In college, is GPA/networking all that really matters?
I'm a sophomore at a semi-target/target (debatable) and I'm interested in management consulting, IB and S&T. People are always talking about extra-curriculars, being in organizations/clubs on campus and having leadership roles in them and what not, but does any of that even matter?
I had two leadership roles in career-related organizations as a freshman but my GPA was a lower than optimal (just below a 3.5), and I'm not feeling so confident in my resume. I really wish to work at the top firms, so would it be smart for me to forgo all of the extracurricular organizations (apart from the ones I like to be a part of) and just focus on getting my GPA to be around a 3.75?
What's the key? High GPA and networking?
Yes, they do matter. Tons of kids are going to be applying with 3.7+ GPAs, and everyone networks nowadays (or should), so there have to be more data points to make decisions between applicants. This is where the leadership experience can help a candidate. If you're not gonna do any meaningful ECs, you better have some serious connections.
That's not to say that you should join clubs that you have no interest in. Find groups you want to be a part of, and then go for leadership positions there.
Well, one of your priorities should be reading the Journal ....
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB100014241278873241394045790166627…
Second graph (in green) on the left side answers your question
It says that GPA and college reputation are least important, which seems kind of odd to me. I get that internships are the most important, but wouldn't people rather hire someone with a high GPA from a top school than someone with lower GPA with ECs, who graduated from a "random" school?
Good points. I wish they had included a section on networking.
Other things equal, it would be a tough decision for me to decide against a 3.8 Whartonite with no outside of classroom experience v. a 3.5 State-y with great internships/volunteer activities
Pick one or two extracurricular activities that you're interested in and get involved/earn leadership positions. You don't need 10 EC's on your resume or anything like that. Also keep in mind that if you ever want to go to bschool, a history of EC's is usually required for top schools to consider you.
I think that ECs are definitely important because it makes you seem like a human and not just a nerd who studied all day. However, I'd agree with the previous posters that you don't need to do 10. Just focus on a few that you really enjoy. It doesn't all necessarily have to be finance-related - imagine if everyone had some investment society on their resume and you had something very interesting, that'd make you stand out. Of couse, if you really are interested in finance-related ECs then you should go for it.
I'd advise 1 finance-related EC and 1 non-finance-related one.
I think this is pretty spot on if you are trying to turn it into some kind of formula, OP. You definitely want to show that you have interests outside finance- just turn an interest of yours into some sort of organized, extracurricular activity.
^^^ agree with all above. If you're feeling really ambitious, try to pick an EC that aligns with the usual IB's social initiatives (i.e., education/homeless help/health-related non-profit work). But obviously pick something that you can add value to and truly feel like you've made an impact on
Also keep in mind that you can construct your own EC if you don't find one that meets your interests as they currently stand. You would do this by starting your own student club or partnering with relevant organizations as a volunteer.
I think EC's are overrated in getting an IB job. However this excludes starting a large club/finance society at your school.
I got on campus interviews over people I know that had 3-4 leadership positions on campus, while I had zero, and a GPA that was only minimally lower than mine. They had all these resume-stuffer positions, while I pretty much just had a club sport I played throughout college and 90% of the senior guys I met in interviews ate it up.
Maybe true, but college isn't ONLY about getting a job (regardless of what many people will say) and EC's are just plain fun if you find some you like. OP, try to round yourself out as a person while in college too.
Networking > school > GPA > ECs
There's your order of operations for landing a job
Happy hunting.
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