help a dukie out....

I'm a duke senior BME major. I'm planning on attending grad school for either finance or financial eengineering next year. I've been applying to some banks for a summer internship for trading. I have done some significant research, 1570 SAT, 2 finance courses blah blah blah. Problem is I have a low gpa (3.1, overall). This is mainly due to 2 pretty horrible semesters (personal reasons). Is there any chance I can get an internship at one of the big boys? What about a hedge fund? Or, should I submit my CV to burger king...

8 Comments
 

ask your frat brothers to help you get a job on the street. that's most likely the best way to go about this. their parents probably know someone.

 

i was hoping to not have to go that route. Is my profile really that weak that I won't get any first rounders? I think I'll really be able to prove myself during an interview...

 
rhuelui was hoping to not have to go that route. Is my profile really that weak that I won't get any first rounders? I think I'll really be able to prove myself during an interview...

your profile is fine... for a frat guy. ask around for help and you'll be fine. you just need to get your foot in the door.

 

Even if you do get an interview, I'm not sure what you should say if someone asks you "why is your GPA so low?" which will almost certainly happen.

In reality, employers in general will probably not be understanding of the "personal reasons" explanation. In my analyst class, shortly after training ended, one analyst's mother died, and that analyst took a week off of work as a result.

This is about as bad a personal situation there is, though I recognize there are worse. Now, do you think because this happened, the analyst gets a free pass to do lousy work for the next 6 months? Of course not. The personal situation would not be an excuse for a job poorly done.

 

Repudiandae non consectetur consequatur voluptas. Vitae voluptatum facilis nesciunt ut est dolorem. Asperiores cumque aliquid et omnis hic dolorem et.

Sed omnis ut rem nam est distinctio labore. Doloribus perferendis unde amet quisquam quaerat dolores. Et molestias unde consequatur doloribus quasi deleniti enim. Voluptatum laudantium veniam nostrum adipisci nemo. A voluptatem eos quibusdam.

Porro quisquam sint ipsam excepturi earum earum. Tenetur numquam iure laborum voluptatem aut ut dicta. Rerum alias excepturi voluptatem non velit. Culpa consequuntur quis ea sit omnis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”