<p>My sister works for a public relations firm and they recently held a job fair at the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>She had students from the University of Chicago with 3.9 GPA’s who she said she rated significantly lower than people with 2.8 GPA’s from the University of Iowa and Michigan State.</p>
<p>There were two reason for this that she told me.</p>
<li><p>She said she couldn’t even hold a conversation with some of the University of Chicago students. They didn’t know how to interact with a potential employer and it showed. She said all of the applicants from “less prestigous” universities were personable and were far more polite than the University of Chicago applicants. Some of the U of C students came off as pompous, others as antisocial. Obviously these problems are magnified with a job in public relations, but it plays a large role in virtually any field. Try making it as a doctor who can’t communicate with patients.</p></li>
<li><p>University of Chicago students were not adequately prepared for the real world of employment. She said that some of the University of Chicago students turned in applications that made her laugh out loud. One of them used 18 point font and a complete sentence was nowhere to be found. It was apparent that nobody had ever taught them how to write a resume. Another point she made is that the University of Chicago degrees were so broad that it was hard to pinpoint whether they were suitable for the job they were applying for. A degree in social sciences from U of C tells an employer nothing.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In conclusion, you all may think it matters where someone went to college. You may sit there and say, “Of course I would take a brilliant U of Chicago student over a mediocre U of Iowa student.” But in the real world, most employers don’t think that way. If you choose to go to an “elite” school, then good for you, but don’t forget that interpersonal skills are far more important in the real world.</p>
<p>Obviously there are some fields and careers where this may not apply, but I would bet about 90% are this way.</p>
<p>an example of this is the former ny governor–you don’t get better educated-but without emotional intelligence, ethics, loyalty humpty dumpty has a great fall…</p>
<p>Lol. An affinity for courtesans has nothing to do with what school you go to. I’m sure there are just as many people who indulge in those things that have graduated from Harvard as there are from Cornell as there are from Uc-Irvine.</p>
<p>that’s the point Bourne–his downfall had nothing to do with schools he went to—also not referring to an affinity for anything–</p>
<p>imho when one destroys one’s career bc they think they are above the law that is lacking in emotional intelligence, despite the best education. relating to op’s point–interpersonal skills, humility, integrity are the qualities that are more important in the real world of work and relationships, not what school you went to.</p>
<p>Oversimplification, much? I’m sure that you could find pompous, anti-social, and clueless-about-the-real-world students, with terrible resumes, everywhere.</p>
<p>I’m not sure which mindset here drives me crazier…the people who think that their life is over if they don’t get into a Top 20 school and that anything other than HYPSM is obviously inferior, or the people who will insist until they’re blue in the face that where you go to school is irrelevant in life.</p>
<p>What I don’t like about this is the insult against the University of Chicago students with 3.9 GPAs. I’m sure they earned those high grades with tremendous amounts of hard work. The idea that all that work was wasted, and instead they should have been practicing their glad-handing skills, is narrow-minded and insulting.</p>
<p>While the general statements made by the OP about the University of Chicago and its students are probably a canard the particular points are well taken. Success is about hard work and responsibility, being nice, showing up on time, being able to work with others, and usable intelligence.</p>
<p>I think earning a 3.9 at University of Chicago is STRONG evidence of hard work, responsibility, showing up on time, and usable intelligence.</p>
<p>As far as “being nice” goes, I don’t think smiling pleasantly at an interview if evidence of “being nice”. I also don’t think “working well with others” is demonstrated at an interview either.</p>
<p>My points do not relate to interviews although having minimum social skills are critical to getting you through the interview process. I was referring to actually working, which I have done for close to, well never mind, but a for a long time.</p>
<p>Being successful at school work is not necessarily the same as being successful on the job. Some skills are transferable, reading, writing, critical thinking for example. However, people skills, dealing with your boss, subordinates, colleagues, clients, count substantially more in the real world. Intelligence without “smarts” is not always prized on the job. </p>
<p>Being nice on the job means not being cynical, being supportive rather than overly critical, helping others out, and realizing that no job is too small for you to do.</p>
<p>Remember, in a few years no one, except your alumni society, will care where you went to college.</p>
<p>I agree with people that said earning a 3.9 at U. of Chicago is no easy feat.
I think that it’s true what you said that people skills matter a lot in life, but you seem to be saying that people skills are earned by going to a less prestigious school and getting worse grades. This is just false. It’s entirely possible to be smart, and sociable too :)</p>
<p>No, but I’d hire someone with a 3.9 from University of Chicago any day over someone with a 2.8 from some other, less rigorous school, even if their smile sparkled more during an interview.</p>
<p>A firm handshake only gets you so far in life. Depends on the industry and job position, but hard work and smarts come in very handy very often.</p>
<p>A UChicago student with a 3.9 GPA would probably never take an anecdote from a single job scout at a PR firm as more representative than the mountains of UC students going to top-rated grad schools and jobs.</p>
<p>edit: haha he’s got some other good posts</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>a UC student would have backed this up with a reference to marx or marcuse :)</p>
<p>Don’t confuse me with the OP. No where did I say that going to a less prestigious school earns you people skills. If you go back and read what I said, I used the word “canard” in commenting on the OP’s description of Chicago students.</p>