Low GPA and state school graduate, whats the best way for me to compete?
Hey guys,
This is my first post so I'll make it short and sweet. I'm a soon to be graduate from a state school but my GPA is sitting around 2.97 due to personal issues (I was homeless during my junior year). If you ignore the classes that I took that year my GPA would be a decent 3.5 . It was honestly the lowest point of my life but I somehow made it through and reached my senior year. I have access to a stable home now so I'm pursing both paid and unpaid internships and I could use any advice, tips, or constructive criticism on how to increase my odds of landing a position. I live near NYC so I spend most of my time cold calling/emailing boutique shops, I also have experience interning in a corp finance setting.
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No I'm in CT about an 1 hour away from NYC. SUNY schools get a lot of crap but I knew a few friends at stony brook and honestly it's not a bad school.
it'll be tough to get out directly out of undergrad with the GPA and banks don't have the time to screen through your story even though it is very unfortunate, but find a decent job for now that is requires some mental ability, do well, craft a narrative for good MBA, then try to make it out in IB. This will at least ensure you are never spinning your wheels. Its probably what I will do myself after I get a little more experience at this insurance company.
When I was going through the lowest point in my life thus far between my freshman and sophomore year, cold calling and cold emailing worked wonders for me. There are always a handful of people at boutiques that are interested in learning more about you after you send in your resume. This is where you can articulate your story and prove that you are more than capable enough for IB. Even if they don't have openings, they will often be able to refer you to one of their colleagues that do. After that it's all work ethic, likability, and performance. I got my start in boutique ER, which led to boutique PWM, which led to a whole bunch of other things that culminated in MM IB full time.
try to find work at a boutique, ideally in IB but something else would be okay too > MBA (they'll be the most forgiving about personal circumstances > some other finance job, IB/PE
For anyone still interested in my story I just received an internship offer day for a boutique PE firm. I plan on continuing my networking efforts in hopes of landing an IB position at the end of this internship. Thank you guys for the advice, this forum has been a source of support and information that was invaluable.
That is great to hear, man. Best of luck.
Congratulations! We are rooting for you, good luck.
Advice for non target / Low GPA / Relevant finance experience (Originally Posted: 01/06/2017)
I just finished my first year of college with a 2.79 GPA - but I've been working at the financial services office in my college since my first semester and I really, really want to break into finance. I've also participated in two financial modeling workshops so far. I feel like my GPA is the only thing holding me back so I would like some advice on how to break it into finance with a relatively low GPA.
Hello, There's plenty of threads of people who break into finance with low GPA/not-so-great-profiles and/or stories.
The main key things are: 1. Network 2. Keep pushing for it 3. Intern if you can >> I have been around this forum for a year or so, and have landed a few interviews (3 currently in process right now, M&A role, and 2 trading firms for summers).
So, keep your head up, not down. May the force be with you.
Thank you! I am aiming for an internship this summer and the next as I spent last summer working at said financial services offices.
You've only completed your first year of college, meaning you likely have three more years to knock it out of the park. Don't ask questions like "how can I break into Finance with a low GPA", because that assumes that you're going to maintain a 2.7 GPA without any improvement.
To reiterate, you have three more years to improve your GPA.
It really comes down to how badly you want to break into Finance. Are you willing to give up nights out/partying to get your GPA up? Are you willing to stay in and study instead of going to a College Football game? I'm not saying that you need to be a total introvert and give up your social life, but it's time to kick it into high gear. Shoot for 4.0's from here on out. Stop thinking about the past (your first year of College), and do everything you can to make sure your GPA is as high as possible. Establish your "winning" mindset as early as possible, and set the tone for the rest of your college career. PM me if you have questions about how to do this.
Get to work.
Non-target Canadian school, low GPA and minimal experience (Originally Posted: 01/18/2012)
Hi,
I'm a recent graduate from a non-target Canadian University with a average or below average GPA. I'm currently working in the microfinance field and would like to increase my chances of finding a job when I return to Canada. My job here leaves me with a large amount of free time (culturally slow work pace) and I was curious if you recommend side-projects to increase my chances to landing a job when I get back.
Thanks for your help
Yes...
Why do you need to ask this question? It's like saying, "If I do more related work will I have a better chance?"
