African American Hiring and other Inquiries

0.) Internships, networking and knowledge of the industry 1.) Yes, SEO, MLT and inbridge 2.) It does not matter what an anonymous person on the internet thinks, this is up to you. It will be hard for you though. You are not good with quantitative economics, yet you are considering finance (quant heavy, depending on what you do). Based on what you have said, you could also consider (economic) consulting. 3.) It all depends on your end goal. What do you want to do in the long run?

You do know that going to law school will be expensive, right?

Would you mind disclosing which state you are living in right now?

I live in Florida, go to college in New England,

You gotta sharpen those quantitative skills if you want to get into banking, although you wont be dealing with complex calculus or linear algebra, you gotta be comfortable with numbers....

Do whatever you can to get a 4.0 or very close to it this year. Since you are only one year in, you have a chance to get to a respectable GPA by junior year. You need to do everything within your power to get there. You will also be able to better explain away a bad freshman year, if there is a marked improvement going forward. Grades are incredibly important to both of your desired paths. Best of luck.

Would I be able to break into IBanking recruitment with a non-business major (i.e. humanities)? I can see myself doing considerably well academically. My hesitation to major in Econ stems from a history of my Econ department deflating grades and not having a natural talent for Quantitative matters. I realize I'll need to brush up in that regard, but the risks of doing so still bothers me. Would my connections with my stepmother, perhaps relevant internships in the future, and a relatively higher gpa in an unrelated field help me?

What GPA would give me a shot at top IB banks, assuming I can pull up my grades substantially? When do student's begin looking and starting internships? When are offers typically made?

bump!

Would a Philosophy Major, French Minor, and Economics Concentration (college doesn't offer minor) be enough to land an top IB firm position, assuming gpa is around 3.4 by end of Junior Year and I attain considerable work experience during college?

AfricanGal:

What GPA would give me a shot at top IB banks, assuming I can pull up my grades substantially?
When do student's begin looking and starting internships?
When are offers typically made?

For most BB positions, a 3.5 is desired (maybe even required).

Students should always be looking for opportunities through networking. Assuming you did your homework, you will have done 3 internships in finance by the beginning of your senior year.

Not sure what you are referring to here. If you did well during your summer internship (junior year), you will get an offer by the end of it. Otherwise, it just depends on when you are applying, but usually most people have a job by the beginning of their final year.

AfricanGal:

bump!

Would a Philosophy Major, French Minor, and Economics Concentration (college doesn't offer minor) be enough to land an top IB firm position, assuming gpa is around 3.4 by end of Junior Year and I attain considerable work experience during college?

Not sure about the 3.4, there might be a 3.5 cut-off for most job openings. The thing is that most analyst jobs get filled by previous interns and it is incredibly competitive to get an offer if you did not intern at this specific company.

Does your college not offer a minor exclusively for economics? Either way, that's fine.

What do you mean by considerable work experience? Finance-related? If so, what exactly?

Well, I'm still a rising sophomore. Unfortunately, this summer I couldn't snag an internship so I've been working at my dad's business just to help out.

I'm a bit confused about the timeline for recruitment. When would I have to meet the gpa cut off in order to stand a chance at top firms (Junior Year?, Senior Year?) What is the timeline like in general?

I''m really learning as I go, so any insight would be helpful to an aspiring banker.

thanks a bunch

Oh, and because of overcrowding with particular minors, especially Economics at my college, there isn't a Minor available for Economics (but there is a concentration I can take of 4 core econ courses plus others pertaining to econ, finance, and math).

AfricanGal:

Well, I'm still a rising sophomore. Unfortunately, this summer I couldn't snag an internship so I've been working at my dad's business just to help out.

I'm a bit confused about the timeline for recruitment. When would I have to meet the gpa cut off in order to stand a chance at top firms (Junior Year?, Senior Year?) What is the timeline like in general?

I''m really learning as I go, so any insight would be helpful to an aspiring banker.

thanks a bunch

What are you exactly doing at your father's business?

You would have to meet it right now if you want an internship next summer. If you are applying for job openings during your senior year, then whenever you are applying for that job.

Usually you apply for internships in the middle of your first semester in your junior year. If you hear back, they will schedule a phone screen with you or a 1:1 (depending on your location). Shortly after, you will, hopefully, get an invitation to their superday. This is the same for when you are applying for full-time positions. However, your initial time of application might differ.

