Ruined my first semester of college — how fucked am I?

Went to a prestigious NE high school and finished with a 4.0 and near perfect SAT score.

When i finally came around to college, my freshman year at Cornell double majoring CS + Econ I just fucked off and ended with a 2.8 GPA last semester. This semester I’m locking in and could end with a 4.0 or higher. Still, it only rounds off to a bit better than a 3.4-3.5 (due to taking more credits this sem). Being realistic, how fucked am I? I want to recruit for IB but I understand that if I have a shit GPA I might just suck when it comes to recruiting.

I’d greatly appreciate any advice on how to play this/improve my odds of doing well come this fall.

8 Comments
 

thank you man. i’m up at 2am genuinely tweaking the fuck out because i’ve been in a party fueled delirium since coming to campus and am only just processing how much of a slacker i’ve been.

 

From Cornell? You’re chilling. I had a 3.6 at a WC semi target and I got interviews at 10+ firms and got an offer from an east coast mid tier BB. Just be very good at networking and you’ll be chilling. I’m sure it’ll be hard to get looks at top tier EBs like EVR or CVP but you should be just fine at other EBs and BBs. Just be likable on networking calls and you’re gonna do great.

 

Nothing wrong with what you said but Evr and CVP are definitely still doable.

 

Was in the exact same position from a much worse semi target. You will be fine if you do well first semester of second year. Don’t get discouraged because it’s all about networking now. Sure you won’t be able to land mfpe summer analyst roles or a job at Qatalyst but any EB/BB are in the cards if you network well.

Once you’re in the interview room your resume doesn’t matter, just secure 2 calls at every bank you want to interview for.

 

Minus ab non autem sed nesciunt. Dolorum ut aspernatur ducimus veritatis. Voluptatem praesentium quidem fugit consequuntur mollitia voluptatem. Architecto tempore voluptas accusantium facilis officiis quae.

Doloremque repellat minima temporibus quos magnam nesciunt. Sit quod rerum reiciendis omnis voluptatem quia. Inventore praesentium magni minima aperiam.

Voluptatem aut fugit molestiae itaque est cumque. Quia assumenda suscipit ex. Omnis sit deserunt cumque incidunt maxime repellendus magni.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”