GPA Rounding - Canadian grades
Suppose you are sporting a 3.45 GPA. Would it be acceptable to round this up to a 3.5 on your resume for BBs? Assuming you did such a thing, would you ever get asked about it from interviewers (I assume it would look bad once you told them the truth that your GPA is 0.05 lower than advertised)?
It is fine
I agree with saidso
It's not a big deal at all. It is perfectly acceptable to round a 3.45 to a 3.5, as long as all of your GPAs (major, and past schools, if applicable) are rounded to 1 decimal point as well. No one is going to ask you your exact GPA, and if they do just tell them that you have a 3.45 or so, and rounded to a 3.5 - then move on. It's not a big deal, so round up and enjoy.
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As long as you didn't round up to a 3.45 then it's fine. Meaning if you had a 3.448 you cannot round that to a 3.5, but if you have a 3.451 then you can. Simple rounding rules.
I was told by my career development center advisor to never round GPA's. I have a 3.875, so she told me to do 3.875 / 4.0 on the resume as opposed to rounding to 3.9.
Do you think she's just too anal about it? Or maybe this is something that recruiters care about as well?
Honestly, she's covering her butt, which is perfectly reasonable. She doesn't want you to come back and yell at her boss because you got yelled at by someone for rounding your GPA to a 3.88 from a 3.875 when she said it was ok. She's playing it to the letter. In reality, it is perfectly fine to round your GPA - some play a little more with it than others, but rounding, in itself, to the nearest tenth is perfectly reasonable - the exception, for me at least, is in rounding to a 4.0 - a 4.0 is a 4.0 - I will not round someone's resume from a 3.98 to a 4.0 - I will just write 3.98. To the tenths or hundredths place is a judgment call below 3.9 - for above 3.9, I usually got to the hundredths, again, just because I don't like rounding to 4.0. Bottom line, it is fine to round to the nearest hundredth or to the nearest tenth.
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mfbarbmff, never EVER, EVER listen to undergrad career center advisors.
Hoping someone could give me their opinion on my question., don't really this it's worth starting a new thread for.
My major gpa is a 3.3, and I'm taking the bulk of the major courses this fall. I am POSITIVE I could pump that up to at least a 3.6.
Is it completely wrong and too risky to send out full-time resumes with a 3.6 on it? The way I see it is, if I'm offered a job then they most likely won't ask for a transcript until I accept right? And lets say all goes well, I accept when the semester is over. Terrible idea? Not to bad?
Yes, it is wrong. Not because you can or cannot do it, but because you haven't yet done it...meaning it's not already done. A resume summarizes what's happened already, not what will happen (there are small exceptions, such as a quick line mentioning a position you secured and will be starting at the bottom of your resume, or some such thing, but not inflating your GPA). Fact is, you may be positive, but I (the interviewer) am not positive that you can get your GPA up to that level until it is sealed and in the books. Leave your GPA as is, and if asked during the interview, feel free to mention the course, your current grades and that you will probably be up to a 3.5 or 3.6 by semester end.
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I'm gonna have to disagree with iBanker on this one. You can definitely put a 3.6 on your resume if you think you can pull it off. Just like I tell girls that next year I'm working at Goldman Sachs because I'm pretty confident that I'm going to, even though I haven't applied yet. They never ask for my business card anyway until after I make out with them so it's cool.
To the OP, I don't think you should round a 3.45 to a 3.5. I've always heard/been told that you can round to the nearest hundredth, not tenth. For instance, if you had a 3.447 than you can round to a 3.45. But if you have a 3.45, you should not round to a 3.5. Just my two cents
To the OP, I don't think you should round a 3.45 to a 3.5. I've always heard/been told that you can round to the nearest hundredth, not tenth. For instance, if you had a 3.447 than you can round to a 3.45. But if you have a 3.45, you should not round to a 3.5. Just my two cents
Never put a projected GPA on there. If anything, you'll have only jinxed yourself.
I think 3.45 to 3.5 is perfectly legitamite.
Will all due respect, I would never put something that I think will happen on my resume - a resume is what has already occurred in your life, not what you expect to occur. The argument can be made "well I didn't start my position yet, but I put it on my resume near the bottom as a 1-liner" - well that is different since you have already been offered the position - writing it in your experience section with experiences listed, however, would not be ok since you haven'y yet experienced anything other than accepting an offer. In this case, I don't care what anyone says, no one is POSITIVE to the point of certainty that you are have that A until you receive it - what if you come down with pneumonia and flunk the final - the teacher pities you, so you get an A- instead of the C you deserve - nice, but no A. Yes, it's an extreme example, but the simple fact remains that your cumulative GPA is exactly that, your cumulative GPA at the time of your resume submission - not what you think it will be - by that standing, I can just say, well, I'm taking 5 easy classes next semester, so my GPA will go up to a 3.9 - I'll just put that down.