And the timeline is for sophomore internships is the same as for junior internships

His business isn't related to anything banking-related. He owns a daycare center and I volunteer their weekly. Would have preferred a job or internship, but they're hard to come by in my town.

I won't have a 3.5 by end of Sophomore Year, but perhaps end of Junior Year. Might I be able to land a top IB internship then? When would one start applying to these positions within the year?

AfricanGal:

His business isn't related to anything banking-related. He owns a daycare center and I volunteer their weekly. Would have preferred a job or internship, but they're hard to come by in my town.

I won't have a 3.5 by end of Sophomore Year, but perhaps end of Junior Year. Might I be able to land a top IB internship then?

Define top IB internship? At a BB? Doubtful, unless you network extensively. At a boutique? Very possible, if you network extensively. I think you can see to what this boils down to.

AfricanGal:

When would one start applying to these positions within the year?

Maybe I'm being a bit too idealistic, but I was looking at JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and Citigroup. Most seemed to require a gpa of 3.2-3.5.

I read what you posted above, but I'm just a bit confused on the time frame. Assuming I want an internship summer of Junior Year, when would I have to apply for said internship (fall, winter, spring?); depending on when I might apply would reflect what gpa I had at the time.

thanks for all the help btw

AfricanGal:

Maybe I'm being a bit too idealistic, but I was looking at JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Barclays and Citigroup. Most seemed to require a gpa of 3.2-3.5.

I read what you posted above, but I'm just a bit confused on the time frame. Assuming I want an internship summer of Junior Year, when would I have to apply for said internship (fall, winter, spring?); depending on when I might apply would reflect what gpa I had at the time.

thanks for all the help btw

Require does only meant that you are allowed to apply. Just saying.

If you want an internship between your sophomore and junior year, you will have to apply for it in the first semester of your sophomore year.

Maybe your school has OCR? OCR usually has a later deadline.

You need to work on your attention to details btw.

I don't think I'll be very competitive for an internship between my Sophomore and Junior Years, my gpa is just too low, even from a prestigious, non-target school. Not certain, but I think that I can only hope to get an internship summer of Junior Year, and even then I won't have a 3.5.

"Require does only meant that you are allowed to apply. Just saying." "You need to work on your attention to details btw."

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean here.

AfricanGal:

I don't think I'll be very competitive for an internship between my Sophomore and Junior Years, my gpa is just too low, even from a prestigious, non-target school. Not certain, but I think that I can only hope to get an internship summer of Junior Year, and even then I won't have a 3.5.

"Require does only meant that you are allowed to apply. Just saying."
"You need to work on your attention to details btw."

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean here.

Look into PWM internships.

Even though most BBs will accept your application if you are barely above the cut-off, it will still be very hard to get an internship from a non-target with a low GPA

I understand that. I'm hoping maybe involving myself in some diversity initiatives related to finance might help a bit; all else fails there's till law I suppose

AfricanGal:

all else fails there's till law I suppose

Honestly, if you're an African-American female varsity athlete with good connections (stepmother at Citi), you might be able to land something through a sophomore diversity program. Most BBs have them (JPM, GS, UBS, Barclays, and I think Citi and the rest) and if you can get to know some people at these banks by networking, you stand a halfway decent chance of landing something next summer. I would start networking through your stepmother as well as alumni in the industry immediately. Focus on getting a 4.0 next semester and please don't do law if you're not 100% sure you want to be a lawyer for the rest of your life.

^Would sophomore diversity programs through banks really forgo their gpa requirement for me just because I'm a double minority and have "connections". I feel as though I have other contributions other than my gpa that can speak towards my longing to work in banking; I"m just disappointed in myself that my freshman gpa is holding me back this much.

AfricanGal:

^Would sophomore diversity programs through banks really forgo their gpa requirement for me just because I'm a double minority and have "connections". I feel as though I have other contributions other than my gpa that can speak towards my longing to work in banking; I"m just disappointed in myself that my freshman gpa is holding me back this much.

The best way to find this out I to ask your connection. They can probably get you in front of the right people. They may also know some people at smaller firms that would make an exception for you. You will get better advice on your specific situation from your family, if they are really connected.

Can you retake any classes and have the old grade replaced in your gpa? Some schools do this. If so, retake your two lowest grades. If you get A's on round two, it could dramatically impact your current gpa.

I can retake classes, but they can't be replaced.