It's like saying "What types of side-projects would you recommend I do to improve my chances?" I know it will help, but I'm not sure exactly what to do.
OP if you haven't written the Canadian Securities Course and want to work in finance when you get back, that's a good place to start. It's pretty easy and shouldn't take you long, but most kids are coming out of school with it already done now.
How was your third and fourth year GPA? If above 3.5, you could easily get into any Canadian MBA and MFin, especially with microfinance experience. Something to consider. The CSC is a waste of time in my opinion. You'd be better off just writing the CFA level 1 exam.
Which non-target are we talking here? Honestly, unless you were somewhere like UoT where grades are curved, it's pretty hard to get bad marks so you're going to be fighting an uphill battle with perception there.
The CSC is imo useless for recruiting. Bank tellers do it and no one I know looks at a resume and says "oh wow, he did the CSC. That shows interest!" If the company needs it, then they'll pay for you. Spend your money on CFA level 1 if you really feel like studying.
The reality is that you need to spend more time networking and getting meetings with people. Bigger shops are total grade whores so you probably aren't getting into those. Go to boutiques, but avoid the chopshops (Northern securities as an example).
I'm sorry, I should have mentioned I completed my level CFA level 1. What about research reports or focusing on my own trading account? Or can you recommend any other ways to constructively spend my spare time (in order to improve my resume/odds).
Low GPA Non Target School Advice (Originally Posted: 01/23/2013)
Hello WSO Monkeys,
New to the forum here and would love someone to give me advice on how to get a career started in finance with my background. TLDR version at the bottom.
As the title of my thread indicates I am from a non target school, I went to the SF Conservatory of Music and graduated 2009 recieving a Bachelor of Music. I graduated with a 2.5 GPA and at times even entered academic probation. There's a fair explanation for my low GPA below.
At the conservatory you are given a Jury at the end of year where you perform in front of the faculty of your major instrument. Basically the jury decides whether they will keep you at school or kick you out, (also getting a C from your private coach twice gets you auto kicked) your grades don't matter for Jury evaluations just your ability to perform. As a result many of our private coaches would protect us if we had low GPAs. I actually should have been kicked out junior year for my grades but my private coach protected me from the school policies. There were many times where my violin coach would recommend I choose practice over studying for finals. Despite my low GPA I don't blame my coach at all, I'm quite sure if I focused more on grades instead of practicing my instrument, I would not have won several symphony auditions after graduating. My coach knew what I wanted at that time and gave me the best advice to succeed. For those wondering how much time can practice take, I put in around 5-7 hours of practice every day, and knew several students who practiced more than I did.
Basically after being in the symphony scene for a couple years I realized it wasn't what I expected or wanted. I started trading the markets as a side job last year, didn't do particulary well but found myself fascinated by markets. I was seeing markets everywhere from Disneyland, car meets, online message boards such as silk road, etc.
Currently I started studying for my GMAT, thinking that perhaps B-school would help me break into finance. I'm considering the CFA program as well but am really on the fence as to whether it will help me land an interview. Also considering joining a boot camp for financial valuation and modeling. Tommorow night I plan on attending the WSO meetup in San Francisco, any advice for my situation would be much appreciated.
TLDR version belowI graduated from SF Conservatory with a low GPA because GPA does not matter for classical music performance jobs. After winning a couple auditions and being on the scene I realized it wasn't what I was expecting. Started day trading the markets, found them interesting, and wanted to get a job in finance. Currently studying for my GMAT and feel unsure whether a CFA is useful for my goals. Thinking of attending a financial valuation and boot camp. Going to the WSO meetup in SF tommorow, looking for any advice to break into finance.
No offense, but this excuse is terrible imo. But this doesnt mean there is no hope. Networking and getting an entry level internship or entry level finance job like com banking or something dealing with lending would look good. You are in a great market in my opinion, San Fran has plenty of entry level opportunities, won't get anything top notch, but you can certainly work your way there! network, get an entry level internship, keep networking, and then, network some more
No offense taken ;), like I said I'll take any advice. I'll look into those two options and try to network as much as I can. I notice you didn't mention anything about going to B school, I'm guessing that won't help?
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