Undergad GPA and Jobs
I just finished my freshman year at NYU Stern and I was wondering how much freshman year grades could affect job opportunities.
I know that grades in the following years hold more importance, but I did not do well in two key intro business courses this semester (Micro & Stats) and this has lowered my GPA significantly. If I do well in higher level topics of these courses would recruiters ever fault me for my low intro-class grades?
I know there is much more to getting jobs outside of GPA, but it concerns me when I hear about the GPA cutoffs and floors in really competitive industries like investment banking and trading. If anyone could offer any advice/guidance, I'd really appreciate it.





Grades matter equally,
Grades matter equally, because you will present them in one cumulative number to employers.
I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
So will employers look at
So will employers look at individual grades for business courses or your cumulative GPA? My concern is that lower grades in two intro courses like Micro and Stats might reflect poorly, but if I maintain high grades in sophomore and junior year can this offset that?
Don't sweat it. You are going
Don't sweat it. You are going to take MANY more courses in the next few years that will allow you to boost that GPA. I started out with a 2 point something GPA in my first year of college. I'm now graduating with a 3.7+. It's all about getting focused and finding inspiration. If you haven't seen the Boiler Room, watch it. Get inspired.
At least in Germany they look
At least in Germany they look at the particular grades and not just the GPA. I remember one interview after graduating where I was even asked about my high school grades, and why I sucked so much in religion, chemistry and history. As regards undergrad, I pretty much didn't care about school the first semesters, which is heavily reflected in my GPA. However, so far that hasn't turned out a problem, as my grades subsequently increased, reflecting my increased (respectively discovered) motivation. Always looks good to get better over time... at least from my experience and if you can get recruiters or whoever to actually look at your transcript.
Don't stress too much, but
Don't stress too much, but just remember your freshman year grades still affect overall GPA
3.2 + GPA (From a well
3.2 + GPA (From a well represented school) and you can find your way onto wall street. Despite what guys here say about 3.5+ GPA, its not mandatory, landed a number of BB interviews without a 3.5 GPA. Network !!
Fredbird: At least in Germany
At least in Germany they look at the particular grades and not just the GPA. I remember one interview after graduating where I was even asked about my high school grades, and why I sucked so much in religion, chemistry and history. As regards undergrad, I pretty much didn't care about school the first semesters, which is heavily reflected in my GPA. However, so far that hasn't turned out a problem, as my grades subsequently increased, reflecting my increased (respectively discovered) motivation. Always looks good to get better over time... at least from my experience and if you can get recruiters or whoever to actually look at your transcript.
I agree with this and wish more employers would use this method. I have approx 3.5 but that is a huge increase from my first year and I could actually have a 3.8 subtracting my first year marks. Then there are kids who have 3.7's in my class but are so stupid that they've withdrawn from classes I've gotten A's in because they can't pass it (and therefore maintaining their better GPA than mine). This seems like an unfair method to me and W's should be more highly scrutinized by employers I think.
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
Thanks for all the responses.
Thanks for all the responses. How much truth is there to the whole GPA cutoffs for jobs? I've heard you need a 3.5 for certain jobs or a 3.7 for investment banking and trading? I know networking can play a big role, but I'm curious.
Also interested, as I've
Also interested, as I've contemplated applying for jobs where the cut off is above my cumulative, but within my financial GPA average.
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
I showed a very reliable
I showed a very reliable downward trend, starting with a 4.0 my first semester freshman year, ending with a 2.7 my last semester senior year, but thanks to front-end loading of good grades, my GPA was still respectable when it was time for recruiting (middle of junior year, start of senior year to a lesser extent). There is no GPA cutoff in the real world, but the bigger the firm the more likely they are to have one (read: BB's, elite boutiques that get tons of resumes have them)
I hate victims who respect their executioners
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I just got back grades and I
I just got back grades and I got a C+ in one of my business classes which will probably drag my freshman gpa down to just under a 3.3. The issue is that this C+ was in an economics class which is important for finance majors. I got A's and B's in all my other classes but at Stern getting a C is pretty rare (I really messed up the final). I know some posters have said recruiters look at individual grades and the reason I'm so worried is that now, provided i get straight A's all through sophomore year I can only have a 3.7 at highest by junior year recruiting. Can I bounce back from this?
No one looked at my
No one looked at my transcript until after I got the offer, all they wanted was GPA.
Newflyer: No one looked at my
No one looked at my transcript until after I got the offer, all they wanted was GPA.
Never even got my transcripts looked at...ever. so honestly i don't think you have to worry about it at all, but honestly a freshman economics class will never keep you from a job.
Thanks for the responses, not
Thanks for the responses, not to prolong this discussion, but I'm curious if I got my GPA back up to a 3.7 (by recruiting time) coming from Stern how much a shot would I have at IBanking and other competitive finance jobs? I know getting into ibanking has a lot to do with connections and other factors, but any ideas?
biz427: Thanks for the
Thanks for the responses, not to prolong this discussion, but I'm curious if I got my GPA back up to a 3.7 (by recruiting time) coming from Stern how much a shot would I have at IBanking and other competitive finance jobs? I know getting into ibanking has a lot to do with connections and other factors, but any ideas?
A good one.
You have plenty of time to
See my other WSO blog posts