How do employers look at college performance?

Question

If a college student were to fail a class and retake it and get a better grade, do employers look at that as academic failure because of the F? I am currently majoring in computer technology. The class I'm not doing well in, is actually an elective and does not pertain to my major. I am currently in a junior college and later I'm planning to transfer to a four year school. If I don't make it through the class and have to take it over, would that mess up my college career? I could really use some good advice.

One of my instructors did say that "employers actually prefer to hire people with a C average because the student worked harder for the grade, therefore employers look at A students as not hard workers." Is this true?

Answer 1

Don't worry about one F. As previous posters have said, employers understand if a class isn't right for you or if you had outside circumstances that make you do poorly a given semester. Also, if it's an elective, I wouldn't bother taking it over. Take a different elective that you will actually enjoy next time. If it's not essential, don't do it over.

However, it is wrong that employers prefer C students or that C students work harder for their grades. There are a few A students who don't work that hard, but most A students have to work extremely hard for their grades. At my university, you only get an A if your grade is above a 94%. There's no way around it, you have to work hard for that. The average student is a C student because the average kid doesn't work that hard, not because they're not very bright and have to work hard to compensate. They'll prefer an A student over a C student any day. If you are a C student, don't worry about it though: just work really hard from here on out, you still have senior college ahead of you and lots of time to show how capable you are! best of luck!

Answer 2

Your instructor is wrong. Of course employers prefer to hire students who did well in college. Some employers actually refuse to look at students coming out of school with less than a certain GPA.

But to your particular circumstances - one class won't kill you. Employers do understand if you didn't do well in one class, so long as the rest of your grades are strong, and especially if your grades showed a trend toward improvement, rather than going down over time.

If you were to retake the class and get a better grade, that'd show employers that you have determination and grit. That's not a bad thing.

So long as you continue doing well in your overall schoolwork, one F (and one retry) won't hurt you. In fact, it may give you something to spin quite positively in interviews, if you're asked about it. Why did you fail the first time? What made you want to retake the class? What did you learn from that failure? What did you change, so that you were able to pass the second time? That sort of thing.

Answer 3

Your instructor isn't thinking; if someone has a C average, they may have worked hard, but wouldn't someone with an A average have worked harder? Also, think about how many people just coast through courses, just to get the minimal C that is required. His logic is flawed, don't listen to him. In fact, for your first job, at least, GPA is one of the first things prospective employers look for; however, the more experience you gain, the less your GPA will matter. It is possible to have enough internships and work experience going in that they will not even bother looking at your GPA.
As far as retaking classes, don't worry about it too much. A lot of people mess up a few times. That being said, don't let any of your retakes trail into your sophomore or junior years; that is when many people think that you should be reaching your potential.
Blatantly put, since you are in Junior College right now, it is really bad to be getting failing grades in any of your classes, especially since you are trying to transfer into a 4-year university. Do everything that you can to pass that class; colleges that you apply to are using your performance in Junior College, not high school, to try and guess how you will perform in their school. If they see high marks from you, they will expect you to get them at their school, and likely accept you. The opposite holds true, as well. Not to say that you can't make a C or two, but really be careful; it all starts to matter in college.
As far as trying to improve your grade in that class:
If you need help in that class find a tutor or someone who seems to be understanding the material in class; in addition to this, ensure that you are studying the correct way before the tests. Avoid cramming, and try to review the material within a few hours after the lecture. Ask questions in class, and if any concept seems unclear, speak with the instructor after class to clarify.
Best of luck to you!

Answer 4

that depends on your degree and the company to which you apply. If you are going up against a lot of competition, the schools which award the degree could be a factor. Do you want to date someone from the upper class section of town or someone from the projects? From where the person comes doesn't dictate who the person is, but it could be a good indication of what you can expect from them. How long you take to finish matters if you weren't doing anything while you took a while. If you held a job or raised a family, it is taken into consideration. At the same time, someone who finishes ahead of time shows that they can focus on a task and complete it early. the more recognizable the school, the more doors will open for you when you submit your resume. If you cannot graduate on time, i suggest that you get a job or do an internship somewhere to gain some experience. Even if you volunteer, it will give you experience that you can show up on time and do a job.

Answer 5

drop a class before you get an F because even though they replace the points for the class they still leave the f up and for the time being your GPA will drop significantly. if you withdraw all it says is that you withdrew which looks better then an F. also most employers don't see your transcript all they see is the diploma

Answer 6

What your instructor told you is rubbish.

You can re-take a class or two. Everyone understands you can have a bad semester or just a bad class. But if your transcript is full of classes that you took over, then it looks like you need two tries to get something done.