The relationship between extracurricular activities involvement and grades in college and job placement of graduates

Abstract

The objective of this research was to complete an in-depth study on extracurricular activities involvement and grades in college and their relationship to job placement. The study focused on the following questions: (1) How do prospective employers rate the likelihood of employing college graduates based upon students' level of grades, level of activities involvement, and major? (2) Do prospective employers that recruit at Texas A&M University also recruit at other universities? (3) Do prospective employers prefer a minimum grade point ratio when considering college graduates for employment? (4) Are there college experiences that employers regard as important when considering college graduates for employment? For this study, a questionnaire was developed to collect information from recruiters and prospective employers of Texas A&M University graduates of the Colleges of Business Administration, Education, and Engineering. Of the 664 recruiters who participated in recruiting activities through the University Career Planning and Placement Center during the 1976-77 academic year, 498 (75%) responded to the questionnaire. The recruiters responded to the qualifications of nine student profiles created to represent students graduating from Texas A&M University. Each profile listed a grade point ratio and an indication of student activities involvement each on a low, medium, or high level. Conclusions of this research indicate that prospective employers value both strong academic achievement and strong out-of-class experiences including work experience. Employers still look to students with high grades but value high activities involvement as long as grades do not fall into the low range. A student with low grades, regardless of activities involvement, received a low or very low rating for likelihood of employment. The recruiters who responded to the questionnaire indicated that they recruit frequently at other campuses across the nation; almost three-fourths recruit on more than four campuses in a year. In response to questions regarding preferred qualifications of prospective employees, over 80% of the respondents indicated there was a grade point ratio that they preferred students to have before being highly considered for employment; and almost 90% of the respondents reported they regarded certain out-of-class experiences as important when considering college graduates for employment.