write out 3.80 out as 3.80 instead of 3.8 GPA?

drexelalum11:

No one cares or puts that much thought in to it - certainly, no one sits around rounding down GPA's that don't feature two decimals.

no, i wasn't suggesting that they did.

drexelalum11:

On the other hand, because it doesn't matter, you look like a tool by writing out 3.80, and you can very easily get dinged for looking like such.

obviously you know more, but i think you are probably being rhetorical when you say "you can very easily be dinged for" blah blah. i don't think it is such a faux pas, is it? i mean you are literally stating a fact, down to the 2nd dp.

on the whole, however, i concede the point. you are right. i was subconsciously thinking about my own subpar gpa and how the distinction at the root of OP's question is material at my GPA level (roundabout B+ average). Or, I guess, increasingly relevant the lower you go down the 3's. For instance, I think it is better to write 3.02 than 3.0, cause the latter allows the possibility of a 2.95 (obviously either case is more or less auto ding for IB, but i am talking about in general - say, about applying to a F500 manufacturer's cash management division). i agree that it is unnecessary to write 3.80 if your gpa rounds to 3.8. figures like the 3.00 barrier are a much bigger hurdle than 3.8 vs 3.7.

drexel, please comment on my next post. i appreciate your insights.