Am I supposed to already know technicals as a freshman?

Probably a dumb question but seeing a lot of people talk about DCFs / valuation already.

I’m a freshman and honestly just trying to keep my GPA up and figure out if IB is even for me.

Is it normal to feel behind already or am I just reading too much WSO?

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imo, yes, you're letting the hardos get to you.

The freshmen posting about building LBOs from scratch are the minority (and honestly probably weirdos that fail the airport test anyway).

The reality is, no associate expects you to know a DCF right now. If you tank your GPA because you were too busy trying to memorize the 400 questions guide, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

GPA > Technicals.

You can teach a monkey to model in a week, but you can’t fix a 2.5 GPA. Keep your grades up, join a club so you seem interesting/social, and go enjoy college. You have plenty of time to be miserable later.

 

VP here.

I’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates. I actively ignore "valuation skills" on a freshman resume. It’s usually memorized nonsense that falls apart the second I ask a conceptual question.

We can teach you the math in a week. We can’t fix a bad GPA or a weird personality.

If you want to know if the industry is for you, don't read a textbook. Try a simulation tool like Cookd AI, i actually think it’s a much better litmus test for the actual workflow than memorizing formulas.

Focus on your grades. Enjoy being a kid. You have 40 years to work lol.

 

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