CS + Finance Rising Soph at Wharton with 3.4 GPA scared for IB summer internship recruitment
I can realistically bring it up to a 3.5 before recruiting next year but that’s about it. What else can I do to maximize my chances at a top BB for summer 2026?
Improve that trash GPA
Thanks for telling me what I already know :)
Delay graduation and take bird courses. You’ll be fine.
I really don't wanna do that :(
What if I sweat it out and get a 3.6 instead? If I get a 4.0 next sem, I can get a 3.67, but I'm giving myself some margin of error.
If you “don’t want to do that” then you prolly don’t wanna go into high finance as bad as you want to. People make sacrifices for their dreams.
hope this is a shit post but if it isn’t - i don’t go to a H/S/W and got into a top group at a top bank with a 3.66 so get it where you can and grind for recruitng. control what you can
Man I wish this post was shit, but it's not. Does the resume screening process for most of these top BB auto screen sub 3.5 GPAs? I can see myself getting a 3.6 and it's not because of the business courses that my GPA is so shit but because of the high level math and CS classes (that I now regret) taking as a freshman.
If you actually can’t handle CS just drop it, it’s not worth if it’s gonna tank your GPA anyways
Tips for rising sophomores?
Network, Network and Network.
GPA is just one part of a very long process. If you can get it up to a 3.6+ you should be fine assuming you network well and study techs. Don't worry about it too much and try to control what you can now. Plenty of people who have recruited with a similar GPA.
Went to H/W and know many kids who did this. The best (only non-nepotism?) way is to network with anyone who will pick up the phone. To start, I would target the SEAS / M&T / uncoordinated dual degree alumni, because they’ll have some sympathy (but pls drop the excuse of taking hard classes, frankly no one gaf). Reach out to people in your clubs, frats, or mutual friends; since your GPA is so low, I would not even send a resume across in your outreach. Also you basically have to get the 4.0 next sem if you want a real shot.
Hey thanks for the genuine advice! I think I can get my GPA up to a 3.6 if I grind my ass off. The only reason I'm sticking with CS at the moment is because I want to be able to pivot back to tech if I end up disliking banking, and also I'm super interested in VC and want to have a technical degree in addition to Wharton to back me up for that after my IB stint. However, I've been considering dropping down from the CS undergrad degree because it's just way too damn time consuming to do CS courses and I also wanna try my luck at a startup during my college days (Wharton classes are super easy so I'd have good free time and CS courses are highly theoretical which is irrelevant for startup). You have any advice? I am able to drop down to simply studying Wharton, concentrating in Finance and Statistics/Data Science with a minor in CS. This would make my course load way more manageable and I'd have some technical backing. Do you think this amount of technical pedigree is enough to pivot back into tech after banking or pursue VC?
My whole motto is to use what you got to make up for what you don't.
As someone who also goes to HYPW and just finished recruiting in the spring, advice is as follows: Take some easy courses this semester to get your GPA up to around 3.6. That is, from what I've gathered, one of the main cut-offs. This will also give you time to focus on networking and recruiting in general. When you're shooting your resume to people for networking this semester, I would say leave the GPA off of it just for now and to play it safe. Next, what I did during recruiting that I think absolutely changed the game for me and helped me get a killer offer was finding a niche. For ex, find a industry coverage group (energy, industrials, healthcare, etc) that fascinates you and ideally flows well with your resume/extracurriculars. Learn the ins and outs of that industry and be able to convey your knowledge to anyone you talk to. This (at least I think) will set you apart from the stereotypical finance kids who eat sleep and breathe getting an offer. Then, find a friend a year above you that went through recruiting/has an offer. Use them as your guide because when recruiting pipes up on campus, you want to find someone who is not your competition to help you. Finally, this might not come across great, but you should try to shape up your personality. Come across with confidence and person-ability. How you vibe with the people you're talking to is a major factor in your getting an offer. Hope this helps!
What are some other big industry coverage groups? Btw, thanks a lot this is very helpful advice!
Glad it's helpful! Here are some of the major groups that I know of, but could be forgetting some: TMT (tech, media, and telecommunications), healthcare/biotech, consumer and retail, industrials, FIG (financial institutions group), energy, real estate, transportation/infrastructure, natural resources, and ESG (environmental, social, and governance).
Most of my resume falls into Tech/Media which is very popular 🥲, but great advice!
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