Psychology: UO program
has stronger reputation than
broader surveys show
■ Continued from Page 1
The University's psychol
ogy department was ranked
above such heavyweights as
Duke. Johns Hopkins. Uni
versity of California and Penn
State. Posner soul, but was
ranked behind Stanford,
Yale. Harvard and Michigan
Bertram said the ranking is
especially impressive because
the University's psychology
department is small com
pared to other schools that
ranked higher. For example,
there are .10 faculty members
in the University's psycholo
gy department, but Michi
gan's department has ISO
The University's psychol
ogy department was also
ranked fifth in the country for
the number of ' highly cited"
or high impact research
papers and seventh in the
total number of academic
citation*, according to a »ur
vey conducted by the Insti
tute of S< .lentifk Information
These rankings are impor
tant because the Influence of
a research paper is measured
by how frequently psycholo
gists use it. Rothbart said
The rankings were made in
first tallying how many psy
chology re span h paper* were
pubiishod by certain schools
between l‘JB2 and 1994
Then the papers were esam
ined. and those papers cited
most often were determined,
said assistant professor
Bertram Malle
"What these studies indi
cate is that among profession
als in the field of psy< hology.
Oregon has a much better
reputation and impar t than
broader surveys indicate.
Malle -mid
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Do good grades get you a good job?
■ GRADES: A high GPA is
important to some
potential employers, but
not important to others
By Brian Womack
Hyrx* fduatfvr %**»»#*
Hon Moebtus worked through
hi* cteaaa* at the University wtth
out worrying too much about
grade* He worried more about gat
ting a gib in itw field of journalism
whore position* can tie scares.
(Hiring his college years, he was
ihi** tn work on Ins <* fumi
and intern at a loud paper white
i Jirrvtng a l.I’A of aixnit .12
"I imagined myself as a reporter
on a weekly or a small daily or
even flipping burgers for a while '
Moebius said
When he gaduttnl. lie was aiile
to skip jolt* in fast food and start
as a reporter ai a weekly paper.
And within four months, he
tmumte the (vtpeTS editor-in cJurf
Winst role did grades play m get
ling to that level that qua k'
A pretty minor rote tie said
The idea of grades tuner t ame
UP "
When he was interviewed for
the tubs, he was asked what class
He took iiut not what grades he
•
However, not ail journalists say
grades played an insignificant role
in getting the job they < ummtlv
have
Since Laura Williamson left
graduate school in lOfMI. she
worked at four daily newspaper*
on her wav to becoming a reporter
lot the Atlanta Constitution, one
of the largest news papers inthe
: let v; 'ties pigyeti a larger role
m tier .u odetnu career than Mot*
bitts Site gnto uaied from George
town University magna cum
laude before going to the Uni
versity of Maryland.
1 (mike Moebius. she had only
a few clips from her college news
pa (ter her first employer could use
to nidge her reporting skill*
Then* wasn't much else to look
at except my fating academically
solid," she said
Whether grades play an impor
tant role in getting hired can be
complicated In other t arwr fields
as well.
For some employers, grades are
extremely important when they
took at applicants
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Kirsten Bay. assistant buyer at
Meier A Frank, said graduates
must have a 3.0 GPA or higher if
they want to work at the depart -
rnent store in areas sutJi as buy
ing product*.
“You could l«t the most out
standing person in the world, but
with « 2.99 jwonl get you hind),"
she said "Grades establish
whether a person has initiative,
and we want the best of the best "
Good grade* are important to
other employers as well.
Grades are important in
amounting, said lo Ann Altendorf.
who coordinate* for IV* ker CPA,
a i ompany tfiot offers a program
that help* students prepare for
( i-rtifiw! Public Accountant exam
She said employers usually
demand a minimum of a 3.5 (.PA
for students who major in
accounting.
But she said lower grottos could
be exi used if there were out
standing circumstances that the
graduate hod to deal with, such as
working full-time while attending
college
'Anytime you want to enter a
technical field, grades are going
to U* fairly important," she said.
But employers often look at fac
tors other than grades when hir
ing graduates,
Jim Austin, a human resources
representative for Nationwide
Insurance, said his company does
exactly that
Communication skills, work
experience and performance at the
interview are some of the things
he looks at when hiring graduates
Another representative of the
, , ■ ■
grades matter very little unless
they are below a 2.0 GPA
Gin Briscoe, development coor
dinator tor Office Depot, said her
company would be concerned
about a student's commitment tf
his or her GPA is below 2.5.
Jim l.usk. management associ
ate with New York Life, said if
grades are too high, the student
may be a nerd
"A 3.9 or 4 0 show too much
studying, especially with no work
experience." he said.
But some employers don’t kick
at grades a! all when they are hir
ing
Todd Van Horn, contracts man
ager with Aerotek. said grades
piny no role in hiring.
"We look for character
if
tomaoru' is sincere and honest,"
he said "We look at the heart."
But tome s*w* grades as a gixxt
indicator of what graduates ran
do.
joe Wade. Director of Acade
mic Advising and Student Ser
vices, said. "Grades are a good
inductor that skills fora partic
ular )ob can l«e learned by the per
son iiecause the person has a his
tory of strong academic work "
Good grm)<-s reflect a good work
ethic, he said
Despite all these conflicting
opinions on how important grades
are to employers. Beth Swank, a
can'er (iHinselor at the {Career Gin
tor, sews some basic requirements
for all jobs.
Things tliat go across ail indus
tries an- strong oral and written
communication skills," she said.
" Fhev are looking for people who
are comfortable talking one-on
one and also with talking in front
of others "
Other factors play a part as well,
she said
"Most employers really like to
see extracurricular activities." she
said. “Besides just your classes,
how have you gotten involved on
campus?"
Internships are vital for liberal
arts majors, she said.
' Part-time, full-time, paid,
unpaid, the internship is critical
for liberal arts majors as a way to
show a career internship.” Swank
said.
i
the hiring process, graduates need
to know how to present them
selves. she said
For some people. GPA might
'*> lower, but they're really strong
in the internships and work expe
rience. For others, they have a
really high GPA, but the weakness
in their area is the internships
Moebius and Williamson rep
resent both sides of the spectrum
and both have been able to secure
good jobs.
Moebius said be doesn't look at
grades when he hires reporters.
He looks at their experience
Williamson still sees grades as
tangible for employers.
She added that getting good
grades won't be a hindrance in get
ting a job
"Whether gixxl grades mutter or
not. they're not going to hurt," she
said
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