Is it already over
I'm just wondering if I have already fucked up my college career and any chance at BB IBD and/or if I should kill myself.
I go to a semi-target, very highly overall ranked college in the US and have just completed my freshman year with a 3.3. I am pretty much going balls to the wall as my school is very competitive (azns) and pretty much every class is curved, so a B+ is average. I can maybe pull it up to a 3.5 by junior year. Hopefully my major GPA will be higher, 3.6-3.7. I have not taken any classes explicitly in my major (finance) yet.
I have a BB PWM internship this summer and pretty good extracurriculars. I am wondering if I am fucked because when I apply for boutique IBD/other internships as a sophomore the recruiters and employers will see my low GPA and maybe ding me which means I would not get a SA as a junior which means I will never break into IBD (I know there are exceptions but let's be honest here).
I think this illustrates a larger point which is that GPA is a load of fucking horse shit and I'm not saying that because mine isn't that good. I know there needs to be some screening measure but what happens when you have two students, one from dogshit university in alabama with a 3.9 and another from high ranked highly selective top 20 school with a 3.4? Ding the 3.4 kid who is ten times smarter? Colleges only compare kids' GPAs against their peers at the same high school, why don't employers (at least that's the sense I'm getting from WSO, that they don't)?
I know this is kind of a rant but I just need to blow off steam. Any advice going forward?
Cheers...
No excuses, play like a champion.
Just FYI, you're going to get DESTROYED by this community for writing this pretty pathetic post.
I'm not even going to comment on your chances because I get the impression that your ego needs stroking, and that's not what most people are here to offer.
The only way to guarantee that you won't get a BB offer (because, after all, that's the ONLY thing that matters -- if it's not BB, go straight for the 1000mg acetaminophen bottle, make sure to take the whole thing) is if you keep that shit attitude.
Jesus Christ if I read one more post like this I'm going to toss my computer through the window.
I just want to know if it's actually as bad as I feel it is. I know I sound like a fag and its a pathetic post.
Maybe the reason why I want a shot at BB so bad is because everyone here thinks that if it isn't JPM/GS/MS then its "piper jeffries" shit tier
This comment says it all about your chances. If I looked at your GPA, internships, and EC's I'd say you'd be fine, but if you act all insecure and shit in the interview, you won't make it past 1st round.
I'm not that insecure, just bummed out right now haha. I think I will be a pretty good interviewer though and definitely not act like I'm above a MM job and be an entitled douchebag. I would take anything that allows for good career advancement but i'm shooting for the stars of course.
Say what?
Must be nice to always have something/someone to blame eh?
Isn't this a good thing? This would mean having a 3.5 would be average, and usually average is really easy to be. Most college classes are structured so C is average (C+, B- depending on class)
To answer your question: You just finished your freshman year. A lot of kids screw up their GPA because of the transition to college. You should have no problem raising your GPA now that you know what to expect. Also, build your extracurriculars, work experience, and network and you should be golden. It's all about the effort you put forth. You get out what you put in.
Thanks farmerbob. I will be working my ass off and networking hard of course. But I don't know of a single school that curves to a C, that is a 2.0. And a B+ is a 3.3. And at a school at Wharton, if a 3.3 is average, is a 3.0 really ding-able? So what if the kid is below average at wharton, being below average at wharton is still being ahead of 99.9% of the rest of the applicants.
Dude, Nothing is over till you say it's over. The GPA might be a hurdle and might trip you up but if you fall pick yourself back up. The number one thing you pick up from this site is that NETWORKING is above all. I come from a crappy university with an ok GPA. Last week I got an offer from a BB not because of my "stellar" (sarcasm) resume but because the guy doing the hiring liked me more then my resume.
One more thing I understand BB is the bee's knees but in this contracting industry any IB offer should be welcomed. So chill and work harder then the next guy. I would have killed to be where you are at now at your age but that was not the hand God delt me.
Jesus Christ grow the fuck up. I didn't know what investment banking was until my sophomore year, didn't have an internship until summer after sophomore year, and finished my freshman year from a top 50 school with a 3.37. I'm about to begin my BB SA stint in 2 and a half weeks. Why? Cuz I worked hard, didn't have a childish attitude and had confidence in my abilities. And if I didn't break into banking, my life would have gone on. The fact that you could scoff about working for an excellent firm like Piper Jaffray is a joke. You are a 19 year-old punk. No one owes you shit. Work hard, make connections and change your attitude. Otherwise, yes, you are fucked.
Sounds like you need to work harder.
How big is your trust fund? I'm guessing pretty massive -- usually those kids are the insecure ones. Everyone else works harder when the going gets tough.
