Is there any hope with a 3.0?
I've just finished my sophomore year at Cornell with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. I really slacked off the last couple of years and I know I can do a lot better than this. Is there any realistic chance of me getting a job on Wall Street at this point, or should I consider a change in choice of career?
Short answer: Yes, absolutely.
Longer answer: I am a rising senior who will be interning in a BB this Summer, and like you, I also did not have a "great" GPA. Are you an American citizen? If yes, then you are definitely fine. Why do I say that? Well, because of networking.
As a Cornell student, I am sure you will have access to a plethora of alumni in all possible banks -- From the BB's, to boutiques, to the less known shops. If your goal is to get an internship for next summer, then you HAVE to start networking NOW! At my bank, I've gotten an e-mail from my staffer already asking me if I "knew anyone" in my school who would be a good fit for the team, and I haven't even had my first day yet! Recruiting is getting crazy.
I asked you if you were a citizen because if you are, you can work for literally any bank in America. If you were an international, you'd be limited to networking only with the banks that would be willing to sponsor you (which are usually the larger ones).
Your GPA isn't excellent, but it is also not a disaster by any means. Craft a story about yourself, and why people should hire you; it needs to be simple, effective, and attractive -- There will always be 4.0's from the Ivy's, so why should they hire you? Then, focus on networking; polish your LinkedIn account, and get in touch with Cornell alumni in every single damn bank in the States. Also apply internally to the job posts in your school, as there is still a decent chance you might get interview's on campus. And obviously also attend to all the events that will be happening next year at your school (that is also networking).
Know this: You will get rejected from some banks. You will contact some people, and they won't respond. You will contact other people, and they will say it can't happen; don't let that put you down. The key here is volume -- You need to contact as many people as you can! Don't be afraid to fail.
Good luck man, wish you all the best!
.
Junior, Ivy, 3.0 GPA, No SA whatsoever. need advice (Originally Posted: 02/16/2016)
Hey guys, as the title suggests, I am a junior at an ivy league institution with 3.0 GPA and have not secured any SA positions (obviously), not even had any interviews so far. I have applied to maybe most of the companies that I have come across on indeed, LinkedIn, and others in the states, Hong Kong, Singapore, and London, but still have not had any interviews. All I get is decline/rejection emails. I got few responses after sending out 400 cold emails for the last week that either there are no open positions or they will reach me out if I qualify--obviously, I did not get any follow ups after that. I study Economics and Mathematics and do have a short investment banking experience at a local boutique bank, about 3 months. Before that I spent 2 years in the military and 1 year with different jobs not relevant to IB. I have not yet looked into Fortune 500 firms, but not sure how to approach them as I seriously think that there must be something wrong with my looks--resume and cover letter. The representatives at my school's career center, however, would say that my resume and cover letter looks nearly perfect. Not sure how I should strategically approach this recruiting efforts and so on.
I would appreciate any kinds of advice that you may have, even, "Dude, that GPA tho."
By the way, did anyone apply for corporate finance intern position at Visa and have heard back from them?
Thanks.
The GPA is a bit of an eyesore, but when the fact that you're majoring in Math/Econ. at an Ivy school is taken into consideration, it appears reasonable. There is an open internship out there somewhere which you qualify for, but it might not be exactly what you're looking for in terms of job functions/company. I would suggest again meeting with your school's career center, and asking for suggestions on where to look. I would also suggest reviewing your cold emails, and possibly comparing what you're doing to some of the tips for cold emailing on the forums here (I've seen a number of beneficial discussions on the topic).
I'd say increase the prominence of your military experience (though it sounds like you were conscripted like me) and play that up. That and reach out to specific individuals (ie Veterans in companies who understand/are more sympathetic) or milk your network for opportunities/recommendations
Use master of finance to break into banking? Kelley senior 3.0 (Originally Posted: 03/01/2018)
I'm a senior at Indiana University Kelley with a 3.0 which seems to be too low of a GPA for banking. Would a summer internship followed by a masters of finance be a good idea in order to land an analyst role next year?
Hey BirdBath, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I'm here since nobody responded to your topic! Bummer...could just be unlucky but one of these topics will help shed some light:
Any pros willing to rescue this discussion? sbebawy karismarawat Joe-Birdsong
I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.
Any Chance w/ a 3.0? (Originally Posted: 12/22/2008)
Hey I was wondering, is there any hope of getting a IB gig with a 3.0 from a Target School? I don't go to Princeton, but not that much further down the chain.
I know BB is probably out, but maybe a boutique?
Network hard and anything is possible. Wouldn't hold my breath though.
Yeah, I'm planning on finding target firms and then sifting through them by matching firms with alums from our alumni network.
My resume is really solid - Operations internship at Merrill, lots of research, etc. - I just have a hard time getting into Art History and Astronomy.
i did it, but you need a way to get your foot in the door other than campus recruiting.
Got in with a little better GPA but not much higher at all. Network your ass off to get an interview then be sure you're on point and have some diverse extracurriculars you can highlight and talk about. See if your campus recruiting has a list of recent alums who are currently analysts and brainstorm to see if you have any personal connections who can get you an interview.
I agree with the guys above about networking. One thing you may also want to consider is emphasizing relevant courses in which you did particularly well.
Thanks for the help. Were these at BB or at smaller firms? I did manage to do a lot of networking that got me several interviews for summer internships, but I wasn't able to get any offers.
