Went through a pretty bad breakup this semester and a death in the immediate family last year - ill be wrapping up my year at a semitarget(UNC/BC level) with a 3.2 GPA. Is investment banking(MM/BB) out of the question for me at this point? I know this seems like a stupid question but with accelerated timelines I just don't know.
Edit: forgot to mention ill be doing PWM this summer
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Ah yes. I assume that no one who would post this would ever really abandon their hopes of achieving a career in investment banking.
A question to answer before we get into this: How are you ending the year with a 3.2 if your semester has not ended yet?
That being said, let's approach this:
Assuming UNC/BC follows a semester system, that would mean you took an average of 13-15 units. Take the middle of those two at 14 units, that would mean you scored roughly 89.6 grade points total. Assuming you are able to achieve a 4.0 your fall semester at 14 units total, you'd end up with 145.6 grade points coming to a GPA of 3.47 BEFORE accelerated recruiting timelines begun. Meeting the cut-off for most banks and rounding up to a 3.5 to meet the requirements for most EBs.
This doesn't mean that you'll necessarily be the best candidate but it means that you're not out of the race. However, I think you should instead think about how others got into the industry from an unconventional place. Yes there is increased likelihood for those with higher GPAs but you have to remember that there are plenty of examples of strong networks being able to bring in candidates at the most prestigious firms.
In any case, this type of thinking won't help regardless. You are a freshman in college with a TON of time left. Don't play game theory scenarios in your head and focus instead on maximizing the opportunity in front of you. Take a summer class if you're near your PWM internship, load up units to further dilute your GPA, etc.
Have you considered taking or retaking classes over the summer or winter to boost your GPA before recruiting? You aren't out of the race yet unless you take yourself out.
If you didn't start prepping for IB when you were coming out of kindergarten you're already screwed. By the time I was leaving elementary I had a full resume outlining 3 cap-raises I had completed to restructure the school playground, sports fields, and gym equipment. Additionally, I had completed over 200 parental leveraged M&A processes throughout the school cafeteria. In high school I began my initial recruiting for Goldman by leveraging my status as captain of the lax team to date a variety girls whose family members were high up in the firm or the financial services industry to secure an internship my freshman summer of college. It's a cut-throat world.
Anyone who tells you that you have no shot with a 3.2 GPA after their freshman year is out of their mind IMO
Having been at a junior college w/ a SA as a manual laborer (projects included: shoveling asphalt, polishing a 40-year old emulsifiers that hadn't been used in 30 years, and inhaling enough stone dust to asphyxiate a horse), these questions irritate the fuck out of me.
Keep your nose to the grindstone, outwork everyone, and get yourself at the table - simple as that. No matter how valid your excuses are, ppl will just hear excuses when you make them. Work harder and shift the conversation from your excuses to your accomplishments.
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