Delaying grad for ib
I’m a sophomore at a target, and I’ve been thinking seriously about delaying graduation, so I wanted to get some perspective.
Freshman year was rough for me in a way I didn’t expect. I had some family stuff going on that genuinely had me considering dropping out. I got through it, but it definitely took a toll on my GPA and on how much bandwidth I had to figure out what I wanted to do career-wise.
On top of that, I’m in a pretty brutal major/school (within my target school). It’s not one of those where you can just grind harder and guarantee an A. It really requires a certain level of STEM background and natural problem-solving ability that I don’t think I fully have and I think GPA reflects that.
The thing is, I’ve realized (a little later than I should’ve) that I actually want to pursue finance/IB, I was delusional enough to think I could be a quant and clearly I'm not smart enough. For IB, I’ve always been drawn to it, but I never seriously considered it before because I had no family connections and didn’t think I’d be competitive because of that.
I don’t want to switch out of my major because I’m already far in, but honestly I don't like it and I don't think I would be able to build the skills necessary to get a job in the area of my major. So delaying graduation by a semester is something I’m considering to recover my GPA, take a lighter load, and actually give myself a shot at recruiting.
My question is: could delaying graduation hurt you in IB recruiting? Is this a bad decision? Or is it something banks don’t really care about as long as I can tell a coherent story and my GPA improves?
On top of that, I’m trying pretty hard to land a sophomore summer internship, but a lot of people just don’t respond. Even when upperclassmen from my clubs refer me to someone, half the time the person never replies and I know that if I do delay my grad I would probably need a good sophmore year internship If anyone has advice on how to convert those referrals into real conversations, or what kinds of sophomore roles make sense that are feasible would help too.
Delaying graduation for IB recruiting can be a strategic move, especially given your circumstances. Here's what you need to know:
1. Delaying Graduation: Does It Hurt?
2. Improving Your GPA
3. Sophomore Summer Internship
4. Recruiting Strategy
5. Final Thoughts
Delaying graduation is not a bad decision if it helps you recover your GPA, gain relevant experience, and better position yourself for IB recruiting. Banks won’t penalize you for it as long as you can articulate your reasons clearly. Focus on networking, securing a sophomore internship, and building a strong story to explain your journey.
Remember, IB is all about persistence and preparation. Keep grinding, and you’ll get there!
Sources: Consulting Recruiting 2023, Non-Target Recruiting Guide Part I: Resume and Networking, CS Interns - Resist the temptation to email a banker/staff to ask about your internship, Can we get a list going of sophomore summer 2019 programs/internships? (Confused), How to Approach 2020 SA Recruiting as a Junior Transfer to a Target
Honestly, it sounds like you need to increase your volume. Also review what message you are sending them, short, sweet and relevant/relatable. If you goto a target there is really no reason that no one is responding other than you aren’t sending enough emails or your emails stink.
As for whether or not you should delay, I don’t think it would hurt you especially because you haven’t even recruited before, however, make sure your grade date on your resume shows the new date of graduation.
Lastly, before hurting yourself too much with taking easy credits I would try and boost your GOA while still maintaining your grad date, if you do this than you can recruit, see if it works out, if not you can still grad on time. If you take the credits now but don’t land anything you just put yourself in more debt for no reason. Also, make sure this is actually something you want, I feel like a lot of people out of anxiety pull the IB lever when in reality they only want this because they feel like it’s an easier thing they can just panic do. It’s truly not easier and has its drawbacks like everything else, just do you research
Thanks, I've sometimes felt that finance is kind of pigeonholey to be fair. For summer internship, you said I need to increase my volume which means I need to email more people at every firm doesn't matter seniority?
I mean ideally you do mostly analyst but really it matters most what kind of connection you have to them. Also, that your interaction with them matches their seniority
There are a lot of threads on this already. Did this personally and happy with the outcome. Had no problems and was never asked about it during interviews
Could you tell me more about how you did it, your background, why (if you want), etc?
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