaningful ECs look like he needs another job. On top of that, to assume somebody that graduated with a 3.0 would be incompetent is a little extreme and borderline foolish. Engineering isn't as numbers driven as other professions.
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  • aegrisomniaaegrisomnia 1013 replies13 threads Senior Member
    IMO, it definitely depends on what the ECs are. Depending on the EC and the job, I could definitely see it tipping the scales in favor of the 3.0, especially if performance at the interview(s) is similar.
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  • brutallyhonestbrutallyhonest 85 replies10 threads Junior Member
    First of all, employers are not going to "higher" (sic) anybody. They hire people.

    For me, it is all about relevance. I have hired (and will continue to hire) candidates with less GPA from (supposedly) lower ranked schools because they had relevant ECs and work experience... And it worked out very well for me.

    These days, it is all about the ability to work with people and teams. Someone with a 4.0 but no activities whatsoever may come off as a loner, not wanting or able to work with people. Again, I'm talking about employment in industry in general and not research-oriented areas.
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