And telling a girl where you "will be working" is much different than telling a recruiter or interviewer. I doubt very highly that if you interviewed with MS M&A and they ask you what others offers you have that you'd say "I have an offer with Goldman Sachs - they haven't made it yet...technically I haven't applied yet....but I have the offer" I doubt that would work out really well.
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iBanker, I guess you didn't catch that my post was completely sarcastic. I guess it's hard to differentiate sometimes due to all the stupid questions on this site lol.
Haha, sorry about that. I completely missed it - in my defense, it's been a long week. I was like...this post feels sarcastic...but if it's not, I'm a little worried.
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GPA Rounding: is it acceptable? - Opinions? (Originally Posted: 07/27/2006)
So we've pretty much all voiced our opinions on drastic GPA rounding in the "I've been fired..." post.
I'm curious to hear what you all think about rounding a 3.445 GPA to a 3.5. If I had a 3.45, then I would have no problem rounding up to 3.5... but should the fact that I'm .005 away from a 3.45 keep me from rounding?
Do you think this is acceptable, or do you think any rounding at all is unacceptable?
that's a tough one. you can make the "double rounding" argument, but then again, you can do that with any number. I guess I don't feel the same indignation about this as blatantly lying and moving up a couple tenths.
If you want to be perfectly straight-edge, put 3.45, but I doubt you'd find too many people willing to crucify you if you put 3.5. it's just up to you and your conscience
I think .005 is too much, maybe .002 at most. Even still my friend did not round his 3.98 to 4.0 It's a dawg eat dawg world.
Don't set yourself up for a situation where you can get into any trouble. If they ask you to round your GPA to a certain decimal place just follow their instructions. If you have a 3.445 then put that on your resume. The competition for a job between a 3.445 applicant and a 3.5 applicant won't be coming down to GPA. It's a wash.. it will come down to your interview skills and how prepared you are to handle the work.
It seems like the safest way, although people are right when they say it's not the biggest indicator, although 3.5 is a good benchmark to have.
This seems to me like a issue of the number might have a physiological impact on recruiters and I think it might matter between a 3.4-3.5 and 3.6-3.7. Considering that many on these boards mention 3.7 and cutoffs, I think it does make some difference in the quick glance of a resume.
For example, with 1 year left I have a 3.63, and Im considering putting down for the fall 3.7 (since Ive had a 3.85 since freshman year im sure I can get it up to 3.7 next semester). I think this is not unethical, and I would change it back to 3.6 when I graduate if I dont get it at least to 3.68.
No offense, but thats a really bad idea. No bank has a 3.7 cutoff and you will get caught lying on your resume. A 3.63 is good enough for pretty much everywhere. Never lie, it catches up with you one way or another.
ok, thanks for the feedback. You're right of course, if I cant get a job with a 3.6, I can't get it with a 3.7. I thought that was sort of a gray area, espcially if im projecting A's 1st semester. But you are correct, downside beats the upside.
I recently graduated from Hamline School of Law and took the bar exam 2 weeks ago. I had a 3 year academic scholarship where I had to maintain a 3.0 which I did the first two years which qualified me for the 3rd year. Because of financial reasons--I worked full time my 3rd year and took most of my classes at night and on weekends. My time to study was very little. I graduated with a 2.99---may I raise that to a 3.0 on my resume. I know it would open many doors with a 3.0 that would be closed with a 2.99.
Thanks, Sam
i left mine as a 3.46
is there any significant difference between a 3.5 or 3.7? I know that companies say minimum of 3.5 but is that enough to get a 1st round?
GPA rounding - Thoughts? (Originally Posted: 11/01/2006)
I just wanted to get your opinion on gpa rounding some students do on their resumes. I have heard in the us the gpa is out of 4.0 so students always round up...but then I also heard people saying it's a no no...what are your thoughts? for example, someone with a 3.76 gpa round up to 3.8
Two decimal places.
I've heard plenty of times of people being called out on rounding up, and while it's not strictly dishonest, it doesn't set a good tone for the interview.
The less you appear to be hiding, the better.
Should I round a 3.68 to a 3.7 or just leave the 3.68 on my resume?
