<p>Sakky, in your argument you are assuming that employability depends heavily on the GPA. This may be the case for the American industry, but certainly not for European or Asian ones I know about. While a higher GPA certainly makes you a bit more attractive to employers, it’s a relative minor factor compared to factors such as relevant industry experience and major. Having a 3.8 at Berkeley won’t make you much more attractive than having a 3.0 at a local university. Just having a degree in Europe is often good enough. Your creampuff major argument does not hold either because creampuff majors are not very employable in the first place, even with a perfect GPA. (I actually know several people with 3.9 - 4.0’s in these majors who had a lot of trouble finding jobs in their home country).</p>
<p>You should also consider that overseas employers are not familiar with the American system and grade translation/evaluation services are not doing a perfect job.</p>
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Fair enough, good point. The question that is to be answered though, how many people are actually attracted by that? I know that many Chinese students come to Berkeley with the goal of bringing their knowledge back to China, not necessarily with the goal of staying in the US. Sames goes for many Koreans, who often are expected to enter the military or marry in Korea. Now, that attitude may or may not change over the course of their studies, but that’s another topic.</p>
<p>Actually, in my experience, it’s the Europeans that come to the US who are most likely to want to stay. The fact that a European student comes to the US often suggests that he has done so out of free will and an affinity towards the US, not because of university rankings or family expectations. Thus, I would say you have your argument backwards. Europeans will be more attracted by the increased chance of obtaining a US visa than most Asian students.</p>