I have an overall solid GPA (3.71) but a weak grade in financial accounting (B-) from a state school in NY where most the banks recruit.
What can I do to make that weak grade not seem as important? If I take a higher level of financial accounting and get an A, will banks care about the worse grade at the lower level? Any other supplementary courses to make my understanding of financial accounting stronger in the perception of the recruiters?
| +152 | How to stop feeling like shit for not making it in IB? | 57 | 47m | |
| +113 | If Tik Tok is forced to sell, what banks do you think would be involved in the deal? | 56 | 2s | |
| +70 | Updated LA Banking Scene (2024) | 52 | 1h | |
| +38 | Ranking banks that went under | 20 | 5h | |
| +34 | Burnt Out M&A ASO | 18 | 2h | |
| +32 | A strategy for SA applicants late to the game like myself | 15 | 10h | |
| +29 | Relevance of A-Levels for U.K. London recruiting | 21 | 17h | |
| +26 | Series 79 Help / Tips to Pass The First Attempt | 11 | 2d | |
| +25 | Intern Ettiquette | 4 | 12h | |
| +23 | What are hours like at BBs in London? | 47 | 12h |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
I seriously doubt ibanks are going to be that fussy over a b- especially considering your gpa is pretty solid.
may ask about your individual grades, however since you have a "good" gpa no one will dig that hard.
One B- isn't going to screw you, I assure you of that fact.
I'm not concerned that it's a single B-, i'm not that picky about my grades. I'm concerned because that particular class was Financial Accounting.
Will they just ask me more accounting questions than an average interview? Should I even consider taking a higher level financial accounting class, and A it, just to even things out?
Unless you go to a very finance-centric school I wouldn't worry about it. The Harvard guys/gals don't even have to take accounting, the few that do have to go to MIT or something.
Assuming you roll bulge you'll get a nice fat book with accounting homework and endless lectures. Just power through it at training, although you might be one of the guys putting in extra effort while your peers are buying the bar, you'll be thankful later especially if you get into a coveted non equity product group.
Your GPA is solid enough its not going to matter.
At my school, some firms asked for transcripts, but I really don't think any of them actually look at them. I had a really bad grade (C range) in a finance related class (was an econ class) and no one said anything since like you I had a solid overall GPA. In one interview, I was asked for specific grades in quantitative classes, but that was one interview out of like 20. It's really not a big deal, and B- isn't shockingly awful like a C, D, or F is.
Your cumulative GPA is the most important thing..it's all most firms even look at. Since you didn't do so well in a financial accounting class, I'd strongly recommend not taking any more financial accounting classes and further hurting your cumulative GPA.
Interview Question - Low grade you received in one course (Originally Posted: 09/12/2012)
If a BB interviewer asks you about a low grade you received in one course that you took which is related to finance, what's the best way to respond to this question?
Convince the interviewer that you are a hard worker who learns from his/her mistake. The interviewer is not looking for an excuse here, but testing your quality/character.
Will a Poor Grade on My Transcripts Keep Me Out of a Job? (Originally Posted: 02/04/2016)
Hi All:
I am currently a business student at a tier-2 University in the Midwest. Due to circumstances that I won't elaborate on, I received a "C" in a higher level accounting class this past semester. What are the chances that this impedes me from landing a job in Asset Management with a MM? Could anybody elaborate on whether or not they think this will be a deal breaker?
Thanks
It shouldn't. I got a C in an upper level accouting cass and I had no problems with my B4 Audit offer. Then again, I had already signed. It was a call from HR that went something like this:
HR: "why did you get a C in XXX class?" Me: "some BS about the professor and how unstructured the class was as well as the professor giving most of the class C's" HR: "ok, just checking" I see all of your other grades were amazing, so I just wanted to make sure eveyrthing was ok and make sure you're still in good standing per your offer." Me: "Got it"
Also, I had A's or B+s in all my other classes, so that might have made a difference. Who knows how it'll effect my B-school apps though....
Best way to explain low/nonpassing grades? (Originally Posted: 12/24/2007)
So during my last semester in college I pulled off a C- in an introductory statistics class, which will probably not be good when applying to an internship. Also, the first quarter in graduate school, I got another C while taking only two classes for a grade, and didn't pass another class that I took pass/fail (although that doesn't count toward my GPA). The reason for the C- was that I found the class to be boring, and since it was my last semester in college I didn't spend too much time on my studies. The real reason for the low grades in graduate school was probably I simply didn't study enough. I spent a lot of time out exploring the city with friends, watching movies, none of which are really "excuses". I guess I did jump into taking a few courses without taking the prerequisites and without having a background in this area and made a bad judgment on how that would affect my performance in coursework. Basically my question is how do you explain low grades in the most positive way possible? I guess this is similar to the other best response to a low gpa thread although it seems to be harder to present the situation in a positive way in this case. Thanks for any responses.
