Major GPA vs. Overall GPA in Investment Banking Recruitment

I am starting to think my chances at a BB are diminishing. As a rising junior, I currently have a 3.4 cumulative GPA and a 3.9 major GPA(economics) at a top public university. This being the case, an internship next summer will rely heavily on the weight employers assign to major GPA. Is there anything wrong with just listing major GPA on a resume? I am not enrolled in a business school, so do you think that undertaking an honors concentration would significantly improve my chances? Any input is greatly appreciated.

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Should I Use A Major GPA?

While it is frowned upon to just put a major GPA on your resume, it is perfectly fine to put a major and a cumulative GPA. If you have a low GPA (less than ~3.50) and you have a higher major GPA in a major that is relevant to the industry (ie. finance, economics, math) you can prove that you are strong in the subjects that matter by including a major GPA. Our users explained below.

I think it's good to list both even if they are close together (assuming the major is ibanking-related - econ, business)--it shows that your cumulative GPA is not padded by a bunch of fluff electives (major GPA significantly lower than non-major GPA) for instance 3.7 cumulative = good, right? But if it's 4.0 non-major and 3.0 business/econ major to get to 3.7... = bad.

User @HerSerendipity", a private equity associate, cautioned against including just a major GPA:

HerSerendipity - Private Equity Associate:
Putting only a major GPA will raise flags. Put both cum and your major since your major one is considerably higher. When you say you are at a "top public university" do you mean like a UVA (which is normally a target? A 3.4 isn't terrible especially since you have a strong major gpa. If your major was something like creative writing, then I think it'd be different.

You can see an example of how to format this below.

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Putting only a major GPA will raise flags. Put both cum and your major since your major one is considerably higher. When you say you are at a "top public university" do you mean like a UVA (which is normally a target? A 3.4 isn't terrible especially since you have a strong major gpa. If your major was something like creative writing, then I think it'd be different.

 

A standard resume includes your cumulative GPA. If you only list your major GPA, employers will either think a) that you don't know how to prepare a resume or b) you have something to hide. Obviously you don't want them thinking either one of these things. I'd go ahead and list it.

 
bmw88:
anyone here knows what the ideal gpa is to employers? cutoffs?

4.0 is ideal

0.0 is the cutoff if your dad is CEO of a big client or the employer itself (this is an exaggeration of course)

looking for that pick-me-up to power through an all-nighter?
 

I think it's good to list both even if they are close together (assuming the major is ibanking-related - econ, business)--it shows that your cumulative GPA is not padded by a bunch of fluff electives (major GPA significantly lower than non-major GPA) for instance 3.7 cumulative = good, right? But if it's 4.0 non-major and 3.0 business/econ major to get to 3.7... = bad.

Only don't break it out if major is materially below cumulative.

 

How bad is a 3.4 GPA/3.9 Major GPA from a non-target?

-------------------------------------------------------- "I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcom
 

This shit reminds me of the Matrix. You guys need to realize there isn't a specific rule when it comes to GPA. Analysts and Associates are screening resumes. This is shit duty at its finest and most people would rather get it done with and go home. Just email some people and be nice and hopefully you can get your resume pushed. Simple as that.

You just know that some people who freak out about their GPA so much will still have it listed 10 years after they start working. So funny.

 

I have a similar split with my cumulative and major GPA, and I've heard mixed opinions from academic advisors. Mine said to list both, and another said to take it off. I had several interviews this year and was only questioned about it once by the interviewers.

If you're going to leave it on, just make sure you're prepared to answer why you're cumulative GPA is that much lower.

 

this is obviously my personal opinion. I've always included both, since both are decent and the major is a little better.

if you only include cumulative, this is acceptable, but then including your major GPA shows you are really good at your area of focus and pretty good over all.

what creates a suspicion and evokes a question is if you only put your major GPA (usually an indication that you messed up the cumulative one)

So since you have a decent total GPA, and very good major GPA, I see no harm in putting both.

 
leftover_salmon:
If your major is Art History, it probably won't help (or it may even hurt). But if you're a math/physics/finance/econ/accounting major, than it's probably a good thing to list your GPA.
Well, I would obviously list my overall GPA. But I was more referring to listing my in-major GPA as well. Not completely sure if that's what you were addressing in your post.
 

In BBs when we look at resumes generally we take "major" or "core" GPAs with a large grain of salt. It is quite easy to make-up a major GPA just including what you want to. However, that being said if the major GPA is higher include it.

