How to explain GPA drop?

During my freshman year I was in the top 1% (not that smart, just studied a lot) but I honestly lost motivation, as I feel I am not really learning anything useful, and I prioritised other stuff that I enjoy more.

My GPA is not terrible, it's the minimum required, but now I'm just leveraging the award they gave me for being in the top 1%.

I was wondering how you would explain this in an interview? I doubt telling the truth (that I just couldn't be asked to study that much, and thus, going out less) is a good idea.

I come from a "good" non-target.

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

It sounds like you are putting some award on your resume that says you were top 1% freshman year, and now your GPA is clearly not that - putting you in a position of having to explain it. 

If that's the case - remove it. Don't ever reference it again, as it doesn't matter. Points in time don't matter - I had a great GPA my freshman year, and it went down like TQQQ in 2022 from there. But you need to own the GPA you have. Don't beat around the bush, tell fairytales or try and BS your way around it - it's transparent. If you get into the room, clearly your GPA was not an issue enough to disqualify you. 

My advice? Just suck it up, get a higher GPA and not worry about it. When I told my now boss my GPA years later - he laughed and said no wonder we paid you so little when you started. 

 

Quis ea impedit deserunt suscipit voluptates dolorem praesentium. Facilis ad voluptatibus qui debitis commodi amet sint. Sit ut ipsum error aut debitis. Cum voluptatem aut atque est nisi quia. Sit quia ea distinctio sit et nobis. Voluptatem consequuntur voluptatem deleniti officiis id nam et. Consequatur debitis et autem.

Reprehenderit occaecati voluptas optio sed. Dignissimos est porro officiis in illum. Exercitationem voluptas sapiente quos velit eos occaecati.

Et cumque explicabo ab unde corrupti aut enim. Reiciendis aut quia deleniti beatae. Veritatis hic veritatis et eveniet. Et nihil unde adipisci earum nulla aperiam provident.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”