See above...
GPA should read "3.68 / 4.00"
uhh....you can't really be "called out" for putting down 3.7, because that is what your GPA is, so you're not lying or anything
No need to take my advice if you don't want to...but I speak the truth. And I've been on both sides of the table.
But for the sake of being 100% accurate...your college calculates your GPA to two decimals (e.g. an A- is a 3.67, not a 3.7). So technically, your listed GPA should also be shown to two decimals.
Look, few people are likely to ding you if your 3.7 is a 3.65 versus a 3.74, but why even open up the possibility of being called out by a prick interviewer who may be having a bad day?
ok, hear me out tho: at the 3.6+ level, it's probably safe that your GPA doesn't need to be tweaked to get you an interview....
but for people with lower GPAs, you ARE likely to get dinged, i.e. not even GET an interview in the first place....allow me to demonstrate:
a) you have a 3.46, and it just so happens that the people sorting through resumes are using ~3.5 as the cutoff that day. you get fucked by not rounding, with an 80% likelihood
b) you have a 3.46, but you round to 3.5, and you land your interview. You yourself admitted that "few people are likely to ding you if your 3.7 is a 3.65," therefore lets just put a number on that, like 10%. here, you have a 10% chance of getting the boot.
80% > 10%
Valid point. It's up to you to weigh the pros/cons.
But as one who is currently mired in screening resumes, I am suspicious of less-than-full disclosure. And if the cutoff is a "3.5" and I see 3.46, I'm not throwing that one out simply based on GPA.
But id argue a lot of people would throw out a 3.46 with the argument "why couldnt you do a tiny bit better knowing how much of a difference it would have made".
if it rounds up I'd do it, you are not lying...and you make yourself look a tiny bit better
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...
I agree with aspiringmonkey. Do what makes you look best without the obvious lying. If you can round up, do it. Say if you have a 3.56, put 3.6. But if you have 3.53, put 3.53. You are using mathematical standards to represent your GPA. Unless specifically stated to show your GPA rounded to 2 decimal places, which I have never seen before, do what represents you the best. Technically, you're not lying, and you're not hiding anything. Now rounding a 3.43 to 3.5 is clear lying.
Okay, looks I've been outvoted on this one. To each his own.
Any IBers out there agree with me?
3.5 rounds up to 4 :P
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...
i think tirekicker may be the only person in this thread who's actually in IB
I've actually been in the situation, where i had a 3.46. I didn't round up to 3.5 because people already know you might have tweaked the numbers in the calculation process. Once, one interviewer asked me how I calculated my GPA. I say stay honest, because the minor tweaking might get you the interview, but dinged later on.
How did you calculate your GPA? I stayed honest!
....? And I sincerly doubt someone will ding you for rounding up a 3.49 to a 3.5, 1 decimal place is the standard unless you have 3.9x, at least thats what I got from my career center.
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...
Like valuation and league tables, your GPA can be tweaked by including and exluding various classes. No one has to take my word. Rounding up a hundredth is fine in my opinion (and the 3.49 to 3.5 is fine), but rounding up the tenths, like 3.47 to 3.5, is a another story. Honestly everyone is tripping over little stuff. If you have relevant work experience, minor GPA differences don't matter.
no, it's not...that is actually the exact same thing. you are rounding to the nearest tenth. exact same thing.
I noticed that when I typed it out. All I can say is good luck to everyone, because superdays are pretty much over. Summer interns filled most of the analyst class this year.
what about rounding to the nearest hundredth, like , 3.675 to 3.68?
That is an age old question. I have interviewed summer analysts and this is how I weigh in. First, with me if you make it past the first round I ask for an academic transcript because I am a jerk like that. Second, there is NO problem in rounding a 3.689 to a 3.69, but I personally truncate. (And I was in the position I graduated with a 3.798 and I post 3.79 on my resume, oh well)
How I handle the GPA thing. First, remember it is just one set of criteria.
I have a spreadsheet and I am told no one under 3.5 so I automatically cut under 3.4 and I use a random variable function to pick 10% of 3.0-3.4 based on people who do well in other ranked criteria.
If you sat with me and you had a 3.55 and you put 3.6 that would PISS me off when I found out because i look at it this way. We are in the business of company valuation right? If you use your estimation methods on a beta that is 1.15 to 1.2, you just fucked up my discount rate and my DCF and my whole analysis.
