GPA background check

I just talked to a friend of mine who is in the midst of full time recruiting and he told me that the career adviser at our school told him to lie about his GPA because most banks don’t even ask for a transcript since his GPA is so low he would have no shot at landing a first round interview. I recently accepted an offer at a MM and they never mentioned anything about a transcript either, and my previous intern firm didn’t do any form of background checks for GPA. My friends who interned/worked at IBs said their firms either ask for an unofficial transcript or they don’t ask for one at all. Seems like even if they ask for an unofficial they could still easily just get a fake one unless they ask for an official. Thoughts? If this is the case can’t everyone just BS their way into an interview with a 2.0?

29 Comments
 

I BSd my way into a MM SA position with a 2.0 last summer, they never did a background check.

That career advisor should be fired though holy shit.

You can't really fake an unofficial transcript. At least at my Uni an "unofficial" transcript is just a quick audit of your course history/grades that you can print out really quick. For an official transcript you need to send in a request and what not.

 
Stryfe

I BSd my way into a MM SA position with a 2.0 last summer, they never did a background check.

That career advisor should be fired though holy shit.

You can't really fake an unofficial transcript. At least at my Uni an "unofficial" transcript is just a quick audit of your course history/grades that you can print out really quick. For an official transcript you need to send in a request and what not.

How can you not fake an unofficial? If it's official you can't due to the risk, but unofficial seems pretty seem to fake.
 
diaosi

How can you not fake an unofficial? If it's official you can't due to the risk, but unofficial seems pretty seem to fake.

........

Just because it's unofficial doesn't mean its okay to change grades on photoshop.

Some banks require, or have the option to disclose, an unofficial transcript when you apply. So if you fudge it, you'll just get caught during the background check.

What if you're going for a FT position and have a really shitty GPA and they ask for an unofficial transcript and you fudge it. On the off chance that HR or whoever calls a reference at a past company and your GPA gets brought up for whatever reason and they don't match, or say your last boss knew you had like a 2.6 going into your Junior year and you say you had a 3.5 or some shit when you graduated - "Oh that's interesting I didn't know you could pull up your GPA by that much in your last year". Unnecessary attention brought to it which'll probably expose you.

There are better ways to get around having a bad GPA that don't involve lying and risking your career.

 

The so-called "career adviser" is every reason why investment banks, especially those reputable ones, should be suspicious about those second-tier schools. It's not only unprofessional for him/her to advise your friend to fake the GPA, the adviser is also very likely to be liable for such behavior once things got exposed. In that case, the school will be punished by all banks for sure. Please don't let that "adviser" do that to your friend's school and his classmates.

 

I would make sure your school does not have a policy against this, regardless of what the adviser said. But seriously, wth I can't even imagine an adviser, anywhere, saying this. At my school if you lie about your GPA, whether on paper or verbally, it is considered a violation of the school's code and you could get kicked out in a heart beat. Also, this is very VERY unethical. If the firm/bank were to ever find out your friend could get terminated immediately and his/her reputation would be ruined.

 

Once in a blue moon, some douchebag will slip through the cracks after lying about grades and get an offer. Not unlike any criminal getting away with it from time to time. C'est la vie.

 

Someone needs to tell the school about their unscrupulous career counselor. This type of advice could seriously affect a schools reputation if it was widespread.

"Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money." - Mickey Bergman - Heist (2001)
 

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