No worries. Wall Street as we know it today will be utterly wrecked by the time you get here.
I didn't know that SexyLikeEnrique's little brother has a WSO account
You have terrible self-esteem..Its Freshmen year take a few easy classes and boost your GPA..If you keep up this attitude you will get nowhere in banking. Are you going cry when you get your first rejection from a bank and cut yourself?
lol @ death or BB
I love how WSO goes through thread topic "waves". The last one was the "Im leaving IB" wave and it now appears we are entering the "I didnt get IB, should I kill myself?" wave. This was like the 3rd post with this shit today.
kys
Wall street is not the be all end all of the world. What are your ambitions in life? What are you good at? Develop your strengths in college, learn to code, learn to write, learn math and think about what projects you would feel like a baller working on and try to find summer experience doing that. Grab life and and have your way with her. Dont be a pssy and bitch about a low GPA and how college is so hard. That attitude will get you no where in finance or anywhere else. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, become smarter and stronger. Enjoy yourself, get laid, have some adventures. Thats what lifes about; working and playing not sitting around and moping.
There are a lot of 3.9 non-targets who banks would rather have than 3.4 semi-targets. A 3.4 semi-target, let's say Northwestern, kid is not 10x smarter than a 3.9 kid at Auburn or Bama. A lot of 3.9 non-targets, including me, got into target schools but took scholarships to non-targets because we couldn't afford the target school.
Take an easier first semester next year if you have to, get your GPA up, and stop complaining. Study a little more, get a 3.8 next semester, and have a 3.5 going into sophomore summer recruiting. A 3.8 shouldn't be that hard if courses are curved to a B+ average.
lol...cry me a river.
Here's my advice:
Follow Bluto,
Follow Don Corleone, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2jAwiq6YsE
Even if it was impossible, would you be able to give up & walk away without any regrets?
I would rather be a fool in pursuit of an impossible dream than to walk away. If it's that important to me, I'd never give up & wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did.
Swagon....Walk into on coming traffic. thanks
+1 this is my motto, and im soo close to an internship right now (but cant compare to you guys since im in canada)
OP you literally know nothing about nothing.
Jesus Christ I dont know why so many of you are ripping on me for an "entitled attitude" (especially vontropnats or whoever the fuck you are). I am not some fucking lazy rich trust fund kid whose parents bought my spot in the school and think that they should be able to buy my grades as well. I worked very hard to get in where I am, I have no connections to the school. I am just frustrated because it feels like I have fucked up. The point of the post was more asking whether or not I should spend my time looking for other jobs instead of IB because IB is now completely unrealistic. But that doesn't mean I will stop trying or stop working hard.
Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez
To put in perspective, I went to a strong target, graduated summa cum laude with a 3.8+, and would give my left nut for my phone to ring with an offer from a "HORRIBLE" shop like Piper Jaffray. I'll be the first to say I made a truly staggering number of mistakes in the recruitment process, but I'm giving you a hard time because "BB or death" implies that you don't actually know anything about investment banking and are just following what everyone else does and says. Be your own person FFS.
Kid your whining wants to make me go outside and kick a dog. Just pull your grades up in Soph and first part of Junior year. Done.
LOL BB OR BUST? You realize that many people are just dying to work at solid firms like Piper Jaffray right? I personally know people who did SA at Piper Jaffray and went on to others like PWP and GS.
Your school curves to a B+? LOL. Try having your school curve to a C+.
Just a word of encouragement, I go to a semi-target school and just finished my freshman year with a 3.14 GPA. I don't at all feel worried about landing an internship or employment oppurtunity at a Investment Bank Sophomore or Junior year. I am using WSO Company Database to locate every single investment bank in the Manahattan/Boston area (I live near Manhattan and go to school in Boston) and plan on Cold Calling/Emailing them to look for oppurtunities. If you truly want to go into the financial services industry, you should do the same. So what if you don't end up in a BB? You're 19 and going to be a sophomore. GPA should come second to networking, personality, and self-esteem/confidence.
^Is this an advertisement for the WSO database?
No, but you seemed to be that ignorant kid that believes there are only 9 Investment Banks in the world. So I thought I'd enlighten you. Thank me later.
OP- I would gladly take an offer from Piper Jaffary even though its an "horrible bank"- You do realize there are banks were you get more deal exposure and get paid more than BB. Like Moelis, Lazard, PWP, Centerview, Qatalyst. Then you MM firms that pay on par with street and get good exit ops from firms like HW, HLHZ, Nomura, BMO, RBC, RBS, Jefferies, Robert Baird, Stifel and the list goes on. And your freshmen trying being a senior from a shitty non-target trying break in...
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