The morale is go to as many decimals as possible in the calculations and then cut it to 2 spots unless its shares outstanding then i want to see three decimal places, get it?
tbroker - i dont know which bank you work for but generally i didnt give a rats ass if the kid put a 3.6 and he had a 3.55. to me, everyone above a 3.5 is the same unless your ass is graduating phi betta kappa. also, in banking we round to nearest decimal point in just about everything we do cause the difference between $1.5 million and $1.45 million is simply a rounding error and is insignificant unless you work for some small ass boutique where revenues for companies are in the thousands...
also, who da heck uses a spreadsheet for all the analyst hires? we get a stack of resumes and scan em for 30sec-1min each, tossing the kids that dont have a chance. who has time to enter in every kids gpa and rank each kid on every criteria? thats stupid.
I'm a douche and you are in High School. Any banker would have to agree with me in the importance of stating factual number. I do not give 2 fucks if you told me you started your school's inestment club, taught a group of immigrants english, or saved a fucking elephant from a poacher. This is because if I believe that is all that matters.
However, shit that can be proved with someone as easy as a transcript and you are lying means A) you do not give a fuck; B) you are retarded; or C) numbers are not your thing.
And the fact that I take people with 3.4 and 10% of the lower pool into consideration makes me nice not a douche.
You're a retard.
Actually, homeslice, I am not in high school, and you're still a douche. Wow, somebody puts 3.5 when they have a 3.3, big damn deal. Stop taking yourself and your bullshit job so seriously. 90% of what bankers do is trivial. I would take somenody who taught english to immigrants over a self-important fuck like you, even if you had a 3.9.
tbroker- i would def. cut them too.
Should be interesting in the fall.
here's a rationale that I have. When I was in college, graduating with latin honors (or any sort of academic honors) meant the difference between hundreths of a point. Our school calculates all of our GPA's to the nearest hundreth on the transcript as well. Obviously the GPA is not the biggest factor in determining whether or not you get an interview, but if you have 170 kids from your alma mater dropping resumes for 15-20 interview spots or so, justifying the cut is a lot easier.
In all honesty though, it's about if we know the kid or not. Like ,if the applicant played on the same sports team, was in the same greek house, or did other on-campus activities that were similar to you, chance are you can tell if he/she is bullshitting their way through the resume (President of XYZ investment club, when in reality there are like 5 people in the club). the GPA also allows you to make a case for/against a person if people on your team disagree on who should come back.
.
it is understandable that you want people to list gpa to the nearest hundreth, i guess, but putting 3.6 when it is greater than or equal to 3.55 isn't lying by any stretch. when listing gpa to the NEAREST tenth, do you expect that people arbitrarily round down? that would be absurd...
at any rate, the difference between a 3.55 and 3.6 is miniscule. correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems that most gpas above a 3.5 and below a 3.8 are viewed as similar.
They're not. I know consulting firms with GPA cutoffs in the 3.7 range.
HerSerendipity: You would cut someone who rounded from a 3.79 to a 3.8?
I knew people who asked for my advice on interviews after I got a FT offer and I told them it's fine. I feel like 3.8 really catches your attention.
Still, I don't really agree with 3.75 to a 3.8.
that is a brutal cutoff. i've got a 3.6; do you think that'll keep me from getting a shot at an on-campus interview with Bain & Company? i've got other stuff going for me (diversity, sports, ect), but do you think my gpa will ding me automatically?
Depends on the school. If you're at a target, probably not. Still, I think MBB gave automatic first-round interviews to kids in the 3.8 range at my target.
This is for the internship BTW.
I guess. But i guess I was always told to just leave it as it was, so that was my mentality. I don't think it's lying, it's just stretching the truth. When I look at resumes, I use cutoffs like they do for graduation honors.
3.8+ weirds me out but if you're well rounded that's awesome. If your major was easier than other ones at my particular school, that could make sense also. You're obvi very smart.
3.6-3.8= you do well in school, and hopefully do other things on campus.
3.3-3.5- You got messed up somewhere along the line, but perhaps have corrected yourself. Or you're some crazy double major in hard subjects. But i'd like to give a benefit of the doubt that you've actually had an impact on campus extracurricularly (sports/music/student liaison/whatever).
3.0-3.3- also got tripped up along the line. Usually these kids end up in S&T, or they know someone in IBD. Or they spent their time winning all-american honors.
sub 3.0- uh. yeah.
But,that's just me. Generally i'm looking for much more well-rounded people. You're not going to impress me with a 3.9 double math/econ major, unless you've published or done something interesting in the field. Just tells me all you do is study, and are probably socially inept (8 out of 10 times, I'm usually right in this area).