When is the best time to start making contacts for analyst positions? Mid-January?
I'm assuming you interviewed for SA positions for summer '08. If that is the case, I believe you are a little behind schedule in applying for FT IB analyst jobs. Most FT recruiting for next year is done. I would go ahead and start networking ASAP.
network your ass off dude. if you build a large enough advocacy group within a bank who will speak on your behalf... then no one cares about your GPA... GPA is just a hurdle if its low. so get over the hurdle
Yeah I went through Corporate Recruiting in the fall. I'm looking more into boutique firms at this point. I know plenty of people with solid GPAs who have to go boutique now. Anyway thanks for the tips...that thread with the regional boutiques is going to be really helpful. I'll use that list and plug all the companies into our alumni network.
Sounds like a good game plan. I wish you the best of luck.
i also hope things go well for you, but i would also advise that you look at other stuff besides banking. the job market is filled with laid off analysts and offer-less summers. perhaps getting some good work experience and trying for b-school would be a better alternative, or perhaps even law school if you can rock the lsats hard enough to make up for your mediocre gpa. just some thoughts, but at any rate good luck...
I've seen people with 3.0s get offers, but they either had networked their ass off or impressive work experience.
You will definitely need the former from what I can tell.
Start now, because this SA recruiting season is going to be a complete shitshow.
..networking means
meet people (people working there already, seniors joining them for full time this summer), convey ur interest, ask for insight into the job, ask them to take a look at ur resume, keep in touch, ace ur interviews, and then when the summer comes around, continue networking and in 2-3 years time..models and bottles baby (by that I mean excel models & water bottles, chances are banking will still be in the shitter)
We're about to enter a Great Depression. Don't you want a president who's already dressed for it?
I think in this type of environment, regardless of GPA, that networking is essential. Those who truly show an interest in finance, be it IBD or S&T, will separate themselves and get in front of the right people and eventually an opportunity will present itself. Hopefully the current environment will weed out those people who were going into banking merely for the prestige and will allow those who are actually interested in high finance to get into the industry.
NYU 3.0 with finance and accounting experience (Originally Posted: 01/19/2011)
Hey guys,
here's the story. I was going to be a history major but then decided to switch over to business. now i'm an econ major at NYU (not in stern, in arts and sciences) who wants to get into finance. Please take a look at my resume and critique it. I know i'm not getting into ibanking with that low of a gpa (not that i would mind) but what other jobs in finance can i get into? PWM, Asset Management, operations? right now i'm just focusing on getting a job since i'm a senior and i need to pay off my loans. Once again, any advice on how to improve my resume will be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!
http://www.razume.com/documents/18501
Solid format, it looks like you've already had this fairly well cleaned up. The weakness is your GPA (I know a lot of Sternies, those guys are sharks and banking is pretty much the goal for 95% of overachievers there), you'll need to really push yourself to network and get solid experience to compensate. Strong emphasis on networking.
I think some would say to be more result and quant oriented in your bullet points But I'm a student too so ya
LphiE alum here. PM me if you're interested in banking w/ proof you're in the frat.
looks good, like someone said above put more numbers in though. good luck buddy loans are a bitch
I'd get rid of your HS. You could use a little extra white space between major sections anyways.
agreed on the HS part..
Lambda! Haha, my bestfriend's in KDPhi, so yeah I see/hear about a lot of Lambdas.
3.0 Sophomore AA at Target Seeking Advice (Originally Posted: 12/14/2011)
I am currently in my sophomore year, and due to a crappy freshman fall I currently have a 2.8 overall. I am hoping to get this up to a 3.1-3.3 for recruitment for rising senior SA programs. I attend a target LAC and a potential History major, have been networking since fall of freshman year with alumni at most of the BBs, and am a first gen AA male.
I know my chances are pretty much shot for one of the sophomore programs, so am shooting for either MM/boutique IB, investment management(asset mgmt, PWM, porfolio mgmt), or corporate finance in the corp fin/dev division of a company. I also plan on applying for SEO and Inroads.
I know my GPA will put me at a disadvantage for recruiting next year, but I am hoping to overcome that with a relatively strong(soon to be stronger) network and experience.
Any advice monkeys?
If you're at Amherst, take finance/accounting courses at Umass Amherst. Should be a pretty easy gpa boost and shows interest.
I believe SEO requires at bare minimum of a 3.0, so make getting above that a priority.
I am trying to transfer to a LAC next year. What is your list of "target" LACs?
Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Swarthmore.
It can be done. I had a similar rage GPA that your looking at from a total non target and I broke the damn doors down.
Every non-target who broke in should post their story here in detail.
Is it just those colleges? What about Haverford, Hamilton, Wesleyan U, Trinity C?
Can my friend at Cornell get an internship with a 3.0? (Originally Posted: 08/09/2014)
We're wanting to go to Chicago next summer for our incoming senior year internships. She goes to Cornell and she's majoring in some statistics quantitative major. She was wanting to do actuary work but I've been trying to pull her into finance. She doesn't have any finance experience but she does have research experience (data analysis).
I know her best bet is to network since she's from Cornell. Would there be a certain field in finance where her statistics background could look especially well? Equity Research maybe? With her gpa, should she be concentrating on MM banks? I know anything is possible, but looking for practicality. I'm trying to pull her into finance, so any advice would be appreciated!
Why the fuck are you trying so hard to pull her into finance? I swear you're going for this girl... In a pretty pathetic manner nonetheless.
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