Does B-School GPA Matter?
IB
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(Orangutan, 299
Points)
on 2/24/10 at 8:26pm
Do banks (or any other employers, really) care about your Business School GPA? Or does it only matter that you were good enough to get into XYZ School? I know that if you get into a top law school you really just need to be in the top 2/3 of your class or so, and I would think B-School grades would matter even less.
(Sorry if this has already been talked about, I did a quick scan and only found undergrad-gpa related posts.)






Take this for what it's
Take this for what it's worth, but I've heard that IB seeking MBAs are the only ones who really have to care about their grades while simultaneously playing the recruitment game with the banks... really takes away from the "2 year vacation" thesis
Can any senior level
Can any senior level bankers/people who have interviewed MBA candidates before confirm? How about for trading, consulting, PE, or other highly coveted jobs coming out of MBA?
At least for summer
At least for summer internships, they only care about how you did in the core Finance and Accounting classes. Ace those and your fine.
Don't B-Schools have a
Don't B-Schools have a non-grade disclosure policy? How would they know your GPA?
I was interviewing for b
I was interviewing for b school with an alum currently at a bb investment bank and he mentioned that grades are important during business school.
I just went through the
I just went through the recruiting process at a target school for I-Banks. From what I saw, most of the banks put emphasis on GPA-3.7 and above will get you most interviews. However, the likes of Lazard, Blackstone, and some of the more selective firms may require higher grades/ or better work experiences.
After you get the initial interview, grades don't come into as much play, but if you have a lower GPA, definitely be ready to defend why "you" and give some reasons for the GPA that aren't negative to your recruiting process. Other than that, just emphasize that you are a "work beast" and are willing and able to learn and grow at an I-Bank.
Elijah, I did some quick
Elijah, I did some quick research and found that b-schools do not really have nondisclosure anymore (at least some of the good ones I checked out- HBS, Berkeley).
Definitely curious to hear perspectives on industries other than I-Banking.
Sub-Zero, any idea of what the average GPA is in (your) MBA? My guess would be 3.5, so I would think 3.7 isn't really an elite cutoff. Then again, if you're at a target, everyone is supposed to be qualified.
At Wharton we have grade
At Wharton we have grade non-disclosure, I just finished with banking recruiting and grades were never brought up.
Is there any incentive to do
Is there any incentive to do well in your classes at Wharton?
Ego
Ego
If you finish in the top 20%
If you finish in the top 20% you can make Directors list and you can disclose that. There are also certain scholarships for people who do extremely well. There are also a system in place where you can get in trouble or possibly kicked out if you do too poorly in a certain number of classes.
Hm. So it sounds like you
Hm. So it sounds like you can basically coast, still get interviews, and just study for those interviews (the content of which is largely different from your classwork, right?) and land offers?