Of course, I have to reiterate that it's my own standards that sort of bias the situation.
I think you're being a bit harsh on the 3.8-3.9 kids.
My GPA was in that range and I did a ****-ton on campus. Multiple jobs, clubs, research and whatnot.
Honestly, I never saw the inverse relationship between social aptitude and GPA. The smartest kids were very socially adept as well.
3.6 is fine. i had a 3.6 or so (maybe a 3.61 or 3.62) when applying for full time, and a little less when applying for internships, and I got an interview at bain/BCG/Mercer, and a slew of other ibanks. If you're well-rounded, that's what matters.
I also think it helped that i had some alums who were in the same sorority vouching for me..like it helped a lot i think.
consultant- i guess we went to different schools. I definitely have a few friends who had awesome gpa's and did really cool stuff on campus, but i think i've encountered more of the ones who were socially inept.It's a majority situation on my part.
I just remember meeting a whole bunch of kids at an info session for GS the night before interviews, and all these kids i never seen before in my life were there. They were socially awkward and poorly spoken. I never saw that at final round interviews.
My school was also pretty small so you kind of knew which kids were social/did stuff on campus/etc. and which ones were not.
Oops. And i wouldn't necessarily cut a kid who rounded from 3.79 to 3.8 (you wouldnt really know anyway until you got a transcript) but if I found out later they did that, i would look down on that. They are very different things. In my school, that's the difference between Phi beta kappa and not.
Heh, I felt the McKinsey and Bain info sessions had a lot of socially awkward kids. A lot engineers came out of hiding for those ones. None of them made it.
The GS and Lehman info sessions had a lot of frat-boy douchebags. Especially Lehman. They'd come in their best suits and not say a word for fear of looking like idiots. It was hilarious. When the VP/Associate said he was open for questions, they'd just stand around and smile. So freakin' clueless.
at my school also. Going through FT interviews, it was funny b/c alll these random kids came out of the woodwork. I always wondered where they came from.
Poor house? Since since July we have completed 3 MA deals and 2 share repurcg and are working on 2 buy sides and 1 sell side right now, I am not too worried about living in the "poor house". Also, buyside is getting hurt too fag, so wishing ad to others is pretty immature. Do not be mad that you went from a boutique IB to a smaller buy side firm.
wow, i am impressed. you are an banking king... dude i work in distressed now so we are def not getting hurt fag...also, whats immature is acting like someone whos actually important when in reality ur an analyst, a nobody. in fact, i doubt your opinion even matters when it comes to hiring each new class of analysts, but u prob think it does...anyways dude, dont u have some comps or a pitchbook to be turning now?
well this thread has convinced me to report 2 decimals, figure that my gpa is high enough that rounding up could potentially hurt me more than help
haha and at a citibanks presentation yesterday i saw the nerdiest kid i've ever seen - he has a ton of hair growing out of his nose and other serious grooming issues. i was in line to talk to a recruiter and couldn't stop staring at him because he looked so funny...
Rounding GPA's (Originally Posted: 04/18/2007)
Question: Is it ok to round up your GPA? For example, if my gpa is 3.68/4.00, can I put 3.7/4.0 on my resume?
Yeah thats fine, but if something happens dont come after me about it.
i round off my gpa. How likely is it to get exactly 3.7? I bet it's unlikely, and HR knows it as well.
MangoLeachy, your GPA is a 3.6. If you had a 3.98 gpa, would you say 4.0? No. You would say 3.9. Anyway, it's 2 hundreths of a point. Round at your own risk...
Unless you are applying to firm programs who indeed have a cut off of 3.7, call HR prior and simply ask in reference to your GPA whether or not you would be considered, then briefly explain somewhere within a cover letter.
You're a complete fucking idiot. MangoLeachy, take this guy's post as an example of dumb people giving advice. Keep in mind that the only guys you can really trust are the ones who actually work in the industry and aren't still in college.
Vadremc,
Your example is a good one. Speaking to the HR may be a good idea. Thanks.
i think rounding up is appropriate only when the form your filling out (online, obviously) restricts the number of digits you can enter. otherwise, always use two decimal places when inputting your gpa.
you think its ok to round a 3.1 gpa to like 3.5?
Definitely - but if you had a 3.09, I would say no.
How is this ok?!?
Rounding on your resume is stupid. It can only get you in trouble in the long run.
I have a 3.86 on mine and in every interview, I was asked "So, you have a 3.9 in ..."
