A bad fib to start off networking, Low GPA
So I'll start at the beginning. I messed up and I messed up big. My first 3 years in college I was slacking...short and simple. It was my fault. I missed classes, was disorganized and even failed a few courses I had no business failing. I had no end goal in sight and was just going through the motions. I'm starting my senior year (graduate Dec 2016) with a 2.02 (yes it's that bad, my Econ major is a 2.1). I go to a top 15 public school with a decent recruiting network for the consulting industry, my intended sector. I have my head on straight now and have improved significantly in my classes.
Knowing my GPA was poor for the big firms that recruit from my school (Deloitte, EY, LEK etc) , I interned for 2 small consulting firms one in NY and another Bangkok, Thailand, a joint partnership with the NY firm. Not name brand firms but I did perform very well there. I'm better in the field than in the class.
Long story short, I have good family connections and was put in touch with a young (38yr) Stanford Business Graduate (lets call him John) in Investment Banking. He has a good network and offered to put me in touch with people to network with. I forwarded him my resume (no GPA on it) and we agreed to meet for lunch.
Here's where I messed up big time. 45 mins into lunch and he asked my GPA. I panicked and lied, I said a 3.2 because I knew saying a 2.02 would end the convo right there and then.
Here's the dilemna. He's forwarded my GPA-less resume through his networks and I've been gaining traction. A recruiter from PwC contacted me and I panicked again and said I had a 3.2. It was over the phone so I thought nothing of it. Got a call yesterday saying they'd like to give me a first round interview in 2 weeks for a possible summer internship. I know I've done enough lying and don't want to go further as it will only get worse (they'll ask for transcripts etc).
Need advice (yes I know, I fucked up very big time and really did some shitty stuff) :
1. Should I cancel the interview with PwC or just use it as practice and cancel any subsequent interviews? Though I never put a false GPA on paper, I still lied about it on the phone.
2. Should I tell John the truth? We aren't super close and we've only been talking for about 6 weeks but pretty frequently, 2-3 times a week on the phone and emails). In as much as I really like the interview prep and networking advice he's been offering me, I feel like it's all a lie. Don't want to waste his time if he has a false impression.
3. Assume a 4.0 for my last 2 semesters, how can I get into consulting, say a Deloitte, later down the road? Go to a smaller firm and have a big impact, etc?
I admit my mistakes and I don't want to keep lying about it. I've messed up big time.
If anyone has been in the same or similar situation, could really use a hand.
David Geffen lied about going to college. Use that as motivation.
If this were me, I would recognize that there's never been a written statement where you entered your GPA and confirmed it. I wouldn't lie about it going forwards; and develop a good story as to why it's so low, but I doubt it will come back to haunt you. Go through the 1st round interview, tell them your real GPA, and you'll probably get dinged out.
There is a chance that your recruiter screen wrote down your GPA when she forwarded the application, but you could just say it probably was misheard. This is shitty, but it's also your fault for lying - hard to come clean out of this one.
Send John a thank you note after the interview. If he asks why you were dinged, be honest and tell him you lied under pressure. Do it over the phone, and not in email. People in this industry, for the most part, appreciate honesty and an ability to learn. If John's a good guy, he'll understand.
This is rough, but everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them and not repeat.
I really like John as a person and a mentor...should I stop relying on him for that? Getting into consulting is tough, but not as tough as IB. I figure I could always get some industry knowledge at another firm and move later into consulting.
Thanks for the advice though, sounds solid.
Another twist in the story. I have to complete the pre-interview application for the upcoming PwC interview. They are asking for my unofficial transcript. Seeing this would obviously send red flags. I plan on simply bypassing this and only applying with my resume. Conduct the first interview and humbly bow out. No need to prolong the farce.
If you can skip the upload, do it. Regarding John, it's his choice whether he continues to mentor you or not. You'll know by his response.
They want transcript and GPA. I'll just pass up on this interview.
cowardly thing to do... Should've gone in an told them they misheard and then told the mentor you lied to him under pressure..
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