Trina Thompson deserves something akin to the Darwin award for her lawsuit against Monroe College. It really is not possible that she has it all together mentally. The first sign of this is her thought that a mere 2.7 grade point average along with her perfect attendance record makes her an extremely attractive candidate for a position in her field. Far from making her a most attractive candidate, her profile readily raises questions about her intellectual ability.
“How,” one ever so naturally asks “does one have a perfect attendance record and end up with only a 2.7 grade point average unless one is rather intellectually bereft or irresponsible?” Either alternative readily makes her a less attractive candidate.
There was a time when a 2.7 grade point average was at least viewed as minimally decent. Nothing to brag about, but nothing to be utterly ashamed about, either. With grade inflation, however, those days are gone. With a grade point average of 2.7, what follows is that one earned an awful lot of C-grades and very few grades higher than a B. Ms. Thompson’s thinking that her record makes her a particularly attractive candidate is rather like someone who has $10,000 in the bank thinking that she or he is rich. To be sure, that is a nice sum of money to have in the bank. Just so, a mere $10,000 leaves one a very, very, very long ways from being rich.
Now, let me be respectful and forceful at the same time. For Ms. Thompson to think that a 2.7 grade point average from Monroe College makes her particularly competitive is for her to be stunningly naïve. Monroe College is no Harvard University or Johns Hopkins University or Emory University or UNC-Chapel Hill or University of Virginia. A person with a 2.7 could say with some sense of credibility though although she or he has only a 2.7 grade point average, there is nonetheless the reality that she or he attended a top-ranked school. Other things equal, a person who graduated from any of the aforementioned schools with a 2.7 is in a much more competitive position than Ms. Thompson is, although vis-à-vis students from these schools with a grade point average, it still turns out that 2.7 is not a particularly stellar performance. So it is even if the student went to Harvard University.
The considerations of the preceding paragraph suggest that Ms. Thompson is a much more mediocre student than she is willing to acknowledge. And in today’s fierce job market that is a real problem indeed.
Thompson is reported as claiming that any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her credentials. By her own line of reasoning, she should barely need help with finding a job. It should suffice that she presents herself to employers and enough would trip over themselves to hire her.
What is more, Ms. Thompson seems not to understand why the schools placement office favors students with a 4.0 grade point average. Needless to say, it takes a very long and unobvious story to explain why a placement office would not favor students with a 4.0 grade point average over those with a 2.7 grade point average.
Finally, we know that Ms. Trina Thompson did not hire an attorney, but filed a “poor person order,” which exempts her from filing fees associated with the lawsuit. What is certainly more likely is that no lawyer would dream of taking her case. Frivolous lawsuits have come to be one of the defining features of the United States legal system. So a case has to be pretty damn implausible before there is not a lawyer around who would touch it. Trina Thompson may very have provided us with an example of just such a case. Try imaging the opening statement of the lawyer taking the Thompson case:
“Your Honor, Monroe College has wronged my client by placing a far greater weight upon academic excellence than is warranted. It is true that she only has a 2.7 grade point average. However, I must point that others with a higher grade point average, including a 4.0, do not have her perfect attendance record”.
There is no way to say any of the above and not look like an absolutely fool. And the more impressive the lawyer’s credentials, the more incongruous the lawyer’s utterance of the above remarks turn out to be.
That is the reason why Ms. Thompson was not able to find a lawyer to file her case. This is one of those marvelous instances of a genuine practical reductio ad absurdum. Only a lawyer too dumb to win her case would dare take it; and any lawyer smart enough to win it would look like an absolute fool taking the case.
This brings us to some form of cosmic justice: Ms. Trina Thompson needs to be the person representing herself. It would be a waste of anyone else’s time and intellectual horsepower to do so. This would be a waste of Ms. Thompson’s time, too. But one cannot waste what one does not have; and when it comes to intellectual horsepower, it is certainly plausible to suppose that she is woefully lacking in that domain.
I agree, I think there are definitely other factors involved in Trina’s inability to attain a job other than her school’s lack of finding one for her. Thanks for pointing out the fact that her GPA only stands at a 2.7 with perfect attendance. I had heard about her case and posted a link to the article on my website for jobless graduates at http://www.joblessgrads.co.cc, but the article did not include this GPA/attendance fact and wasn’t as entertaining either.
Though I don’t think Monroe College can be held accountable in any shape, way or form of Ms. Thompson’s inability to attain professional employment within her field by any means, you do have to acknowledge that her expression of frusteration against someone-anyone!- is one that can be said to easily resonate among the rest of us poor college kids trying to get a job. It may be an unpleasant “jobless” situation, but there are definitely other, important and relevant factors involved in a graduate’s ability to find a job such as an applicant’s work experience, internships, ability to interview well, personal attitude etc. I feel sorry for Ms. Trina Thompson, but Monroe college shouldn’t be her scapegoat.