I always rounded my GPA (which meant half the time I was rounding DOWN, and the other half rounding up). My school reported GPA as 3.xxx - which would technically mean reporting it as 3.xx was "rounding" as well. I was a double major and always showed cumulative, GPA1 and GPA2 on my resume, it was simply easier to report as 3.x. (for the record, 2 of my 3 GPAs were rounded down, however the cumulative was rounded up (a whole .01!!)
its okay to round a 3.37 to a 3.4 (ONLY if they specifically requested it in the form of x.y, otherwise leave it x.yz)
it's not okay to round a 3.33 to a 3.4
christ did you guys not take fucking high school algebra, didnt they teach you guys about rounding?
Another stupid-ass question with vadremc making another stupid-ass response. Completely agree with Zala.
What is wrong with these stupid bastards having issues with basic algebra and trying out for banking? I swear, 90% of you will never make it. I've always rounded to the tenth - never any problem. Ever. But hey, do what you want. I personally discard any resume that goes to the thousandth and may discard those going to the hundredth if I feel as though the douchebag wants me to read that extra fucking figure and take up even more of my time.
And Mango, vadremc's idea of talking to HR is NOT a good one. If I was stuck in that quarantined backwater known as HR and got a phone call over this, I would just toss his resume because if the applicant can't make a decision on this, there will be no chance he or she could survive if the shit hits the fan at 1AM. Oh and explaining that into a cover letter is yet another horrendous idea, as it's more time used up. You only have the reviewer's attention for seconds - don't waste precious space in your cover letter with that crap.
haha wow
Rounding up of GPA (Originally Posted: 12/24/2007)
I have a resume question. My GPA is 3.83. Would it be acceptable for me to round it up to 3.90 in my resume? Thank you so much!
Let me get this straight...you have 3.83...and you feel that somehow rounding it to a 3.90 will make you somehow more competitive...Jesus Christ
No don't round anything. You're not at a 3.85 so it doesn't even make sense to round up to a 3.9, if anything you would be rounding down to a 3.8
Wow...you people amaze me
i wish people would stop asking dumb gpa rounding questions.
If you have a 3.5 you can make your GPA a 4
Right now, I have a 3.693, should I list it as two digits as a 3.7?
you would think the kids at Colombia GSB would be better at math, especially if they want to go into HF
And I thought a kid working (or aspiring to work) at MBB would know how to spell Columbia. Your supervisor (or worse, peer) would have to correct the tag lines on your slides again and again.
I was originally asking a sincere question without malice and not intending to stir up crap. Too bad you don't like it. I don't give a damn. Haha.
might as well just round it up to 4.0 while you're at it
It doesn't matter. I interview prospective bankers and see absolutely no difference between a 3.8, 3.83 or 3.9 (or for that matter, 3.80, 3.83 or 3.90...). To me these all signal "Good, works hard, studied a lot." But basically I would think that with anything above a 3.5 or so. GPA really only matters because some recruiters will use it as a cutoff... again if you have over a 3.5 it's honestly not that much different what you round to.
Instead of rounding to the nearest tenths digit, or even to the nearest units digit (as a previous poster suggested), why not round to the nearest tens digit? This way you can make yourself appear even more spectacular. And... according to your logic that somehow a 3 rounds up... your GPA is technically 10/4.00. Put this on your resume; you'll be sure to get all the HFs knocking at your door.
man they're just tearing you apart, but yeah, if it's below a 5, you round down, and this only works with decimal points of course...
You don't need to round it up. a 3.83 is already quite impressive.
However, I gotta disagree with the view made above that a 3.5 is not different from a 3.9. It may not make a difference at the resume screening round but it certainly makes a difference at the interview rounds. I do not subscribe to the view that once you get through to interviews, your resume or grades is treated as "equal" to other candidates.
Interviewers always tend to favor mirror images of themselves - it's ego. There's the banker who got through with a 3.5 but manage to network himself into a job, in which case he may not think GPA is that important. There's also the banker who got a 3.9 (and worked hard for it) and it's likely that he will prefer those with high GPA. Don't underestimate the number of bankers with high GPA.
All in all, getting an offer is competitive, and between two candidates who are pretty similar with the exception of GPA, I will definitely make an offer to the guy with a higher GPA.
im getting tired of these GPA questions - do a search cause everything that youve ever wanted to know about rounding up your gpa has already been asked.
agree that it doesn't matter. you could, with some sketchiness, round up to 3.9, but definitely not 3.90. best bet 3.83. have more fun in college, though.
