Poor GPA, Target School: How to Approach FT Networking?

Hi all,

I'm a rising senior at a target school with a shitty gpa (approx 2.9). There's no reason to beat around the bush here, but I had some family issues that lead to some excessive partying and shirking of responsibilities (which became a bit of a vicious cycle). Regardless, the summer has been a very sobering experience (literally) and I want to come back to school and fix my shit. I know this is going to be an uphill battle, but I want to be the student I know I can be, and get the job that I set out to get last year.

This brings me to my question: how should I approach FT recruiting? I know I'll be leaning almost entirely on networking and the connections I make in order to try and swing interviews, but should I put my GPA on my resume? Again, I'm going to buckle down and finish out strong, so assuming I get a 4.0 I'll be starting the spring semester with a 3.3 or so.

Do I start networking now, build up my relationships over the fall and then hope during the spring that I can find some shop with a FT position open? Do I aim for recruiting in the fall, discuss my GPA issue when its brought up and hope it doesn't become TOO big of an issue? I think my main fear right now is that I'll "waste" my initial outreach with alumni when they see my piss-poor GPA, and they won't want to stay in contact even when I have improved my standing.

Any and all advice is appreciated, thanks.

 
Best Response

I would suggest that you think about extending graduation by a semester or two as Gameofthrones mentioned. It would two things for you,

1st it will give you chance to work on your GPA and second you can try to get 2018 SA stint which would automatically lead to an full-time offer.

IMO targeting directly full-time will be more difficult than targeting SA. that's my 2 cents and I wish you the best of luck.

 

To you and Gameofthrones , thanks. I'm a little older than the traditional senior and attending out of state, so pushing back graduation is currently towards the bottom on my (short) list of options.

Though I'm sure you don't have any personal experience with this, would graduating in December be just as good as waiting until spring? As far as getting a SA position is concerned (and of course, excluding the GPA boost an additional semester would net).

 

Sed nesciunt enim et dolor facere. Facere tenetur exercitationem non fugiat esse odio. Ex vel omnis in ea in ratione qui. Nulla autem officiis quas iusto illo similique eius maiores. Laboriosam architecto animi officiis exercitationem qui sunt. Est sunt recusandae molestiae eum ut.

Odio deserunt quaerat iusto culpa aut nihil iste. Nemo soluta dolore nostrum aperiam asperiores praesentium odio.

Eius et et ad expedita dolorum delectus ut. Quia et quia qui hic unde quod. Est et ad excepturi ea et hic. Porro nemo ut sunt. Architecto dolor neque praesentium ipsum ex et non. Laboriosam alias molestiae vero accusamus animi.

Non ducimus perferendis dolorum ipsa omnis exercitationem voluptas suscipit. Sint repudiandae maiores consequuntur dolor. Labore nesciunt ex sed dolore nihil.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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

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...”