Heavy drinking was my excuse... strangely enough I didn't get any offers
Poor grades on intro corp. fin (Originally Posted: 06/28/2009)
Hi,
I fucked up on my intro corp. finance class...got a C+ which is around the average.. I know I-banks are pretty picky about grades... if I do well on my adv. corp finance can I still redeem myself?
thx
What school/range of schools do you go to?
No one cares what your individual course grades are, they just care what your resume is and that you didn't lie about anything
check to see if your univ. has a second grade option program.
you can safely put your worries aside. As drexelalum said, they don't really look into your transcript trying to figure out what grade you made for each class. As long as you have a solid overall GPA you'll be fine.
Agreed. They'll ask for your transcript to make sure you didn't massively inflate your GPA, but one course won't keep you out.
That said, if you want to get into banking how can you get a C+ in corp fin?
You're fine -- you beat my grade in intro corp fin...
I go to one of the Midwest Big Ten schools, no excuse for getting a C+ but the exam was fucking hard. It's not that I dont know the stuff, but I just didn't have time to finish, I guessed 1/3 of the questions. and most other kids did the same too. No one in no fucking way can finish that exam w/o guessing.
Midwest Big-10, C+ in corpfin, and couldn't finish the exam... Something tells me you're a fucking moron and have no business in banking. If you can't even finish an exam, how do you expect to break into banking?
I said I fucked up, sure, but you didn't see my exam, you don't know which big Ten go to...so is your logic based on your good old American stereotypes?...I think its pretty clear who the tool is....
I was an ABYSMAL finance student at my clearly labeled ACC state university. I think my in-major GPA was something like 2.2 and I got an "F" in my investments class and had to repeat it during the summer. Our finance curriculum was hard as crap (it was a weed out program--I think something like 20-25% of students failed to receive a "C" or better in Corp. Finance and were not allowed to continue on as finance majors). I thought I was just dumb until I sat for Level 1 of the CFA exam about 3 weeks after graduating and passed it and was offered an analyst spot at a good non-Wall Street MM investment bank about 2 weeks after graduation (of course, this was 2007 when the economy and financial world weren't in utter shambles).
Basically, my point to the original poster is, don't sell yourself short. The finance curriculum is difficult at these large state universities because they try to weed out the students who simply shouldn't be working in a mathematical field. It has totally clicked for me now (and will for you), and I could teach most of the courses I did terribly in. You're fine--but the economy sucks so no more screwing up on your GPA.
Thank you so much for the info, it really help me see what really matters in this business.
grades aren't a perfect measure of knowledge. I got a C+ in an int'l finance class after cramming for the final at the last minute. But I can 100% guarantee that I can give more intelligent views/insights on currency markets than any other student in my class and afterwards even published a little paper in an undergrad research journal on a topic within the field.
Don't sweat it. I got a B+ in entry-level stats class after 2 years of getting As in upper-div math classes. **** happens.
Wait, Philosopher got a C? Umm...
You're a moron. CFA means jack shit. Seriously, are you that retarded? GPA is pretty much the #1 most important qualification for getting your foot in the door, UNLESS you have contacts. Even then, grades are pretty important and if they're shit, they can be a pretty strong focus point in interviews. If I were you, I'd put "relevant coursework" on your resume, include corpfin, and drop a (C+) next to it. See how much fun you have then.
Agreed that CFA matters a lot less than your GPA. I highly doubt it was passing the CFA Level 1 that got VirginiaTech the job.
Then again, some posters come onto this board simply looking for soothing words, comforting pats on the shoulder and only listening to what they want to listen to.
very true
Itaque maxime praesentium molestias ut enim voluptas animi. Tempora qui optio corporis qui. Distinctio sunt error vero itaque ullam voluptatibus quo. In qui provident assumenda rerum iste.
Eum est ut vitae adipisci soluta libero consequatur. Voluptate sed quia quibusdam corporis rerum sapiente qui.
Excepturi omnis magnam exercitationem sit. Consequatur sint qui similique sint fugiat consequatur. Exercitationem et distinctio corrupti dolorem qui quam consequuntur sint.
Vitae sunt eligendi quos eveniet autem cum ea molestias. Suscipit doloremque consequatur consequuntur esse ipsum aliquid nobis. Sed architecto neque ipsum consequatur autem voluptatem.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Cumque magni officia dignissimos hic et expedita. Consequatur magnam facere maxime suscipit. Iure maxime aut nisi totam velit.