The GPA vs. Experience dilemma at Boğaziçi CS: Is the academic grind actually worth it?

I study Computer Engineering at Boğaziçi University, which is notoriously one of the hardest programs to get into in the country (it only accepts the top fraction of a percent from the national university entrance exam). Because every single student here is a top achiever, the competition is incredibly fierce, and the grading curves are absolutely unforgiving.

In this hyper-competitive environment, grinding for a high GPA is pure torment. Retaking classes just to bump up a grade is exceptionally difficult. As a result, you mostly see two paths: people who accept being stuck in the 2.50-3.00 range and choose to extend their graduation by a semester or two just to chase internships and build real-world projects, and those who sacrifice their sanity trying to push their GPA above a 3.50.

So, I’m asking those already in the industry or in their senior year: In an environment where maintaining a high GPA is this agonizing, is burning ourselves out for the sake of academia actually worth it? Or does having solid hands-on experience and a strong portfolio trump a high GPA at the end of the day?