Atypical path, what are my chances / any advice?

Engineering student at large state school, (3 years left of undergrad, poor GPA w/ about 70 credits under belt, too late in game to switch majors as I am already 21yrs old) but part of many school clubs including club sports. I've worked one finance related internship (structured settlement markets) already, and am also a current member of the military (Nat.Guard) as an engineer, but will become a Finance Officer upon graduation from college (1 weekend/month, so the commitment is next to nothing, still need a full time job). There is a possibility of a summer(2018) internship at a boutique thanks to a family friend. My question is, if I get this internship experience, what are my legitimate chances of that helping me get an internship with a Bulge Bracket the following summer? (enough to overlook poor academic record?) I will also be sending in applications to bulge brackets because wth not, but do I have any chance whatsoever?

3 Comments
 

Why is everyone so obsessed with bulge brackets. You have kids from UPENN, Brown, etc. with 4.0 GPA's and 2250+ SAT scores applying. And not just a few like that. Stacks and stacks of resumes. So to answer your questions it is incredibly difficult.

BB receive thousands and thousands of applications, not hundreds. A large percentage of those resumes look exactly the same in terms of the individuals grades, school, experience, etc. so you need to network, network, network. That is basically the only chance, especially if BB do not recruit on your campus directly.

In terms of grades, you'll need to get your GPA up. Most banks have a cut off. Once again, they'll get stacks of resumes with 3.7+ GPA's so you'll want to atleast be at the threshold (usually like 3.5+). However, considering engineering is more difficult than B-School, I'm not quite sure what type of benefit recruiters give in terms of grades.

You still have a lot of schooling left man so time is on your side which already puts you at an advantage. Engineering background is also a plus (FYI traders and other analytical roles at banks love engineering students). Develop connections, network, etc.

 
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