Understanding my place in the IB world

Hello Everyone,

I would like to understand how my resume would look like in the eyes of a recruiter. I go to UVA; computer science and business minor. I have three legal internships one in my senior year of high school at my county's prosecutor's office one in my first year at UVA, another legal internship at an actual legal firm (in my second year). I also have just started an internship as a marketer at a saas startup. I also hold the role of treasurer at a club in my school which I cannot disclose as it would reveal my identity (I prefer to stay anonymous). My only problem is that I have a 2.9 GPA. I have an upward tick in my grades but I know my GPA is bad. If I can enter my junior year (and therefore the fall IB recruiting season) with at least a 3.0-3.2 GPA will I be able to make it into an investment bank? I really don't mind being at a mid tier bank as long as I'm learning and making connections. 
 

Thank you,

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

You need to absolutely haul if you want something in IB. Based on your grade, I'm doubting you can switch majors at this point to juice the GPA (I think we can agree CS tends to have lower GPAs than the business stuff, oh what was that, you Virginia boys call it "commerce?"). If switching to a more GPA-rich degree is possible without messing up the timeline, that should be on the table. Otherwise, take easy classes to the extent you can. Want some advanced computer class with a professor with a bad reputation that is not strictly needed for your degree? Off the table. Intellectual curiosity to the side. You can let intellectual curiosity come back when you've got a printout of a job offer letter.

Internships should be on point from here on out. Computer science guy who does law office stuff and SaaS sales? That's a boatload of confusion for an interviewer.

You should be going after every IB opportunity you can find. Find them in Richmond (get those Boxwood guys or whatever they call themselves), DC, Fairfax County doing Aerospace and Military, Charlotte, rest of North Carolina, boutiques, business brokers. Find out who does all the muni bonds in your area (public finance). There's a crapton of Logistics and 3PL guys in Virginia that you should be going after. Bust your butt and bust it again. If they're M&A advisors, PubFin, business brokers, or investment bankers, nothing is too small at this point.

You should parlay that SaaS sales stuff into emailing everybody and scheduling people for calls. Dial for dollars.

 

Hello Kellycriterion,

I would like to whole heartedly say thank you so much for answering my question you have answered a lot for me and more. I do have a few questions and that is do I really have no chance at IB? As in with everything on my resume now am I still able to get an IB job. Also when you say to go try out the Boxwood guys does that mean there's a good probability they will accept me? Also is there a way I can leverage my legal research skills and use it as a way to say that I can take those same skills and use it when researching businesses? 

Thank you

 

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