GPA rounding - Applications and resume (Originally Posted: 10/23/2008)
For the applications and resume, would it be okay if I round my GPA from a 3.462 to a 3.5? That's not unethical, right? Just want to make sure.
I think it'd be more 'normal' to put 3.46 (I think most gpa's are rounded to the hundredths) but n o I don't think 3.5 would be in anyway unethical, if you are choosing to round to the tenths place it is a 3.5.
:) best of luck
I think you can round it to a 3.5, no harm done as long as you are not making up a GPA. 3.44 to a 3.5 is unethical.
i highly suggest using the search function in the future for questions like this. this has only been discussed about 300 times in the past year. trust me, the search function is your friend. it saves a lot of time waiting for responses. i dont even remember the last time i asked a question in the forum; any question i have is pretty much always answered by the search function.
GPA rounding and presentation on resume (Originally Posted: 05/10/2009)
I'm looking for some advice on how to present my GPA on my resume for next year's recruiting cycle.
After this semester, my overall GPA is 3.651, my Economics major GPA is 3.953, and my Psychology major GPA is 3.793.
Here are some of the possibilities I considered:
Overall: 3.7, Econ: 4.0, Psych: 3.8 (Looks the best, but isn't it dishonest to round a 3.953 up to a 4.0? It seems like 4.0 implies only As, no A-s.) Overall: 3.65, Econ: 3.95, Psych: 3.79 (Honest, but I've heard that 3.7 overall is the cutoff for some places) Overall: 3.7, Econ: 3.95, Psych: 3.8 (More honest than the first option, but wouldn't it be strange to not round consistently?) Overall: 3.7, Econ: 3.9, Psych: 3.8 (Fixes the problem of the first option, but it doesn't seem right to round a 3.95 down to a 3.9)
I'm sure you guys will tell me that I'm overthinking this, but I want to make sure that I present my stats in the most favorable way, without being dishonest. Also, if it matters at all, I'm most interested in management consulting positions but will also be applying for trading positions.
How do you think I should present these stats?
If you're trying to keep it to 1 decimal point, I'd go with the last one. I rounded my major GPA down from 3.93 to 3.9, and my overall GPA 3.57 to 3.6
I think 3.9+ is very impressive anyways.
You can round the total GPA and the psych GPA up, but you should never round a 3.95+ up to a 4.0.
id put 2 decimals for all. never heard of a shop with a 3.7 cutoff
I have heard of places with 3.7 cutoffs (mostly unofficially, rather than officially). If I were you, I'd go with the last option. It looks the best (e.g. the rounding is consistent and all of the numbers look good).
www.gottamentor.com
GPA Rounding - Hard and fast rule (Originally Posted: 05/27/2010)
Question - everyone here says round to the nearest tenth but I've actually asked my schools career services and not only do they say you MUST not round but it is also their strict policy for recruiting. If a school says round vs don't round shouldn't you follow it instead of listening to blank advice?
seems like a hard and fast rule where you can get fucked instead of an issue of "if its ok or not"
now that u asked ur career serv u probably cant get away with it. just put the hundredth digit
If you're going through OCR then don't round, but otherwise you should be safe.
rounding to the hundreth or the tenth is fine.
otherwise, what are you suppose to do if your gpa is 3.3333333333333333 (you get the idea)
i mean rounding up
yeah i know. just round to the tenth or to the hundreth.
3.15... round to a 3.2
3.85... don't bother rounding.
seriously im pretty sure career services actually can sanction kids with rounded GPAs, its considered a violation of the schools code
if you are so worried just don't do it. besides if you are using OCR and everyone else is unrounded they are going to notice. worst case scenario you have a 3.75 instead of a 3.8 (unless you are at just under 3.5 i see how that could be a concern you want to round off)
prob really depends on the firm. some do some serious research while others just sign you up.
im not talking about firms, ive found they mostly agree with the one digit rounding. problem is the COLLEGE itself prohibits rounding to the point where its considered academically dishonest to round. moral is that go by the college, not mergers&inquisitions or bankonbanking no matter how helpful they normally are
GPA rounding question (Originally Posted: 12/22/2010)
Can you round a 3.353 cumulative to a 3.4?
yes
check your school - some tell you to round, others tell you not to.
I am just worried what banks will say. I do not want to do anything to potentially piss off an interviewer. But a 3.4 looks wayyyyyyy better than a 3.35 especially when your coming from a non-target such as myself.