--There are stupid questions, so think first.
 

Use both cumulative and major GPA. It's common for applicants to have a lower cumulative but higher major GPA, so don't worry.

If you took really difficult courses outside your major GPA, it may be worth writing a few of the harder ones that you did well on on your resume. that should mitigate any concerns on why your cumulative was lower.


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Thanks for the comments. I've been told by career services or from visiting professionals that listing both is not an option; you are suppose to pick one. However, I've come to not trust career services very much. I agree that my best shot may be using both GPAs.

 

Never trust career services. If they were any good they'd have a decent job.

-------------------------------------------------------- "I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcom
 
AnthonyD1982:
Put both, if you only put major people will assume your cumulative is horrible.

Yeah, when I review a resume with only a major GPA I automatically assume it's below a 3.0. Those are the folks that usually only put GPA Major. You have cumulative GPA of 3.42, which looks much better than not having anything but a major GPA. So, put both or the review will just assume you have >3.0 overall GPA.

----------------------------------------------------------------- Hug It Out
 

Your University should calculate this for you, if you run a degree audit the number should be there for you, go to your councilor if you would like that number.

I'd suggest getting the one that will be on your transcript to avoid any potential misnomers that could lead to an employers or grad school questioning your integrity.

LIke was said above, it is the GPA of all credit hours taken for the fulfillment of your Major

 

Agreed with the above. Include both, but make sure your cumulative is first, listing both on the same line, i.e.:

GPA (cumulative): 3.80 GPA (major): 3.95

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

I would round the cumulative to 3.5 and would leave out the major GPA of 3.6. Why?

IMHO putting only the major GPA would trigger questions why the total GPA hasn't been included and the difference of 0.1 is not worth the doubt it creates. Putting both GPAs has only marginal value since then you have 3.5 and 3.6 standing next to each other..consider the 30 seconds people are supposed to look at your CV.

 

there's nothing wrong with rounding your 3.46 to a 3.5, and if anyone tells you otherwise they are wrong. that's like me saying i got an 85 on my test when in reality i got an 84....ITS THE SAME THING! but people on this board for some reason go ape shit when it comes to rounding up your gpa......

 

Dont round it. You do not have a 3.5

"Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.
 

Put the half girl so people would actually read it haha. Just as a final note -- do you think the 3.5/3.0 split is really better? I had been leaning towards the other way because I feel that some people just skim resumes and might see the 3.3 and think that's overall without looking at the fact that it's major (even though it's denoted as such). I mean do I really have a chance with the 3.5/3.0 split (I do have very strong ECs/exp), as opposed to taking the risk and putting the 3.3 hoping people will read it as overall. Even if they don't, they'll probably assume my overall is ~3.0, which it is.

 

Your resume is a marketing tool. Just put the highest and state that that is your business school GPA. That should suffice. If they want to know more, then they will ask for transcripts and they can see what all your GPA's are. I doubt they will tho, since they mostly care about the business classes that relate most directly to what you will be doing on a day-to-day basis.

You're not 'making up' your 3.5 out of thin air - youre simply shedding particular light on your GPA. Again, resume = marketing tool for yourself. Believe me, investment banks do this all the time when they pitch to clients. Don't be afraid to resort to similar tactics yourself.

Best of luck.

Capitalist
 
Whiskey5:
Just put your major GPA on it...

That is what I am trying to get at - those two grades are part of my major GPA and without counting them I would have a 3.85 in my major. They were before I knew I wanted to be an Econ major and before I declared.

 

I had shitty grades freshman year (around 3.2), and then got straight A's after that. After my first semester of good grades, I put my most recent semester GPA on a separate line. After another semester, I changed it to "GPA excluding freshman year". Obviously you shouldn't do this unless your most recent grades are significantly better than your overall GPA, which is how it was for me.

Also I didn't list my major GPA b/c of this. It would look weird to have 3 separate GPAs on your resume.

 

Not much difference between a 3.9 and a 4.0 IMO: I wouldn't list more than 2, ex:

Cumul GPA: Major GPA ( If Finance is higher AND its a Fin job)

Here to learn and hopefully pass on some knowledge as well. SB if I helped.
 

