Does B-school GPA matter?

[thisisbrianly]

Was just curious whether or not the GPA you earn in b-school really matters. I know that you should strive for the highest grades possible, but does b-school GPA have the same impact when looking for work as, say, law-school GPA, or even undergrad? It seems as if class rank and GPA don't matter a whole lot in business school.....thoughts?

[VP_MBA_Guru]

Was just curious whether or not the GPA you earn in b-school really matters. I know that you should strive for the highest grades possible, but does b-school GPA have the same impact when looking for work as, say, law-school GPA, or even undergrad? It seems as if class rank and GPA don't matter a whole lot in business school.....thoughts?

Depends. Historically, no - as long as you 'cleared' a certain level, employers paid little attention to GPA - esp when many top programs had non-grade disclosure policies or P/F grading system.

But given the tough job market, I have heard that many recruiters are looking at GPA as a point of differentiation, as they are more selective in job offers.

Regards,

N

[tmino]

Yeah, it probably depends which school you are looking at and which post-MBA goals you have.

For schools with grade disclosure, employers might look at your GPA as mentioned. Otherwise, for schools w/o grade disclosure, the GPA is obviously not important at all.

However, some top recruiters (e.g. Goldman Sachs, McK) like to see that you are on the dean's list (or graduate with distinction). This especially goes for schools w/o grade disclosure, since this is the only way for such recruiters to see where you stand academically.

I personally like schools w/o grade disclosure better. Less pressure and students are less competitive. However, it's a personal choice. Maybe you enjoy studying hard and hence you should be rewarded by being able to show a high GPA on your resume.