Crazy Circumstances. Looking for actionable advice.
Current "sophomore" at target (one of Brown/Dyson/Georgetown/Amherst), non diversity. Maintained a 3.8 until my rare genetic eye condition made me permanently blind second semester. Because I took less classes second semester to adjust my piece of shit school forced me to overload the next semester then denied 3 health leave of absences in a row then denied every accommodation request I made for exams including things as simple as larger text. I am suing the school with the help of a pro-bono disability rights firm but as of now I have 4 grades marked as incompletes, depending on the results of the negotiations my GPA will range from a 2.8 to a 3.5, most likely somewhere in between (3.1-3.3.) Because of my health conditions I didn't join any feeder business clubs, do any relevant internships, or be part of a sports team or fraternity.
Got my first eye transplant a month and a half ago and it has recovered to the point where I can type this paragraph without using speech-to-text. Passed the SIE last week and am hoping to get the Series 63 knocked out by the end of April. Currently interning at a search fund but there's zero work so I've been doing modeling courses, reading Rosenbaum, and cold emailing all over the place for summer 2025 and summer 2026. I've been reaching out to around 20-30 alums a week with a response rate of around 15%, 10% for analysts/associates and over 50% for VPs/MDs (I spend at least a hour doing background research on every VP/MD then hypertailor it.) I have an intern at a top Chinese IB (CICC/CITIC) basically locked up for fall 2025 due to nepotism, but my coverage group is apparently a super sweatshop so I'm worried I won't have time to network and prep.
I know my low GPA makes breaking in nearly impossible, but after years of dreaming about IB and my vision holding me back I no longer care about the feasibility anymore and am willing to do whatever it takes. I'm operating under the assumption nobody cares about my circumstances so I'm going to spend the next 9 months grinding like a non target hardo in hopes of landing MM or something. If there's anything I can do to improve my chances or best tips/advice for someone in my situation, I'd be eternally grateful.
I'm a cancer survivor and I advise students like yourself a lot, here are some thoughts;
I think your story is great and the universe should reward you for going through that pain - if you keep a positive attitude and work for it.
It is essential you get your GPA up.
That will require you to do grade replacements. IF your cumulative GPA is truly around a 3 when you were at a 3.8 before that, then Im assuming you have several abominations next to a few select courses. That will need to be fixed. Most places do not dig into your transcript, its important that those are corrected ASAP.
On top of that, it will be important for your eyes to be in good shape before hitting the desk.
Good luck and godspeed
Unfortunately my university does not do grade replacements (not even averaging) or accept transfer credit, and I'll be recruiting for summer 2027/junior year the moment I return back to school. So the fate GPA is basically entirely contingent on whether I can win my negotiations with the uni. Obviously, once I return I intend to absolutely nail my remaining 5 semesters.
That being said if I win my discrimination case which seems to be likely, I will be sitting around a 3.4, Still nowhere near ideal, of course, but I'm hoping it's enough.
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