This is how I put mine: Bachelor of Arts/Science in Engineering and Finance GPA: 4.0 (major), 3.9 (cumulative) No need to specify the major; let them think what they want. No one will bother to check/calculate. I would only split out major if it's somehow more impressive than your cumulative (mine was a spread of 0.4). You could just get away with putting 3.9 and be done.

Currently: future neurologist, current psychotherapist Previously: investor relations (top consulting firm), M&A consulting (Big 4), M&A banking (MM)
 

If I saw someone that had a 3.9 overall and broke down their GPA into major/track/gpa, i would instantly throw the resume in the trash. Why would you ever waste lines of your resume over something so stupid? Put down 3.9 and move onto skills/experience...

 
AGD55:
I'm a junior as a highly reputable semi target (US top 20). I'm double majoring in finance and accounting. My overall GPA is 3.6 and my major GPAs are 3.9 accounting and 4.0 finance. I'm wondering if this makes me competitive for SA roles at BBs and other investment banks and how much importance is placed on major GPA since my overall is slightly less competitive. Thanks.

Also i've been told to list GPA(s) on my resume like this,

Finance GPA: 4.0 Accounting GPA: 3.9 Overall GPA: 3.6

Is this correct?

Wow a 3.6 overall,3.9 and 4.0 major GPAs? Do you even study? No chance whatsoever. Try the PR industry.

Ask dumb questions, get dumb answers. Also, use the search function.

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

Well I hear how competitive it is all the time and how 3.8 or better is pretty much a requirement. Just looking for some basic answers. :(

no need to be a jerk

 
AGD55:
Well I hear how competitive it is all the time and how 3.8 or better is pretty much a requirement. Just looking for some basic answers. :(

no need to be a jerk

You are fine. Other things are more important than your GPA once you are at a certain point (3.5+). Any other experience, ECs, Networking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! etc.

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 
Sixracer:
When you are an MBA grad, does your undergrad GPA no longer become relevant/get asked for?

Yes and no, depends on the amount of work experience before the MBA. If you have tons of work experience and a great MBA gpa, then it would be pretty insignificant. If he had no prior experience before the MBA and you went directly into it from ugrad then it poses more important. Only my opinion though.

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

i'd probably just say "GPA: xx/4.0" for your overall GPA and not write a major GPA until you've gotten more classes under your belt.
1. if they ask for your transcript, and on the off chance the interviewer actually reads it, they could ask you about it. 2. they also might ask you what your favorite class is from your major, and if you're an econ major and you've only taken micro and macro 101, you'll look stupid. same things goes for finance and whatever else.

Remember, once you're inside you're on your own. Oh, you mean I can't count on you? No. Good!
 

I just asked a similar question recently. Consensus seemed to include major GPA regardless of classes taken. I would definitely include your overall cumulative GPA as well, though.

"Money is a scoreboard where you can rank how you're doing against other people." -Mark Cuban
 

Include both, only cumulative, or neither. Indicating just your major GPA is misleading because they do not know what classes go into your major when looking at a transcript.

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

Thanks for the help. Somewhat related question, but is it OK to include cumulative GPA, concentration GPA, and SAT score on the same line, or is that too stuffy and should they be separated (e.g. both GPA's on one line, and one line below for just SAT)?

I know I'm being anal about formatting, but I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

 

I dont think theres any problem with all of the GPA's on same line, that's what I do as well. I would think that a new line for SAT would be best.

"Money is a scoreboard where you can rank how you're doing against other people." -Mark Cuban
 

I think you have to list both tbh. Not that you have too, but they are smart enough to figure out that you are trying to hide something if you only list the major GPA, since if it was as good or better than cumulative you would naturally list it.

Since it's above a 3.0, I would just list it. You can't change what has already happened.

"They are all former investment bankers that were laid off in the economic collapse that Nancy Pelosi caused. They have no marketable skills, but by God they work hard."
 
CountryUnderdog:
I think you have to list both tbh. Not that you have too, but they are smart enough to figure out that you are trying to hide something if you only list the major GPA, since if it was as good or better than cumulative you would naturally list it.

Since it's above a 3.0, I would just list it. You can't change what has already happened.

Yep. If your major GPA is 3.3 and you don't even list your cumulative I'm going to automatically assume the worst.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

you need to ask an advisor. That way, if anyone questions it, you can always point to them. At my college, we needed like 8-10 classes in total for our major. By the time I graduated, I had taken like 15 classes that qualified as being part of my major...out of the 15, I took the 8-10 classes that gave me the highest major gpa and listed it. I went to an advisor, had her fill out some form with those 8-10 classes and had her sign it in case anyone asks.

