i'm walking out of first year with a 8.2 and was wondering if I managed good enough since all my friends have 10+

If you look back on this question in 4 years, you'll see how irrelevant your grade is, versus your peers...

What's "good enough"? Why does your grade, relative to your friend's, really matter?

What did you take away from your first year? I don't mean what equations did you learn, but rather, what connections have you made? Simply recognizing the connections you've made in a year is far more important than evaluating / comparing your cumulative GPA with your friends. A friend could get straight 12's, but not really make social connections; not realize what topic truly interests them; not apply any of their learning to something practical...

I'd imagine the distribution to be very similar to high school, the average is probably low 70, maybe high 60 (since its university). But I'm just guessing, this isn't based on actual numbers.

Good enough doesn't really matter here, what you learn and know is worth more. GPA is just a number in the end, it looks important right now, but it really isn't and doesn't reflect your true knowledge.

7 (70%)

Good enough doesn't really matter here, what you learn and know is worth more. GPA is just a number in the end, it looks important right now, but it really isn't and doesn't reflect your true knowledge.

Emm, no. Good GPA is like good reference. Best positions that at least partially aimed at new grads (as in they usually require Masters or PhD), ask for high GPA to be even selected for an interview. So you really want to keep it at B and above, unless you get really lucky and get a co-op placement, which will make your GPA a moot point (but keep in mind that since co-op is scarce these days, all co-op placements require high GPA as well).

Yeah and if your looking to go into professional school (med, dent, etc.), GPA is king.

Originally Posted by mike_302

If you look back on this question in 4 years, you'll see how irrelevant your grade is, versus your peers...

What's "good enough"? Why does your grade, relative to your friend's, really matter?

What did you take away from your first year? I don't mean what equations did you learn, but rather, what connections have you made? Simply recognizing the connections you've made in a year is far more important than evaluating / comparing your cumulative GPA with your friends. A friend could get straight 12's, but not really make social connections; not realize what topic truly interests them; not apply any of their learning to something practical...

this man speaks the truth!

well said

I worked at an engineering consultant for 15 years, and I can tell you that as far as getting a job goes, the marks you get mean less than the stuff you've learned. In fact, if your resume includes any extracurricular stuff that involves being organized, accomplishing real things, and never letting people down, that's going to impress a future employer more. Though if you guys in that department can get co-ops, you can bet that what you learn in a co-op is probably going to be way more important than the theory they teach in school. Plus your bosses at co-op are going to be your most important references when you go to look for a job after graduation. Other than that I don't see why a solid B average is bad. If you can do better next year, then go ahead and do it, don't worry about what's done. An improving GPA over 4 years will also look good, it means you saw what you could do better and fixed it, which is also vital for engineers.

Originally Posted by old guy

I worked at an engineering consultant for 15 years, and I can tell you that as far as getting a job goes, the marks you get mean less than the stuff you've learned. In fact, if your resume includes any extracurricular stuff that involves being organized, accomplishing real things, and never letting people down, that's going to impress a future employer more. Though if you guys in that department can get co-ops, you can bet that what you learn in a co-op is probably going to be way more important than the theory they teach in school. Plus your bosses at co-op are going to be your most important references when you go to look for a job after graduation. Other than that I don't see why a solid B average is bad. If you can do better next year, then go ahead and do it, don't worry about what's done. An improving GPA over 4 years will also look good, it means you saw what you could do better and fixed it, which is also vital for engineers.

old guy: quick questions
Are y'all hiring at the moment?

jon.john23: quick answer Engineering consultants are always hiring. But you're much better off working at a manufacturer etc., because consultants are the worst paying subsector in the field after government. Literally, consultants are vampire scum, and the only reason you should consider working at one after graduation is so that you can 1. learn all you can as fast as you can, 2. make contacts at other firms and impress them with your good work, 3. move on to another company as fast as possible.