Round. Everyone rounds.
Just put 3.4. If they do actually check it against your transcript, they'll see you could have legitimately rounded it either way and they can't really fault you for trying to make your resume look a smidge better. Who wouldn't do it if they had to?
serious question..... can i round up 3.54 to a 3.6 or no?
uh no.
I did that no problem, as long as it isn't too far out of the blue you're fine.
No.
To the OP, yes.
3.558 to 3.6?
2.9 to 3.8?
Can I round a 3.5 to a 4.0 if I just put 4/4?
Thanks for everything. Even the sarcastic comments hahaha.
Rounding GPA - dishonest? (Originally Posted: 02/21/2011)
I hear a lot of schools are now cracking down and banning kids from rounding GPAs to the 10ths place - anyone else have that policy?
Doubt they "ban kids"
That is dumb. Seriously, I don't care whether you have a 3.7 or a 3.69. As long as you're over a 3.3, we're good to go.
why dont you ask on M&I about your specific rounding issue....
play by the rules and you'll have the best shot. don't round.
As long as you don't round a 3.5 to a 4.0 you should be good
Unless your GPA has a solid first digit, you should always have two after the decimal. If you have a 3.66 versus a 3.7 it's not going to matter.
lol. Monkeys talk about the dishonesty of rounding off GPA. Isn't that what you'll do in IBD all day trying to play with the right numbers to pitch.
LOL isnt that the truth, It really depends on what kind of rounding your talking about 3.5 to 4.0 you might as well just kill every chance right there. 3.45 to a 3.5 thats pushing it, 3.49 to 3.5 most people wouldnt care much about that but in reality the .01 wont matter much your story will matter way more. I wouldnt round your gpa its just not that important.
Our school expelled someone from the business school for rounding their gpa by .06. This was for a non-banking position but the employer called up the school to verify this guy's gpa and once they found out he rounded up, he was taken in front of the disciplinary board and expelled from the business school and got his offer taken away. No joke. Some schools are extremely strict on gpa rounding so if your school says no rounding then I would advise against it. Even M&I says how strict some schools can be on this policy so watch it.
EDIT: I meant to say .06. I remember he rounded a 3.44 to a 3.5.
HungryOne .6 is HUGE -- that is a 3.1 to 3.7 which is obviously not acceptable. Even if you meant .06 that is 3.44 to 3.5 which is also unacceptable. i think we're discussing the cases of 3.67 to 3.7 etc.
I meant to say .06
GPA Rounding - State school (Originally Posted: 02/22/2011)
Hi I'm a state school kid who really really REALLY wants to do investment banking even though I don't have good grades and go to a state school. I have a 3.251 in my managment major which is supposed to be bad for when i apply for investment banking. I was going to round to 3.3 but my math major friend said I should round to the nearest multiple of 0.5 so my GPA is 3.5. Is this ok? If yes do you think its to much to round to nearest multiple of 4? Can you do this?!
http://www.bankonbanking.com/2009/09/20/rounding-your-gpa-and-other-gpa…
Uh...your math major friend should consider a new major.
^^^ That!
LOL -- exactly!
its a 3.3 at most. dont push your luck
3.25 rounded to a 3.5 - REALLY?!
Use common sense
You should round it to a 3.0 - it would be more reflective of your intelligence. (Sorry, I had to)
Don't be racist to me just because I go to a state school!
Where's the racist comment, I don't see it. Either someone deleted it, or you meant rude???
It has nothing to do with you going to a state school...
im hoping this is a troll joke lol
and a management major? lol wtf econ or finance OR BUST. gtfo wit hyour retail management skills
How about if I round to 4 and say "rounded to the nearest multiple of 4"? Is that ok because its a whole number?
I rounded my gpa to a 4.5
I heard it looks better applying to investment banking.
lol to this
Okay, that just made my night!!!
They'll lie to you about how great it is to work in banking, go ahead and lie about your GPA.
I think the fact that the OP thinks being "schoolist" = being racist. Should settle the debate about if he should work in banking.
Oh, come on now, don't be too harsh. I'm sure OP could still work in banking, he would just have work hard to break in, and bust his ass once he lands a gig.
OP posted this as a joke, come on now.
.
Only pussy banks ask for transcripts, round the hell out of it
pussy banks? Are they like sperm banks? Can I pick a color and a wetness? hahahahaha.
i didn't know they have pussy banks either! where can i find one? why do they need transcripts? i have a 3.5 GPA (rounded) is that high enough??
That was a good laugh..
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