Advice needed in getting a FT offer

First time poster here. As I am an upcoming senior at college and FT recruiting season nearby, I would appreciate any feedback/ criticism/ advice as to what I should do to score an I-banking offer.

I am primarily interested in I-banking or S&T (trading), as a career. I have a lot of interest in markets, deals, doing analysis, etc. Hence, I believe that IBD or S&T would be a good professional fit for me.

My background: -3.3 GPA in Economics and Statistics at Princeton (Double Major) -Work experience: PWM at BB the summer after sophomore year, and MO type of role at a non-BB bank after junior year. (risk analysis/ management type of support role)

So, any shot at breaking into banking/trading?? What should I do to maximize my chances now? Is the job market for IB/Trading as bad as people are saying it is? I really hope I can pull at least one FO job offer. Two things I am mainly concerned with are my relatively low GPA and lack of FO internship experience. Would I be able to get past these obstacles? If these options don't work out, I would be fine to look at consulting, as well...Oh and lastly - am I allowed to apply to both IBD and S&T positions at the same bank during OCR?? I know these are many questions to answer..I'm just getting nervous nowadays.Thanks in advance.

12 Comments
 
Best Response
Princeton_Tiger Two things I am mainly concerned with are my relatively low GPA and lack of FO internship experience. Would I be able to get past these obstacles? If these options don't work out, I would be fine to look at consulting, as well...Oh and lastly - am I allowed to apply to both IBD and S&T positions at the same bank during OCR?? I know these are many questions to answer..I'm just getting nervous nowadays.Thanks in advance.

Assuming you are just dropping your resume during OCR you are already lacking in probably the two most important things recruiters look at: GPA and experience. It takes them about 30 secs to either put your resume in the interview pile or discard pile and by looking at these two indicators alone it doesn't look good cause you neither get past the 3.5 mark and your experiences will be killed by anyone in a FO role.

So now the best thing that you could do is get in contact with people in these banks you are targeting via networking. Use all resources whether its friends, alums, parents, relatives, friends parents. If you dont feel like networking, reduce your standard and aim for either no-name boutiques, MO roles, big 4 advisory and the like to start off with (no shame in that) or move into a different field like consulting.

Sorry that it probably hasnt sound encouraging, but thats just how your situation looks. Don't give up and find other ways than just dropping your resume in OCR blind and crossing your fingers.

 
iamamonkeybanker
Princeton_Tiger Two things I am mainly concerned with are my relatively low GPA and lack of FO internship experience. Would I be able to get past these obstacles? If these options don't work out, I would be fine to look at consulting, as well...Oh and lastly - am I allowed to apply to both IBD and S&T positions at the same bank during OCR?? I know these are many questions to answer..I'm just getting nervous nowadays.Thanks in advance.

Assuming you are just dropping your resume during OCR you are already lacking in probably the two most important things recruiters look at: GPA and experience. It takes them about 30 secs to either put your resume in the interview pile or discard pile and by looking at these two indicators alone it doesn't look good cause you neither get past the 3.5 mark and your experiences will be killed by anyone in a FO role.

So now the best thing that you could do is get in contact with people in these banks you are targeting via networking. Use all resources whether its friends, alums, parents, relatives, friends parents. If you dont feel like networking, reduce your standard and aim for either no-name boutiques, MO roles, big 4 advisory and the like to start off with (no shame in that) or move into a different field like consulting.

Sorry that it probably hasnt sound encouraging, but thats just how your situation looks. Don't give up and find other ways than just dropping your resume in OCR blind and crossing your fingers.

Thanks for your comment. Btw, would 'networking' really work in my situation? (aka can it really help me get the job..) I've been a big skeptic of 'networking' since most kids I know who landed FO or top consulting jobs got there purely by their merit, not via 'networking'.

 

OP here. Although I am not technically 'double' major, I've taken a shit load of math and stats courses (in econ, math, and ORFE departments) at P-ton, which would qualify me to be a 'triple' major at almost any other college. (in econ, stats, and math) Yeah, I know that Princeton doesn't officially 'award' double-major degree, but I was hoping that employers at OCR would take note of my very demanding course selection, and hence give a bit of leeway for having a less than stellar GPA despite being an Econ major (which many employers think is one of 'easier' majors) Of course, I am not planning to advertise that I am a double major in Econ and Stats on my resume during OCR, but my plan is to really try to sell my math and stats- heavy coursework to potential employers during OCR. (Include every upper class math and stats course I've taken on my resume, and sell my 'quant' skills hard during interviews)

The thing is that there are so many Econ kids at Princeton who rock 3.7+ GPA, and I was hoping that I could sell my demanding and very quant-heavy course work to top employers, in order to keep myself competitive.

 
Princeton_TigerBtw, can anyone tell me if it's ok to apply to both S&T and IBD at the same bank during OCR?? I would like to apply to as many positions as possible to get the best shot at landing a job..

Sorry bro, the sad truth is that you are seen as an Econ major and so will go against all the Econ majors at your school. Your rigorous course doesn't say much unless it actually is relevant to the job. Sad case is that it is so structured cause so many ppl want ib so it's school, gpa and work exp that will get u your foot in the door.

Networking not only works in IB, it is a foundation to doin business. So my answer is yes, but emailing alumni is not necessarily networking. Establishing connections that will later help you down the road is.

 

About applying to two divisions: I think some banks do allow it, but my suggestion is to tailor your resume differently or it will be an automatic ding on one or the other divisions because you won't be a good fit judging by the resume. A generic resume, unless is really solid, will kill you.

 

Tenetur hic soluta quam quisquam iure numquam nobis. Est est rerum cumque aliquid ut. Aut eveniet impedit aut voluptates. Ut voluptates dolores similique est non mollitia.

Velit illum ut minus eaque velit corrupti voluptatem. Rem impedit quisquam deleniti mollitia tenetur sit incidunt. Aut pariatur ut culpa dolores.

Molestiae adipisci qui fugit at dolores. Ut sit ut omnis ea eos iusto mollitia. Accusamus odit veniam est quasi. Cupiditate omnis veritatis assumenda quam.

Vero voluptatem quidem enim ut. Qui omnis quisquam pariatur voluptatibus. Consectetur sit minima sit voluptatum adipisci.

I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

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 (65) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”