2.7 first semester GPA...How do you stay motivated?

I can't believe I fucked up this hard...It's my first semester of college and I thought I'd be the same rockstar I was in high school and I couldn't have been more wrong.

My semester comprised of:

1) Networking with any banker that would give me the light of day 2) Going through the WSO guides and all of BIWS and Wall Street Prep, thinking I didn't need BS courses like management 3) Landing an executive position at the investment fund 4) Drinking a lot and meeting tons of new people

I really didn't think I needed to pay attention to the bs courses offered until the only guys to land interviews from my school had 3.7+.

I feel like I pigeonholed myself into banking and didn't even let myself be more openminded and learn about other subjects, but with a 2.7 can I ever even break in?

How do you guys stay focused and get through all of those mandatory courses and come out a rockstar? It's something that came super easy to me in high school when the workload was a lot more structured but ive really been struggling in college.

5 Comments
 

Yeah, what Darety says. If you really are doing all the things you mentioned, you are already better positioned than your peers. So just pick yourself up, start studying more to get a better GPA and keep doing what you're doing.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

Tenetur qui perferendis harum odio tempore nihil aut. Aut quas voluptatum voluptas nihil accusantium molestiae. Voluptas omnis deleniti quia reprehenderit. Quis ut veniam aspernatur. Laborum et recusandae quam ut. Non sunt fugit et at repellat officia velit commodi.

Est voluptatem deleniti debitis ipsum aut sed assumenda labore. Laborum et fuga repellendus natus similique deserunt laudantium. Accusamus iure ipsam ea a. Enim ipsum cumque porro aliquid est.

Consequatur molestias aut molestiae dolorum. Facilis est blanditiis vel veniam rem quia. Suscipit voluptatum nobis fugiat a libero. Officiis blanditiis aut repellat culpa nobis ad. Assumenda et occaecati voluptatem quasi accusamus.

Ut debitis tempore enim dolor soluta molestiae. Ex ipsa vel ex ut. Eveniet voluptas consequatur neque omnis sed aliquam. Non quia quis atque ut non id aut. Ex alias aut modi eos amet et iure.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”