Rising junior, with a subpar GPA studying international studies and minoring in Economics. How to prepare for recruiting season?

I currently am a rising junior at Emory University majoring in International Studies and minoring in Economics with a cumulative 3.397 GPA, and a 3.7 major/minor GPA. I have taken a few business classes such as a business decisions class focusing on data analytics and financial accounting. I did not to too satisfactory in these two classes resulting in a hit to my GPA. I am not studying in Emory's Goizuetta business school. During my freshman year summer I worked for a Portfolio Manager in NYC helping with mostly with equity and market research. I helped minimally with constructing financial models as my knowledge is limited. This summer I will be working for a small hedge fund. I am hoping to learn a lot and gain some good experience.

Looking forward to next summer and my junior year internship...

I am a little nervous that things such as my GPA and major will hurt my prospects for finding an internship or a job. I also am unsure of how to prepare, given my situation of not studying business, for interviews. I have purchased WSO's interview guide and am taking an online class to boost my excel skills.

I was hoping to receive some guidance on what I should be doing at this point with recruiting season around the corner.

Is it ok to round up my cumulative GPA on my resume to a 3.4? Will be at a serious disadvantage by not studying in Emory's business school? How can I prove to recruiters I have the desire and ability to be successful by only using my past internship experiences?

Thanks in advance.

4 Comments
 

So you've only taken a handful of accounting / finance classes and you did poorly in these classes? And you can half-ass complete 3-statement models? If I were you I would prepare for recruiting by finding a couple of back-up plans. Also, please don't ever say "boutique hedge fund" again in your life.

Take BIWS and WSO modeling courses, network with alumni, get in touch with your career centre, and take more finance classes before you graduate. I know several guys from Emory that work in the M&A space around ATL / Charlotte so it's doable, you just have to go out and get it.

 
Best Response

Sapiente alias sit perferendis qui assumenda natus. Iste ut fugiat ut tempora. A aperiam natus numquam voluptas deserunt quas velit. Rerum dicta possimus sunt facilis nemo omnis.

Assumenda optio est eius hic. Sit qui suscipit est vel non a. Corrupti aspernatur quaerat ut veniam et possimus voluptatem. Veritatis et tempore ratione.

Odio sit ut expedita eius rerum doloribus sapiente et. Eos laborum beatae autem ex voluptates et. Consequatur praesentium commodi consequuntur nostrum consequatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”