For god’s sake, a 2.70/4.00 GPA is supposed to guarantee a job upon graduation, are you kidding me!!!???? Maybe she should’ve worked harder while in school. Of course, those with higher GPA deserve to be considered first hand, otherwise whats the point? Not to say she doesnt deserve a shot, but still complain about not being treated fairly. Look at your GPA, and thats your answer!!!
Not being able to find work is soul-destroying, I’ll admit that. But it has always been hard work for graduates and always will be. Graduate careers are not just handed out, you have to put in hard graft to get there. And it’s not easy from there either. Nothing is easy in life. And Miss Thompson needs to realise that quickly,
The media paints a bleak picture of graduate employment, with graduates finding it harder than ever to find work. As a recent graduate myself I have also found it hard, but the idea of suing my university is ridiculous! If she struggled to find a job before, she’ll find it even harder now!
I recommend getting a lot of advice from experts on the graduate jobs market. Use their years of experience to help stand out from other candidates.
In the day and age of grade inflation, a 2.7 out of 4.0 is not a very good grade point average. However, with that being said, I can see where Trina Thompson
might be upset. Many schools give students the impression that they will obtain a great job when they graduate, even if this is not the case.
Why do schools do this? It’s simple. Enrollment counselors and career service employees need to have students attending their school in order for them to keep their jobs. I know, I have worked in the education industry. It is sad to see what happens there.
Also, it is sad to see how many college instructors just give away grades.
Why do they do this? It improves the instructor’s pass rates. It increases student retention. The school brings in more money and views the instructor favorably. Also, students often times give good reviews to easy teachers. The end result is that employers cannot tell the difference between good and bad candidates because everyone has a high G.P.A.
This is probably why the M.B.A. that I worked very hard to obtain has never gotten me one decent interview in the eight years that I have had it even though my G.P.A. was a 3.96.
The higher education system in this country needs to be reviewed.
I’ll play devil’s advocate first, because there is a point to be made. Trina bought into the grand higher-ed promise of finding you a job in your field. She thought it would be a simple progression right after she tossed her cap in the air. I’d err on the side of attributing this to her naivete, but many students have that naivete and many more will. She was also a relatively poor, urban minority member. Most minority members do not go to college in this country- despite decades having passed since the civil rights movement, many remain locked in the systematic traps that ensure an extremely rough class transition. The welfare system, poor K-12 education, poor infrastructure in minority communities are all problems that contribute to this. The tuition of Monroe (or any college for that matter) would be steep. She made a stupid choice going to a private school; she should have gone to CUNY. But back to the last statement- falling into $70K debt is manageable for students who graduate with jobs, who have supportive parents and strong social networks. Not so much in the Bronx. Parents, or many times, parenT, give no support, and often have rocky, abusive relations with their sons and daughters (by parental support I mean some help starting out, maybe a place to stay until they hit their first job). Social networks are not as developed as in suburbia, and are often marred by crime and bitterness. And so, at least I think, it is easy on one hand to understand her anger against the college. But she made some very big mistakes.
Now that I’ve played the devil’s advocate, I’ll play the devil himself. What the hell was this girl thinking? A 2.7 GPA is laughable. And we are talking Monroe, not NYU! When you go to a school like that, working your butt off becomes your morning vitamins. You can’t do without ‘em. “They didn’t help me enough!” This sounds like the attitude that the welfare system has created (politically incorrect, but I am playing the devil here). There are offices that offer help. You have two feet and a brain (I hope). Walk and help yourself. I’m surprised she didn’t bother getting internships herself- she has absolutely no excuse. She could look up places online at the school’s computer labs, and she could walk or take the subway there and inquire, hook up with her advisor, do the paperwork, and bam- a six-month gig that will teach you skills and look good on your resume. It’s bad enough to have only one internship- but none?? And she never bothered to get involved in any clubs or activities? Life isn’t a handout. It is grueling and tough for everyone, and especially in the job market of today. I’m torn between feeling sorry for this girl and facepalming.
Yes there are systematic disadvantages that led her to that point but sue the college? She ought to lose the sense of entitlement and take a near-lethal dosage of reality.
This is Trina BTW:
http://www.sidecarsally.com/2009/08/05/jobless-blame-everyone-but-yourself/
No offense, but as the blogger above says, she’s only got herself to blame.
This is a bit of a joke this story. What about the rest of her university class…are they not able to get jobs? If that was the case then they should all have a case…however I seriously doubt that this is the case. It will be down to the individual. I would not be surprised if she found it practically impossible to get a job now that she has done this! Although maybe a media job would fit her? She obviously has done a good job attracting alot of media attention with this!