 
Planetbeing:

By the time I graduated, I had taken like 15 classes that qualified as being part of my major...out of the 15, I took the 8-10 classes that gave me the highest major gpa and listed it. I went to an advisor, had her fill out some form with those 8-10 classes and had her sign it in case anyone asks.

That makes no sense at all

 
JustADude:
Planetbeing:

By the time I graduated, I had taken like 15 classes that qualified as being part of my major...out of the 15, I took the 8-10 classes that gave me the highest major gpa and listed it. I went to an advisor, had her fill out some form with those 8-10 classes and had her sign it in case anyone asks.

That makes no sense at all

It makes sense to me, but isn't that cheating? Because don't you need to include all 15? Otherwise you can just choose the ones you got A's in and have a major gpa of 4.00 right?

It does make sense that the Econ/Fin/Acc prefix classes count for the Major GPA but I would like to add Math and Lit classes because they are required for my major and they would increase my Major GPA by a lot.

 
Best Response
DiarrheaAnneFrank:
JustADude:

Planetbeing:
By the time I graduated, I had taken like 15 classes that qualified as being part of my major...out of the 15, I took the 8-10 classes that gave me the highest major gpa and listed it. I went to an advisor, had her fill out some form with those 8-10 classes and had her sign it in case anyone asks.

That makes no sense at all

It makes sense to me, but isn't that cheating? Because don't you need to include all 15? Otherwise you can just choose the ones you got A's in and have a major gpa of 4.00 right?

It does make sense that the Econ/Fin/Acc prefix classes count for the Major GPA but I would like to add Math and Lit classes because they are required for my major and they would increase my Major GPA by a lot.

It doesn't make any sense because it's cheating. His adviser is an idiot.

You should only include classes that are in your major's department for major GPA; if you're an econ major, why would accounting and lit classes count? Then again major GPA is bull shit to begin with, nobody really cares.

 

The easiest way to do this is to only include classes that have your major pre-fix on them. Typically, schools title their courses as ECON101, FIN203, ACCY104. Just go with all of the ones with your major on them...if it's more complicated than that, then do as was mentioned above and ask your academic advisor.

 

School said I needed to take 10 finance classes for my major. I took more than 10 and counted the 10 in which I got the highest grades in to calculate my major gpa.

Dishonest maybe, cheating no as I followed the rules.

 
Planetbeing:

School said I needed to take 10 finance classes for my major. I took more than 10 and counted the 10 in which I got the highest grades in to calculate my major gpa.

Dishonest maybe, cheating no as I followed the rules.

That's like saying I need to take 100 credits to graduate, I took 150 credits, I'm going to count 100 credits and say that's my undergraduate GPA. I'm not gonna argue with you, like I said nobody cares about major GPA anyway.

 

At my school, we could look at our unofficial transcript. Our Major GPA was printed there, so ask your advisor if you have this option. My school only calculated major GPA as the average of all upper division courses within my major.

 

Looks academic over private sector / IBD. I think you need more under professional experience-- or really build up that you worked your way up over the course of several yrs to the title of GM.

You have tons of language experience (keep Swahili), which is key. Try to build up the work experience tab (maybe club university stuff) and network .. = golden

Array
 

I think you're better off creating a line item:

"Favorite class GPA: 4.0"

in which you put the classes that you did the best in. 4.0 looks better than 3.9 after all and it essentially accomplishes the same thing.

 

Just to add, I'm well into my Rhetoric major; about half-way done. I added Economics as a major last semester so I'm not quite into it yet. My cumulative GPA is relatively low because I didn't do so well in my gen ed classes (intro chem and bio killed me :/).

Anyways, since some of the sophomore programs in investment banking i'm applying to allow all majors to apply could I just list my major gpa and cumulative right after; and somewhere in my resume and cover letter express that I have knowledge and course work in finance/econ?

 

A bulge bracket?

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
 

EBs & top MMs do not do background checks, I think.

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
 

Not concerned so much about the background check, but about them raising a concern about not using the GPA immediately listed on the transcript and instead using the applicable Finance and Economics major GPA.

The contract says they are going to do a background check. To clarify, I specifically listed the GPA on my resume as "major GPA" and not cumulative. No intentions of being misleading.

 

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