Grades dropping after getting SA offer?
Got my SA offer last semester and it has currently been really hard to sustain good grades at my target school. They were inflated to a 3.95+/4.0 due to COVID pass/fail and easy online classes for recruiting but I foresee them slowly dropping to low 3.8s by the time I graduate (thanks to an abundance of B+/Bs which I rarely had before). As someone who has been an overachiever most of my life, it is hard to swallow that in most of my classes now I am only just average academically.
I'm genuinely curious if people have the perception that kids with 3.9+ GPAs are intellectually on another level than 3.8ers? And will my grades dropping matter for MBA apps (possibly applying to deferred MBA in senior spring) and PE recruiting?
Not sure if this is a serious question, but will answer it as if it is. You need to learn to see what's really important in life. No one cares about your GPA past your first job (maybe first two jobs in some cases). But there is going to be no differentiator between a 3.8+ and a 3.9+. If for whatever reason that is the reason one firm doesn't hire you, you probably don't want to work for that firm in the first place.
I also don't judge how smart someone is based off their book smarts. It can be a factor, but I've met too many smart people with low GPAs from average schools to make it a main component.
I haven't been through the MBA recruiting process, but I can't imagine .1 in GPA matters. They take a wholistic approach.
Yes this was a serious question and thanks for your perspective. My whole life I've been an academic overachiever which definitely contributed a lot into getting into a target school in the first place, so I guess it's hard to let go of that mentality.
You’re going to get eaten alive with that mindset during your internship. There is always going to be someone better than you. My advice is to develop a thick skin and don’t measure success/intellect by trivial things like GPA. Most of the guys I worked with at my MM had sub 3.6 GPAs and went off to funds like FlexPoint Ford, L Catterton, Audax, etc. As long as you keep your GPA above a 3.7, you’ll be all good for MBA, UMM PE recruiting or whatever.
Echoing what the other guy said, you have to get tougher. Being an academic overachiever isn't something unique in this industry. There is an endless amount of target kids with high GPAs on the street. You shouldn't be judging your worth / intellect on something so trivial. It's a great accomplishment; be proud of it, but know its limitations
Went from 4.0 to 3.3, still got in
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