Resume, (Include GPA/SAT)
(Chimp, 9
Points)
on 7/13/11 at 10:04am
So I networked my way into a prestigious asset management firm, I am a math major at a non-target that was planning on trying to break into S&T, but now trying to get an internship is Risk/Quant Analysis at this firm. My GPA is 3.2 and SAT is 680-V/760-M, should these be included? Thanks a lot.






post in the resume forum, you
post in the resume forum, you might get better feedback. yes your gpa should be included (and definitely include your math gpa if it is higher). SAT i'm not sure, if you are a rising senior then no, but otherwise i dont think it will hurt you to include.
yep put sat on there -- and
yep put sat on there -- and show tha math breakdown and all too... usually helps more for trading but never know :>
I need a crib, a big estate, I need a boat and that need a lake, I need some salmon that need a plate, that need a chef so I feed my safe
From trading equities to slanging wine in Latin America
A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship i
I don't think it hurts to
I don't think it hurts to include your SAT since your GPA isn't that high. But I'd show the SAT score (out of 2400) and not show the individual ones. Mainly because your math score isn't even that high (assuming you took out of 2400; I don't know about out of 1600).
uh how is 760 out of 800 NOT
uh how is 760 out of 800 NOT a high score? lol dont bother with the 2400 im sure noone gives a fuck about the floppy writing section tbh
I need a crib, a big estate, I need a boat and that need a lake, I need some salmon that need a plate, that need a chef so I feed my safe
From trading equities to slanging wine in Latin America
A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship i
For a math major I don't
For a math major I don't think it's very high. Most of the guys I know in non-math majors got 790 or 800. Did the OP take the SAT Math II? I think it would be better to put that down.
I don't see any strong reason
I don't see any strong reason not to include the quant score- it's very strong on a non-relative basis and you should be proud of it, but you do have to understand that this score is about average or perhaps even slightly below average in Quant Analytics at a top-ten S&T bank. Don't push it too hard and don't be smug about it- the VP across the table from you probably got a 1570 on his SATs back in the day and only suffers "fools" if they're not being arrogant.
A 3.2 GPA is understandable for a degree like Math or Engineering where profs curve to a B- rather than B+, and the assumption will be a lower GPA if you put it on. Remember that you can pick the higher of your Core, Major, and Overall GPAs.
Best of luck. Pick up the Timothy Falcon Crack book to study for the interview. It will be highly technical, though less stressful than a trading interview. From a state school trying to get into a top five BB Analytics team, you will need to demonstrate not just technical strength but also a strong degree of creativity when it comes to problem-solving. Communication skills are also extremely important. We have a lot of brilliant foreigners working in quant analytics, but if you can rank a 6-7 on communicating with folks and relating to people who work in sales and trading or research, it means you don't have to compete against guys who rank a 9-10 on mathematical skill.
These days, analytics is heavily computationally intensive and you should expect some algorithms and data structures questions if you're being hired into a programming role in addition to just stats, matrices, and calculus. The guy who gets the offer isn't the guy who gives the textbook O(n^2 log n) answer but observes something in the question the interviewer didn't even realize and knocks it down to O(n^2). That's how you blow the target school kids out of the water.
Check in with Andy Nguyen on QuantNet.com. He is the go-to-guy on quant recruiting advice and graduated from Baruch.
You may get an interview with this background. If you do, it all comes down to how well you do. You don't get an even playing field against the Cornell and MIT guys, but if you can get the sort to run in O(n) time vs nlogn or do L/U factorization and Newton Raphson while the MIT guy can think only of RREF and bisection, you can get the one or two state school guys in the decision process to FORCE them to make you the offer out of sheer embarassment. Your goal in that interview has to be to blow everyone out of the water, which I'm pretty sure you can if you prepare enough, while still coming off as a nice guy.
Work hard, play hard.
ballmouse wrote: For a math
For a math major I don't think it's very high. Most of the guys I know in non-math majors got 790 or 800. Did the OP take the SAT Math II? I think it would be better to put that down.
I'm sure those are some wild guys to hang out with on a Saturday night.
Tar Heel Blue wrote: I'm sure
I'm sure those are some wild guys to hang out with on a Saturday night.
LOL, actually a lot of quants are very heavy drinkers. But we prefer quiet dive bars and telling jokes about matrices and rings.
Work hard, play hard.